Thyatira, a city of trade unions and pagan feasts, becomes a focal point as David explores why such a seemingly insignificant location was given such significant attention in the Scriptures. Through the examination of biblical accounts, including the story of Lydia, a successful businesswoman from this very city, the program illuminates the challenges early Christians faced in keeping their faith amidst prevailing societal pressures. This episode challenges listeners to introspect on their own lives, addressing how personal and collective compromises may thwart spiritual growth and what one can do to stay true to the faith.
Thyatira. There was something about that city that I believe sets the background for this message and why it was chosen. I think the background behind this letter is the fact of the Christian who wants to maintain his job security, and he has to go along with these pagan festivals, and he’s And so the message comes to this church to exhort the Christians to be careful about what’s happening to them. They’re trying to put one foot in the world and one foot in Christ, and their lives are getting messed up. Sound familiar?
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This is Hope for Today with Bible teacher David Hawking. And on today’s program, as we continue our series through the book of Revelation, we come to one of the most serious warnings in all of Scripture. We’re in Revelation chapter 2, verses 18 through 29, where Jesus addresses the church at Thyatira. On the surface, they have love, faith, and service. But beneath it, a dangerous tolerance for sexual immorality, idolatry, and false teaching. Jesus doesn’t flinch. He exposes the sin and calls for repentance. And he makes it very clear that he sees everything. And we’ll open the passage in just a moment. First… Our listener letter today comes from Sandy.
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What does she have to say? I love this one, Jim, because it’s multi-generational. This lady says, I listen to your radio show and enjoy your preaching and knowledge. And it’s because of her mother, Martha, who’s now with the Lord. And she said she was a big supporter of many years of listening to my dad on the radio. And she said, I love this last line, Jim, my turn to step up to the plate.
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Wow.
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Wow. Amen. Wow. Thank you, Sandy.
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Thank you, Lord, for moms who love the Lord and pass it on. Your mom, Carol, loved the Lord. Such an encouragement to your dad as he was teaching and preaching. Amazing. My mom, well, we could tell stories. But folks, thank you so much for sharing notes like this with us. If you haven’t contacted us recently, do that today. Maybe make a phone call or write a short note. Your notes of encouragement are so meaningful to us, and we’ll tell you just a bit later how to get in touch. Well, if you have your Bible handy, open it up and get ready for day one of David’s message, Immoral Practices. Here’s David.
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Immoral Practices. Yes, things are seemingly going from bad to worse in the messages of these churches. The church, Thyatira, And it’s quite a letter. Chapter 2, verse 18. And under the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things saith the Son of God who hath his eyes like a flame of fire and his feet are like fine brass or bronze. I know thy works and love and service and faith and thy patience and thy works and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou allowest that woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not.” Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he who searcheth the minds and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you no other burden, but that which ye have already. Hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Will you join me, please, in prayer? Lord, your greatness is infinite according to the Bible. Your ways are past finding out. You even call all the stars by name. You know the number of them. You know that little sparrow that falls from the tree that no one else cared about, but you knew about it. You are a great God. You know everything, the beginning from the end. Lord, we come to praise you and thank you that your grace is sufficient for every need. Your strength is made perfect in our weakness. Lord, we thank you that when we cast our care upon you, you care for us. Thank you, Lord, for what you’re going to do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. I remember when our bus came into the beautiful mountainous area and valley where Thyatira was located. It was a rainy day and we passed by the ruins of the ancient city. But anyway, it was interesting to hear all the background around that place and just tell you a few little things. It’s a beautiful area, by the way, in the mountains of central Turkey. really to the far west of the central Turkey Mountains. But anyway, Thyatira is located about 40 miles from the city of Pergamos. If you come south into the interior, it’s surrounded, as I said, by a beautiful countryside. I mean, it’s gorgeous there. It was a small city. It wasn’t really that important to Rome or the worship of the emperor, but it was on the main trade route, and so it was often conquered. And they hardly knew from day to day who was going to rule them next. But there was something about that city that I believe sets the background for this message and why it was chosen. There were more than seven