Confronting Jezebel: Holiness, Community, and Hope in Christ

 

Summary

In Revelation chapter two, we encounter the letter to the church of Thyatira, which references Jezebel, a notorious figure from the Old Testament. Jezebel's story, found in 1 Kings, serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of idolatry and immorality. King Ahab, influenced by Jezebel, led Israel into the worship of Baal, defying God's commandments. This narrative warns us about the seductive nature of sin and the importance of maintaining holiness. The story of Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal highlights God's supremacy and the futility of false gods. Elijah's victory, followed by his fear and flight from Jezebel, reminds us of the spiritual battles we face and the need for God's strength.

The letter to Thyatira emphasizes the need to focus on Jesus, the all-seeing, all-righteous judge. His eyes, like flames of fire, and feet, like burnished bronze, symbolize His authority and holiness. This imagery draws us back to Daniel 10, where a celestial being with similar attributes appears. However, unlike the being in Daniel, Jesus cannot be withstood by any force. This distinction underscores the unique power and authority of Christ.

To protect our holiness, we must focus on Jesus, fight for purity, and find hope in His return. The church in Thyatira is commended for its love, faith, service, and endurance, but is also warned against tolerating false teachings. The story of Jezebel in Thyatira serves as a reminder of the subtlety of sin and the importance of confronting it. We are called to hold fast to our faith, supporting one another in our spiritual journey.

The promise of Christ's return and the reward for those who overcome is a source of hope. Jesus assures us that He will give authority over the nations and the morning star, symbolizing His eternal presence and victory. As we navigate the challenges of life, we are encouraged to focus on Jesus, fight for purity, and find hope in His promises.

Key Takeaways:

1. Focus on Jesus: In a world filled with distractions, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the all-seeing, all-righteous judge. His penetrating gaze and unwavering feet remind us of His authority and holiness. By focusing on Him, we can navigate the challenges of life with confidence and clarity. [17:37]

2. Fight for Purity Together: The story of Jezebel in Thyatira warns us of the dangers of tolerating sin. We must fight for high standards of purity and devotion, supporting one another in our spiritual journey. Together, we can resist the subtle temptations that seek to lead us astray. [25:41]

3. Find Hope in Christ's Return: The promise of Christ's return and the reward for those who overcome is a source of hope. Jesus assures us that He will give authority over the nations and the morning star, symbolizing His eternal presence and victory. This hope sustains us through trials and tribulations. [33:11]

4. The Power of Community: We are not meant to walk alone in our spiritual journey. Just as no soldier faces battle alone, we need our brothers and sisters to support us through life's challenges. Together, we can protect our holiness and stand firm in our faith. [27:15]

5. The Subtlety of Sin: The story of Jezebel serves as a cautionary tale about the seductive nature of sin. Small compromises can lead to significant consequences if left unchecked. We must remain vigilant, discerning the voices we listen to and ensuring they align with God's truth. [30:58]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [02:31] - Introduction to Jezebel
- [07:59] - Ahab's Downfall and God's Mercy
- [10:55] - Protecting Our Holiness
- [13:51] - Understanding Apocalyptic Prophecy
- [14:54] - Symbolism in Scripture
- [15:49] - The Role of Old Testament Hyperlinks
- [17:37] - Focusing on Jesus
- [18:50] - The Challenge of Distraction
- [20:35] - Jesus as Judge or Savior
- [22:19] - Encouragement for Faithfulness
- [25:41] - Fighting for Purity Together
- [27:15] - The Importance of Community
- [29:10] - Lessons from Church History
- [30:58] - The Subtlety of Sin
- [33:11] - Hope in Christ's Return
- [35:28] - Conclusion and Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Revelation 2:18-29
- 1 Kings 16:29-33
- Daniel 10:5-6

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Observation Questions:

1. What are the characteristics of Jesus as described in Revelation 2:18, and how do they compare to the celestial being in Daniel 10? [10:55]

2. How did King Ahab's actions, influenced by Jezebel, lead Israel into idolatry according to 1 Kings 16? [02:31]

3. What was the outcome of Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal, and how does it demonstrate God's supremacy? [07:59]

4. In the letter to Thyatira, what commendations and warnings does Jesus give to the church? [22:19]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the imagery of Jesus with eyes like flames of fire and feet like burnished bronze in Revelation 2:18 emphasize His authority and holiness? [17:37]

