A Faithless Woman and a Faithful Remnant

*The sermon manuscript below was generated from the recording by AI…

Well, the, the messenger has gone forth with the letter, hasn’t he? And he’s carried it from John, and we’ve seen that he’s taken it to the Church of Ephesus, which we might call the loveless church. Got everything right, but there’s no heart, there’s no love in her for Christ and for the world. And having spoken to Ephesus, the next Lord’s Day, the messenger pulls into Smyrna. And, and we saw, didn’t we, that the messenger found a suffering church and, and one that is going to suffer even more. And the messenger carries on from there, as we saw last week, and pulls into Pergamum, a city which is filled with pagan idolatry, shadowed by the Serpent of Healing and Zeus, these temples sitting up on top of the mountain. And he speaks to a church which is filled with compromise. However, it hasn’t taken hold yet. By and large, the church is majority filled with faithful, believing Christians. However, the message tells them that there are some who are holding to the teachers of the Nicolaitans, the teachings of the Nicolaitans. Just some have compromised.

And so, as the messenger finishes jo- his job there, he carries on to the next city on the trade route called Thyatira. Now, if Smyrna was well-known for its Roman emperor worship, and Pergamum was well-known for its pagan worship, Thyatira is not really known well for very much whatsoever. They were kind of just a defense outpost for Pergamum, which was the capital of East Asia. They weren’t very particularly important. However, the one thing they had going for them that outdid everybody else was trade. They were a commerce center, because they were at one of the intersections of major trade routes, and so traders would come through. And so what you found in Thyatira was not so much large temples or emperor worship, though that was there, but the prominent thing in the messenger’s mind as he draws into Thyatira is trade. He sees trade guilds on every corner. He sees business deals being done everywhere. It’s like the, the Wall Street of Rome in East Asia. You know, when you think of Wall Street, maybe you’ve seen it in movies or visited it before, what do you think of? You think of important, rich people in fancy suits doing business. And that’s what it would have been like to walk through Thyatira. Of course, they probably didn’t wear suits, but it would have been looking very similar.

And as the messenger walks through Thyatira, he finds the church, and this church is quite different to Smyrna. I wonder if you remember that when we visited Smyrna, it was in a little, beaten-up shack in the corner somewhere, hiding, out of the way, covered in darkness, trying to stay off the beaten track, because they were persecuted and abused. Well, Thyatira’s not quite like that. In fact, they’ve got a nice building. They’re doing pretty well. And as the messenger walks in on Sunday morning at 10:30 in Reformation Bible Church in Thyatira, the messenger walks in, and he’s struck by what he sees, because he looks around the room, and there’s quite a lot of wealthy people in the church, quite a number actually. In fact, the majority seem to be well-fed, well-clothed, and respectable. They’ve got all of the marks of traders, businesspeople. But he does also notice that in the church, there are some who are quite poor. In fact, very poor, pro- poverty-stricken you might say, and, and they stick out in between the opulence of others. But what strikes him most of all is that sitting at the very front of the church is a woman. There’s a woman s- sitting at the front of the church, and she has a couple of people with her, and she’s dressed in very fine robes. And next to her are, are men who look very officially dressed. You know, if you think back to ministerial gowns that used to be very common, they’re dressed in ministerial gowns. And, and she comes to the messenger, the messenger comes to the minister of the church and, and gives him the letter, and the letter is taken up to the front. And, and the messenger happens to notice that just before he goes to the front, he looks over to the woman, and the woman gives him a nod of approval. “Yes. Yes, you can read the letter.” And he thinks, “Well, this is very strange.”

The messenger comes to the front Sorry, the minister comes to the front, and he begins to read, and he reads in chapter one of the, the letter, the revelation of God, he, he reads of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and all of His manifold blessing. He reads of the church in Ephesus which has lost its love, and, and the messenger notices the woman at the front shaking her head in disgust at a church which wouldn’t love the Lord. And he speaks of Smyrna being oppressed and marginalized for their stand, and, and the, the woman has a little smirk on her face as if she knows better. A- and then he speaks of Pergamum and a church which is compromising, and, and she appears to have a bit of a wince on her face, if not maybe disgust. And then she hears the words along with the rest of the church. The minister reads, “To the angel of the Church of Thyatira, write” And the letter begins.

