Havasu Christian Church
February 4, 2024
Revelation 2:18–29
“Tolerance” in Thyatira
INTRO: What is tolerance?
We used to tolerate pain. We used to be expected to tolerate someone who was annoying. We used to be expected to tolerate hot or cold temperatures, or foods we didn’t like.
Tolerance meant putting up with something that you didn’t particularly like, enjoy or agree with. People used to say “I don’t agree with what he says, but I’ll fight for his right to say it.
Times have changed. Now, tolerance means I’m expected to embrace whatever someone else wants to believe or do. Not only that, but I’m expected to see it as just as valid as what I believe. That is, unless someone says that what they believe is right and you are wrong…. Then they are shouted down, called names, and sometimes even attacked. This is tolerance in the 21st century.
In the letter to Thyatira, we see that they too had a problem with tolerance.
Revelation 2:18–29 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:
19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.
20 ‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
21 ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.
22 ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
23 ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
24 ‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you.
25 ‘Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.
26 ‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS;
27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;
28 and I will give him the morning star.
29 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
- Jesus “knows their deeds.”
- He knows what they have done in the past, and what they are currently doing.
- They have grown in some areas.
- Love
- For one another
- For the people around them who need Jesus!
- Faith
- They have grown in faithful living!
- They trust God more than they did!
- They are living more and more the way He wants them to.
- Service
- They serve each other.
- They are a family and they take care of one another.
- They serve those around them.
- Because it’s the right thing to do.
- “Jesus’ hands & feet.”
- Because it helps us reach others with the Gospel!
- Perseverance
- They are not giving up!
- They are becoming stronger in what they are doing!
- Even when trouble comes, they “ride it out and keep going!”
If Jesus had stopped right there, the folks at Thyatira would have been thrilled… but He continues….
- “I have this against you….” All is not well in Thyatira.
Jesus’ eyes are “like a fire!” Maybe it’s because of what He sees going on!
- You tolerate the woman Jezebel. What’s wrong with this woman? PLENTY!
- She calls herself a prophetess.
- This is not a title to be taken on by someone. It is something given by God.
- Apparently, she is a false prophet.
- What she teaches is leading people astray.
- She shouldn’t be teaching anyone since she doesn’t teach the truth!
- I doubt that the leadership of the Church sanctioned any of her “teaching.”
- She should have taken the time to become more grounded in the truth!
- She is leading her disciples to acts of immorality.
- She is teaching others that sexual sin is not a problem.
- In a pagan city, there were plenty of ways to be sexually impure.
- You can bet that if it’s being done today, it was being done then too!
- She is also teaching that it’s perfectly fine to eat things sacrificed to idols.
- This almost surely has more to do with taking part in the sacrifice than it does buying meat in the meat market.
1 Corinthians 10:25–31 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS. If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake.
But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?
If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
- The Church is tolerating her teaching and allowing her to lead people astray.
- Apparently, there has been no action to put a stop to what she is doing.
- The Elders should have confronted her.
- If that didn’t work, they should have instructed the church not to listen to her.
- This would include explaining why and how she was wrong.
- Apparently, Jezebel has NOT been dealt with, and just like ignoring a health problem, it has only gotten worse!
- Jesus says He is going to deal with her, and with those who follow her.
- Jezebel has been given time and opportunity to repent!
- Evidently, something has been done with her.
- She has been warned!
- She’s going to be “thrown onto a bed of sickness.”
- Sickness that is promised by Jesus in the letter He sends to Thyatira, coupled with the fact that she gets sick, just like the letter says, should be enough to bring about a repentant heart.
- There’s no mention of her dying on this “bed of sickness.” Repentance is the desired result.
- If they don’t learn from what happens to Jezebel and repent, those who are following her will have their own consequences as well.
- Great tribulation….
- trouble that inflicts distress, oppression, affliction.
- This could manifest in a number of ways.
- This will be their “wake up call” to repent as well.
- If they do not heed it, they will be “killed with pestilence.
- This will be a “wake up call” to all the churches!
- They will see what happens and be reminded that Jesus is the one who “Searches minds and hearts.”
- He KNOWS what we are thinking and feeling!
- They will be reminded that Jesus “gives to each one according to their deeds.”
- Reward or punishment
- Is this earthly or eternal?
- At the very least it’s an earthly reminder to live our lives in a way that pleases Jesus!
- It’s not just what we think, it’s what we do!
- This may also be a reminder that we can walk away from Jesus and our salvation.
- It’s best not to find out whether it’s earthly or eternal!
- These guys better learn the lesson!
- The rest of the church will be safe from this pestilence, but they are reminded to HOLD FAST! Be FAITHFUL!!!
- Jesus makes several promises!
- These promises are to those people who “overcome and keep My deeds until the end.”
- Faithful Christians!
- These are not promises to the whole world.
- Authority over the Nations!
- This would seem to be some kind of authority in eternity. Some worthwhile job to do.
- Jesus told a parable about slaves who were given money by their master to deal with while He was on a trip.
Luke 19:15–19 “When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done. “The first appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ “The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’
“And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’
- This authority can be given to us because the One who gives it has the right to do so!
27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;
- Jesus makes one more promise….
- and I will give him the morning star.
- What should we make of this?
Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
- Jesus tells us that HE is the “morning star.”
- We belong to Jesus, but HE also belongs to us!
Conclusion: ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Once again, we see this invitation to learn from this letter! So what is there for us to learn?
- Jesus “knows our deeds.”
- Let’s live in a way that gives Him pleasure and satisfaction instead of misery and sadness!
- Strive to be more pleasing to Him daily.
- Tolerance of sin will hurt us and the person whose sin we are tolerating.
- We aren’t doing a person a favor when we tolerate, or even encourage their sin! We are setting them up for punishment.
- Also, we are called by God to help each other in our walk with Jesus, not ignore it when we go off course.
- Actions have consequences!
- Good consequences…
- Something worth while to do in eternity!
- Bad consequences…
- Bed of sickness.
- Pestilence
- If there is no repentance, spiritual death.
- Don’t give in and live like the world.
- Trade guilds in Thyatira… feasts in honor of pagan “gods.” Sexual immorality was also a part of that.
- “I can be around it but not be affected by it!”
- “I can take part in a little of it and still be ok!”
- “I can just jump in and join in and Jesus will forgive me!
