Revelation 2: Stanly Community Church

Transcription

1 No church is immune to sin, and no church is excused from its consequences. As Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ can discern between faithful and disobedient Christians. He likewise differentiates between true and false believers. So if a congregation will not deal with the unrepentant sins of those who profess faith, then the Lord will most certainly intervene. He is concerned with the holiness of His people, and He will not tolerate the seduction and corruption of the Church. In His letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, Christ evaluates the ministry of each. While historical congregations, they are also a representation of Church history. That is, the conditions described reflect potential situations in any church in any generation. Therefore, we see both faithful and unfaithful congregations as well as everything in between. We also see the Lord uniquely exercising His authority over all of them. Of the seven congregations addressed, only two escape any condemnation for unrepentant sins (Smyrna and Philadelphia). It was not that their members were sinless, but they were effectively addressing any issues within their fellowship of believers. Each of the five that do receive the Lord s condemnation had not yet dealt with the sins affecting them. As pointed out in previous studies, these collectively reflect the stages of a declining church witness (cf. 2:5, 16, 22-23; 3:3, 17-20). 1

2 We have also noted in this process of decline that the problem begins with a lack of fervent love for Christ and others (e.g. Ephesus). Left unchecked, this unimpassioned service leads a church to eventually compromise the truth (e.g. Pergamos). But what happens next if a church does not repent? Revelation 2:18-29 addresses the next phase of decline represented in the first-century church in Thyatira. While it was evidently the smallest of the churches, this is the longest of the Lord s letters. Why? Perhaps because the situation in this congregation had reached the point of critical mass. In other words, their compromise made them vulnerable, and opportunistic false teachers took advantage of their condition. The majority of believers were then easily seduced, and the church was corrupted. The Lord deals with their situation at length. We will consider this letter in two parts. In verses 18-23, we will review the salutation, the commendation and the condemnation. Later, we will look at the exhortation of verses Thyatira: Seduced and Corrupted - Part I (2:18-23) The Salutation (v. 18) Using the customary greeting of that day, the church is identified as the recipient and the Lord as the correspondent. The pastor (i.e. angel ) who received the letter was likely the one to read it to his congregation (cf. 1:3). 2

3 The city of Thyatira was located roughly halfway between Pergamos and Sardis on the main postal route as it turned to the SE of Asia Minor. It was situated in a long valley leading up to the heights of Pergamos. A lack of natural fortification made it vulnerable to attack and repeated desolation throughout the centuries. Until it became part of the Roman Empire, it was essentially a first line of defense for the more fortified Pergamos. However, when this letter was written, Thyatira was enjoying prosperity and peace under Rome. Although it was not a religious center like many of the other cities, it became a prominent hub for industry. A producer of textiles, such as wool and dyed goods, the city was home to many businesses and their related guilds. Membership in an association of craftsmen affiliated with one s particular trade was essential to employment. However, each guild adopted its own patron deity and required open participation in pagan worship and the immorality that accompanied it a point of potential compromise for Christians. You may recall a God-fearing Jewish business woman named Lydia (a resident of Thyatira), who was likely representing her guild in Philippi when she heard Paul preach the Gospel (Acts16:14-15). She traded in purple fabrics worn mostly by the royal and wealthy. The dye used for the fabric was rare, costly, and possibly processed in Thyatira. One source was a small shellfish from which only a drop of the dye could be extracted. 3

4 Lydia and members of her household came to faith in Christ as a result of Paul s preaching in Philippi. Her prominence as a successful business woman may have been instrumental in the establishment of the church in Thyatira. However, as with Smyrna and Pergamos, it is likely that Paul s evangelistic outreach from Ephesus carried the Gospel there first (Acts 19:10). Nothing else is known from Scripture about the establishment of this congregation. It would appear that it was predominantly a congregation of Gentile believers. By the time of this letter, the spiritual condition of this church was very serious. Most if not all of Lydia s generation was likely gone, and compromise had long since taken root. The situation was so dire that, the Son of God had to address it. This title for the Lord Jesus Christ should be compared with the Son of Man in 1:13. As noted in that passage, the latter conveys His humanity and especially so with the redeemed as our sympathetic High Priest. However, the emphasis here is His deity as the second Person of the Trinity. This is the only time the title is used in this book. As we will see, the church in this city had been seduced by false doctrine and corrupted by sin. The majority of those professing faith were either false believers, or at the very least, Christians who were not presenting their bodies a living sacrifice to God (cf. Rom. 12:1-2). While there were faithful believers among them (vv 24-29), those would be in the minority. 4

