Hold onto what you have

Sermon for Midweek of Sexagesima

Revelation 2:18-29

Tonight we come to the fourth letter from Jesus to His seven churches in Asia Minor, to the angel of the church in Thyatira. The situation in Thyatira sounds more or less similar to that of the church in Pergamum, which we heard about last week. As we look at this evening’s letter, we’ll note this specific emphasis, that faithfulness to Christ includes watching out for false doctrine and guarding against sinful seduction.

The letter begins, as always, with a part of the vision of Jesus Himself that John saw in chapter 1. Here he highlights the fact that Jesus has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like bronze. He wants this pastor, and us, to remember that, as true God and true Man, He sees all things, knows all things. Nothing is hidden from His sight. He also wants this pastor, and us, to remember that His feet are like bronze, that is, His rule over all things, since “all things have been placed under His feet,” is absolute. He isn’t malleable. He doesn’t tread lightly on His enemies.

This Jesus has words of high praise for the pastor of the church in Thyatira. I know your works, and your love, and your service, and your faith, and your patience, and that your last works are more than your first. Unlike the pastor in Ephesus, who had abandoned his first love, this pastor retains it. He is no detached lecturer on pure doctrine. No, he loves the Lord and the Lord’s people and shows it with his works of love. He watches over the flock as one who serves, not as one who rules. He patiently endures trials. And, like a healthy branch growing on a vine, he is producing more and more fruit, more good works than at first.

But not all is well. I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. If you recall from last week, Pergamum’s pastor was allowing his members to be deceived by outsiders, to be dragged off and seduced to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. This pastor’s members are also being seduced to do the same things, but by a woman within the congregation.

Jesus names her Jezebel, almost certainly a figurative name, because she resembled the wicked queen Jezebel from the Old Testament, the wife of Ahab. She seduced countless people in the northern kingdom of Israel to join with her in her adultery and idolatry. She opposed the prophet Elijah and tried to kill him. She succeeded in killing many of the Lord’s less famous prophets. But in the end, she was thrown down from a window, and the dogs ate her flesh, as the Lord had prophesied about her.

The woman in Thyatira called herself a prophetess. Notice, Jesus doesn’t call her that. He never sent her. She claimed to have special, direct revelations from God, but Jesus later calls her supposed revelations “the deep things of Satan.” Those claims of direct access to God allowed her to teach whatever she wanted under the guise of “God’s Word,” which is what false teachers often do. Sure, the Bible says, “You shall not commit adultery,” but I’ve been told by God that certain forms of sexual activity are actually pleasing to God! She successfully led many of Jesus’ servants astray. And Jesus holds the pastor in Thyatira partially responsible, because he allowed her to spread these false teachings within his church without preaching against her and without disciplining her or excommunicating her. It’s the pastor’s job to do that. The pastor isn’t responsible for the sins that are committed outside his church or for the doctrine that’s preached outside his church and fellowship. But he has the divinely given responsibility to deal with false doctrine and sinful practices that are being spread among his flock.

Now, even a false prophetess like this who was committing such grievous sins and leading others to commit them wasn’t immediately punished by Jesus. He says, I gave her time to repent of her fornication, and she has not repented. So, Jesus informs her pastor of what He is about to do. I will cast her into a bed, that is, a sick bed, a bed of suffering. The very place where she practiced her sexual sins will become her place of suffering. And those who commit adultery with her I will cast into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the innermost thoughts and hearts.

Now, does this sound at all like the Jesus our world talks about today? Like the Jesus from the Super Bowl commercials, who “gets us”? Far from it! Today’s false prophets depict a Jesus who is just pure love and acceptance of everyone, who would never dare punish someone or threaten someone! In fact, the Jesus who is taught in most “Christian” churches around the world is happy to let people pursue whatever sexual desires make them happy, because all He really wants is for them to be “happy” and to be “themselves.” It actually sounds a lot like what Jezebel was teaching, doesn’t it?

