The Message of the Teachings on the Mount (98)
By Abraham Eli
This study was first taught on December 6, 2011
Topic: Entering Into The Kingdom of Heaven (3.4)
No audio available for this study.Background
Last week, we saw that the Lord offered the church in Pergamos a choice between repenting of their tolerance of erroneous doctrines, and, having Him go to war against the practitioners of erroneous doctrines. We also saw that the reward for making the right choice is eating of the ‘hidden manna’ which gives eternal life, and, receiving a ‘white stone’ with a new name written on it, known only to the bearer of the stone, signifying total victory over, and complete freedom from, Satan.
Our study thus focused on understanding these choices, in order to enable us take the right decision. We saw that true repentance is the result of godly sorrow for sin, and is marked by acknowledgement of wrong, restitution of one’s ways, repudiation of sin, and, a change in behaviour; while the Lord’s war against the practitioners of erroneous doctrines is a ‘war of words’, and a ‘war of attrition’, and is purely spiritual. We saw that the Lord’s war is with the sword of His mouth (the Sword of the Spirit or the word of God) and it results in the unrepentant and unregenerate mind being pushed out of the kingdom of God (as was the case of king Saul of Israel); but, the truly repentant mind comes to the place of unfeigned submission to Him (as was the case of Saul of Tarsus).
We noted that the choices were offered to both leaders and members of the church, on one hand, and the teachers and practitioners of erroneous doctrines, on the other hand. Thus, we saw that the Lord was saying to the church in Pergamos that, if they did not repent of their tolerance of erroneous doctrines, by speaking against those doctrines (and thereby ejecting its practitioners out of the church), then, He would come suddenly (when they least expect), and will fight against those practitioners of erroneous doctrines, Himself. But for the repentant church and the practitioners of erroneous doctrines who truly repent, there is an eternal reward—the ‘hidden manna’ which is eternal life; and the ‘white stone’ which signifies eternal victory and freedom from Satan.
For those who would say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name?”, they would have to show that the Lord actually sent them; that they preached what He asked them to preach; and that the fruit of their message is visible for all to see (John 15:16). We noted that unless we, today’s Christians, are teaching and preaching the doctrines of Christ, which results in the separation and elimination of sin from the church, we shall not enter into the kingdom of God! We therefore concluded that we should turn away from carnal, profane and vain babblings which increase ungodliness; and return to the teaching of the “sincere milk of the word of God” which promotes spiritual growth, holiness and godly living; if we are to receive the promised eternal rewards!
Scripture Text(s)
Matthew 7:21-22; Revelation 2:18-29
Tonight, we shall be focusing on the condemnation of the church in Thyatira by the Lord. Suffice to say though; this church got some very good commendation, as they were constantly improving in their deeds. We pray that the Holy Spirit will teach us lessons for our eternal benefit, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
While the church in Pergamos tolerated the teachers and practitioners of erroneous doctrines; the church in Thyatira actually authorised the teaching and practice of erroneous doctrines by permitting one ‘Jezebel’ to teach heresy, and this was the crux of the Lord’s condemnation of the church in Thyatira. It is, however, important to note that in spite of the authorization of Jezebel’s activities, there were people in that same church who did not follow her teachings. This draws a big similarity with what happened in Israel of old under Ahab, whose wife’s name was Jezebel, and in whose time God affirmed that there were some seven thousand people, who had not bowed their knees to Baal.
1 Kings 16:30-33; 18:3-4; 19:1-2; 21:1-15, 25; 2 Kings 9:30-37; 1 Kings 19:18; 1 Timothy 4:1; Ecclesiastes 1:9-10; 1 Timothy 5:22; 3:1-12; 2 Timothy 2:20-21; 1 Peter 5:1-3; Galatians 5:16-21; Matthew 24:11-13.
Conclusion
No one really knows who the Jezebel referred to by the Lord was, but we find similarities between her modus operandi (style) and that of Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab. We have studied the operations of Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, as a means of relating to how the Jezebel of Revelation 2:18-29 operated. It is possible that the Jezebel in the New Testament was the wife of the church leader or, she may have been a very influential person in the church. She called herself a prophetess of God, but was really a prophetess of Satan. She seduced the ministers of God in the church in Thyatira, and got them to be involved in sexual immorality and idolatry. She had many ‘children’ (possibly followers) and was unrepentant. But the Lord assured of her tragic end, as well as those of her ‘children’.
The lessons for us in the church today, are as follows:
1. Do not authorize or recommend people whose purity, integrity, and humility you cannot vouch for, to preach or teach in the church.
2. Everyone who preaches or teaches from the pulpit exerts tremendous influence on their listeners, not just based on what they say, but also, based on their lifestyle; hence, be very careful about who you allow to minister in the church.
3. It is possible for a church that is doing great things for God, to harbour and authorize a ‘Jezebel’ to minister in the church, so, beware!
4. No matter how influential a ‘Jezebel’ is, you can avoid coming under her spell if you make up your mind to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
5. Beware of men and women who you don’t know anything about speaking into your life, in the name of the Lord.
6. Beware of popular opinions which contradict the word of God; and beware of popular ministers (male or female) whose lives do not reflect the glory of God.
7. Hold fast to the sound teachings which you already have in Christ, and do not go about chasing after ‘new revelations’ or so-called ‘deep teachings’ which have no biblical basis, for they really are the doctrines of Satan.
8. Remember that the reward of ‘power over the nations’ will only be given at the end of the age, to those who continue to hold fast to Christ and His doctrines until the end; so, don’t be fooled by the devil into believing that he can give you power over anyone for that matter.
Back to all Bible Study Outline List