2. What lessons can be drawn from the story of Jezebel in Thyatira about the subtlety of sin and the importance of confronting false teachings? [25:41]

3. How does the promise of Christ's return and the reward for those who overcome provide hope and encouragement to believers facing trials? [33:11]

4. In what ways does the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal illustrate the spiritual battles believers face today? [07:59]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on the distractions in your life. What specific steps can you take this week to focus more on Jesus, as encouraged in the sermon? [18:50]

2. The sermon warns against tolerating sin within the church community. How can you lovingly address a situation where you see a fellow believer straying from biblical teachings? [25:41]

3. Consider the promise of Christ's return. How does this hope influence your daily decisions and interactions with others? [33:11]

4. The sermon highlights the importance of community in maintaining holiness. How can you actively support and encourage someone in your small group this week? [27:15]

5. Reflect on a time when you faced a spiritual battle. How did you rely on God's strength, and what can you learn from that experience to apply in future challenges? [07:59]

6. Identify a subtle sin or compromise in your life that you need to confront. What practical steps can you take to address it and seek accountability? [30:58]

7. How can you incorporate the practice of praying through Scripture into your daily routine to help focus your thoughts on Jesus? [18:50]

Devotional

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Quotes

All right, join me in Revelation chapter two, this letter to the church of Thyatira. And we immediately see in this letter a hyperlinked Old Testament with the name Jezebel. Now, Jezebel is one of those, anybody who's read through the Bible, you'll remember the name Jezebel. It evokes in this some negative feelings and stuff. But for kids, in the room, Jezebel is not one of those that'll come up in Sunday school. [00:01:35]

So when we see this reference to Jezebel, it's an encouragement to go back to our Old Testament and pick up the story in 1 Kings chapter 16 related to this king, Ahab, the son of Omri. Whenever we meet a new king in the Old Testament, they're given a summation of whether they did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. [00:02:31]

And therefore Ahab went and served Baal and worshiped him. Now remember, when Samuel, when God allowed through Samuel, the nation of Israel, to have a king, which was a concession, not God's ideal will for him, for them, but it was his concession. And he said, here are three rules for your kings. He kept it very simple. Three things for kings of Israel to avoid. [00:03:27]

you collect many wives from other nations, they will lead your heart astray. If you collect much wealth, your heart will begin to depend on that wealth instead of on me. And if you get an army of chariots and wheels and horses, you will depend on your military strength and not on me. Three warnings that God gave. [00:03:54]

the bible i'm not that's what he says that's what elijah says making fun of them and they start slashing themselves with swords but nothing happens no fire from heaven no lightning elijah comes up and says let's give the lord the god of israel a try let's see what he can do dump so much water on it i mean it's a really cool scene right really powerful to show the supremacy of god when the lightning comes from heaven it not only consumes the sacrifice it consumes the altar of stones and the water that was around it dramatic victory for the lord but then immediately elijah runs for his life because jezebel puts a hit on him and so he's terrified he runs god miraculously sustains him and then god invites him through a cross -country race did you know there's a cross -country race in in elijah miraculous sustenance to run for 40 days and gets to a mountain where god appears to the prophet elijah not in the whirlwind not in the fire but in the gentle whisper so this is the sequence all around this evil king ahab you get these miraculous stories and then we get to this summation in first kings 21 there was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the lord like ahab whom jezebel his wife incited so she's the devil on his shoulder who's leading him into this worship of baal but he did he went along with it he acted very abominably going after idols as the amorites had done whom the lord cast out before the people of israel so you expect a miserable end for king ahab based on this denunciation from the prophet elijah but then you have this fascinating twist when ahab heard those words he tore his clothes put on sackcloth and fasted and lay in the sackcloth and went about dejectedly and the word of the lord came to elijah saying have you seen how ahab humbled himself he's humbled himself i will not bring the disaster in his [00:07:59]

days, but in his son's days, I'll bring the disaster on his house. And God gives Ahab, this terrible, idolatrous, immoral king, gives him three years of peace, after which Ahab the fool decides to go to war. And it's a funny story where he goes to the king of the southern kingdom. So these are two Jewish kings, and they're like, let's go to war with Syria. [00:08:14]

for our holiness. That's what this is meant to stir up for us. Very much like Proverbs chapter five, where of all the people to say this, Solomon, the wisest king to ever rule, the wisest man on earth. And he took an approach of do as I say, not as I do. But what he said was good. And he warned all of the nation of Israel as his own son, the lips of a forbidden woman, an adulterous woman, drip honey. Her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end, she's bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two -edged sword. Her feet go down to depth, to depth, to death. Her steps follow the path to shield. So Proverbs five is a warning of sexual immorality and adultery and an appeal from the Lord through Solomon to say, my sons, listen to me. Don't depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her. Don't go near the door of her house. Lest at the end of your life, you groan and your flesh and body are consumed. And you say how I hated discipline and my heart despised reproof. [00:09:45]