And what I want you to see here is 5 gracious things about the Lord Jesus Christ as He writes to the church in Thyatira. 5 gracious things.

Firstly, we see that Christ gr- has gracious comprehension. He knows, and so he says, “The words of the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” 3 things, right? The Son of God, eyes like fire, burnished bronze feet. Why these 3 things? ‘Cause we remember, don’t we, that these introductions are peculiarly focused to help the church gain a better picture, to gain perspective on reality? Well, he says Son of God, which is quite interesting, because in the vision of Christ in chapter one, it doesn’t say Son of God. It says Son of Man, but it’s very particular. You see the God of Thyatira, the localized deity was Apollo. Apollo, you see, was the trade guilds’ god. They loved Apollo, and Apollo was the son of Zeus. You see, Thyatira worshiped the son of God that is the son of Zeus, and Jesus writes and says, “This comes from the Son of God.” Not a son of God. You see, Zeus had multiple children, apparently. But this comes from the only one Son of God to you. Ignore the son of Zeus, and focus upon me.

But it also comes from one who has eyes that flame with fire, and if you remember back to chapter one, it’s, it’s the picture of omniscience, of all-knowing. It’s a little bit like in, in Lord of the Rings, there’s the big red eye of Sauron that sees everything, and Saruman says that he sees through shadow and flesh. But even in the book, Sauron can’t look everywhere. He is stopped by the light. The Lord Jesus Christ sees everywhere, and nothing can stop him. There is nowhere he cannot see. In heart, in mind, behind closed doors, bedrooms. In every single space in the universe Christ sees, because he’s omnipresent. He’s everywhere. And he’s omniscient, because he knows everything.

But he does not kno- he does not just know as if a distant comprehension, you know, like as if Christ was on the other side of creation and he’s just marginally aware of what’s going on in your home or your workplace. He has burnished bronze feet, and this could mean one of 2 things. It could mean that nothing can stop him going anywhere, so he’s not just seeing and knowing, but he actually comes. He’s present in your midst, which if you think of what’s coming in Thyatira, that’s quite poignant, isn’t it? He does not lack the ability to come. The other thing it could mean, and I tend to like the first one better I think, the second one is that the name for the metal here is Chalkolibos, which means nothing to you, but it’s the Greek word for a particular type of metal that was only found in Thyatira. It was one of their major trade products, and so there’s a sense in which you might say Jesus is communicating to them the precious financial heart of Thyatira is only worthy to be attached to my feet. And when we come to Christ richly compensating for His church, that means a whole lot.

And so, we see Jesus here with this complete, infinite knowledge of His church, intimate knowledge of His church, and I think this should This should spark 2 f- 2 types of response in hearers. Either, A, it should make you incredibly uncomfortable, because you have a hidden sin in your life that you haven’t confessed yet. And like David says in Psalm 32 that we sung earlier, “When I, when I bound up my sin within me, it burned my bones.” And so if you have a hidden sin here today that, that sits in your closet or on your internet, quietly away where nobody knows, and Jesus says, “I know,” that should make you incredibly uncomfortable. You ought to fidget in your chair.

It’s like This probably never happened to you, but it happened lots to me. When the principal says, “Come to my office,” and you immediately think, “Oh, which one of the 83 different things that I did am I being brought in for?” Except that he knows everything.

But there’s another type of response. It’s one of comfort. You see, if, if you’ve confessed all of your sins to Christ, there’s nothing to hide, is there? There’s nothing to be ashamed of because he’s taking them all away. He’s already dealt with them. You, there’s nothing on your credit history anymore, because it’s all been paid. The debt is forgiven. And so when someone says to you, “Christ knows all about you,” you can say, “Hallelujah. He knows I’m forgiven. He knows I’m set free! And he loves me anyway. He knows my situation. He knows my work life. He knows my family life. He knows what I’ve been through. He knows my sorrows and my suffering.” Brothers and sisters, Christ knows.

