Pursue Relationship with Jesus, Forsake Sexual Immorality
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Jesus’ outline of Revelation:
What was seen: Jesus Glorified - Revelation 1:9-20.
What is: the Seven Churches - Revelation 2-3.
What will be: Jesus’ judgement in the seven seals, trumpets and bowls. Revelation 4-22.
Revelation 2:18.
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
Thyatira
The modern city of Akhisar.
There is very little known about Thyatira.
The local god is Tyrimnos, identified with the Greek sun gods Helios and Apollo. (Harper’s Bible Dictionary -Thyatira) Jesus’ description is proving he is better than Tyrimnos.
Who’s words?
Son of God - Daniel 3:25; Psalm 2.
Jesus protects the faithful in the fire.
Jesus claims to be Messiah.
Jesus’ appearance - Yaweh Embodied
Eyes like a flame of fire. Daniel 10:6,16,18.
Christ sees all.
Feet like burnished bronze. Daniel 10:6,16,18.
Christ is strong to bring justice to what he sees.
His appearance has a two-fold meaning.
One, it reminds the faithful that Jesus knows/sees and is able to act with strength on their behalf.
Two, it reminds us that Jesus knows all the deeds of the unfaithful, and is strong to act in judgment of their deeds.
Who are we? We are the faithful, known and protected by Jesus.
Revelation 2:19.
19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
Jesus Commendation:
Jesus knows your works - your display of relationship.
Your Love
We receive and give is his love. 1 John 4:7-12, 19.
19 We love because he first loved us.
Your Faith
We confess Jesus as Lord in every aspect of our lives.
We believe in the effectiveness of the cross, and in the power of the resurrection in the daily grind.
Romans 10:8-13.
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Your Service
We use the gifts he has given us for the kingdom. Ephesians 3:7; 4:7,11-14.
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Your Patient Endurance
In trial we patiently endure by fixing our eyes on Jesus, relying on the Holy Spirit’s transforming power.
Hebrews 12:1-2; Galatians 5:22-25.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
He knows you are growing more in your relationship with him.
We need to trust him in the process of being brought into the fullness of Christ.
Revelation 2:20.
20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Jesus’ Rebuke -
You tolerate -
We live in a society that encourages toleration of sin.
How has this idea of toleration crept into our own lives?
Who is this woman Jezebel?
Is the woman’s name actually Jezebel, or is this her nickname, to bring in Old Testament reference?
It could be both; however, Jezebel is not a very popular name.
The Jezebel of the Old Testament:
1 Kings 16:31; 21:25-26.
31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.
26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.)
She was inciting Ahab to sin. We see the Jezebel in Revelation doing the same thing.
She claims to be a prophetess.
She is teaching and seducing Jesus’ servants
to sexual immorality
It is the participation in sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20.
18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
to eat meat sacrificed to idols, i.e. to commune with demons
1 Corinthians 10:20-21.
20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Revelation 2:21.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
Jesus offers repentance.
Luke 15:7.
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Jesus is refused.
May we not be those who refuse Jesus.
Revelation 2:22.
22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,
Jesus’ Judgement is declared.
Throw her into a severe illness.
Throw followers into great affliction unless they repent.
Will we walk in repentance?
Revelation 2:23.
23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
Those who do not repent will be struck dead.
Why? So we (the church) know that Jesus takes unrepentant sin seriously, for he has eyes of fire and boots of bronze.
Revelation 2:24-25.
24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.
25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
Jesus reassurance to the faithful.
Hold fast to him till he comes.
What is meant by the deep things of Satan? We will discuss it on Wednesday Night.
Revelation 2:26.
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,
We are more than conquers in God’s love.
Romans 8:35-37.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
The gift of authority of over the nations we will discuss on Wednesday night.
Revelation 2:27.
27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.
Revelation 2:28.
28 And I will give him the morning star.
The gift of the morning star we will talk about Wednesday night.
Revelation 2:29.
29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Hear Jesus words spoken by the Spirit.
Hold fast in Jesus and keep walking in repentance.