Thyatira was the home of Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened. It was a city of great commerce, a center of communication, with many people passing through it every day. In Thyatira you might find the trade-guilds of the day well organized; wool-workers, tailors, linen-workers, leather-craftsmen, tanners, potters, etc. All were associated in business with pagan idolatry. Each guild had its own guardian god. The situation was like this: If you wanted to get ahead in business, you had to belong to one of the guilds. If you belonged to a guild, your membership implied that you worshipped its god. You would be expected to eat the food offered to these gods at their pagan festivals, receiving it as a gift from the gods. After the feasts, the orgies would begin. And you dare not insult your peers by walking out!
What could a believer do in such a situation? If he quits his union, he will lose his business. If he remains in his union, attends the immoral festivities, and joins in the idolatrous fornications of pagan worship, he will be denying his Lord and sinning against his own conscience. The believers at Thyatira had to face these kinds of trials every day. But there was a prophetess in the church, named Jezebel, who claimed to have the solution to this problem. She reasoned that if you would conquer Satan, you must know him. You will never be able to influence the idolaters if you condemn them and refuse to go along with their religion. You do not have to deny Christ; but you cannot expect to get along in the world if you do not accept the world's religion. By her cunning and craftiness, this prophetess seduced many in the church and persuaded them to commit fornication. This was the condition of the church at Thyatira.
Almost all of the old commentators suggest that this letter has reference to the rise of papacy and the heretical, immoral doctrines and practices and practices of the Roman Catholic church. I have no tolerance for papacy. And I am always ready to denounce it as antichrist. Papacy is idolatry. It promotes immorality. And its doctrines are nothing but heretical superstitions. Yet, this letter to the church at Thyatira is not to be so restricted in its interpretation. Like the other six letters, this letter addresses itself to us. It warns us of certain dangers the church is sure to encounter in any age. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
Proposition:In this letter our Lord is warning us of the subtle influences of false religion.
Divisions:I call your attention to five things in this letter to the church at Thyatira.
I. As the letter opens, our Lord Jesus Christ makes An Assuring Revelation of himself – (v. 18).
He who walks in the midst of his churches and holds her pastors in his right hand is himself "The Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass." In times of danger, nothing is more assuring to the people of God than the comforting knowledge of Christ presence. "The Lord is at hand," both to observe and to protect his own.
A. Christ Addresses Himself To The Angel of The Church At Thyateria.
The angel of the church is her pastor. He is God's messenger to his church. You will notice that in each church there is but one angel, one messenger from God. It is his responsibility under God to instruct the people of God and protect them from the many forms of false religion that arise. (Eph. 4:11-14; Acts 20:28-30).
B. Christ Here Identifies Himself As The Son Of God; And In Doing So He Is Calling For Us To Both Trust Him And Obey Him.
He who is the Head of the Church, our Savior and Lord, is himself God, the eternal and only begotten Son of God. He calls himself the Son of man (Rev. 1:13) to assure us of his love and sympathy toward us. He calls himself the Son of God to assure us of his sovereign, almighty power. Our Savior is God, almighty, and he is a man, touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
1. His eyes are like a flame of fire.He has a piercing, penetrating, perfect knowledge and insight into all things and all people. He searches the hearts and knows our motives. He tries the reins, and knows our principles.
2. His feet are like fine brass.As he knows and judges all things with perfection wisdom, he rules all things and acts with absolute strength and perfect steadiness. His works of providence are deliberate and irrepressible.
NOTE: These two things will encourage every faithful pastor to remain loyal to Christ and the gospel of his grace: Christ knows all things and Christ has all power. When shall we fear?
II. Our Lord displays An Acknowledged Regard for the faithfulness of his people – (v. 19).
He promised to honor them that honor him, and here he fulfils his promise. The Son of God publicly commends the good works of faithful men and women in this verse. He says, "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first." This commendation was not given by a stranger, nor even by a casual observer. It was given by One who was well-acquainted with him and with the principles upon which they acted.
NOTE: We must do nothing to honor the flesh and promote pride. Yet we should not neglect to commend and show our appreciation for the good things men do for Christ and for us.
Our Savior names five specific works for which he commends his believing people at Thyatira.
A. They Were Men and Women Of Charity. (Thy Charity.)This is a clear evidence of real faith. Those who are born of God love Christ and they love one another. (John 13:34-35; I Cor. 13:1-3; I John 4:20-5:1).
Love is more than a phony, candy-coated smile. Love is a thoughtful regard for and an active pursuit of another person's happiness and well-being.
B. These Brethren at Thyatira Were Men Of Service To The Gospel. (Thy Service)
No doubt, they served one another in many ways. But the word here seems to have particular reference to this churches commitment to the ministry of the gospel. They were committed to the spread of the gospel with great diligence, they sacrificed time, money, and labor, so that others might hear the gospel of the grace of God.
C. God's Saints In This Church Demonstrated Great Faithfulness To Christ. (Thy Faith.)
Faithfulness is the one thing God requires of his servants (I Cor. 4:2). And faithfulness is one thing all God's people render to him.
D. These Men And Women Were People Of Great Patience Too.Those men and women who are most charitable to others, most diligent in the cause of Christ, and most faithful to the things of God are likely to be the most tried. But in many trials, these people were patient. Patience is simply the peaceful, believing resignation of the heart to the will of God.
E. And They Steadily Grew In Their Devotion To Christ. (Thy Works.).Their last works were better and more numerous than their first. Others had left their first love and lost their first zeal. But as these men and women grew old, they grew wise. As they matured in years, they matured in grace. As they declined in physical strength, they increased in spiritual strength.
