“Jezebel!”
(Rev. 2:18-29)
Dr. Richard S. Koole
Chapel Pointe
May 13, 2007
(combine with previous and next sermons)
I. Introduction
A. Tough times to preach
1. The Mel Trotter Thanksgiving dinner at DeVos Place
2. Releasing Rick and Kevin
a. The problem
b. Eastern Orthodoxy
1) Direct link to the first church
2) A “mystic feeling” of worship
a. incense
b. robes
c. icons
d. the “grand entrance”
e. chants
f. tradition!!!
3. But why?
4. Jesus said we are to “worship in spirit and in truth”
a. We had the right “truth”...but lacked the right “spirit”
b. In their search for the right “spirit” they strayed from the “truth”
1. prayers to Mary
2. the mass
3. icons
5. My quest.....To worship God in spirit and in truth
a. How it changed our church
*and me!
b. Lionel’s comment
c. What it will do for you
6. A.W. Tozer
“Worship is the missing jewel in modern evangelicalism. We’re organized, we work, we have our agencies. We have almost everything, but there’s one thing that the churches, even the gospel churches, do not have: that is the ability to worship. We are not cultivating the art of worship. It’s the one shining gem that is lost to the modern church, and I believe that we ought to search for this until we find it.”
B. What Jesus had to say about worship
1. He ought to be the authority on the subject!
2. Jesus to the woman at the well.....
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Fathers seeks. (John 4:23)
C. Churches can err in two directions
1. The Church
a. Ephesus
1. Too much attention to doctrine
2. Not enough to love
3. They had “truth without spirit”
b. Today, the flipside in Thyatira
1. Too much emphasis on “spirit”
2. Not enough on “truth”
3. They had “spirit without truth”
2. Our quest at Chapel Pointe
a. Worship that is honoring to God
b. The right spirit….and the right truth
c. Will set us apart….and make God happy!
d. John 4:23
II. Review
A. The Seven Churches of Revelation
1. Ephesus
a. A church with good doctrine but had lost love
b. Similar to the era of the first century church
c. Similar to many churches today
2. Smyrna
a. A persecuted group
b. Similar to an era of great suffering from 94 AD – 312 AD
c. Similar to many churches today
3. Pergamum or Pergamos
a. The compromised church
b. Similar to an era of compromise
1. Starting with Constantine’s vision in 312 AD
c. Similar to many churches today
1. Cultural Christianity
4. Thyatira
a. Where emotions ruled over truth
b. Similar to an era in church history
1. 600 AD à 1500 AD
2. When truth was pushed aside for emotion
3. Won’t say much about history today
c. Similar to many churches today
1. Where the truth is pushed aside
2. All about how you feel
3. “If it feels good, do it”
III. Text
A. The Author (v.18)
1. Jesus Christ
2. His description – “The Son of God”
a. Used when His Deity is stressed
b. Son of Man – His humanity
3. “Whose eyes are like blazing fire”
a. Piercing and penetrating
b. He sees all
c. Discerner of sin
4. “Whose feet are like burnished bronze”
a. Judgment!
b. Stamps out all who oppose Him
5. Are you starting to get the picture?
a. Jesus is not happy with this church
b. Sense the righteous wrath of God
6. Jesus wants them to know with whom they’re dealing
B. The Congregation (v.18)
1. Thyatira
a. Has been labeled the “Pagan Church”
2. The city of Thyatira
a. In a valley halfway between Pergamos and Sardis
b. Very little cultural importance
1. An outpost of Pergamos (the capitol of the region)
2. Used to slow down armies attacking Pergamos
*a military “speed bump”
3. Was being constantly overrun
3. Chief Industry…. “purple”
a. Lydia (Acts 16)
1. First European convert
2. In Macedonia on business
3. She was a “seller of purple”
b. Thyatiran purple
1. From the madder root which grew near there
2. From the murex shellfish
a. The best purple
b. A tiny shellfish near the town
c. Could only extract a tiny droplet from the throat of the shellfish
d. Extremely valuable
1. Dyed wool
2. Man would have to work three years as a laborer to be able to afford one pound
4. No record of the formation of the church
a. No record of Paul visiting
b. Many believe Lydia started it when she returned after meeting Paul in Macedonia
1. He led her to Christ
5. A church of great virtue…and great vice
C. The Commendation (v.19)
1. “I know your deeds”
a. Jesus sees what you do
b. “I know!”
c. A faithful remnant
2. The deeds of the faithful remnant:
a. They were loving
1. “I know your love”
2. Contrasted with Ephesus’—“watchdog” mentality
3. Loving churches grow
a. Even if error is prevalent!
