People-pleaser! The very term is meant for life outside the church. Clowns are people-pleasers! Wily politicians are people-pleasers! Hollywood actors are people pleasers! But are preachers and Bible teachers clowns, wily politicians or pretentious actors? They shouldn't be! God tells us that there will be teachers who will be just that. The Word prophesies of congregations that "will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." (2 Tim. 4:3) The people may praise the scholarship, the rhetorical skills and the ability of people-pleasing preachers to manage large churches. But do churches really respect the integrity, the honesty with God's Word or any convictions of those preachers? I cannot imagine that they do! True respect is given to those leaders most representing the One who is our Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul is such a man who demanded respect. He had been charged with preaching a gospel that was too easy. He was thus pleasing the people to draw in the crowd. The Judaizers who were troubling the Galatian churches taught that the gospel is improved if the Mosaic Law, as hard as it might be to obey, is added to the death and resurrection of Christ. But Paul insists that he was not being a people-pleaser by preaching the gospel of grace. "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Gal. 1:10) We displease God by trying to please people.
Questions to Ponder:
1. Why is it often tempting to try to please people? Why does this seem so important?
2. Is it always wrong to shape what you say according to your your audience's feelings? Why or why not?
3. This week, how can you avoid displeasing God by trying to please people? Think about some of the activities you will face.
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
What a Lukewarm Christian Looks Like (Rev. 3:14-22)
Wasting their opportunity to influence their city, the congregation in Laodicea became like their city. The church took on the temperature of their surroundings. We call that lukewarmness. How cruel we are to the One who delivered us from this present evil world when our present life shows no difference from that world! We need to know how Christ views lukewarmness.
• First, He spoke unhappily about The Condition of Lukewarmness (3:14-15). Sadly, this was their condemnation because they could not see it. Christ’s verdict in verse 15 is the exact opposite of the church’s own evaluation and expectations. Their deeds were “neither cold nor hot.” That expression may refer to their lack of zeal (v. 19) or their uselessness, for Christ says, “I would thou wert cold or hot.” Be careful not to suppose that Christ meant I wish you were either spiritually cold (i.e., unsaved or hostile) or spiritually hot (i.e., alive and fervent). Could Christ ever wish someone were unsaved or hostile? Heavens, no! Don’t read our contemporary use of words into the vocabulary of first century Christians. They did not use the same terminology as we do today. We understand “hot” in spirituality to mean “on fire for the Lord.” But they didn’t. What they understood was the mixing of cold and hot to make “lukewarm.” That is to say, they were useless to Christ because they were complacent, self-satisfied, and indifferent to the real issues of faith in Him and of discipleship.
• Then, He spoke graphically about His Counter Reply to Lukewarmness (3:16). He says what the citizens of the city understood. Insipid water induces vomiting! And so Christ’s reaction is “I will spue thee out of my mouth.” That statement doesn’t take much interpretation. Christ hates a Laaodicean attitude of indifference to matters of faith. With such an attitude, He must deal harshly. To be a Christian means to be useful to Christ. But to be Laodicean means to be useless.
Why is this important? Lukewarmness can be a very self-deceiving spiritual state. The lukewarm ones may partially answer the call to the claims of the gospel. They may think it good form to be a Christian. They may marvel at something of God’s grace. They may profess to be believers, having been baptized and become members of the church. Some of them may even have confessed Christ as Savior and fallen into line in service as a duty, but they have not come to the place where they see the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Check out your spiritual life. Is Christ really your Savior and Lord?
• What is The Cause of Lukewarmness (3:17)? Startled at the intensity of Christ’s digust, we also ask, Can a genuine believer become lukewarm? Not likely. Christians are useful; lukewarm Christians are useless. It goes far beyond their indifference. Christ’s words in v. 17 indicate it is their ignorance. “Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” They were blind to their real condition. Observe the way this indictment is related to the general condition of the city – rich in material possessions and self-sufficient. The spirit of the surrounding culture had crept into the congregation and had paralyzed their spiritual life. It is difficult to know whether the church was boasting in its material wealth or in its spiritual wealth. Many commentators cannot conceive that it was material wealth but there are many saints today who measure their blessings from God by their material possessions. Nevertheless, they had misread their true condition. They are not, as they thought, “rich” and “have need of nothing.” They were in fact “wretched and miserable.” How can Christ say that? He explains by the next three words. They were “poor and blind and naked.” Contrast their condition with that of the saints in Smyrna who were very poor materially but rich spiritually (2:9). Lukewarmness, then, does not refer to the laxity of Christians but to the condition of not really knowing Christ as Savior and Lord and thus being useless to Him.
• Finally, let’s consider The Cure for Lukewarmness (Rev. 3:18-19). The Laodiceans could be helped only if they obeyed Christ’s commands: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Notice that His three commands correspond exactly to the self-deceptions of the Laodiceans. “Gold” was the city’s source of wealth. The true Christian knows differently. His riches are found in Christ alone. Their shameful nakedness was to be clothed, not by purchasing the sleek, black wool of Laodicea but by buying from Christ the “white clothing” that alone can cover shameful nakedness (Rev. 16:15). For those who were blind to their true condition, the “Phrygian powder” was useless. They needed to buy “eyesalve” from Christ so that they could truly see. These three figures all point to the Laodiceans’ need of authentic salvation. All is not lost even though the state of the church verges on disaster. Christ refers to His “love” and associates that with His “rebuke” and “chastening.” Prov. 3:12; 1 Cor. 11:32; Heb. 12:6 He spits out those He does not love and “rebukes” and disciplines those who hear His voice. The difference is in their response.
• First, He spoke unhappily about The Condition of Lukewarmness (3:14-15). Sadly, this was their condemnation because they could not see it. Christ’s verdict in verse 15 is the exact opposite of the church’s own evaluation and expectations. Their deeds were “neither cold nor hot.” That expression may refer to their lack of zeal (v. 19) or their uselessness, for Christ says, “I would thou wert cold or hot.” Be careful not to suppose that Christ meant I wish you were either spiritually cold (i.e., unsaved or hostile) or spiritually hot (i.e., alive and fervent). Could Christ ever wish someone were unsaved or hostile? Heavens, no! Don’t read our contemporary use of words into the vocabulary of first century Christians. They did not use the same terminology as we do today. We understand “hot” in spirituality to mean “on fire for the Lord.” But they didn’t. What they understood was the mixing of cold and hot to make “lukewarm.” That is to say, they were useless to Christ because they were complacent, self-satisfied, and indifferent to the real issues of faith in Him and of discipleship.