But the real Jesus threatens severe consequences for those who live in these sins. I will give to each one of you according to your works. Now, no one’s works are good enough to save him from condemnation and hell. Outside of Christ, there is no one who does good. But when we are justified by faith in Christ, we are reborn and set free to do the things that please God, with the help of His Holy Spirit. When we do those things, God promises glory, honor, and peace. But those who insist on doing evil, without repentance, will be repaid with evil from God.

But I say to you, that is, to the rest of you in Thyatira, to all who do not have this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they say: I will place no other burden on you. Only hold onto what you have until I come. Here Jesus specifically addresses the rest of the congregation in Thyatira, the innocent members of the church who were not engaged with Jezebel. He doesn’t hold the innocent responsible for the sins of the guilty. You’ll notice, He also doesn’t call upon them to change the world around them. He simply calls upon them to “hold onto what you have,” the Word and doctrine of God, the holy Sacraments, Spirit-wrought faith, and the love that flows from it. Hold onto it, He says. Don’t let anyone move you from it. It’ll be enough to sustain you until I come.

Then Jesus promises two gifts to the one who overcomes and perseveres until the end: As for the one who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; like vessels of clay, they will be shattered, as I have received from my Father. The first gift is the authority to reign with Christ, to share in His authority. Right now, the nations seem to have far too much authority over God’s people, and they certainly abuse it. But in the end, when Christ comes, those who have remained faithful to Him will be the ones ruling.

The second promise: And I will give him the morning star. What does the morning star symbolize? At the end of Revelation, Jesus says, “I am the bright morning star.” He promises to give us Himself. What more could we ask?

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

So what is the Spirit saying to our church in particular in this letter that He would have us hear? His praise of the pastor in Thyatira certainly teaches us about the things He desires to see in the ministers of His Church: love, service, faith, patience, and growth in good works. Those are things that Christians should find in their pastors, and things that all godly pastors should strive for. Just notice, it’s Jesus who rightly critiques and criticizes the pastor. He never called on churches to form committees to evaluate and review their called servants’ performance, as many churches (not ours) regularly engage in.

What about the rebuke and warning in this letter? There’s the rebuke of the pastor for tolerating Jezebel’s false teaching and sinful seduction within the congregation. There’s the rebuke of Jezebel herself, and of all who followed her into false belief and into the sins of idolatry and adultery. Those are warnings for us to keep watching out for anyone who would spread false teaching among us, who would encourage us to participate with the world in its sexual sins and in its many forms of idolatry. In particular, Jezebel’s presumption in calling herself a prophetess, claiming direct revelation from God, is a serious problem in today’s churches, where people claim that the Holy Spirit is moving among them, that God is moving among them in some sort of “revival” or something. There’s some of that going on right now, in fact. But we need to hold onto what we have in the sure Word of God and watch out for those who would put obstacles in our way.

As for being seduced into sexual immorality, see how seriously God opposes it in His Word, both for the sins themselves, and because adultery and idolatry go hand in hand. People worship the creature instead of the Creator. Their passions and desires become their gods. We have to be continually on guard against such sins in this corrupt world and in these corrupt times, and Christians have to constantly remember that the culture around us not something to get wrapped up in or to go along with. We are called to be holy people in an unholy world, and also to be humble people in a prideful world. So even as you avoid sexual immorality and idolatry, also avoid boasting about how holy you are, and avoid ridiculing those who are unholy!

Remember, Jesus doesn’t command you to “change the world” or to “fix society” or to “create a slice of heaven on earth.” He doesn’t command you to transform the world. He commands you not to be conformed to it, but rather to be transformed by the renewing of your minds. So watch out for false doctrine and deal with it, if it enters our church in any form. And hold onto the deposit of pure doctrine, of true faith that is accompanied by love and the other virtues. When Jesus comes, you will have a reward, if He finds you still persevering in repentance and faith. May God grant it, for Jesus’ sake! Amen.