And those, those 2 different responses come out in our next 2 points. You see, Christ graciously comprehends. He has a gracious comprehension of the church and because he does, he also has a gracious commendation of the church. He commends the church, doesn’t he? He says to them in verse 19, “I know your works. I know your love. I know your faith. I know your service. I know your patient endurance. I know that your most recent works are greater and better than your previous ones.” Whereas Ephesus had done everything right doctrinally and in works of service, yet had no love, Thyatira had done everything Ephesus did with love and with faith. Where Pergamum was tempted to give up its faith and compromise, and Smyrna was tempted through suffering, Thyatira had patiently endured whatever came their way and clung faithfully and steadfastly. And not only that, they had built upon it. They hadn’t let it languish over time. And this is commendable, isn’t it? This is something praiseworthy. Don’t read the commendation of Jesus Christ sarcastically. He’s not saying to them, “Oh, yeah, I know you do all this good stuff, but now I’m gonna smash you.” He is legitimately commending his bride, his true ones, for what they’ve done well.

And I think there’s an encouragement here for us. You see, we’ve started well, haven’t we? With joy, and delight, and love. And we build one another up, and we delight together, together, not just once but twice on the Lord’s day. And, and I see your faces on Wednesday, beaming as you come into John and Carol’s place. Oh, “It’s so good to be here, and Carol’s baking’s amazing just to top it off.” And last Wednesday, we s- we heard of a man get converted in the middle, at our prayer meeting, on the phone. So the Lord blessed us bountifully with this gift. And I guess the question, uh, comes to us, doesn’t it? Will we continue to build that way? Will our recent works outdo our first works? Or like some of the other churches, will our love grow cold, and the excitement wane?

And what about us and our personal lives? Maybe, maybe you started with a bang when you became a believer, and you were ready to convert the nations, and you were ready to take over the world for the Kingdom of God. And then, you know, one thing came after another, and life got busy, and children came, and work happened, and life moved on. And all of a sudden everything just, you know, became a little bit ho-hum. Just wasn’t quite the same anymore. The fire went out. Well, brothers and sisters, this is an encouragement to relight the flame. Christ knows the fervor you once had. Christ knows the joy you once had, and he’s inviting you to have it again. He’s inviting you to come to him and ignite your heart.

I think there’s another encouragement in this for us, and that is that nothing’s overlooked. You know, since Christ knows everything, none of your works, none of your faith, none of your love, none of your service is ever forgotten. Remember those beautiful words of Jesus where he says, “Not one cup of water given to one of my little ones will be unrewarded.” That’s just a cup of water. So maybe you’re serving somewhere in the church and no one knows. Well, maybe only one or 2 people know. Maybe you turn up here every week early and, and set up, but no one really knows you do it. Or you do something throughout the week for someone else in the congregation, or you serve the Lord in some quiet way somewhere. You serve the Lord in your home as a mother, you do it with all of your strength, and you’re tempted to think to yourself, “No one even knows. I’m serving God the best I can. No one ever pats me on the back. No one ever says, ‘Great job, Mum.’” Christ knows, and he does not overlook it. So serve with all of your heart, soul, and strength for there will be a day where Christ says, “I commend you. I commend you for your faithfulness.” And that commendation is worth more than all of the applause of the world.

And so Christ’s knowledge, his comprehension leads to this commendation, but it also leads to a condemnation, doesn’t it? See, for the most loving thing you can do for someone with hidden sin is to blast it into the light, is to bring it into the light of day. Ephesians 4 talks about this, leading things into the light so that the darkness no longer reigns over it. And so Christ comes to his people, and you imagine that, that picture I painted. Of course, it’s a, it’s a fake picture, I hope you know that. But could you imagine the minister standing up with Jezebel sitting on the front row? I mean, Jezebel’s well off, I tell you that. Maybe his stipend’s on the line. That it’s no joke. I, I know of a minister who went to a church, smallish. There was one particular family that was incredibly wealthy. 60% of the church’s tithes came out of their bank account. And, and one day, the minister did something that the man didn’t like, so he sat him down and he said, “Listen. Listen here, Bucko. This is not how we do things in the church. And if you don’t listen, I’ll stop tithing, which means you stop getting paid.” That’s a pressure, isn’t it?

