There are some truths that need to be objectified
in order for us to be contenders in the glorious call to freedom, the walk Christianity
resembles is this; we need to own our own sin and understand that God hates sin
as He is a lover of righteousness and in Him is no darkness; “This
is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is
no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk
in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1John 1:5-7)
To abstain from places of darkness is
the call for the Christian with repentance as our common denominator, which we
must learn to appropriate on a daily basis. We will slip and fall along the conduit
towards heaven and let’s face it no one likes to continually admit that they
are wrong. But if we err we must own it, confess our sin to God and seek out
His forgiveness. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we
have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1John 1:8-10)
Our ultimate goal is to be pardoned of our sinful
behaviour, which has already happen in and through the finished work of the
cross. Praise the name of Jesus; but sin still knocks at times looking to rob
us of our victory in Him. Let’s face it the worlds blatant twist of who God actually
is deserves annihilation. He is the potter and we are the clay. And yet, God
has given those who find repentance in the Lord Jesus Christ the opportunity to
be covered by His mercy; which no one actually deserves. GOD IS GOOD! “but God shows his love for us in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Hence the messages to the Churches to help us
understand the difference between the light and darkness in our lives, the good
must be pursued and the darkness needs to be eliminated in and through
repentance.
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words
of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like
burnished bronze. "'I know your works, your love and faith and service and
patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you,
that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is
teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food
sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of
her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery
with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and
I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I
am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to
your works. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching,
who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I
do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The
one who conquers and 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 as I myself have received authority
from my Father.” (Revelation
2:18-27)
“It
should be the ambition and earnest desire of all Christians that their last
works may be their best works, that they may be better and better every day,
and best at last.
2.
A faithful reproof for what was amiss. This is not so directly charged upon the
church itself as upon some wicked seducers who were among them; the church's
fault was that she connived too much at them.
(1.)
These wicked seducers were compared to Jezebel, and called by her name. Jezebel
was a persecutor of the prophets of the Lord, and a great patroness of
idolaters and false prophets. The sin of these seducers was that they attempted
to draw the servants of God into fornication, and to offer sacrifices to idols;
they called themselves
prophets, and so would claim a superior authority and regard to the ministers
of the church. Two things aggravated the sin of these seducers, who,
being one in their spirit and design, are spoken of as one person: - [1.] They made use of the name of God
to oppose the truth of his doctrine and worship; this very much aggravated
their sin. [2.] They abused the patience of God to harden themselves in
their wickedness. God gave
them space for repentance, but they repented not. Observe, First,
Repentance is necessary to
prevent a sinner's ruin. Secondly, Repentance requires time, a
course of time, and time convenient; it is a great work, and a work of time. Thirdly,
Where God gives space for
repentance, he expects fruits meet for repentance. Fourthly, Where
the space for repentance is lost, the sinner perishes with a double
destruction.
(2.)
Now why should the wickedness of this Jezebel be charged upon the church of
Thyatira? Because that church suffered her to seduce the people of that city.
But how could the church help it? They had not, as a church, civil power to
banish or imprison her; but
they had ministerial power to censure and to excommunicate her: and it is
probable that neglecting to use the power they had made them sharers in her
sin.” (Matthew Henry)
Christianity
is often frowned upon by outsiders as they are blind to heaven and all its
glory. And it is obvious that they love darkness more than the light; “And this is the
judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness
rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19)
They
cry “do not judge” or “grace” of course we have been saved by grace but grace
does not equal licence to allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies; a free for
all without any responsibilities attached to our heavenly call. We all struggle
in some areas of our lives but we must never rest in the areas which fail us, as
we have been called to war against the darkness and it is only through that
struggle that we will mortify the lust of our flesh; “Since
therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of
thinking, for whoever has
suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of
the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (1Peter 4:1-2)
Signing
off
Tyrone
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