churches, folks. You understand that? In Asia Minor, there were more than seven. The Holy Spirit picked out seven for John to write to. And the question that’s in our minds, why this church? Why that city? There were a lot more cities that had churches at the time. Why did they pick Thyatira? Small little town, not that significant. And I think the reason is because Thyatira was well known. for its unions. Some say the first idea of trade unions, or they called them guilds, started in Thyatira. And these guilds were known for their pagan feasts. Now at these pagan feasts of these trade unions, and you had to belong to the union in order to work in that particular trade, you had to attend these feasts. And they were filled with sexual immorality and drunkenness It was a very serious problem for Christians who knew they had to have a job, and their job security is at stake if they didn’t participate. And there was a strong tendency, of course, to compromise. Now we have a little more information about this city in the Bible. Turn back to Acts chapter 16. In Acts chapter 16, we learn that there’s a lady from this city who is Jewish, and And she had evidently gone on business across the Aegean Sea. And this lady, somewhere outside of the city by the riverside, the Bible says, gathered with a few people for a prayer meeting. Evidently, it was not a large enough Jewish colony to have a synagogue, but there were a few Jews. Let’s pick up the story at Acts chapter 16, verse 11. Therefore, loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis. And from there to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony, that means a Roman colony, a garrison stationed there. Verse 13, And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside where prayer… was wont or accustomed to be made. And we sat down and spoke unto the women who resorted there. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple. Interestingly, because in history we know that these fine linens with their dyes came out of a trade union that was in the city of Thyatira. And Rome often, even though it was a small town, would import their precious garments and their wools and claws that were dipped in these beautiful dyes, because the Roman loved the beautiful, rich colors that this particular trade union in Thyatira could produce. So here’s a woman who evidently is a successful businesswoman, and she’s on a trip to a major city and undoubtedly selling her wares. It says she worshipped God and Hirtus. Sometimes that’s a technical expression for a Gentile proselyte to Judaism. Kind of interesting. It says, whose heart the Lord opened. You know, when God opens your heart, It’s totally different from man trying to open it himself. You know, sometimes we want people to really believe the gospel, but when the Holy Spirit comes in and opens your heart, you’re ready. The Lord opened this woman’s heart. She attended unto the things which were spoken by Paul, and when she was baptized, and her household, her whole family, she besought us. saying, if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us. Verse 40, they went out of the prison, after that wonderful story, and entered into the house of Lydia. And when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them and departed. So apparently, the woman is so wealthy, she not only is from Thyatira, she has a place also over in Philippi. And since Philippi was on the Roman Appian Way and the main trade route going to Rome, it’s a perfect place to do a lot of business. Back to Revelation 2. I think the background behind this letter is the fact of the Christian who wants to maintain his job security, and he has to go along with these pagan festivals, and he’s faced with compromise. And so the message comes to this church to exhort the Christians to be careful about what’s happening to them. They’re trying to put one foot in the world and one foot in Christ, and their lives are getting messed up. Sound familiar? I’d like you to notice at least six things from this portion of God’s Word. Notice in verse 18, the examination of the church by our Lord. Very interesting, there are a couple of statements here. One is that He is the Son of God. That title given to Him. Also repeated in verse 27… is a message that connects with that. Turn back to Psalm chapter 2. What we have here is a quotation from the Psalms in chapter 2, dealing with the Son of God and what he will do as coming King and Messiah in the future. Psalm chapter 2, and look at verses 7 to 9. Psalm 2, 7 to 9. He is the Son of God, the coming one, the Messiah, who will rule with a rod of iron and smite the nations. In Psalm 2, verse 7, it says, I will declare the decree, the Lord has said unto me, unto the Messiah, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. You know that was also said when Jesus was baptized, the voice from heaven. This is my son, you hear him, he’s my only begotten son. Verse 8, ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen or the nations for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. So here in the message to Thyatira, it mentions the title son of God. And at the end of the letter in verse 27, he mentions the messianic passage in Psalm 2. So we know right away that the letter is coming with a seriousness and a warning and saying, be careful of what you’re doing because the judgment of God is coming. And that’s the presentation. The Messiah in his judgment aspect is being presented in Revelation 2. By the way, our response, knowing this, is mentioned in Psalm 2, verse 12. Many say this is the way to present the gospel in the