Now, this man had a courage of s- a spine of steel, so he said, “That’s fine, I’ll go get a job.” But what went through the minister’s head as he stood up to read these words? “I have this against you, you tolerate that woman Jezebel.” Now, we don’t know if Jezebel’s her real name or not. I think there is an actual real woman in the church that this is speaking about. I, I think the name Jezebel is metaphorical for her. But either way, everyone in the church knows exactly who this is speaking about.

When, when Sinclair Ferguson preaches through this passage, he tells the story of a minister that he knew who, who had someone in the church, just one person in the church, that was destroying the church, was just causing problems every- and everyone knew it. And this minister didn’t know how to deal with it, and the elders lacked courage to deal with it, and he didn’t know what to do. And so his ministerial friend said to him, “You just have to out him in front of the whole congregation. That’s the only way you can do it. By name, from the pulpit, just say it.” Can you imagine? I mean, t- talk about a timid heart in that mo- I don’t want to do that. I mean, one-on-one, sure. That’s difficult enough. Who likes confrontation? Publicly? From the pulpit?

And yet, that’s exactly what Christ requires of this minister to do, name the sin, name the cancer. “You’ve got to deal with it,” Jesus says.

So what’s the problem, and why the metaphorical name? Yes. Well, some of you may not be familiar with the Old Testament. Jezebel is the wife of Ahab in 1 and 2 Kings. She is the most evil woman in the Bible. If you’re planning on having children, please never call your daughter Jezebel, even if you think it’s a pretty name. She is the most corrupt woman. She came from Sidon. Remember Tyre and Sidon? They were always the picture of 2 things, sin and money. Sin and money. And she embraced both of these realities. She came into town and married Ahab, and she brought with her all of her gods. She brought Baal especially, and Baal This was Baal’s secret sauce. Baal would fill your womb and fill your bank. He was the god of fertility, so he made everything grow, and he made sure you had lots of children. Now, maybe that’s not an encouraging thought for you, but in those days, it was. And so Jezebel brought with her an abundance of money and blessing, and so what did Ahab do? “Well, I want the riches of Tyre and Sidon.” And all of a sudden, you find Ahab surrounded by 450 Baal prophets, 450 of them! Apparently one’s not good enough. You r- you remember the incident of Mount Carmel? That was the challenge between Yahweh and Baal, “Who will bless us? Who will we serve? Who will richly reward us?” And Jezebel was the driver behind all of it.

And I wonder if you can see the picture going on here that so beautifully fits the situation in Thyatira. You see, the woman in Thyatira nicknamed Jezebel, she had come up with a plan. You see, part of the problem in Thyatira, similar but far worse than in Pergamum, is if you don’t worship with everybody else, you lose all your business. So just imagine it in modern terms. When you go to work, during the lunch break, a bell dings. Bing! Signaling, stop, it’s worship time, and everyone gets out incense burners and lights them, and everyone starts getting meat out and sacrificing it to idol, and people start committing fornication in different parts of the lunchroom. And you’re in the middle of all of that, and you’re the only one not doing it. What happens very quickly? People start looking at you and saying, “Hey, what’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you following the religious company policy?” You say, “Because I, I worship Jesus.” “Sorry, what was that? I didn’t hear you.” “I said I worship Jesus and him alone.” They say, “Oh, you think you’re better than us, do you? Our gods aren’t good enough for you. Get out.” You’re fired immediately.

But here’s the problem, everyone now knows. So what happens when you apply for a new job? “Oh, don’t hire him.” You know, d- reference check, “H- how, how, how was Bob Jones in the workplace?” “Oh, he’s a great worker, but he doesn’t worship like we do. There’s something strange about him.” And all of a sudden you’ve got no income, and there, there, there is no unemployment benefit for you.