• Then, He spoke graphically about His Counter Reply to Lukewarmness (3:16). He says what the citizens of the city understood. Insipid water induces vomiting! And so Christ’s reaction is “I will spue thee out of my mouth.” That statement doesn’t take much interpretation. Christ hates a Laaodicean attitude of indifference to matters of faith. With such an attitude, He must deal harshly. To be a Christian means to be useful to Christ. But to be Laodicean means to be useless.
Why is this important? Lukewarmness can be a very self-deceiving spiritual state. The lukewarm ones may partially answer the call to the claims of the gospel. They may think it good form to be a Christian. They may marvel at something of God’s grace. They may profess to be believers, having been baptized and become members of the church. Some of them may even have confessed Christ as Savior and fallen into line in service as a duty, but they have not come to the place where they see the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Check out your spiritual life. Is Christ really your Savior and Lord?
• What is The Cause of Lukewarmness (3:17)? Startled at the intensity of Christ’s digust, we also ask, Can a genuine believer become lukewarm? Not likely. Christians are useful; lukewarm Christians are useless. It goes far beyond their indifference. Christ’s words in v. 17 indicate it is their ignorance. “Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” They were blind to their real condition. Observe the way this indictment is related to the general condition of the city – rich in material possessions and self-sufficient. The spirit of the surrounding culture had crept into the congregation and had paralyzed their spiritual life. It is difficult to know whether the church was boasting in its material wealth or in its spiritual wealth. Many commentators cannot conceive that it was material wealth but there are many saints today who measure their blessings from God by their material possessions. Nevertheless, they had misread their true condition. They are not, as they thought, “rich” and “have need of nothing.” They were in fact “wretched and miserable.” How can Christ say that? He explains by the next three words. They were “poor and blind and naked.” Contrast their condition with that of the saints in Smyrna who were very poor materially but rich spiritually (2:9). Lukewarmness, then, does not refer to the laxity of Christians but to the condition of not really knowing Christ as Savior and Lord and thus being useless to Him.
• Finally, let’s consider The Cure for Lukewarmness (Rev. 3:18-19). The Laodiceans could be helped only if they obeyed Christ’s commands: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Notice that His three commands correspond exactly to the self-deceptions of the Laodiceans. “Gold” was the city’s source of wealth. The true Christian knows differently. His riches are found in Christ alone. Their shameful nakedness was to be clothed, not by purchasing the sleek, black wool of Laodicea but by buying from Christ the “white clothing” that alone can cover shameful nakedness (Rev. 16:15). For those who were blind to their true condition, the “Phrygian powder” was useless. They needed to buy “eyesalve” from Christ so that they could truly see. These three figures all point to the Laodiceans’ need of authentic salvation. All is not lost even though the state of the church verges on disaster. Christ refers to His “love” and associates that with His “rebuke” and “chastening.” Prov. 3:12; 1 Cor. 11:32; Heb. 12:6 He spits out those He does not love and “rebukes” and disciplines those who hear His voice. The difference is in their response.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Chosen on Purpose for a Purpose (Rev. 3:7-13)
The days of the Great Reformation were special days. They were days demanding great people, people of courage, people of purpose, people on a mission. For example, the French Calvinists (c. 1547) called Huguenots, were committed to upholding Truth. They were faithful in their witness to the belief that justification was by faith alone. For this they were persecuted fiercely. Their enemies also had a purpose – to rid the earth of evangelical Christians. Special courts were set up to try heretics, who were often burned at the stake. As martyrs multiplied, so also did evangelical Christianity spread. These were aided by massive mission efforts from Geneva. This illustrates the truth that people, Christian or nonchristian, with purpose have a reason for living. They get up in the morning, rolling up their sleeves, ready to work for their cause. It is interesting that the Lord chose to plant a church on a mission in a city that had a history of mission. Our passage in Revelation 3:7-13 begins with the city first.
The city of Philadelphia was a city chosen on purpose. It was located due west some 25 miles east of Sardis and about 100 miles east of Smyrna and ideally situated as a gate to the provinces of Lydia and Phrygia. There was a highway from the Aegean Sea that traversed through Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia and into the two eastern provinces. It was the Pergamenian king Attalus II (159-138 BC) who had been given the name "Philadelphus," which means "brother lover" because of his love for his brother. He established the city and gave it the task of spreading Greco-Asiatic culture and language in the eastern part of Lydia and in Phrygia. So the city may well have been founded for a social purpose. The great Christian archaeologist, William Ramsey, stated that the city “was a missionary city from the beginning, founded to promote a certain unity of spirit, customs, and loyalty within the realm…” The city successfully carried out its mission as is evidenced by the fact that the Lydian language ceased to be spoken in Lydia by AD 19 and the Greek language took over. Phrygia was a different story, however. It was not converted to Greek.
Why is this important? Our great country of the USA, like Philadelphia, was established to fulfill a purpose. What purpose? History tells us that those who landed on our shores had the aim of evangelizing the pagan natives of the land. Contrast this with the purpose of the Spaniards who landed first in Central and South America. Their goal was to get gold. Later our country was constituted with the words in its preamble, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” The purpose of our land was and still is to carry out justice, ensure peace, provide common defense, promote the welfare of all citizens and secure freedom. Successful? Yes! Within this context colleges were born. In the 17th century, Harvard University began as an Indian College to educate Native Americans. Princeton University goes back to its establishment by "New Light" Presbyterians and was originally intended to train Presbyterian ministers. Indeed, Mission Statements are essential but what good are they if not maintained?
Begs the Question: Do we know what God intends for us as a nation? Is it our intent to see that it is accomplished? Am I contributing to the advance or the demise of my great country? What must I do? What can I do?
