“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write,
‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame
of fire, and His feet like fine brass: “I know your works, love, service,
faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the
first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that
woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants
to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her
time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will
cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with
death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and
hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
“Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as
do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say,
I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And
he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power
over the nations—
‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—
as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him
the morning star.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.”’ (Revelation 2:18-29 NKJV)
Jesus Christ who is the Son of God, who has eyes like a
flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass speaks to the church in Thyatira. He
searches our hearts and minds. Jesus knew their works, love, service, faith, and
their patience and they were doing more works than at first. Nevertheless, they
allowed the false prophetess Jezebel who taught and seduced the people of God to
commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. This is not an ancient
story in the first century, but the most up-to-date reality that even some
renowned churches in this age allow this doctrine and teaching like premarital
sex and homosexuality.
Jesus says that He gave her time to repent of her sexual
immorality but she didn’t. So, the wrath of God revealed that she was cast into
a sickbed, those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, and her
children would be killed with death. The wrath of God does not mean to bring
down fire and brimstone from heaven unto her and those who commit adultery with
her, but to lift the constraints of His power and thus allow the lawlessness as
they wished and desired. It is so irony that she loves her bed to commit sexual
immorality which causes her to be sick in the bed. Her children would be
experiencing all forms of death like emptiness, nothingness, futility,
meaninglessness, powerlessness including physical death. That’s the wrath of
God being revealed to those who do not repent of their wrongdoings and trespasses.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God
has shown it to them.” (Romans 1:18-19 NKJV)
“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the
lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged
the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than
the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25 NKJV)
“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even
their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.” (Romans 1:26
NKJV)
But this is not the end of story! He who listens and repents
of his deeds will be saved. God searches our hearts of minds and knows already
what are inside. Yet, He judges according to our deeds and works, not according
to thoughts and wishes. God is so patient and gracious that He waits in
longsuffering for us to change our minds and do the right things in the eyes of
the One who sees all things. And those who do not know this doctrine, the depths
of Satan will be not put on other burden on them.
But they shall hold fast what they have till I come, says
Jesus. What they have is love, faith, service, and their patience. Jesus speaks
further, saying “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him
I will give power over the nations—
‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—
as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him
the morning star.
‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.’”
This is the picture of millennium reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who overcomes, and keeps His works until the end, to him Jesus will give
power over the nations. It is so quite amazing and marvelous to capture the
hope of God even in the so corrupted church in Thyatira that there are some who
keep the works of Christ until the end. They will be given the morning star,
Christ Jesus, by the Father God in heaven.
SEXUAL IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH BY STEVE FINNELL
ReplyDeleteSexual immorality in the church, is it God's will? Some believers in Christ think God looks favorably on congregations that welcome Christians into the fellowship who are actively involved in sexually immoral practices.
Is tolerating Christians who are unrepentant homosexuals, heterosexual unmarried couples who are living together, child predators, those who practice bestiality, or other forms of sexual impurity, pleasing to God?
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife. 2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.
Why are so many churches proud of their tolerance of sexual immorality?
1 Corinthians 5:9-12 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not mean at all with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler---not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?
That is correct, Christians are to make certain judgments.
1 Corinthians 5:13 But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.
The apostle Paul says remove the immoral man from the church. Christian leaders say just love him until he repents.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;
In the contemporary church abstain from sexual immorality is interpreted to mean; abstain, if it is convenient and does cause not cause any finical or mental anxiety.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, not the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
The Scriptures tell us loud and clear that Christians who are unrepentant in their sexual immorality will not inherit the kingdom of God. Yet many congregations say we love you too much to ask you to repent. We would rather see you go to hell than to exercise church discipline.
Revelation 21:8 ....immoral person...their part will be in the lake that burns with fir and brimstone, which is the second death.
Why churches think that accepting unrepentant sexually immoral Christians into the fellowship of the Lord's church is an act of love is beyond my comprehension.
GOD SAYS THAT UNREPENTANT SEXUALLY IMMORAL CHRISTIANS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
THE CONTEMPORARY CHURCH TELLS THEM WE CANNOT JUDGE YOU, ALL WE CAN DO IS LOVE YOU!
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