Old Testament. Should we respond by faith in the Messiah? Some people say that’s never taught in the Old Testament. Oh, yes, it is. Psalm 2, verse 12 says, Kiss the Son. lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they who put their, what? Trust in him. So kissing the son, a sign of royalty and bowing down and kissing the hand. The point is you bow to the Lord and you put your trust in him. You believe in the Lord. That’s the only hope. And if you don’t turn to him, then you’re going to be part of the heathen that are going to be judged by our Lord. Back to Revelation 2. A second thing that’s said about him is not only that he’s the son of God, but in his examination of the church, It mentions two of the characteristics from chapter 1 that deal with judgment. Eyes like a flame of fire and feet like fine brass or bronze. Go back to chapter 1. Look at verse 14. The last phrase says, his eyes were like a flame of fire and his feet like fine bronze as if they burned in a furnace. And we mentioned at that time that his scrutiny, eyes like a flame of fire, is not a blessing. It’s indicating a scrutiny and you cannot escape his knowledge of all things. But also his victory for when the feet are presented like bronze that are in a fiery furnace. It’s speaking about the Son of God, the Messiah, trampling out the winepress of God’s wrath and vengeance against the world. And it’s dealing with judgment, judgment, the fire of God’s vengeance against unbelievers. So interesting that that would be the characteristic used when we have the message to the church of Thyatira. So this is a very serious situation. The examination of the church by Christ. is filled with the concept of judgment and warning and admonition to turn to the Lord. Now the second thing I’d like you to notice is in verse 19, and that’s the evidence of spiritual life. It was a serious situation, but there are believers here. And we read, Rather extensive statement. and the last to be more than the first. You could split that into a couple of things. One is that their deeds gave evidence of a strong spiritual life. You know, moral compromise can be among the spiritually strong. Very interesting. The devil and his many strategies, and one of the ways he saps us of our spiritual power is to get us involved in the pagan practices of the culture around us. Their deeds gave evidence to a strong spiritual life. According to the Bible, these works involved a proper motivation. He says, and very interesting to this church, your love. I know your love. They had a proper motivation. They did it out of love for the Lord. A love for his work. They also demonstrated an effective ministry. It says, I know your service. These people knew how to serve the Lord. This message to this church is very interesting to me because of the commendation of them, of saying that, I know that you have a strong spiritual life. They were also committed to the right message. It says, I know your faith. In the Greek text, it has a definite article, the, in front of faith. It’s not talking about the faith we have in the Lord. It’s talking about the sum total of what God’s word is, the faith. They had a commitment to the right message. And they also endured with what I like to call a tough mentality. It says I know your patience. That particular Greek word means to bear up under a heavy load. For instance, it’s used of somebody in ancient times who went down to a stream to fill up a couple of buckets of water, and then they put it on the pole, and they put the pole on the back of their neck and their shoulders, and they’re carrying that load, those two pails of water. And the word you would use, hupomene, is to remain or to bear up under the load. And here he’s saying to a church that in a moment he’s really going to blast. I know all about you, and you do have a strong spiritual life. I want to compliment you. You have a good motivation. You have an effective ministry. You’re committed to the right message, and you’ve got a tough mentality. You’re hanging in there in a difficult environment. If all of that was said to you, it does not mean that everything’s okay. There’s where we make some mistakes. We think because of our commitment to the Lord and our commitment to his word and our faithfulness in ministry and service that somehow that means we’re right on target. No, it’s very possible that there are things wrong that we’re not even willing to deal with. Not only were their deeds giving evidence to a strong spiritual life, but notice that their spiritual development was obvious to the Lord, and he commended them for it. It says at the end of verse 19, the last, your works, are more than the first. They were becoming more active, not less active. Apparently this is a strong church, but it doesn’t exist today. We have a strong church with spiritual life growing. They are growing in the Lord. They are developing their faithfulness to God. Their works are now more than they were at the beginning. And we often talk about how when you first come to Christ, how excited you are for the Lord and how through the years sometimes that wanes. Not here. They’re still serving the Lord. But the problem is, is we’ve got compromise. It’s the same problem that’s in our lives now. Many of us could love the Lord, be committed to the right message, serve the Lord with all our hearts, be dedicated to God, but be compromising with the world. Maybe it isn’t job security. Maybe it’s just the approval of people. Maybe that’s all it is. I don’t know, but there are lots of reasons for compromise. There’s where we make some mistakes.