The church in Philadelphia was a church with mission. She was reminded of this in the first few words. “These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.” For the first time in all the letters Christ identifies Himself in words that were not quotes from chapter one. This fact makes this a special church. The Lord goes out of His way to claim deity for Himself. He claims to be “holy” and “true,” words used in the Old Testament for Jehovah, Israel’s covenant God. In calling Himself Jehovah of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ guarantees blessings to His people. Furthermore, the activity of this God is to hold “the key of David.” This is a reference to Isaiah 22:22 where the Secretary of the State of Israel, Shebna, who had held the key of David was removed and his office given to another, Eliakim (22:15). The term refers to having complete control over the Messianic kingdom of David. Rev. 3:7 introduces Christ as the only One who holds control over the Messianic kingdom. He alone brings people into the kingdom of God. When the Lord Jesus gave His Mission Statement to all churches at the time of His ascension (Matt. 28:18-20) He prefaced His remarks by saying something identical. “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth.”
Why is this important? Any Christian who is looking forward to the fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants has been introduced to Christ for citizenship in Christ's kingdom. He "opens and no one will shut, and [He] shuts and no one opens." He is the One, the author of the opportunity of salvation. He is in possession of the gates to heaven and the gates to hell. This is His present activity, not just His ability. Men cannot claim this. Pagan gods like Janus, the two-faced god, cannot havethis. Even the pope who assumed this power cannot do it. Only the Lord Jesus who gave mission to every Christian can claim such authority. He does not even pass this key over to Christians. It is His alone, but when Christians carry out their purpose of witnessing, they can do so knowing that genuine results come from the sovereign God, their Savior.
Begs the Question: Do we have assurance of salvation? Are we faithful in our witness to the Truth?
Verses for Today: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations …and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matt. 28:18-20)
Your Step for Today: Thank the Lord for introducing you into His kingdom. Pick out one person with whom you can share the gospel and trust the One Who holds the keys to that person’s future.
Your Prayer for Today: Give me confidence in your ability, Lord. And, also, in your present activity as I witness to the lost.
The city of Philadelphia was a city chosen on purpose. It was located due west some 25 miles east of Sardis and about 100 miles east of Smyrna and ideally situated as a gate to the provinces of Lydia and Phrygia. There was a highway from the Aegean Sea that traversed through Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia and into the two eastern provinces. It was the Pergamenian king Attalus II (159-138 BC) who had been given the name "Philadelphus," which means "brother lover" because of his love for his brother. He established the city and gave it the task of spreading Greco-Asiatic culture and language in the eastern part of Lydia and in Phrygia. So the city may well have been founded for a social purpose. The great Christian archaeologist, William Ramsey, stated that the city “was a missionary city from the beginning, founded to promote a certain unity of spirit, customs, and loyalty within the realm…” The city successfully carried out its mission as is evidenced by the fact that the Lydian language ceased to be spoken in Lydia by AD 19 and the Greek language took over. Phrygia was a different story, however. It was not converted to Greek.
Why is this important? Our great country of the USA, like Philadelphia, was established to fulfill a purpose. What purpose? History tells us that those who landed on our shores had the aim of evangelizing the pagan natives of the land. Contrast this with the purpose of the Spaniards who landed first in Central and South America. Their goal was to get gold. Later our country was constituted with the words in its preamble, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” The purpose of our land was and still is to carry out justice, ensure peace, provide common defense, promote the welfare of all citizens and secure freedom. Successful? Yes! Within this context colleges were born. In the 17th century, Harvard University began as an Indian College to educate Native Americans. Princeton University goes back to its establishment by "New Light" Presbyterians and was originally intended to train Presbyterian ministers. Indeed, Mission Statements are essential but what good are they if not maintained?
Begs the Question: Do we know what God intends for us as a nation? Is it our intent to see that it is accomplished? Am I contributing to the advance or the demise of my great country? What must I do? What can I do?
The church in Philadelphia was a church with mission. She was reminded of this in the first few words. “These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.” For the first time in all the letters Christ identifies Himself in words that were not quotes from chapter one. This fact makes this a special church. The Lord goes out of His way to claim deity for Himself. He claims to be “holy” and “true,” words used in the Old Testament for Jehovah, Israel’s covenant God. In calling Himself Jehovah of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ guarantees blessings to His people. Furthermore, the activity of this God is to hold “the key of David.” This is a reference to Isaiah 22:22 where the Secretary of the State of Israel, Shebna, who had held the key of David was removed and his office given to another, Eliakim (22:15). The term refers to having complete control over the Messianic kingdom of David. Rev. 3:7 introduces Christ as the only One who holds control over the Messianic kingdom. He alone brings people into the kingdom of God. When the Lord Jesus gave His Mission Statement to all churches at the time of His ascension (Matt. 28:18-20) He prefaced His remarks by saying something identical. “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth.”
Why is this important? Any Christian who is looking forward to the fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants has been introduced to Christ for citizenship in Christ's kingdom. He "opens and no one will shut, and [He] shuts and no one opens." He is the One, the author of the opportunity of salvation. He is in possession of the gates to heaven and the gates to hell. This is His present activity, not just His ability. Men cannot claim this. Pagan gods like Janus, the two-faced god, cannot havethis. Even the pope who assumed this power cannot do it. Only the Lord Jesus who gave mission to every Christian can claim such authority. He does not even pass this key over to Christians. It is His alone, but when Christians carry out their purpose of witnessing, they can do so knowing that genuine results come from the sovereign God, their Savior.
Begs the Question: Do we have assurance of salvation? Are we faithful in our witness to the Truth?
Verses for Today: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations …and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matt. 28:18-20)
Your Step for Today: Thank the Lord for introducing you into His kingdom. Pick out one person with whom you can share the gospel and trust the One Who holds the keys to that person’s future.
Your Prayer for Today: Give me confidence in your ability, Lord. And, also, in your present activity as I witness to the lost.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Promised and Visual Hope for Dead Churches (Rev. 3:1-6)
There is no person who can speak to our hearts as the Lord Jesus can. If He must rebuke us, He comes first with love and compassion that we, by the grace of God, should seek to follow after Him. Notice this method in each of the letters that we have considered. Each church, except the one in Smyrna, needed rebuke but He first commended them for their good actions (2:2-3, 13, 19). He is not a tyrant waiting to judge us harshly if we do not follow His leading. He wants us to be like Him and so He deals gently with us in our faults. However, there is a difference when we come to the church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). He had nothing good to say to them. What about His reference to good deeds in 3:1? That is not a commendation; it is His complaint, as we learn from 3:2. There is something seriously wrong here in Sardis. This is a sad and startling complaint come from the lips of our Lord. Three principles will help us in our duty to watch what good things we have in Christ.
