1 Revelation: Unveiling Reality “Sex, Money and Jezebel

Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
Turn on Timer!
[Slide 1] We are in a middle of a series entitled, “Revelation: Unveiling
Reality.” Revelation was written to show us that reality is more than what we see with
our eyes. That’s the thesis of the book: things are not as they seem. This book unveils
reality not just of the future, but also of the present. There is more to this present moment
then we can know with our unaided senses. The more we see this, the more our
perspective toward life changes. We see the world differently. We see the pressures and
stresses of our lives differently. So, this is a practical book. It helps us be faithful even
during hardships! Today, we are going to look at one of the letters to the seven churches,
the letter to the church in Thyatira. [Slide 2] Today’s sermon is entitled, “Sex, Money
and Jezebel.”
[Slide 3] Let’s go to Revelation 2:18-29:
18
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and
whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith,
your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at
first.
[Slide 4] 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman
Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants
into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given
her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a
bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer
intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then
all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will
repay each of you according to your deeds.
[Slide 5] 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to
her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not
impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I
come.’
26
To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give
authority over the nations—27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and
will dash them to pieces like pottery’ —just as I have received authority from my
Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them
hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
This sounds pretty rough, and at first reading, not relevant to us. But, as you might be
able to tell from the title of this sermon, we will see that this is very relevant to us.
I.
[Slide 6] Background on the City of Thyatira.
The City of Thyatira [Slide 7] is one of the smaller cities of Asia Minor where all
seven churches are located. This city still exists, and it is now called Akhisar in Turkey.
Here are two things that we know from archeological evidence about Thyatira. They
worshipped [Slide 8] Apollo, a god of music, truth and prophecy, healing, the sun and
light, plague, poetry, and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus, and has a twin sister, Artemis.
He was worshipped as the divine guardian of the city. We also know that the people of
this city worshipped Caesar as “son of Zeus” or “son of the most high god.” Emperor
Domitian, Caesar, named his son “son of god” and [Slide 9] on his coins, Domitian’s son
is portrayed with seven stars. It is to this city, Jesus speaks: “These are the words of the
Son of God.” We have to remember that the vision of the glorified Jesus, the one holding
seven stars, is the one speaking to them. Jesus is saying that I am the Son of God, not
Apollo, Domitian or his son. I hold the seven stars, not Domitian or his son. This is the
only place where Jesus calls himself the Son of God.
This city is also famous for having trade guilds. Archeologists have found
evidence of a lot of different trade guilds that came together not only for business but also
for worship and pleasure. They found evidence of trade guilds for wool, leather, linen,
bronzesmiths, shoemakers, bakers, robemakers, purple dye makers, etc. Remember,
Lydia, a dealer in purple linen who became the first convert in Philippi through Apostle
Paul is from Thyatira. In fact, this purple dye is famous. They still make it there and it is
now called Turkish Red. It seems that almost all trades were organized into a guild. The
problem was that these guilds were not religiously neutral. The guilds had patron deities,
and guild members were expected to worship, offer sacrifices, and eat meat sacrificed to
these pagan idols, and engage in sexual activities as a part of the fellowship. That’s the
way the world was at that time for these people. So, Christians faced a dilemma: If you
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
didn’t join the guild and go with the flow, it was impossible to climb the social and
economic ladder.
That’s the context of the letter to Thyatira.
II.
[Slide 10] What does Jesus say to this church?
Jesus said, I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance,
and that you are now doing more than you did at first. These are great commendations.
It means that there are a lot of faithful people in this church. In contrast to the City of
Ephesus, where Jesus chastised them for leaving the love they had at first, this church is
commended for their love. In fact, they are commended for doing more than they did at
first.
Yet, Jesus chastised them. You can’t tolerate idolatry in the name of love. [Slide
11] Jesus said: “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,
who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual
immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.” We don’t know for sure if this was
literally a woman, but Jesus refers to her as Jazebel, a woman. The story of Jezebel is in
the Old Testament; she was an evil and manipulative woman who married Ahab, the
King of Israel, and led the quest to get Israel to worship Baal, the storm and fertility god.
Although she knew that Israel believed in one God, Yahweh, her strategy was to get
people to worship Baal and Yahweh. If anyone spoke against Baal worship, she had
them killed. While the people of Israel were under the influence and deception of
Jezebel, Elijah, [Slide 12] the prophet told the people: “How long will you waver
between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
(1 Kings 18:21)
A person Jesus called Jezebel was at work in the church of Thyatira advocating
this both/and approach to God. You can participate in the guilds and their pagan activities
and follow Jesus. You can eat food sacrificed to idols and follow Jesus. By-the-way, I
know some of you are thinking, didn’t Paul say that it is okay to eat food sacrificed to
idols? You have to interpret this in the context of what’s going on in Thyatira. Paul was
most likely talking about food sacrificed to idols and later sold at meat market; but, given
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
the context here of the meals at the guild meetings, it is about participating in the
sacrifice. That, we cannot do as followers of Jesus Christ.
The church in Thyatira faced real issues. Jezebel spoke as one with authority.
