Sermon Outlines . Volume 04 | Issue 04

The Revelation of Jesus Christ Series

By Michael Catt:

The Revelation Of Jesus Christ To The Church At Thyatira:

“Look Out For The Devil With A Blue Dress On!”
Revelation 2:18-29

William Law, “A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life” – Devotion signifies a life given or devoted to God. The devout, therefore, are people who do not live their own will, or in the way or spirit of the world, but only to the will of God. Such people consider God in everything, serve God in everything, and make every aspect of their lives holy by doing everything in the name of God and in a way that conforms to God’s glory.

  1. Our Lord Expresses His Concern For The Church.
    1. He identifies himself.”The Son of God” –
    2. He describes himself v. 18 (1:14b, 15a)”eyes like a flame of fire” –
      • He knew Adam and Eve had sinned. Gen. 3
      • He knew Achan was hiding something. Joshua 7
      • He knew Ananias and Saphira were lying to the church. Acts 5
    3. Joseph Seiss – There is nothing more piercing than flaming fire. Everything yields and melts before it. It penetrates all things, consumes every opposition, sweeps down all obstructions, and presses its way with invincible power. Of this sort are the eyes of Jesus. They look through everything; they pierce through all masks and coverings; they search the remotest recesses; they behold the most hidden things of the soul; there is no escape from them. As the Son of God, He is omniscient as well as Almighty.
      • He tries the mind and hearts of all men. Jeremiah 1:20
      • He knew the hearts of the Pharisees. Mark 3:5
      • He knew all men. John 2:24, 25
      • He knew from the beginning. John 1:48
      • He knows all things. John 21:17; Heb. 4:13
      • “His feet are like burnished bronze” –
        • strong enough to CONQUER.
        • strong enough to JUDGE.
    4. He expresses His indignation and reveals His insights.”He searches the minds and hearts” –
  2. The Lord’s Evaluation Of The Church’s Condition.vs. 19, 20
    1. He praises their positive qualities.
      • “I know your deeds” –
      • “love” –
      • “faith” –
      • “service” –
      D.L. Moody – The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many servants he serves.”perseverance” –
    2. He applauds their spiritual progress. v. 19″your deeds of late are greater than at first” –
    3. He addresses the problems they want to ignore.A church will typically fall into one of two categories:
      1. A full HEAD and an empty HEART.
      2. A full HEART and an empty HEAD.
      “nevertheless” -Vance Havner – We used to have an old clock that wouldn’t run, and it was right two times a day.The Old Testament Jezebel:
      • practiced witchcraft. II Kings 9:22
      • worshiped Baal. I Kings 16:32, 33
      • supported 800 false prophets financially. I Kings 18:19
      • tried to kill the true prophets of God. I Kings 18:4
      • was a cold blooded murderer of Naboth. I Kings 21
      • was a domineering wife who manipulated her husband. I Kings 21:25, 26
      The New Testament Jezebel:The New Testament reveals that there are many enemies of the gospel and of Christ. Jezebel joined a long line of people who have sought to infiltrate the church and corrupt it from within.
      • some preached ANOTHER GOSPEL. Gal. 1:6-10
      • some were LEGALISTS, who added to the truth. Col. 2:8, 16-19
      • Hymaneus and Phletus taught FALSE DOCTRINE. II Tim. 2:16-18
      • there were FALSE PROPHETS confronted by Simon Peter. (II Peter 2:1-3), John (I John 4:1-3), and Jude (Jude 4)
      • This Jezebel violated 2 specific commands of scripture. Deut. 18:20-22; Lev. 20:10-23

      1. Jezebel promoted IMMORALITY.Ron Ritchie – Adultery occurs when a husband or wife chooses to be unfaithful and break their commitment to their partner, and to become sexually involved mentally, emotionally, or physically with someone else outside the marriage bond. In the Old Testament, God is pictured as the faithful husband of his bride Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus is pictured as the faithful husband of his bride, the church. In both pictures we find the bride leaving or being tempted to leave her husband for another lover.
      2. Jezebel promoted IDOLATRY.Elizabeth O’Conner, “Letters to Scattered Pilgrims” – The first commandment…on the worship of idols begins to lay bare our own primitive selves. Some of us have looked into the face of our idols and found one of them is money. Though we, along with millions of other church goers, are saying that “Jesus saves,” we ask ourselves if we are not in practice, acting as though it were money that saves. We say that money gives…has power…corrupts…talks. Like the ancients with their molten calf we have endowed money with our own psychic energy, given it arms and legs, and have told ourselves that it can work for us. More than this, we enshrine it in a secret place, give it a heart and mind, and the power to grant us peace and mercy.
    4. The Lord Explains The Consequences. vs. 20-23
      1. The church leaders were confronted for failing to do their job.
      2. The Lord was going to discipline Jezebel and her followers.For Jezebel -For her followers -John Stott – He whose eyes are like blazing fire also has feet…like burnished bronze. The eyes that see into the hidden depths of our hearts can also blaze with righteous anger, and his feet can trample us to powder.
      3. The faithful were encouraged to hold fast in their resistance of evil. vs. 24