The first principle is that a church can be dead. This is where any church must begin. Each must ask the question, Are we a dead church? The church in Sardis was dead (3:1) as evidenced in their works that failed to please Christ (3:2). Why did Christ use the term “dead” for Sardis when He did not for the churches in Thyatira and Laodicea? Did they not also have serious problems? I suppose it is because neither of them had ever known such glory as the Sardian believers did at the beginning. Now they had nothing. It is like the contrast between life and death. Just as the city had a significant fame as a royal city, and now was nothing, even so the church’s loyalty and service to Christ was in the past. Now they were nothing. They had “a form of godliness but [denied] the power thereof” (2 Tim. 3:5).
Why is this important? The great majority of Christendom today has only the form of godliness. They have no power. For example, how much of Protestantism today knows in practical experience the truth of justification by faith which was the Bible doctrine upon which Protestantism was founded? Very little! It is a truth that has been lost to vast areas of organized Christendom. The Reformation began well but later deteriorated into different religious systems. Where Truth is absent the religious body is spiritually lifeless. Many of those groups are today working toward an organic union that Protestants and possibly Roman Catholics will call Christian. But if they succeed in doing this, they will still be dead. It is a far cry from the “unity of the Spirit” spoken of by Paul in Eph. 4:3 and the unity Christ prayed for in John 17:21-23. In their organization, they will still be dead.
Begs the Question? Are we dead – without knowing it? Do we break the bread at Communion and at the same time feed upon Him? We have worship services, but do we really worship? What about our giving to the Lord’s work? We may give regularly, but do we do it out of a sense of duty or because we love the Lord? How about our prayer lives? And our work on church committees? Is it pleasing to Him? Does not God speak of of a?
A second principle is just as important. A dead church can be revitalized (3:2-3). The only hope for the Sardian church at that time and for Protestant churches today is to turn to the Lord “who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars” (Rev. 3:1). If the Sardian church is strong, it is because Christ has sent His Spirit to encourage and quicken the Sardian believers; if they are dead like the city, it is because in judgment He has withdrawn His Spirit from them. In fact, the Lord gives five imperatives that, if obeyed, would awaken the church to new life. (1) They must “watch” (3:2-3). The pastors must watch over themselves, know the state of their flocks, teach the Truth and see to it that the laws of Christ’s house are practiced. The members must watch over their own attendance, their observance of the ordinances and their prayer life. (2) They must “strengthen the things that remain” (3:2). They cannot strengthen good works nor the graces of the Spirit. But they can strengthen the Truths of the gospel that they embraced at the beginning. (3) They must “remember” (3:3). This not only refers to the doctrines of grace she had heard at the beginning but the manner in which she heard them [with attention, reverence, humility and without prejudice]. (4) They must “hold fast” (3:3) those doctrines though everybody else despises them and they are ridiculed as fanatics. (5) They must “repent” (3:3).
Why is this important? It is good that hope is offered to churches that are floundering. Some have recovered from the near-death experience and are showing signs of spiritual life. However, some do not. Sadly, the longevity of life for all evangelical churches is 50 years.
Begs the Question? How old is our church? How does she compare favorably with her beginning in matters of doctrine and practice? What past successes has our church had that might give us such comfort and confidence that we become careless? Are we moving forward? What excuses might our church give for no longer being a living, vibrant church?
Let’s go one step further and add another principle worth keeping. A dead church can revive and earn a reward (3:4-6). Paul refers to this principle in his discussion on marriage in 1 Cor. 7:13-14. He states that unsaved spouses and children are “sanctified” by the presence of the Christian in the home. He did not mean they were saved. The idea of sanctification simply means to set apart for some use. By the believer’s presence the unsaved in the home are set apart for a gospel ministry of the Holy Spirit. Here is the hope of the Sardian church. They had “a few people … who [had] not defiled their garments; and they will walk with [Christ] in white” (3:4). That remnant sanctifies the majority who were defiled. Who knows but the dead might live. Like the believers who are assured of being clothed in “white raiment,” the dead members might seek life in Him who has “seven Spirits of God.
Verse for Today: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1)
Your Step for Today: In a prayerful attitude, ask the Lord what role you might have in helping your church overcome the tendency to lose life. Seek out one friend who will agree with you on this and help you to carry out that role.
Your Prayer for Today: Ask the Lord to make the members of your church sensitive to the Spirit so that they might know if they are just going through the motions spiritually and have no real spiritual vitality.
The first principle is that a church can be dead. This is where any church must begin. Each must ask the question, Are we a dead church? The church in Sardis was dead (3:1) as evidenced in their works that failed to please Christ (3:2). Why did Christ use the term “dead” for Sardis when He did not for the churches in Thyatira and Laodicea? Did they not also have serious problems? I suppose it is because neither of them had ever known such glory as the Sardian believers did at the beginning. Now they had nothing. It is like the contrast between life and death. Just as the city had a significant fame as a royal city, and now was nothing, even so the church’s loyalty and service to Christ was in the past. Now they were nothing. They had “a form of godliness but [denied] the power thereof” (2 Tim. 3:5).
Why is this important? The great majority of Christendom today has only the form of godliness. They have no power. For example, how much of Protestantism today knows in practical experience the truth of justification by faith which was the Bible doctrine upon which Protestantism was founded? Very little! It is a truth that has been lost to vast areas of organized Christendom. The Reformation began well but later deteriorated into different religious systems. Where Truth is absent the religious body is spiritually lifeless. Many of those groups are today working toward an organic union that Protestants and possibly Roman Catholics will call Christian. But if they succeed in doing this, they will still be dead. It is a far cry from the “unity of the Spirit” spoken of by Paul in Eph. 4:3 and the unity Christ prayed for in John 17:21-23. In their organization, they will still be dead.
Begs the Question? Are we dead – without knowing it? Do we break the bread at Communion and at the same time feed upon Him? We have worship services, but do we really worship? What about our giving to the Lord’s work? We may give regularly, but do we do it out of a sense of duty or because we love the Lord? How about our prayer lives? And our work on church committees? Is it pleasing to Him? Does not God speak of of a?