5 This is why Christ emphasizes His deity as He addresses them. He is God the Son who evaluates with discernment ( eyes like a flame of fire = omniscient) and responds with judgment ( feet like fine brass = omnipotent and holy as Judge). Like the other six letters, He uses some aspect of the vision given in chapter one to identify how He will deal with each church. Here He recalls the language in 1:14, 15; He is able to perceive the true motives of the heart and ready to deal thoroughly with sin (cf. Rev. 19:15; see also the study on 1:13b-16; bronze altar/feet of a king). It is a picture of the Lord which should have caused immediate concern in that church. The Commendation (v. 19) But although they had serious problems, Christ does briefly commend them. Looking at the congregation as whole, our Lord evaluates them with a complete knowledge of their ministry ( I know your works ). As a church, they were doing some things right. First, the true believers were showing love for God and others to a notable degree. Among the seven churches, this is the first to be commended for love. Godly love is a benchmark of true faith (cf. Rom. 5:5; 1 Cor. 13:4-7). It was likely mimicked by the false believers among them as a virtue. But even the love of genuine believers obviously failed to motivate the majority to holiness (Jn. 14:15). 5

6 Unlike Ephesus, theirs was not a cold commitment to doctrine, but all the love demonstrated was clearly not motivated by sound doctrine either. Therefore, it is not the fervent love the Lord is looking for, and will therefore also lead to compromise. Like many churches today, there were undeniable acts of love. However, a mature love produces obedience and holiness (1 Jn. 3) something lacking in this church overall. Remember, there are devout believers in this congregation, but the Lord is addressing the church as a whole. Second, the church is commended for its service (note: some of the oldest manuscripts place this third in the list). This simply means that the members were doing good. There were verifiable acts of kindness and generosity, as they met the needs of others. Third, they are commended for their faith. That is, the Lord acknowledges their faithfulness. In other words, they were consistent in what they were doing. To the world and other churches, this congregation was considered to be engaged in Christian activity. Finally, they are commended for their patience or perseverance. This church had undoubtedly experienced persecution to some degree just as the others, and they had not denied Christ. That is, there was not a mass exodus from the church among those who professed faith. Unfortunately, they had compromised, and that led to the troubles described in later verses. 6

7 Despite its serious problems, there was some spiritual growth in the church of Thyatira that the Lord would not ignore. He says, as for your works, the last are more than the first. This is to say that their present ministry was greater than it was initially. The membership had likely grown, and their loving deeds were multiplied. The persecution had certainly united the church at least to some degree. To the church, it seemed like they were making progress. The Condemnation (vv ) The Lord saw things differently. While there were virtues to commend, the sin in the church had brought it to a tipping point on the spiritual scales. Their love, faithfulness, service and perseverance were not enough to keep this local church from tilting heavily toward apostasy. The tragic thing is that they seem to have been unaware of their condition. The things which the Lord had against the church in Thyatira had now begun to outweigh that which was commendable. They were few in quantity but not in degree. That is, they were easily identified and summarized but very serious in nature. The threat was not external either; it was coming from within the fellowship. That is perhaps why the majority did not seem to sense the danger. 7

8 The problem was that their lack of commitment to sound doctrine had fostered compromise. That compromise had allowed them to be seduced and corrupted. You see, because they ignored the Lord s clear instruction regarding who was qualified to lead and teach in the church, they were beguiled with false teaching. That false teaching produced carnal Christians and even false professions of faith. The church was corrupted in that true believers who were living holy lives were in the minority, and the collective witness was greatly diminished. The apostle s doctrine (received from the Lord; cf. Acts 2:42) had made it clear that women were not to lead the congregation in a pastoral role. Rather, they were to submit to the male elders so as to honor God s created order. Not submitting to this order was what opened the door to the devil s original seduction and deception of the human race (1 Tim. 2:11-15). However, the Lord points out that this church had violated that doctrine. He says in verse 20a: you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants. An unnamed woman, likened symbolically to the wicked, Baal-worshiping, pagan wife of Israel s King Ahab (1 Kings 21:25-26), had positioned herself as a prophetess over the entire congregation including the men. She utilized her platform to spread false doctrine which lured even true Christians into sin. 8