Lifting our gaze to Jesus who is addressing us and describing some aspect of his glory. So to the angel of the church, I'm going to give you a church in Thyatira, right? The words of the son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire, whose feet are like burnished bronze. We immediately are, our eyes are lifted up to the Lord Jesus in his glory. And this eyes lit flame like fire and the feet of burnished bronze takes us right to Daniel chapter 10. And Daniel is seeing, he looks and there's a man clothed in linen, a belt of fine gold around his waist, his body like barrel. I had to look up what barrel is. It's a, a shiny jewel that can come in any color, but it's often an orange and yellow. So here's this burnished bronze, the shiny orange. [00:11:19]

yellow man, his face like the appearance of lightning. Here it is, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs the gleam of burnished bronze, the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. So this letter and this description of Jesus that comes from Revelation 1 is meant to draw us back to Daniel chapter 10 and this human -like angelic figure who is described in plain glory. But the problem with that is that later in Daniel 10, this angelic son of man says to, fear not Daniel, from the first day you set your heart to understand and you humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard and I've come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days until Michael, one of the chief princes or angels, came to help me for I was left there with the kings of Persia. Now these verses tell us that this angelic son of man is a man of God. He's a man of God. He's a man of God. He's a man with eyes of fire and feet like burnished bronze and Daniel 10 cannot be Jesus because there is no prince of Persia. There is no demonic figure who can withstand Jesus for three weeks. They can't withstand Jesus for three nanoseconds at the voice of his authority. So this is what it's important for us to understand as we look at apocalyptic prophecy. [00:13:19]

just wait till chapter four and you see these crazy creatures around the throne of god with eyes everywhere that's meant to take us back to ezekiel 1 but you'll see it's not an exact correspondence there are some differences and that's meant to make us think it's meant to bring us back into the context of the original prophecy and see that there are likenesses but not necessarily identicalities and that's going to become important as we see some of the other symbolism that's uh that that's in here so does daniel 10 point to jesus yes the glory of this celestial being points to in a gandalf -like way the authority and power and holiness of jesus but it's not a direct one -to -one correlation back to revelation chapter two here's this the words of the son of god eyes like flames of fire feet like burnished bronze what what this letter is immediately trying to do is lift our eyes from whatever's going on in the world and we're going to lift our eyes from whatever's going on in the world in our experience to focus then on Jesus, the all -seeing, all -righteous judge. There is nothing that escapes his vision, and his eyes blaze with penetrating fire, the fire of holy judgment that should encourage us. [00:15:58]

Any evil you have experienced, any wickedness coming against you, Jesus sees it with eyes of righteous judgment. His feet are not wavering with instability. We do not worship a God of changing and fickle nature. When Jesus looks at evil and unrighteousness in this world, he doesn't waver or wonder what to do with it. When he comes back, it will be with the righteousness of his verbal declaration, the sword that comes from his mouth, and he will give justice in all of its perfection. [00:17:11]

Focus our eyes on Jesus. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. And if the book of Revelation does anything for us, it helps us to do that. Set your mind on the Lord Jesus. Think about him in all of his glory. What do visions in the Old Testament do for us? They are provocative. They fill our thoughts and our minds with these very dramatic visualizations, and that's meant to captivate our minds. The human brain can only think about one thing at a time. Now, multitaskers are doing something on autopilot. [00:17:58]

Multitasking in terms of brain capacity is actually a myth. You can only think about one thing at a time. That's wonderfully good news. Anybody ever get distracted when you try and sit down with your Bible? It's okay to confess your sins here at church, yeah. We all do. We all do. You sit down, you try to read the Bible, and immediately your to -do list for the day just floods your mind, right? Here's good news. Your brain can't think about your to -do list and the Bible, so as soon as you start to focus on the words of this book, it will take away those other thoughts. You try to bow your head and pray. [00:18:43]

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Transcript
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