A second principle is just as important. A dead church can be revitalized (3:2-3). The only hope for the Sardian church at that time and for Protestant churches today is to turn to the Lord “who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars” (Rev. 3:1). If the Sardian church is strong, it is because Christ has sent His Spirit to encourage and quicken the Sardian believers; if they are dead like the city, it is because in judgment He has withdrawn His Spirit from them. In fact, the Lord gives five imperatives that, if obeyed, would awaken the church to new life. (1) They must “watch” (3:2-3). The pastors must watch over themselves, know the state of their flocks, teach the Truth and see to it that the laws of Christ’s house are practiced. The members must watch over their own attendance, their observance of the ordinances and their prayer life. (2) They must “strengthen the things that remain” (3:2). They cannot strengthen good works nor the graces of the Spirit. But they can strengthen the Truths of the gospel that they embraced at the beginning. (3) They must “remember” (3:3). This not only refers to the doctrines of grace she had heard at the beginning but the manner in which she heard them [with attention, reverence, humility and without prejudice]. (4) They must “hold fast” (3:3) those doctrines though everybody else despises them and they are ridiculed as fanatics. (5) They must “repent” (3:3).
Why is this important? It is good that hope is offered to churches that are floundering. Some have recovered from the near-death experience and are showing signs of spiritual life. However, some do not. Sadly, the longevity of life for all evangelical churches is 50 years.
Begs the Question? How old is our church? How does she compare favorably with her beginning in matters of doctrine and practice? What past successes has our church had that might give us such comfort and confidence that we become careless? Are we moving forward? What excuses might our church give for no longer being a living, vibrant church?
Let’s go one step further and add another principle worth keeping. A dead church can revive and earn a reward (3:4-6). Paul refers to this principle in his discussion on marriage in 1 Cor. 7:13-14. He states that unsaved spouses and children are “sanctified” by the presence of the Christian in the home. He did not mean they were saved. The idea of sanctification simply means to set apart for some use. By the believer’s presence the unsaved in the home are set apart for a gospel ministry of the Holy Spirit. Here is the hope of the Sardian church. They had “a few people … who [had] not defiled their garments; and they will walk with [Christ] in white” (3:4). That remnant sanctifies the majority who were defiled. Who knows but the dead might live. Like the believers who are assured of being clothed in “white raiment,” the dead members might seek life in Him who has “seven Spirits of God.
Verse for Today: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1)
Your Step for Today: In a prayerful attitude, ask the Lord what role you might have in helping your church overcome the tendency to lose life. Seek out one friend who will agree with you on this and help you to carry out that role.
Your Prayer for Today: Ask the Lord to make the members of your church sensitive to the Spirit so that they might know if they are just going through the motions spiritually and have no real spiritual vitality.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Fallacy of Working One's Way Past Judgment (Rev. 2:18-29)
Every evil system has been founded on lies. The Nazis believed the lie of the superiority of the Nordic race; the Communists, the lie of the superiority of a classless, stateless society based on common ownership of the means of production; the abortionists, in the lie that fetuses are just tissue. The Church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) denied a final judgment and so the Judge of all men, the Lord Jesus Himself, addresses them as the One who knows the future. He unveils lies believed by many members, which lies encouraged them in their denial. We must understand some aspects of these lies so we don’t believe them.
I. First, consider the nature of the lies in Thyatira (2:19-20). Lies are spawned by hell and those who teach them or believe in them are in league with Satan (2:24) who is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
The first lie was that people who have a reputation for good service need not worry about final judgment (2:19). This lie is not seen by a cursory reading of Rev. 2:19. There is no question but that the Church in Thyatira had a reputation for being a hard-working church. Even the Lord Jesus commends them for that. He comments on their “deeds,” “love,” “faith,” “service,” and “perseverance.” What could be wrong with that? If it stood alone, nothing. But the context of an ungodly church should make us look more closely. Their love is agape love, a love that only Christians can have. That love manifested itself in “service.” Their faithfulness is a gift that the Holy Spirit gives to His people (Gal. 5:22). That faithfulness manifested itself in “perseverance” during trial. From the beginning true believers revealed their divine nature by loving and faithful service to the Lord. And the church’s present state reflects “deeds .. greater than at first.” But, I might add, without the gifts of the Spirit. It appears that only the reputation is there. The Lord commends them because He wants believers to work for Him. But He is more interested in spiritual fruit than in reputation.
Why is this important? Any time believers tolerate unbelievers in their church while trying to serve their Lord the likelihood exists that those unbelievers will take credit for the good reputation of serving Christ. Until they become believers in Christ they will claim those good works as their right to pass the piercing eye of the Lord Jesus. The Bible clearly teaches that we are not saved by works. See Rom. 3:20, 28; Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:8-9.
Begs the Question: Should evangelical churches be involved in social work? Should Bible churches cooperate with non-evangelical churches in great humanitarian outreaches?
The second lie was that people who do not repent need not worry about final judgment. The most atrocious sins were being practiced by members in the church. The congregation had allowed a woman prophetess (a false one, according to Christ’s assessment) to remain in the church and to continue to teach the saints to indulge in “acts of immorality” and to “eat things sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:20). Her teaching was no doubt similar to that of the Nicolaitans and Balaamites at Ephesus and Pergamos. Such sins were common practices for guild members in Thyatira. If they were not practiced, the artisans would lose their trade and their livelihood. In order to expose her true character, the Lord labeled her “Jezebel” – the name of the Canaanite wife of Israel’s King Ahab. Jezebel had not only led Ahab to worship Baal but through Ahab had spread he teachings of idolatry throughout all Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33; 2 Kings 9:22).
Why is this important? There is an apparent disconnect today between Christian beliefs and practice. Where is the distinction between Christianity and the world? People say they have trusted Christ but little is said of repentance. See Rev. 2:21-22. For example, a TV news item reported that a porn model claimed to be a Christian. Her justification was that Adam and Eve were naked. How wicked! Only as true believers uphold repentance in their own lives and live a life of separation from sin will they have an impact on those who see no need for it. Trusting by faith alone without repentance will damn a person. Repentance is one of the most essential, and yet, one of the most neglected of all Christian teachings. It indicates a dramatic change in thinking and attitude concerning sin. But notice how prominent it was in the early church. Jesus taught it (Mark 1:15). When He sent out his disciples on a missionary journey, He told them to preach repentance (Mark 6:12). The last message the Lord gave to his followers on earth was that of repentance (Luke 24:47). It was the message that Paul gave to the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20:21).