9 She taught that it was permissible for Christians to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols (v. 20b). This is almost certainly linked to the industrial guilds mentioned earlier. In order to avoid persecution for not participating in the idol worship/ immorality associated with the guilds, she encouraged the church to superficially embrace it and presume on God s grace. She probably reasoned something along these lines: In order to keep your jobs and support the church, you should participate in the guilds. After all, in your heart you are really a Christian, and your spirit is redeemed. God does not care what you do in your flesh anyway, since it is just earthly. We have liberty in Christ because we are under His grace, etc., etc It was almost certainly the same line used by the Nicolaitans in Ephesus and Pergamos (2:6, 14-15). Being surrounded by pagan culture created much pressure on all the churches. Yet, from the beginning, the Lord s doctrine for the Gentile believers was to abstain from sexual immorality and things offered to idols (Acts 15:19-29). Although Gentile Christians are not under the ceremonial Mosaic Law, that does not mean we can violate the Law s moral precepts established in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17; cf. Rom. 8:1-14). So this woman s teaching was clearly outside of God s will. Like Jezebel of old, she had usurped authority over a man, and she proceeded to seduce a majority of God s people with sinful teaching and practices (cf. 1 Kings 18:18-19:18). 9

10 These things did not happen overnight. The mentality that allowed for this kind of behavior was well entrenched in this congregation. And because the church had not dealt with it decisively (cf. Matt. 18:15-20; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor. 5:1-13), the Lord was about to intervene (1 Cor. 11:30-32). He says in verse 21: And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immoralities, and she did not repent. In grace, He had been patient in His response to this ungodliness. However, to glorify Himself and maintain the purity of His Church, Christ announces that it was time for righteous judgment. That judgment was severe. The Lord was about to kill this self-proclaimed prophetess for the seduction and corruption of this church. We know this from verse 22: Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed (most literally: to cause to fall back ). The idea is not that she will become ill, but that she will be laid in the grave. This is supported by the context. True believers who were seduced by her to commit adultery (i.e. physical and spiritual) would also be cast into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. In other words, the Lord would severely chasten them (cf Heb. 12:3-11). They would evidently be given additional time to repent once she was so obviously judged by God. If not, they too would be prematurely removed from the world (cf. 1 Jn. 5:16-18), although they would not lose their salvation. 10

11 However, false believers who embraced this Jezebel s ways would also die. As the Lord says in verse 23a: I will kill her children with death Those who had embraced her false Christianity would also face physical and spiritual death with their leader. Just as unrepentant sinners are classified as the devil s children (Jn. 8:44), so here these unrepentant and unbelieving disciples of the false prophetess are considered her spiritual offspring. As mentioned earlier, Christ s severe judgment on those sinning in this church was to glorify Himself and purify the congregation. He further declares in this verse: and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts (v. 23b). Once He was finished with His judgment at Thyatira, all Christians who heard of it would realize that His discerning eye of judgment was on them as well No sin can be hidden from God who has perfect knowledge and wisdom (Ps. 7:9; Prov. 24:12; Jer. 11:20). Even before He was resurrected and glorified, Christ knew what was in the heart of man (Jn. 2:24-25). The basis for the Lord s judgment is not simply the motive of the heart, but it is ultimately based upon our deeds. He says in the last portion of verse 23: I will give to each one of you according to your works. This is a word of encouragement to the faithful Christian, leading into the exhortation of verses In short, there would be no judgment for those who were faithful. 11

12 Again, no church congregation is immune to sin, and no church is excused from sin s consequences. But a faithful Christian does not need to fear personal chastening from the Lord. All Christians should humbly evaluate their service to Christ in light of Scripture. We should quickly repent when necessary, but we should also rest in His Word and have a clear conscience when we are obedient. As God, Christ is able to discern our heart and our works, and in grace He gives us time to repent if we are disobeying Him. But He also knows those who are His and those who are merely pretending. He will certainly not stand by while His children are seduced and the church corrupted. No matter how active a congregation may appear, the Lord knows the spiritual reality. So a church will ultimately reach a point of critical mass when it comes to sin. At that point, the Lord will severely judge the false believers and severely chasten the sinning believer. But He will clearly differentiate between the faithful and the unfaithful. From there a church is at the crossroads. If the faithful can regain leadership, then there is still hope to be a light for Christ (cf. 1:20; 2:5). If not, then the scales tip under the weight of sin, as corruption leads to weakness, apostasy and ultimately extinction. At this point, the spiritual battle is most fierce. Are you faithful to Christ? Is your conscience clear? Do you perceive seduction and corruption in the Church? 12