And so, and so loving Jezebel comes out. She goes, “Oh, wait a second. Listen to me. Don’t you understand that Paul said that meat offered to idols doesn’t mean anything? And so you can just eat it and pretend that you’re going along with them. It doesn’t matter what they think, because you know in your heart you love Jesus. And haven’t you heard the teaching of the Gnostics? Well, the Gnostics rightly pointed out to us that, you know, after all, our bodies are corruptible, they’re fallen, they’re gonna go into the earth and rot. It’s our soul that really matters, so if you have to engage in some fornication in the workplace in order to get a business deal done, that’s okay. Just remove your soul from that moment. Do it physically, but have your soul somewhere else.”

Now, this sounds ludicrous to us, but in a world where your very livelihood is on the line, it becomes a real temptation. Do I fold and eat or do I starve? That’s a real pressure. Parents, imagine your children are famished, and you’re in that situation. Feel the pressure ramp up your collar.

You see, Jezebel had done the exact same thing that the Old Testament Jezebel had done. She had convinced the people that the only way to true blessing is not to forsake idolatry and sin, but to embrace it.

Jesus condemns her for 3 things. He says, firstly, she is self-appointed. She calls Did you notice that? She calls herself a prophetess. Now, you will remember there is small p, in private, prophetesses in the New Testament. That’s not a problem for us. What’s the problem here? She’s self-appointed. Any time someone stands up and says, “I’m an apostle,” and you’ve heard these before, haven’t you? “I’m an apostle. I’m Apostle John.” Or maybe you’ve heard, “I’m, I’m a rabbi,” or, “I’m a prophet,” or, “I’m a bishop.” And then you ask them, “Well, who made you one?” “Well, I did,” or, “God did, just me and God alone in a cupboard.” Run for the hills, because no authority is self-appointed authority. God appoints men to the office through the Church of Jesus Christ.

And so one of the first signs of a false prophet, a false teacher is they’re self-appointed. They rise up out of nowhere.

The second thing, she’s teaching. Now, we know, don’t we? We don’t need to labor this point, what does 1 Timothy say? “I do not permit a woman to teach in the church.” The public office of teaching is set aside for ordained men, full stop. No one else does the teaching. 1 Corinthians 14, women are to be silent in the church. Why? Because the public office of preaching and teaching is for men who are ordained and set aside by Christ to that particular office. and she had forsaken the Biblical command and taken upon herself something she was not meant to do.

But on top of all of this, she was seducing or convincing, lying, deceiving the people of God. So, it’s, it, it would have been bad enough if she was a self-appointed teacher who taught the right things. She teaches the people to practice sexual immorality, to eat food sacrificed to idols.

What I want you to see here is as Christ brings this, this condemnation, s- see how far he goes with it, and, and this might make you feel a little bit uncomfortable. Jesus says, “I am going to kill her children.” That- that’s an uncomfortable picture, right? Now, I don’t think you’re meant to think physical children. It could mean physical children. I think it is connected with the story of Ahab and Jezebel, because Ahab’s 70 sons get killed because of his sin. It could be connected to that. It could be that children is reference to those who totally believe Jezebel, who follow her doctrine. But either way, Jesus, he’s gonna kill them. The, the word can only mean kill. He’s going to put them to death. In fact, it’s a Hebraism with a lot of strength behind it. He’s going to kill them with death. It’s emphatic.

You think to yourself, “This is not the Jesus I thought I worshiped.” I mean, cute in a manger, great. Gentle and lowly, wonderful. Kind to the adulterous woman, love it. Self-sacrificial upon a cross, great. Ascended in glory, marvelous. Killing people in the church? That makes me a little more uncomfortable.

What do we do with this? Well, before you deal with that, you have to see the patience of Christ. You have to see the gracious patience of Christ. N- notice what it says in verse 21. “I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.” And then, again, for her followers, in verse 22 at the end, “Unless they repent of her works. I’ll kill them unless they repent of their works. I’m gonna throw her on a sickbed of, of tribulation, and any of her followers, unless they repent.” Now, we don’t know how Jezebel was warned. Maybe it was through the minister trying to be courageous. Maybe it was through elders in the church. Maybe it was members in the church. Maybe it was someone else coming in and saying something. We don’t know, but she had been warned, hadn’t she? She had been told, “Repent. What you’re doing is not right! Do not do this. Your doctrine is wrong. Your position is wrong. You must repent.” But she refused. And if her followers would refuse, the outcome would be death.