Begs the Question: The Lord tells us we are to love the unsaved, but does that mean we are to shut our eyes to the wrong they may do or to be unequally yoked with them in church membership? How much does the church preach on repentance? Can a person be saved if he does not consider himself sinful?
II. Now let’s consider another aspect of these lies: the failure of the lies in Thyatira (Rev. 2:21-23). The Lord pointed out such failure in His parable of houses built upon sand. He said that the floods would wash them away (Matt. 7:24-27). This is what the Lord predicted would happen to the church in Thyatira if they did not repent. Christ will not let the teaching of this false prophetess go unchallenged or unjudged. Failing to repent, Christ would cast her into a bed and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation. On a bed she sinned; on a bed she will suffer. She deceived others; she herself will now be deceived. Concerning the last days of this age, Paul wrote: “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). And during the Tribulation, deceit and falsehood will reach a climax in the Man of Sin. Paul says, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:9-10). Jezebel’s children will be judged. They will be killed. They are the offspring of the apostate church which by the end times will have spread around the world. God’s judgment on them is that He will cast them into the Tribulation. This was true of the judgment of the ancient Jezebel, Ahab’s wife. She met her death years after Ahab died, but to the last she was scheming for herself against God. Her death was so awful, they could not find enough of her to bury.
Why is this important? People who boast about a strong refuge they have made of lies and deception will watch their refuge collapse. They may deny a final judgment but they cannot support it by hiding behind their lies. Judgment will surely come. Read of the lie that future Israel in the Tribulation will believe before judgment comes to them (Isaiah 28:15-17).
Begs the Question? How many neighbors and friends really believe in a coming final judgment? If the supreme court of the land declares an action to be legal, is it right? How do we know? Abortion? Capital punishment? War?
III. We probably should call the final aspect of these delusions the alternatives to the lies in Thyatira (Rev. 2:24-29). Each letter is addressed to believers who remain faithful. The letter to the Thyatiran saints is no different. They are called, “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.” The Lord encourages these faithful ones by saying, “I place no other burden on you.” They would not experience the Tribulation and judgments related to it as the others would. He challenges them, however, to “hold fast until I come,” that is, hold fast to the Word of God which in turn would preserve them from error and instruct them in righteousness. They did not know how long that might be, but they knew He was faithful and He would come. It would require perseverance on their part but the Lord offers hope at the end of the line. He promised the overcomers that they would rule with Him in His kingdom (2:26-27). The Lord also promises “the morning star.” This is a reference to Himself (22:16). The morning star appears between the twilight of morning and the full blaze of day. The believers were living in a time like the future Dark Ages. It was their twilight. But the Lord would appear in grace and truth as would later happen when the Reformers appeared, preaching the Word of God. This is pictured in the next letter, the one to the saints in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6).
I. First, consider the nature of the lies in Thyatira (2:19-20). Lies are spawned by hell and those who teach them or believe in them are in league with Satan (2:24) who is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
The first lie was that people who have a reputation for good service need not worry about final judgment (2:19). This lie is not seen by a cursory reading of Rev. 2:19. There is no question but that the Church in Thyatira had a reputation for being a hard-working church. Even the Lord Jesus commends them for that. He comments on their “deeds,” “love,” “faith,” “service,” and “perseverance.” What could be wrong with that? If it stood alone, nothing. But the context of an ungodly church should make us look more closely. Their love is agape love, a love that only Christians can have. That love manifested itself in “service.” Their faithfulness is a gift that the Holy Spirit gives to His people (Gal. 5:22). That faithfulness manifested itself in “perseverance” during trial. From the beginning true believers revealed their divine nature by loving and faithful service to the Lord. And the church’s present state reflects “deeds .. greater than at first.” But, I might add, without the gifts of the Spirit. It appears that only the reputation is there. The Lord commends them because He wants believers to work for Him. But He is more interested in spiritual fruit than in reputation.
Why is this important? Any time believers tolerate unbelievers in their church while trying to serve their Lord the likelihood exists that those unbelievers will take credit for the good reputation of serving Christ. Until they become believers in Christ they will claim those good works as their right to pass the piercing eye of the Lord Jesus. The Bible clearly teaches that we are not saved by works. See Rom. 3:20, 28; Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:8-9.
Begs the Question: Should evangelical churches be involved in social work? Should Bible churches cooperate with non-evangelical churches in great humanitarian outreaches?
The second lie was that people who do not repent need not worry about final judgment. The most atrocious sins were being practiced by members in the church. The congregation had allowed a woman prophetess (a false one, according to Christ’s assessment) to remain in the church and to continue to teach the saints to indulge in “acts of immorality” and to “eat things sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:20). Her teaching was no doubt similar to that of the Nicolaitans and Balaamites at Ephesus and Pergamos. Such sins were common practices for guild members in Thyatira. If they were not practiced, the artisans would lose their trade and their livelihood. In order to expose her true character, the Lord labeled her “Jezebel” – the name of the Canaanite wife of Israel’s King Ahab. Jezebel had not only led Ahab to worship Baal but through Ahab had spread he teachings of idolatry throughout all Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33; 2 Kings 9:22).
Why is this important? There is an apparent disconnect today between Christian beliefs and practice. Where is the distinction between Christianity and the world? People say they have trusted Christ but little is said of repentance. See Rev. 2:21-22. For example, a TV news item reported that a porn model claimed to be a Christian. Her justification was that Adam and Eve were naked. How wicked! Only as true believers uphold repentance in their own lives and live a life of separation from sin will they have an impact on those who see no need for it. Trusting by faith alone without repentance will damn a person. Repentance is one of the most essential, and yet, one of the most neglected of all Christian teachings. It indicates a dramatic change in thinking and attitude concerning sin. But notice how prominent it was in the early church. Jesus taught it (Mark 1:15). When He sent out his disciples on a missionary journey, He told them to preach repentance (Mark 6:12). The last message the Lord gave to his followers on earth was that of repentance (Luke 24:47). It was the message that Paul gave to the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20:21).
Begs the Question: The Lord tells us we are to love the unsaved, but does that mean we are to shut our eyes to the wrong they may do or to be unequally yoked with them in church membership? How much does the church preach on repentance? Can a person be saved if he does not consider himself sinful?
