Sunday, July 28, 2013

The Seven Churches Part 5 – Thyatira

The Seven Churches
Part 5 – Thyatira
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

INTRODUCTION
This is the revelation of Jesus Christ to John.

John is told to record what had seen, is seeing, and will see, which is the key to the Book of Revelation. John saw Jesus and his description defines and sets the foundation for the rest of the book. Jesus IS Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, and the Alpha and Omega.

John then records the letters to the pastor's of each of the seven churches, or, what is taking place NOW, and then record what WILL take place in the end.

Chapters 4-22 of Revelation is for those who will be left behind after the rapture.

Last week we took a look at the first of the seven churches, Ephesus, the apostolic church, and read what was good, and bad about the church. The end of the letter states, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says unto the churches.”

In other words, these things apply to US today, as The Church and Body of Christ.

Today we look at the second church, Smyrna, the martyr church.


SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Revelation 2:18-29

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

I.       I KNOW YOUR WORKS
a.      Dispensationally speaking
i.       Thyatira represent the “papal church” age. Signifying the beginning of the Catholicism; which began approximately 500AD, and continues to this day.


b.     Jesus first establishes His authority in the beginning of the letter.
i.       “These things sayith the Son of God, who has His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass.”

ii.    This statement presents Christ in the role of judgment

iii. As it concerns the church falling into idol worship


c.      I KNOW YOUR DEEDS
i.       Christ, whom walks among the lampstands, and holds the Pastors of each church within His hand, KNOWS what takes place within the church.

ii.    Christ, as the “head”, KNOWS what the “body”, which is US, is doing.

iii. Thyatira is commended by Christ in verse 19 for their WORKS, and CHARITY, and SERVICE, and their PATIENCE.

iv.   SOME in this church, as wrong as the church was as a whole, continued to love the Lord; and the Lord knew who they were.


d.     ...You are now doing more than you did at first.
i.       “Works” are mentioned twice, with the last being in a negative sense.
ii.     Literal reads, “I have known thy works, and love, and ministration, and faith, and thy endurance, and thy works -- and the last [are] more than the first.”

iii. The second mentioning of works is in the negative tense because the church began depending on “works” instead of Christ and the Cross.



II.    I HAVE THIS AGAINST YOU
a.       The Lord now speaks about the church tolerating a Jezabel.
i.       He is speaking here of spiritual fornication

ii.    This is idol worship, and spiritual fornication and adultery is something the children of Israel had struggled with many times against God.

iii. Here, it's used in the sense that the church has forsaken Christ for other things.


b.     I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.
i.       The church (Thyatira representing Catholicism), did not heed the Message, and in fact, continues in their “Salvation by works” unto this day, which is false.


c.      The Lord states,
i.       “ So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

ii.    The “bed” refers to false teachers who taught Salvation by works, which was spiritual adultery. Again, there was a warning to repent.

iii. The “striking her children dead”, speaks of spiritual death.

iv.   The Lord continuously searches the hearts and minds, giving to each of us according to our deeds.
v.      The Lord sees in our hearts and minds, the works of us individually, and knows exactly where our faith is. TRUE works PROCLAIM the fruit of our spirit.
a.      Whether that fruit be of the spirit, or of the flesh. (Galatians 5)



III.  OUR WARNING AND REWARDS
a.      In verse 24 we see that not all of those in Thyatira have succumbed to the false teaching.
i.       Yes, there are some Catholics who follow Christ, and are saved!

ii.    The Lord states, “Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.”

iii. The Lord will not punish the righteous because of the unrighteous in the church.

iv.   Although we work together to BE the Body of Christ, we are still judged as individuals.


b.     And to he who OVERCOMES, and keeps MY WORKS unto the end...
i.       His works, and not our works...


c.      To him I will give power over the nations (speaking of the Kingdom Age)
i.       And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessel of a potter shall they be broken to shivers.
a.      This refers to the Saints of God in the coming Kingdom Age under Christ, will rule the nations, not allowing evil to prevail, or even take root.

ii.    In the day of Christ's coming, we shall share in His power, Glory and Victory


d.     Listen to what the Spirit says!
i.       The Spirit is saying, to leave the teachings of Christ and His WORK at the cross as Salvation, following false teachings of Salvation through works of your own, is spiritual adultery, which will result in spiritual death.



CONCLUSION
We must ensure that we, as the church and individuals, remember the teachings of Christ, and rely on HIS WORKS done at the cross for Salvation, rejecting any teaching that speaks otherwise.

We cannot do works of any kind, worthy of Salvation, because sin against God demands blood, which the Lord alone gave at the cross as the perfect Sacrifice. Unless we accept Him as our Lord and savior, and the FREE GIFT of Salvation He offers through that payment for your sin, there is no salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 




Want to learn more about Salvation and Getting Saved?    CLICK HERE!

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