These five things are matters of earnest, constant prayer to me.
III. In verses 20-24, our Lord gives An Alarming Reproof to those who embrace or show tolerance for false religion.
This reproof is not so much directed at the church as it is at the wicked seducers within the church. Yet, the church itself was at fault. She is reproved for her tolerance of false religion.
There was within the church at Thyatira a woman who claimed to be a prophetess. This woman preacher was called, by our Lord, Jezebel. He compared her to Ahab's wife, Jezebel, because she encouraged patronage to false religion, kindness to false prophets, and acceptance of idolatry. She seduced God's servants to engage in the pagan festivities of idol worship, including fornication! And she did this in the name of god! Pretending all the while to be promoting the faith of Christ!
The church at Thyatira was to be blamed in part for the spread of this woman's heresy, because they tolerated her and afforded her opportunity to preach her damning doctrine.
A. If We Would Be Faithful to The Souls Of Men, False Religion And False Prophets Must Be Pointedly And Plainly Exposed By Us.
We preach a positive gospel. And we endeavor to avoid being negative. But we must not allow any room for the acceptance of any doctrine that is contrary to the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace. The popular, accepted, mainstream religion of our day is a religion of works. Billy Graham, Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Jim Baker, and the Pope of Rome all essentially preach the same doctrine: salvation by man, by man's works and man's will. They are modern Jezebel's deceiving and seducing the souls of men. There is no place of agreement with them. If they are of God, I am not. If I am of God, they are not.
B. God Will Destroy Every False Prophet And All Who Follow Them, If They Do Not Repent And Return To The Truth As It Is In Christ – (vv. 22-23).
There is nothing more damning to the souls of men than false religion. Those who are deceived by it shall be destroyed with it. (II Thess. 2:7-12). "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matt. 7:15).
C. The Design of Christ In Destroying These Wicked Seducers Is That His Elect May Be Both Proved And Instructed – (v. 23).
When heresies come, God's elect are manifested by their adherence to the truth (I Cor. 11:19). When false prophets are destroyed in the judgment of God, God gives instruction and reproof to all men.
1. God's judgment upon the seducers of men reveals his infallible knowledge of their hearts.
God knows the deceitful by which they operate, the hypocrisy of their religion, and the motives of their actions. And he will judge them accordingly.
2. God's justice is impartial.He will give every false prophet the exact reward of his works. In the day of judgment, they will not be able to hide behind the name of Christ. Their popularity will provide them no sanctuary – (Matt. 7:21-23).
IV. In these dark days of apostate religion our Lord lays before each of us An Assigned Responsibility – (vv. 24-25).
"But unto you (the pastor, God's messenger) I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."
A. These False Prophets Call Their Doctrines "Depths" of Theology.
They love to dazzle men with deep mysteries, and persuade them that they have a deep insight into the things of God. They love to talk about prophetic mysteries, the nature of angels, the works of demons, and anything that intrigues the imagination.
B. Our Lord Calls Their Deep Things, "The Depths Of Satan."
"I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" – (II Cor. 11:3). False prophets will always draw your attention away from Christ and the gospel of his grace. Their mysteries are the mystery of iniquity, Satanic delusions and diabolical doctrines. The gospel sets forth the mystery of godliness. Let us never be turned from that.
C. It Is Our Responsibility To Holdfast The Doctrine Of Christ Until He Comes – (II Tim. 1:9-13; Tit. 1:9).
That form of sound words which we must hold fast is simple and clear. It may be set forth in six brief sentences.
1. God is absolutely sovereign in all things – (Rom. 9:11-26).
2. All men since the fall of Adam are spiritually dead and totally depraved – (Rom. 5:12; 3:9-19).
3. God has an elect people in this world who must be saved by his almighty grace – (II Thess. 2:13-14).
4. The Lord Jesus Christ died for and redeemed all of God's elect (Isa. 53:8; Heb. 9:12).
5. God the Holy Spirit regenerates and calls all the elect to life and faith in Christ by sovereign, effectual, irresistible power and grace – (Ps. 65:4).
6. All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ shall preserve in faith, being preserved unto eternal glory by the grace of God – (John 10:27-30).
When Christ comes, he will put an end to all heresy, and the truth shall be triumphant.
V. If we persevere in the faith and holdfast the doctrine of Christ, our Savior, the Son of God, promises us An Assured Reward (vv. 26-29).
Those who overcome are those who hold on to Christ's works, not their own; and they shall rule and reign with Christ forever.
A. We Shall Soon Rule With Christ Over All His Enemies.All who persevere in the faith shall sit as kings with Christ upon his throne and rule over all things with him forever (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:29; Rev. 3:21; 20:4). B. We Who Believe Shall Sit With Christ In Judgment Over All His Enemies.
Fallen angels, false prophets, every rebel to Christ's throne, and Satan himself shall be judged and condemned by our Lord; and we shall be his witness in the judgment – (I Cor. 6:3; Heb. 13:17; Ps. 2:8-9).
C. Christ Will Give Us Himself, All Of Himself, Forever – (v. 28).He is our soul's eternal "Morning Star." (II Pet. 1:19; Rev. 22:16). The day star which shall introduce us into the glorious day of eternal bliss is Christ himself! He is our glory. He is our crown. He is our reward. He is our heaven! (Ps. 73:25-26).
Application:
1. Ask God to give you a heart of Diligence, that you may serve Christ faithfully.
2. Ask God to give you a heart of Discernment, that you may know truth from error.
3. Ask God to give you a heart of Determination, that you may persevere in the faith of the gospel. (Col. 1:21-23).
*