II. Now let’s consider another aspect of these lies: the failure of the lies in Thyatira (Rev. 2:21-23). The Lord pointed out such failure in His parable of houses built upon sand. He said that the floods would wash them away (Matt. 7:24-27). This is what the Lord predicted would happen to the church in Thyatira if they did not repent. Christ will not let the teaching of this false prophetess go unchallenged or unjudged. Failing to repent, Christ would cast her into a bed and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation. On a bed she sinned; on a bed she will suffer. She deceived others; she herself will now be deceived. Concerning the last days of this age, Paul wrote: “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). And during the Tribulation, deceit and falsehood will reach a climax in the Man of Sin. Paul says, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:9-10). Jezebel’s children will be judged. They will be killed. They are the offspring of the apostate church which by the end times will have spread around the world. God’s judgment on them is that He will cast them into the Tribulation. This was true of the judgment of the ancient Jezebel, Ahab’s wife. She met her death years after Ahab died, but to the last she was scheming for herself against God. Her death was so awful, they could not find enough of her to bury.
Why is this important? People who boast about a strong refuge they have made of lies and deception will watch their refuge collapse. They may deny a final judgment but they cannot support it by hiding behind their lies. Judgment will surely come. Read of the lie that future Israel in the Tribulation will believe before judgment comes to them (Isaiah 28:15-17).
Begs the Question? How many neighbors and friends really believe in a coming final judgment? If the supreme court of the land declares an action to be legal, is it right? How do we know? Abortion? Capital punishment? War?
III. We probably should call the final aspect of these delusions the alternatives to the lies in Thyatira (Rev. 2:24-29). Each letter is addressed to believers who remain faithful. The letter to the Thyatiran saints is no different. They are called, “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.” The Lord encourages these faithful ones by saying, “I place no other burden on you.” They would not experience the Tribulation and judgments related to it as the others would. He challenges them, however, to “hold fast until I come,” that is, hold fast to the Word of God which in turn would preserve them from error and instruct them in righteousness. They did not know how long that might be, but they knew He was faithful and He would come. It would require perseverance on their part but the Lord offers hope at the end of the line. He promised the overcomers that they would rule with Him in His kingdom (2:26-27). The Lord also promises “the morning star.” This is a reference to Himself (22:16). The morning star appears between the twilight of morning and the full blaze of day. The believers were living in a time like the future Dark Ages. It was their twilight. But the Lord would appear in grace and truth as would later happen when the Reformers appeared, preaching the Word of God. This is pictured in the next letter, the one to the saints in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6).
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Countering Denials of a Final Judgment (Rev. 2:18-29)
The fourth letter from Jesus Christ is to the church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29). It introduces us to the subject of final judgment for sin. There were statements of personal and immediate judgment on the churches in Ephesus and Pergamos (2:5, 16), but not of final judgment. However, in each of the final four letters written respectively to Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea the Lord uses terms that in other Scriptural passages were found in the context of final judgment, the Day of the Lord. For example, in 2:22 He speaks of "great tribulation;" in 3:3, of His coming "like a thief;" in 3:10, of "the hour of testing;" and in 3:16, of being "spit out" of the Lord's mouth. Apparently these four represent churches that existed then, exist now, and will exist into the Day of the Lord when final judgment takes place.
Contrary to what the Bible declares, and to what the Lord Jesus reiterates here, most people think final judgment is unlikely. The Apostle Peter predicted this world-wide denial in 2 Pet. 3:3-4, 10:
Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking .. and saying, 'Where is the promise of his coming?' But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
Our present passage for consideration, Rev. 2:18-29, suggests two reasons for this foolish thinking. Today we will consider the first reason (2:18) of limited, human ability and unfounded hopes. Next week we will look at the second (2:19-29), namely the praise-worthy status of an individual or a church.
We can picture the unsaved masses in the world as typified by those "in Thyatira." Creatures, such as we, have no ability independently to know the future. If a choice is to be made as to whether there might be or might not be a final judgment, we naturally choose the latter, though we can't be sure. We think only like a man. We are not God. Humans can be deceived; God cannot. Notice the title Jesus claims for Himself, i.e. “the Son of God.” He uses this name to assert His proper Deity. He is of the same nature and has the same perfections with His Father. Now compare that title to 2:20 “the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess.” She may claim to be a prophetess but it is only a shallow claim. She neither speaks for God nor has the same perfections as He. No man is the vicar of God; only the incarnate Son of God. Add to her limited powers the many limited people that followed her teaching, i.e. she “leads my bond-servants astray.” They, too, are mere humans and do not think God’s thoughts. God is on the one side and humans, on the other.
Speaking as God, then, the Lord demands that He is to be known as the divine Judge of all men. Those who deny the final judgment need to meet the final Judge (John 5:22). He “has eyes like a flame of fire.” Certainly the One whose knowledge of the future is greater than any man's is the same One whose insight into the secrets and motives of man is greater than any man's. His mind is alive and sharp and penetrating through the darkness of every man’s state (Heb. 4:12). And while He is to be known by His enemies as the Judge who will expose every evil in man, He is also to be known by His people as the One whose feet is “like burnished bronze.” Feet refers to stability and that is what He, as the Judge, gives to every one of His disciples who face judgment. Because of Christ's strength God's judgment is averted and man's judgment against the saints is harmless. They will stand stable for eternity.
Those unsaved masses of humanity, typified in the city of Thyatira, are limited in their knowledge of the future so they cannot dogmatically say there is no final judgment. But also they are basically gambling on their denial. At the very best, their bold affirmation of no final judgment is an unfounded hope. Man is part of a world system that hopes such judgment is unlikely. Just consider the glory of the city of Thyatira. Can this all go up in smoke? See Revelation 18:8-19 Two treasures blind the masses to the true future, i.e. their heritage and their successes.
Thyatira's Heritage. After the death of Alexander the Great, his kingdom was divided up between four of his generals. One of these, Seleucus I, established the state of Pergamum in 282 BC. It was at this time that Thyatira became the eastern flank of Seleucus' kingdom and it was re-founded by him as a military outpost (the name Thyatira means 'the citadel or castle of Thya' and indicates that a settlement already existed there before Seleucus re-fortified it). It basically was a sentinel city. At times it was to protect Sardis from Pergamos. At other times it was to meet any enemy from the east, delay its advance, and warn the more important Pergamos. Thyatira was not a jewel worth fighting for except in the sense that it could be used to hinder an advancing army. The garrison stationed here would, therefore, have been composed of the more guerrilla-like warriors who would be less concerned with winning a war than with throwing the enemy into disarray and hindering its speedy onslaught. When our history has been one of averting disaster after disaster, why should we imagine that we cannot avert another? Man's reliance on his own strength will be his greatest downfall in that Day to come.
