Battle Plan: Thyatira
Revelation: Uncovering the Spiritual Realm • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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City Intel
City Intel
Involved in high end trade (Acts 16:14)
Purple linens (very well known for this)
Despite being landlocked and not having geographical prominence was still very influential since it specialized in goods for the wealthy.
Who has a lot of power setting the culture? the wealthy.
Examples of modern trend setters:
Michael Jordan
Taylor Swift
Tech Company Owners
Political Movements
Cancel Culture
Public eating establishments tended to revolve around the temples
1 Corinthians 8, deals with food sacrificed to idols.
Temple worship was centered around prostitution (lifestyles contrary to God’s plan for mariage)
Church Intel
Church Intel
Grew tremendously in faith
Not an idle church
Jezebel infiltration (1 Kings 18:4)
Promoted false worship within Israel
Murderous
deceitful and manipulative
seducing
“to lead astray”
Taught “the deep things of satan (v. 24)”
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
Faith
Greek carries a meaning of proof, reliability.
Their life is proof of what they say they believe
Service
Greek means ministry
Tolerance
Con
tolerance here carries a meaning of to forgive and to separate from. In other words being tolerant in a way to “keep your hands clean”
Training Camp
Training Camp
They were at the forefront of cultural warfare. How to adapt to the culture without being of the world?
How are we to become subculture setters rather than culture conformers?
We see in society how subcultures can send shock waves through the culture as a whole
One is how do we use social media?
Do you use it positive or negative?
What do you allow it to fill you with?
What limits do you have?
How can you start a trend on social media for the good of God (rather than thinking you big and bad or sass and loud by flipping people off and talking about people?)?
What is your driving force for acceptance?
Prayerfully spend money
How do we continue to grow as a church?
To grow, you must identify false teachings and address those areas
False teachings are a slow poison
What are some false teachings we face?
It is un-Christian to speak against LGBTQIA+
Loving does not mean affirming
Health and wealth Gospel
Doe the Bible show a life of prosperity for believers?
Feel good-ism
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Just because something makes you feel good or sounds good does not make it true or beneficial
What do the facts say, and how do I navigate life in light of those facts?
I am a good person
What is a good person? What is the true standard?
How is satan disguised as an angel of light?
Tolerance/Acceptance
Love
Entertainment
What are stumbling blocks that could be avoided?
Avoiding certain restaurants
Dietary laws
Alcohol
How to remove a tolerance of sin?
Hebrews–Revelation Comment
This is a church known for its love, but love can lose its strength and moral center and morph into a toleration of evil, which is what was happening in Thyatira. Their love had turned to permissiveness, allowing a false prophet to exercise pernicious influence in their midst.
Hebrews–Revelation Response
We learn from this letter that love can easily turn into a compromising tolerance, which is ultimately unloving.
If I had knowledge some of these seats were set to slowly poison you, but said nothing. Would that be tolerance since i did not infringe on your right to choose where you sit? And then how would it look if after you died from the poison and in an investigation it was discovered I had knowledge of this poison, but chose not to act, how would that turn out?
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
What is hate?
The Hebrew word here is a strong dislike/aversion to something that is strong it leads to the one hating to separate themselves from that which is hated
What is abomination?
It makes one unclean; it is something offensive
This makes it very clear that God does not have a tolerance for sin, and that he will separate Himself for sin
Now does this mean God separates immediately? No, V. 22 points out repentance, but if one does not repent it will end in eternal separation.
So how does all this mean we should respond?
Preach the Gospel
Don’t allow ungodly teaching
Don’t affirm or cultivate sin
Mission Statement
Mission Statement
Effective evangelism engages the culture by (1) setting perimeters on engagement of the culture and (2) by creating subculture rather than conforming to subcultures.