2/30/05 Text:Revelation 2:18-29 Title: Morningstar
2/30/2005
Text: Revelation 2:18-29
Title: Morningstar
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
Today we are going to take a look at the letter to Thyatira. Thyatira is the smallest and least important town of the seven that Christ had John write a letter to, yet its congregation received the longest letter.
Thyatira was founded by the Macedonians, and is located about 30 miles southeast of Pergamum on the Lycus River. Today the city is known as Ak-Hissar in modern day Turkey.
Thyatira was not important for art or culture but as a commercial center. I think you could call it a factory town similar to some of our old industrial cities that grew up around textiles or steel. Secular writings show that there were all types of goods being produced, wool, linen, leather pieces, metal works, and clothing.
But, what Thyatira was most famous for was the purple cloth that was manufactured there. You might have heard of one of the city’s cloth merchants, a women named Lydia. Lydia was the seller of purple cloth that was brought to Christ by Paul when he found her selling her cloth in Phillipi, a city about 400 miles northwest of Thyatira.
By the third century after Christ’s death and resurrection, Thyatira was a stronghold of a heretical sect known for its extreme use of bodily self-denial, and abuse. There was also a from of Gnostism being practiced, a cult of those thought to have secret knowledge of God.
When you take a closer look at the letter you see that it is divided into distinct sections. Like most letters first there is the address of the congregation the letter was written to. Next is a section called the exaltation where we see God being described as a God who had blazing eyes and whose feet were like burnished bronze.
Both of those images were important to John’s readers, for God’s blazing eyes, signified righteous anger, and his feet of “burnished bronze” meant unbreakable power, because bronze was the hardest metal known at the time. To put it in perspective, I think it would be like getting a letter from a judge stating right off that he is all powerful, and that your life is in his hands.
Next is the core of the letter, where we find that it is sort of a good news, bad news type letter. Jesus first tells them that he is aware of the good things that the congregation was doing, but that he is also aware of the bad things the congregation tolerated in its midst.
But Christ does not stop there, for in his mercy he does not just condemn them, he tells them that they should not let the things going on overcome them, for a couple of reasons. First he is going to punish Jezebel, who by the way, is thought by most scholars to be not an actual person living at the time, but symbolic for all the false teachings that were going on, nor will he let those who follow her teachings go free.
Although that might not sound like good news to you, it is, for we too face many of the same things that the congregation of Thyatira faced. There are still all types of false teachers around, except now they are also on television, the radio, on the internet, in video games, magazines, and newspapers where they are telling us that there are other ways to God, telling us that there is really no truth, telling us that if it feels good do it.
We might not have temples dedicated to sex, but the evils we face are just as real. The vast majority of movies, plays, and other popular entertainment tell us that casual sex is okay. Why we even have cute names we give that type of sex, like “hooking up”, which usually means that one is going to have casual, meaningless sexual intercourse, with no expectations afterward.
How long ago was it when the first “four letter words” were first used on the public airways and we were shocked, but are not shocked anymore? The list could go on and on. I am afraid that far too many Christians think they can live with, can accept, those type of things in their lives and not be affected.
But can that be true? Can we in fact just accept what is going on around us, what too many times is being broadcast into our homes, as being just the way things are, and still follow Christ?
We do not have to go too far to find the answer to that question, for we find in verses 22 and 23 of our text today, that not only will Christ severely punish those who follow the teachings of Jezebel, he is going to punish those who allow it to take place in their midst. Boy if that is not Law I do not know what is.
It is Law alright, but Christ is using the Law for only one purpose, that is to drive them back to his saving arms. He then closes the letter with wonderful words of comfort, as he has John write, “Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations 27 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'--just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
What a wonderful Gospel message, a message of victory that does not just apply to them, but to us today. Christ is telling them, and thus us, to just hang in there, stay with the basics, accept the free gift of forgiveness from God, love him above all things, and love your neighbor as yourself. That is doing Christ’s will. You will have the final victory, over sin and death, crushing them just like a piece of pottery is broken when struck by an iron bar.
It is true, for you have his word on it, just like God the Father gave his word to Jesus his son, that he would overcome evil and rule over all things, he promises that those who remain faithful to Jesus will also overcome all things.
Before I close I want to spend just a little time talking about the significance of the Morning star in our text. The star that we know as Venus is often called the Morning Star because you see it in the Eastern sky just before the sun comes up in the morning. In antiquity the morning star was seen as a symbol of royalty and power.
There are only 4 references to the term “Morning Star” in the Bible. The first mention is in Isaiah 14:12. There the term is used to describe the king of Babylon and his fall from power.
In 2 Peter 1:19, we read, that there will be a time when the morning star will rise in your hearts. In this verse Peter is talking of that time when Jesus comes back in all his glory, and those who are alive will be filled with his knowledge.
In Revelation 22:16 we read, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” It is pretty clear from that text that Jesus is the Morning Star.
Thus in Revelation 2:28, where we read, “I will also give him the Morning Star.” means that in the end, Christ himself will make sure that all of those who have remained faithful to him will receive him in his fullness as God, for as surely as you see him, you will see God.