Thyatira's Successes. Commercially, Thyatira flourished. It became noted for the weaving, linen, dye, leather, and bronze trades. The city was well organized into trade guilds. Everyone in a trade had to be part of a guild. Each guild selected specific deities to worship. The guild members were then required to worship and support their guild's deity. In the guild's fellowship meals, food was first sacrificed to idols and, after the meals, orgies were a frequent occurrence. Those who refused such pagan worship essentially forfeited their right to practice their trade. To turn their backs on their guild's deities was a serious offense. Sometimes the guilds even profited financially from the worship of pagan deities. The guilds opposed Christianity since its spread meant a loss of business from formerly pagan worshipers. The citizens of the city could say, 'Hitherto my god has protected me; he will do so in the future.' But it won't happen. They will be judged by the Almighty God.
So then, the limitations of humans and their unfounded hopes mark their denials of a final judgment as suspect. Next week, we look at the fraility of a good reputation.
Verse for Today: "It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that, the judgment."
Your Step for Today: Discuss with your neighbors and friends the strengths of their country or their family. Talk about the history of those strengths and then about what the future holds in the light of them.
Your Prayer for Today: Pray that Christians may continue to be able to worship, work and witness in this country.
Contrary to what the Bible declares, and to what the Lord Jesus reiterates here, most people think final judgment is unlikely. The Apostle Peter predicted this world-wide denial in 2 Pet. 3:3-4, 10:
Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking .. and saying, 'Where is the promise of his coming?' But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
Our present passage for consideration, Rev. 2:18-29, suggests two reasons for this foolish thinking. Today we will consider the first reason (2:18) of limited, human ability and unfounded hopes. Next week we will look at the second (2:19-29), namely the praise-worthy status of an individual or a church.
We can picture the unsaved masses in the world as typified by those "in Thyatira." Creatures, such as we, have no ability independently to know the future. If a choice is to be made as to whether there might be or might not be a final judgment, we naturally choose the latter, though we can't be sure. We think only like a man. We are not God. Humans can be deceived; God cannot. Notice the title Jesus claims for Himself, i.e. “the Son of God.” He uses this name to assert His proper Deity. He is of the same nature and has the same perfections with His Father. Now compare that title to 2:20 “the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess.” She may claim to be a prophetess but it is only a shallow claim. She neither speaks for God nor has the same perfections as He. No man is the vicar of God; only the incarnate Son of God. Add to her limited powers the many limited people that followed her teaching, i.e. she “leads my bond-servants astray.” They, too, are mere humans and do not think God’s thoughts. God is on the one side and humans, on the other.
Speaking as God, then, the Lord demands that He is to be known as the divine Judge of all men. Those who deny the final judgment need to meet the final Judge (John 5:22). He “has eyes like a flame of fire.” Certainly the One whose knowledge of the future is greater than any man's is the same One whose insight into the secrets and motives of man is greater than any man's. His mind is alive and sharp and penetrating through the darkness of every man’s state (Heb. 4:12). And while He is to be known by His enemies as the Judge who will expose every evil in man, He is also to be known by His people as the One whose feet is “like burnished bronze.” Feet refers to stability and that is what He, as the Judge, gives to every one of His disciples who face judgment. Because of Christ's strength God's judgment is averted and man's judgment against the saints is harmless. They will stand stable for eternity.
Those unsaved masses of humanity, typified in the city of Thyatira, are limited in their knowledge of the future so they cannot dogmatically say there is no final judgment. But also they are basically gambling on their denial. At the very best, their bold affirmation of no final judgment is an unfounded hope. Man is part of a world system that hopes such judgment is unlikely. Just consider the glory of the city of Thyatira. Can this all go up in smoke? See Revelation 18:8-19 Two treasures blind the masses to the true future, i.e. their heritage and their successes.
Thyatira's Heritage. After the death of Alexander the Great, his kingdom was divided up between four of his generals. One of these, Seleucus I, established the state of Pergamum in 282 BC. It was at this time that Thyatira became the eastern flank of Seleucus' kingdom and it was re-founded by him as a military outpost (the name Thyatira means 'the citadel or castle of Thya' and indicates that a settlement already existed there before Seleucus re-fortified it). It basically was a sentinel city. At times it was to protect Sardis from Pergamos. At other times it was to meet any enemy from the east, delay its advance, and warn the more important Pergamos. Thyatira was not a jewel worth fighting for except in the sense that it could be used to hinder an advancing army. The garrison stationed here would, therefore, have been composed of the more guerrilla-like warriors who would be less concerned with winning a war than with throwing the enemy into disarray and hindering its speedy onslaught. When our history has been one of averting disaster after disaster, why should we imagine that we cannot avert another? Man's reliance on his own strength will be his greatest downfall in that Day to come.
Thyatira's Successes. Commercially, Thyatira flourished. It became noted for the weaving, linen, dye, leather, and bronze trades. The city was well organized into trade guilds. Everyone in a trade had to be part of a guild. Each guild selected specific deities to worship. The guild members were then required to worship and support their guild's deity. In the guild's fellowship meals, food was first sacrificed to idols and, after the meals, orgies were a frequent occurrence. Those who refused such pagan worship essentially forfeited their right to practice their trade. To turn their backs on their guild's deities was a serious offense. Sometimes the guilds even profited financially from the worship of pagan deities. The guilds opposed Christianity since its spread meant a loss of business from formerly pagan worshipers. The citizens of the city could say, 'Hitherto my god has protected me; he will do so in the future.' But it won't happen. They will be judged by the Almighty God.
So then, the limitations of humans and their unfounded hopes mark their denials of a final judgment as suspect. Next week, we look at the fraility of a good reputation.
Verse for Today: "It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that, the judgment."
Your Step for Today: Discuss with your neighbors and friends the strengths of their country or their family. Talk about the history of those strengths and then about what the future holds in the light of them.
Your Prayer for Today: Pray that Christians may continue to be able to worship, work and witness in this country.
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