4. People want to be loved
5. They want to “feel” something
b. They had faith in God
1. “I know your faith”
2. They trusted God
c. They were hard working
1. “I know your service”
2. Service is a result of love
a. Can’t force service
b. It has to be built on love
c. Service without love is always—
1. Shallow
2. Temporary
3. Coerced
d. They didn’t give up
1. “doing more now than at first”
2. Didn’t give up or slow down
3. These are great deeds
a. These people worked to get the job done
b. They loved God and those around them
4. Yet many within their church had strayed from the truth
D. The Concern (v.20-23)
1. “Nevertheless, I have this against you”
a. They tolerated sin and false doctrine
2. Their three basic problems
a. They allowed an evil woman to mislead the church
*great topic for “Mothers Day”
b. They allowed sexual immorality in the church
c. They allowed the worship of idols in the church
1. The foods offered to idols (v.20)
d. They allowed the search for the deep secrets of Satan
3. All seemed to come from placing of emotions over revealed truth
a. Opened the door for all kinds of error and abuse
b. The problem was allowing it to happen in the church
4. Thought the Christian thing to do was to be tolerant
a. On the surface it sounds more Christian
b. But it is letting emotion subvert truth
5. Cornerstone and the “Soul Force” visit
a. Desire to promote homosexual discussion
b. Cornerstone accused of being uncaring and unchristian
c. Wrong….we are to speak the truth in love
6. Our world’s mantra….. “If it feels good do it”
7. The key in Thyatira was a woman called Jezebel
a. Her O.T. namesake
1. (I Kings 16:30-33)—“Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jereboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”
2. But Jezebel was the engine that drove him!
a. “The priests of Baal were wicked sex perverts”
3. Challenge of Elijah on Mt. Carmel
(I Kings 18:21) – “And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
b. The woman in Thyatira….similar to Jezebel
1. Unqualified leader
2. Sexual immorality
3. Blatant idolatry
4. She called herself a prophetess….v.20
a. She wasn’t one
b. The age-old ploy
1. “I have a special message from God”
2. Oral Roberts
· The ultimate hostage situation
· 1980—the 900 ft. tall Jesus
· 1987—$4.5 million by March
c. She was allowed to teach and beguile
d. Their problem was in failing to yank her chain!
1. The Church will always have frauds
2. The key is addressing and confronting false teaching
e. She told them what they wanted to hear
1. If it feels good, do it!
2. Nothing wrong with sex outside of marriage
5. She was given time to repent….v.21
a. God is so long-suffering
b. Those of you who have been sliding
d. But she would not repent
6. Her reward….v.22-23
a. “So I will cast her on a bed of suffering”
b. “Likewise those who followed her lead”
c. “I will strike her children dead”
7. Appears to be talking about the “sin unto death”
a. (I John 5:16)—“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.
b. (I Cor. 11:29-30)—“For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” (Christian’s death)
8. But they had passion…love…emotion
a. People are starving to “feel” something in church
9. A church with passion and emotion that teaches a lie will grow faster than an unloving church that teaches the truth
E. The Challenge (v.24-29)
a. To the faithful remnant….v.24-25
1. To those who hadn’t followed the woman
2. Don’t pursue “Satan’s so-called deep secrets”….v.24
a. Compared to “the deep things of God” (I Cor. 2:20)
b. Some were probing where they shouldn’t probe
3. “I will not impose any other burden on you”….v.24
a. They had enough challenges already
4. “Hold on to what you have until I come.”…..v.25
5. Didn’t tell them to leave the church
a. Small city
b. Just hang in there
b. “To him who overcomes”…v.26-29
1. To the true believers….the “over comers”….v.26
2. Authority and rule over the nations…..v.26-27
a. First hint of the millennial kingdom
b. He will “rule”
1. “poimanei”
2. Greek word for “shepherd”
3. Jesus will give them authority as his father gave him authority (v.27)
4. Will also give him the “morning star”….v.28
a. Jesus is referred to as the “Morning Star”
b. Yet they are already saved
c. May refer to the Rapture
c. “He who has an ear…”….v.29
1. Same as to other churches
IV. Summary
A. Our goal is to worship in both spirit and in truth
1. John 4:23
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Fathers seeks.
2. The right spirit
a. Excitement
b. Energy
c. Emotions
d. Passion
3. The right truth
B. True worship will not happen without love
1. Remember when you first fell in love....
a. with her every hour
b. gave gifts
c. talked endlessly on the phone
d. would do anything to help her
*Carolyn’s phone call
e. bragged about her to your friends
f. waiting for a “love letter”
*my summer in Florida
2. But if you don’t love somebody......it’s a hassle
a. don’t want to be around them
b. don’t want to give them gifts
c. don’t want to call them
d. don’t want to help them
e. don’t brag about them
f. love letters..... “return to sender!”
3. If you love God with all your heart, you’ll gladly.......
a. spend time with him
b. give gifts
c. want to talk to Him
d. will do anything for Him
e. will want to tell others about Him
f. devour his love letters
2. God knows if your love is true
a. Are you “cheating on him” this morning?