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That’s Bible teacher David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David returns in just a moment to put the finishing touches on today’s study. Right before that, David’s son Matt is here, and we have a wonderful book to tell you about by David.
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Matt? Proverbs 1434 wisely enlightens us. Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. 1 Timothy 1.8 adds, but we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. We need a moral and spiritual revival in the U.S., Canada, and more today, Jim.
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Well, this month we’re featuring your dad’s book, Whatever Happened to Morality? The Future Survival of America. Whatever Happened to Morality? What does David, what does your dad say?
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What does he tackle inside this book? Well, we start with the right to life. Okay. You know, how did our respect for life erode and what does God’s word say on the topic? Wow. The sanctity of marriage. Does scripture require that marriage is only between a man and woman? The value of children. How have modern societies sought to abandon but also corrupt kids? And restrict the role of parents. Right. Yeah. And a big one, pornography. The rapid proliferation of this scourge and its devastation. Homosexuality, is it a genetic result? Sexual disease and human survival? The death penalty? It’s all these. Is this biblical?
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Alcohol and drug abuse, Las Vegas and lotteries, all on the increase. And God’s word has warnings and wisdom for us. And then the last topic there. Religion and politics. Do they mix? Should they be kept apart? And certainly with today’s moral decay, is it too late for America?
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Yeah, and how do we stay focused and hopeful?
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Well, this month we have your dad’s book, Whatever Happened to Morality? It’s our way to say thanks for your most generous donation of $20 or more. With your contribution, you become a part of hope for today’s ministry. Yes, pray first and give as God moves your heart. And to get your copy of Whatever Happened to Morality, call us at 875-BIBLE in the U.S. and 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Bible is 24253. And you can also order at DavidHawking.org. That’s DavidHawking.org. And if you think God may be speaking to your heart about supporting this ministry, well, we ask you to listen carefully. Because what you give, whether it’s a one-time or monthly gifts, helps get the uncompromised truth of God’s Word to people who are starving for it. Your gift puts sound doctrine on the airwaves, in homes, and into hearts around the world. And it keeps Hope for Today standing strong at a time when biblical truth is under attack. And you see that, and I do as well. To give a one-time gift or maybe to become a regular monthly giver, call 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S., 800-75-24253. or call us in Canada at 888-75-BIBLE. That’s 888-75-24253. You can also donate online at davidhawking.org. And if you’d rather write, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3927. Tustin, Tustin is T-U-S-T-I-N, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S, 8P1. Every gift, large or small, is important and a lifeline to those who need to hear the Word of God. Well, as promised, here’s David to close out our time in God’s Word.
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Thanks for listening today. We just got started in our study of the church at Theatira. It’s really quite a church, but the whole argument regarding it goes from chapter 2, verse 18, down to to verse 29 when it says, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit, the Holy Spirit says unto the churches. They were following a woman named Jezebel. Remember her? She called herself a prophetess, but what she was doing was teaching and seducing God’s servants to commit sexual sin and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. Wow! And verse 21 says, I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. That’s the trouble with things like immorality. It can so control you and dominate you that your heart is far from God, though your lips might still try to tell people you honor Him. Folks, these messages, the last messages of our Lord Yeshua to the churches, are fundamental for us getting an understanding of what God is pleased with and what He’s upset about. Well, hope you can be with us for our next broadcast.
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And friend, if you missed any part of today’s program, you can always catch up on the latest programs for a limited time at davidhawking.org. And while you’re on the website, you can purchase and download David’s Revelation sermon notes, the sermon notes and outlines for our current radio series. You can also download free booklets such as Revival Now and Your Quest for God and check out the newly updated Media Center with video teaching series that you can watch anytime, anywhere you have an internet connection. And while you’re at it, invite a friend to listen along with you to this daily audio broadcast, Hope for Today. Well, next time on the program, David returns to Revelation chapter 2 and the confrontation between the Son of God and a church tolerating immorality and idolatry. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a summons to repent. So do tune in as we continue this message called Immoral Practices right here on Hope for Today.
