Revelation 2:19-23 ESV
“I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.”
The Good and the Bad
This is Jesus Christ speaking, and he is speaking to a
specific group of people at a particular time in history at a precise location,
and yet these words are written down for us as the church of all time, and so
there are things we can learn from this to apply to our lives wherever it fits.
And much of this does fit with the bulk of today’s church (or what is falsely
called church) here in America today, and perhaps in other nations, too.
This particular church was exemplifying the love of God and
true faith in Jesus Christ and they were serving the Lord with patient
endurance, and their latter works exceeded their first, which would indicate
that they were growing in this area and not declining. But the Lord had
something against them. They were tolerating a woman named Jezebel who was
teaching and seducing the Lord’s servants to practice sexual immorality, etc.
Now, back then, when a church was referred to by the name of
a city, that meant it was the entire church of that city. So, I live in Rock
Hill, so it would be like saying “the church in Rock Hill,” for the church is
all one universal body. It is not broken up into denominations like it is done
today. So, it could be that this woman Jezebel was teaching somewhere in the
city which may not have been where certain fellowship groups were meeting.
Steven Furtick, who I regard as a false teacher, has a
church in my town. He is not part of my church fellowship, but yet he is
teaching and seducing Christians in my town, in the church of Rock Hill, even
though I don’t have anything to do with him and his church fellowship. So, this
would be like saying this to the collective body of believers in my town that
God has it against us collectively that we tolerate this man and his teaching,
but he is just one example. There are many more like him all over the place.
So, it could be that the church, in general, was loving and
serving and believing as they ought, and that they were growing in their walks
of faith in the Lord Jesus, but that they were not speaking out against false
teachers in their town who were leading God’s people astray. And so Jesus was
chiding them that they needed to speak out, and that collectively they needed
to do something about this Jezebel who was leading God’s people into sin.
Jezebel Now in the Majority
Well, you know what? Jezebel is in the majority now. And I
am not speaking of a specific woman or even of a woman but of preachers and
teachers who are teaching a diluted gospel which requires no repentance, no
obedience, and no submission to Christ as Lord. And thus they are indeed
teaching and seducing their congregations to practice sexual immorality and any
other sin that they desire, for they are teaching them that they can be saved
and on their way to heaven but that their present sins don’t matter to God.
So, sexual immorality is running rampant in today’s church
here in America. Statistics have it that as many as 75% of Christian men are
engaging in pornography in some way or another, and that young boys are second
in the number of males engaged in porn, with women and young girls following
after. And then statistics have it that as high as 35% and up of pastors are
also engaged in pornography and/or other forms of sexual immorality.
And what is the church doing about it? Most are doing
nothing! Some have initiated pornography addiction self-help groups but most
are not following the Scriptures and the biblical teachings on what to do with
people in the church who are engaged in sexual immorality and who have not
repented of their sins. And it is because they are teaching a watered-down
gospel which does not confront people in their sin, and which does not want to
offend.
So, this goes way beyond the entire church of an entire city
tolerating one woman who is teaching what is false and which is leading the people
into sin, if she is to be taken literally as one woman. Now the majority of
what are being called “churches” in America have gone the way of the world and
of big business and so they are marketing the church to the world and so they
are patterning the church after the world to attract the world.
And so they are not teaching the truth of the gospel, but
they are teaching what is false and what is seducing their congregants to
believe that they can be saved from their sins and have heaven guaranteed them
when they die but that they can continue living in deliberate and habitual sin
against God and against other humans, including against their spouses and their
children. So they are not only tolerating “Jezebel,” but they are promoting her
and her teaching and many are now opposing the true gospel.
And Jesus has given the American Church (not including all
congregations) plenty of time to repent, and he has given pastors and elders of
church congregations and husbands and wives and fathers and mothers and
children who are of age and who know right from wrong time to repent. But the
American church has remained largely the same, still existing to please the
world and human flesh, and still leading people into sexual immorality with
their cheapened grace gospel, and by not lifting a finger to stop it and to
rescue the hurting who are being damaged by it all.
And I believe the American church right now is under the
judgment of God and that is why we are going through the things we are going
through. And I believe it is only going to get worse because that is what it is
going to take to bring revival to the church in this nation. For our God does
not look the other way. He does not ignore the blatant sins and the false gospel
which are permeating today’s church here in America. He does and he will judge
us all according to our works. It is what the Bible teaches.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn
15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1
Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:22-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Gal
5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal
6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb
10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Rev. 2-3; Rev
18:1-6; Rev 21:8, 27; Rev 22:14-15]
Revelation 2:24-29 ESV
“But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
An Encouragement to the Faithful
But, praise Jesus, there is a remnant of believers in Jesus
in America who have not bowed the knee to this Jezebel, who are not tolerating
her false gospel, who are not coddling the wicked in their sins, but who are
speaking out, and who are exposing the lies for what they are, and who are
proclaiming the truth of the gospel for all to hear who will listen and who
will heed the word of the Lord and will forsake their sins to follow Jesus in
obedience to his will, to his ways, to his truth, and to his commands.
The encouragement here is for you to hold fast to what you
have until Jesus returns. Don’t cave to the pressure to be more worldly or to
be tolerant of such blatant sinful rebellion as what is going on within the church
at large here in America today. And don’t let the attacks of the enemy
discourage and dishearten you. Keep pressing on in following Jesus in purity of
heart and devotion to him. Keep walking in his righteousness and holiness. Even
if it means being put to death, keep the faith and don’t ever give up!
Have
Thine Own Way, Lord
Words
by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907
Music
by George C. Stebbins, 1907
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just
now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!
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