Now, that might make you uncomfortable. Yet, that’s the story of the Scriptures. Why did the people of Israel die in the wilderness? Because they refused to repent. They refused to change from their idolatry and live. Why did Israel get cast into exile? Because they refused to heed the warning of the prophets and repent. Why do people die in their sin now? Because they refuse to repent. The biggest problem in the heart of the unbeliever is an utter refusal to turn from their sin and run to God. It’s, it’s dumbfounding. M- my brother said this to my mum once. My mum said to him, “Wh- why are you doing this? Why are you walking away from the Lord? Why don’t you come back to church?” You know his answer? Very simple, very honest. “Because I love my sin too much.” At least he’s honest. “I love my sin, so why would I forsake it?”

And you know, all through the Book of Revelation, you know what we’re gonna run into? We’re gonna run into God pouring out his judgment upon the nations, and over and over and over again a, a refr- a there’s gonna be a refrain that constantly surfaces, “But they would not repent.”

Brothers and sisters, if people will not repent of their sin, God will kill them. But the terrifying part is not physical death, but it’s the second death, an eternal death for all eternity. And I guess there’s a challenge for every one of us today. Will we repent, for the Kingdom of God has come? Or will we perish in our sin? The choice is ours.

But you also need to see, very quickly, Christ’s critique of the faithful people. You see, all of this is against a, a corrupt teacher and some wacky people that are following her, right? And it’s very easy for us, uh, as the church in this moment, to stand aloof and say, “Ho ho. Them some fiery words for those people! Them some fiery words for the people who are lost!” But do you remember that this is a critique of the church? The very first thing he said in verse 20, “I have this against you,” is for the minister first, and then for the true faithful remnant that are left behind. “I have this against you that you tolerate,” or permit, or allow this. Where’s the real problem? The real problem is not Jezebel. The real problem is not her followers. The real problem is an utter failure of the Church of Christ to discipline sin. When the sin first cropped up, the elders of the church should’ve gone to her and called her to repent, and if she didn’t do it, should’ve excommunicated her, and her voice would’ve been silenced in the church. But she was allowed to creep and slither her way to the front of the church, until she had eaten almost everybody, because unlike Pergamum where, where just some are holding to the Nicolaitan teaching, in this church only some have remained faithful. Notice that. He says it down in verse 24, “To the rest of you.” This is why I called the sermon A Faithless Jezebel and a Faithful Remnant. Faithless Jezebel and her cronies are running the church, but there’s always a remnant remaining, and that’s true even in the time of Ahab and Jezebel. When Elijah says, “Just kill me, God. I’m the only one left,” and Jesus says to him, “There are still 7,000 that have not bowed the knee.” “There’s still a remnant, Elijah. There’s still a remnant.” And there is in this church.

And so Jesus now turns to them. He says to the rest of them, he says We see a gracious command Christ. He says to them, “To the rest of you in Thyatira,” verse 24, “who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say 2 things. I do not lay on you any other burden.” Here’s the command: “Hold fast what you have until I come.”

I mean, can you imagine the burden it must be being in that church Sunday by Sunday, every single Lord’s Day, hearing this corrupt evil woman? I mean, there are no other churches for you to go and attend. There’s only one church in town. You can’t just quit and go and join another church. And just like in Acts Remember in Acts 15 when there’s the question of how do we get the Gentiles to act? Should they get circumcised? Should they not? Should they act like Jews? And the, the, their elders say to them, “We place no other burden upon you other than this,” and it’s striking. “Don’t eat food sacrificed to idols. Don’t commit adultery. And don’t drink meat with blood in it.” And Jesus is picking up on this exact sentiment. He said, “I’m not gonna weigh you down.” Why? Because the burden of Christ is light, isn’t it? Jezebel’s freeing you, she says. Christ says, “No, only my burden is light. She will bind you up in sin, but I will set you truly free.” But he says, “This is all I want you to do. Just hold fast to what you have.” What have they got? They haven’t got money, they haven’t got power, they haven’t got honor, they haven’t got pleasure. All they have is the truth of Jesus Christ, and that’s all he wants them to hold onto. Why? Uh, because the deceptions of Jezebel will kill you and bind you, but the truth of Jesus Christ will set you free. It’ll set you free to live for him and worship him and live with him for all of eternity.