What a wonderful comfort that is to all Christians. Do not despair. Whatever is happening or will happen in your life, stay with the basics, accept his free gift of forgiveness, love God above all things, and love your neighbor as yourself, and in the end you too will receive the Bright Morning Star. Amen
Text: Revelation 2:18-29
Title: Morningstar
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
Today we are going to take a look at the letter to Thyatira. Thyatira is the smallest and least important town of the seven that Christ had John write a letter to, yet its congregation received the longest letter.
Thyatira was founded by the Macedonians, and is located about 30 miles southeast of Pergamum on the Lycus River. Today the city is known as Ak-Hissar in modern day Turkey.
Thyatira was not important for art or culture but as a commercial center. I think you could call it a factory town similar to some of our old industrial cities that grew up around textiles or steel. Secular writings show that there were all types of goods being produced, wool, linen, leather pieces, metal works, and clothing.
But, what Thyatira was most famous for was the purple cloth that was manufactured there. You might have heard of one of the city’s cloth merchants, a women named Lydia. Lydia was the seller of purple cloth that was brought to Christ by Paul when he found her selling her cloth in Phillipi, a city about 400 miles northwest of Thyatira.
By the third century after Christ’s death and resurrection, Thyatira was a stronghold of a heretical sect known for its extreme use of bodily self-denial, and abuse. There was also a from of Gnostism being practiced, a cult of those thought to have secret knowledge of God.
When you take a closer look at the letter you see that it is divided into distinct sections. Like most letters first there is the address of the congregation the letter was written to. Next is a section called the exaltation where we see God being described as a God who had blazing eyes and whose feet were like burnished bronze.
Both of those images were important to John’s readers, for God’s blazing eyes, signified righteous anger, and his feet of “burnished bronze” meant unbreakable power, because bronze was the hardest metal known at the time. To put it in perspective, I think it would be like getting a letter from a judge stating right off that he is all powerful, and that your life is in his hands.
Next is the core of the letter, where we find that it is sort of a good news, bad news type letter. Jesus first tells them that he is aware of the good things that the congregation was doing, but that he is also aware of the bad things the congregation tolerated in its midst.
But Christ does not stop there, for in his mercy he does not just condemn them, he tells them that they should not let the things going on overcome them, for a couple of reasons. First he is going to punish Jezebel, who by the way, is thought by most scholars to be not an actual person living at the time, but symbolic for all the false teachings that were going on, nor will he let those who follow her teachings go free.
Although that might not sound like good news to you, it is, for we too face many of the same things that the congregation of Thyatira faced. There are still all types of false teachers around, except now they are also on television, the radio, on the internet, in video games, magazines, and newspapers where they are telling us that there are other ways to God, telling us that there is really no truth, telling us that if it feels good do it.
We might not have temples dedicated to sex, but the evils we face are just as real. The vast majority of movies, plays, and other popular entertainment tell us that casual sex is okay. Why we even have cute names we give that type of sex, like “hooking up”, which usually means that one is going to have casual, meaningless sexual intercourse, with no expectations afterward.
How long ago was it when the first “four letter words” were first used on the public airways and we were shocked, but are not shocked anymore? The list could go on and on. I am afraid that far too many Christians think they can live with, can accept, those type of things in their lives and not be affected.
But can that be true? Can we in fact just accept what is going on around us, what too many times is being broadcast into our homes, as being just the way things are, and still follow Christ?
We do not have to go too far to find the answer to that question, for we find in verses 22 and 23 of our text today, that not only will Christ severely punish those who follow the teachings of Jezebel, he is going to punish those who allow it to take place in their midst. Boy if that is not Law I do not know what is.
It is Law alright, but Christ is using the Law for only one purpose, that is to drive them back to his saving arms. He then closes the letter with wonderful words of comfort, as he has John write, “Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations 27 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'--just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
What a wonderful Gospel message, a message of victory that does not just apply to them, but to us today. Christ is telling them, and thus us, to just hang in there, stay with the basics, accept the free gift of forgiveness from God, love him above all things, and love your neighbor as yourself. That is doing Christ’s will. You will have the final victory, over sin and death, crushing them just like a piece of pottery is broken when struck by an iron bar.
It is true, for you have his word on it, just like God the Father gave his word to Jesus his son, that he would overcome evil and rule over all things, he promises that those who remain faithful to Jesus will also overcome all things.
Before I close I want to spend just a little time talking about the significance of the Morning star in our text. The star that we know as Venus is often called the Morning Star because you see it in the Eastern sky just before the sun comes up in the morning. In antiquity the morning star was seen as a symbol of royalty and power.
There are only 4 references to the term “Morning Star” in the Bible. The first mention is in Isaiah 14:12. There the term is used to describe the king of Babylon and his fall from power.
In 2 Peter 1:19, we read, that there will be a time when the morning star will rise in your hearts. In this verse Peter is talking of that time when Jesus comes back in all his glory, and those who are alive will be filled with his knowledge.
In Revelation 22:16 we read, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” It is pretty clear from that text that Jesus is the Morning Star.
Thus in Revelation 2:28, where we read, “I will also give him the Morning Star.” means that in the end, Christ himself will make sure that all of those who have remained faithful to him will receive him in his fullness as God, for as surely as you see him, you will see God.
What a wonderful comfort that is to all Christians. Do not despair. Whatever is happening or will happen in your life, stay with the basics, accept his free gift of forgiveness, love God above all things, and love your neighbor as yourself, and in the end you too will receive the Bright Morning Star. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 4:19 AM
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