And this is a great call for us to do the same, to pursue the truth, to pursue he who embodies the truth. Not just a set of doctrinal practices, not just a set of doctrines. Don’t tell me about your doctrinal statements. Who is the truth? Christ, right? “I am the truth,” he says. Tell me about your Lord, tell me about your Savior, tell me about your Christ. He’s saying, “Hold on to me, because in me you have everything you need.”

If you major on doctrinal perfection and miss Christ, your emphasis. Christ wants you to come to him and rest in him.

But it’s a costly business being a Christian. In Thyatira it was a very costly business. And so Jesus also tells them with h- in his grace that “You will receive compensation.” And so he says to them those wonderful words, “The one who conquers” Verse 26, “The one who conquers, 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 so I myself have received authority from my Father, and I will give him the morning star.”

This is a conglomeration of about 3 different Old Testament prophecies. Psalm 2, uh, Numbers 25 with Balaam, a- a- and as they merge together it’s the picture of the opposite of what they’re going through. They’re having to give up their positions of authority, their money, their everything to cling to Christ, and Christ says to them, “I’ll give it all back to you.” “I reign” Psalm 2, “I rule over the nations with a rod of iron, and I dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Jesus says to them, “And you will reign with me.” “And I am the morning star” we’re told in Numbers, “and you will be with me.” Because united to Christ you will rule over the nations. In Christ you will be set free from the oppression of the authority of the gentile pagans who so want to oppress you.

And can I tell you, this equally applies to you. Maybe you’re tempted. Maybe you’re tempted to compromise with the world along with Jezebel. Maybe you’re scared to do what God requires of you in your context, whether it’s in your home, whether it’s in your workplace, whether it’s at the local school. Whatever it is, you’re tempted to give up on Christ and your testimony of him because of the pressure of those around you, and so you cave and you twist just a little bit. You don’t deny Christ, but you stick him in your pocket so that work colleagues won’t see him. Jesus says to you today, “Whatever you lose for my sake, I will reward one hundredfold.” You know what? It is better to die of starvation in this world or to lose an arm or a leg and enter into h- eternal life really hungry than go to hell fat.

And that’s the invitation for us as a church. For elders, it’s a particular challenge to make sure that we guard this pulpit, that we discipline sin, that we labor for the purity of the church. But discipline isn’t just elders, brothers and sisters. Where does discipline start? Matthew 18. If your brother is in sin, what do you do? You go to him. Discipline starts with you, as you go to a brother and sister and say, “Jezebel, that’s not right. I call you to repent.” And every one of us is to take part in defending the truth and purity of the Church of Jesus Christ.

You see, Thyatira is the story of a faithful remnant of believers standing up against a faithless woman and all of her followers. We might be tempted to respond like Obadiah. Remember in the story where Elijah’s on the way to Mount Carmel? He sense He, he runs into a guy called Obadiah. He’s a servant of the king. And he says to him, “Go tell Ahab I’ll meet him up on the mountain.” And Obadiah says, effectively, to paraphrase, “Do you hate me? If I go to, if I go to Ahab and tell him Elijah wants me, he’ll kill me.” And Elijah’s response is effectively, “Just go and do it and trust me.” Sometimes we’re called to do really hard things for the sake of Christ and just trust him, because at the end of the day, what will it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?

Brothers and sisters, you’ve probably all heard of Matthew Henry, the commentator. Uh, he had a father, funnily enough, called Philip Henry. Philip Henry wrote an amazing quote that was taken by someone else you might know, and it says this. Philip Henry would give 10% of his money away to charity every week, 10%. Um, um, it would have been on top of his tithe as well. 10% away to charity. And one day, Matthew Henry asked him why he does it, uh, and, and he says, “He is no fool who parts with that which he cannot keep when he is sure to be re- recompensed with that which he cannot lose.”

That’s our calling today, isn’t it? To give up the things that you can’t hold onto in order to gain the thing that you can never lose.

---