That’s why she is called a prophet. The text said that she spoke of “deep secrets” that
swayed people. No one is sure what this deep secret refers to, but whatever it was it led
people to participate in the idol sacrifices and sexual immorality. Because this teaching
was tolerated, it probably means that it sounded somewhat Christian. “You can
participate in the economic and pagan life of the community and follow Jesus at the same
time. Why make this a big issue? Would God really want to lose your guild membership
and lose your trade and become poor? Doesn’t he love you? Did God really want you to
not associate the pagans? Didn’t he tell us to love them? How would that help the
mission of God?” Jezebel was deceptively getting people to participate in idol worship
and activities but in a way that sounded Christian.
The Bible is clear. God command us to worship him only. The first of two Ten
Commandments are against idolatry. And idols are not just about stone gods. They are
anything you put equal to or above God. Yet, it is really difficult even in modern life to
actually do this. The teaching of Jezebel is very tempting. We are constantly looking for
a way to serve both our idols and God.
In this context, they participated in idol worship related to money and sex. I think
these are among two of the biggest idols of our times as well. I want us to focus on these
two idols.
First, about the idolatry of money.
[Slide 13] Jesus told us in Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters. Either
you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
[Slide 14] In what ways do we serve the idol of money?
(1) By compartmentalizing our spiritual life and work/financial life. I
regularly hear people saying, “Look, I’m all for loyalty to Jesus, but things just don’t
work that way in the real world.” “Business is business.” If they are not saying it out
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
loud, they are thinking it and practicing it. I know it is hard. I’ve been there. It’s so easy
to compartmentalize our spiritual life and work life. One way on Sunday and another on
Monday. You are essentially serving two different gods. We do this because it’s so hard
to keep our loyalties to God in our work and financial life.
•
What do you do when your boss tells you to do something illegal? Lie to the
auditor. If you don’t do it, you might lose your job.
•
It’s so easy to blame-shift when something goes wrong in your work. Even if it
was your fault, do you own up at the risk of looking bad?
•
Your boss tells you he illegally discriminated against another employee; do you
stand up for that employee at the risk losing your job?
•
I used to work as a business lawyer for many years. Our bonus and promotion
were based on how many hours we billed per year. It is sort of an honor system.
I was charging hundreds of dollar per hour and it was up to me to write how many
hours I spent doing that pleading or project. There was always a temptation to be
“creative” in billable hours. I know most lawyers I worked with were of highest
integrity; but, I know that was not always the case. There is a lot riding on
billable hours. And Jesus is saying, even if you lose, even if you don’t make
partner, even if you get kicked out the trade guild, don’t do it.
•
This is not just a matter of morality, it is a matter of who you worship. Are you
worshipping God only or are you worshipping both God and money? I know
ethical issues come up all the time at work place.
•
There is the temptation to lie when you are late to work or missing work. You
can only use my granddaddy died excuse so many time. When you start lying, it
gets hard to keep track of all the lies. You can’t even tell the truth anymore.
•
There are temptations to misrepresent yourself in your resume. There are
temptations to lie in interviews. There are temptations to lie in your application
for housing or for government assistance or in your taxes.
•
I know some of your jobs depend on misrepresentations. One of the most
difficult jobs is contract negotiation. I know a guy who used to work for a major
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
television studio doing contract negotiation with talents. He struggled with the
reality that his job depended on negotiating with misrepresentations and bluffs.
It’s really hard to figure out the line between lies and truth. I know how hard it is
to be faithful to God in some of your jobs. But, you have to ask the question: am
I serve God and money?
•
For some of you, you are in a line of work that does not do any common good.
Maybe it is a certain kind of entertainment that is abusive and exploitive. Maybe
you are selling stuff that harms people. Maybe you are exploiting people who are
ignorant to make money. I know you think this is the only way you are going to
make money, the only way you can survive. But, here is the thing: that’s what
Jezebel taught. “You don’t have to drop out to the trade guild. You can serve
both money and God. You can compartmentalize your life.” To trust God means
to make the right decision and trust in God to guide you. God is not out there to
make you suffer. The reality is that there is greater suffering for those who serve
money. It may not look like it now, but when the veil in lifted, there is more
suffering for those who follow the ways of Jezebel.
[Slide 15] (2) The second way in which we make idols of money is by using
God to get money. If you use God to get anything, the real god in your life is that thing
you are trying to get. If you are using God to get money, money is your real god. That’s
your idol. The church is full of Jezebels who teach that God is there is help you get rich.
They teach formulas, or “deep secret” to getting rich. It is cloaked in Christianese, but it
is often a manipulative way to extract money from people who desperately need money.
Let’s cast that out of the church. God is not a Genie who is out there to make us rich. I
know it is tempting to believe them. I know it’s hard when you are living paycheck to
paycheck or not even that. You don’t have any money. You feel like money can solve
all your problems. You think it will help you feel better about yourself. You think you’ll
feel like you’re somebody if you have money. Here is a truth: Sometimes, not having
money makes us more prone to money idolatry. We have to get to that gutsy attitude that
says: even if I remain poor, I am going to worship God. God is the source of my life and
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
identity. God is my riches! I am a child of God, loved by God, and embraced by God,
and that’s all that matter. If I should be blessed with more money, I am going to use it as
a tool, to bless people. It’s not going to solve all my problems.
You see money is a good thing, but it’s not going to solve all of our problems. If
we think that, we make money into a master, not a servant, not a tool. Money is a tool. It
is a tool to do something good with. I am not saying that money is not important. It is
important. Tools are important. If we don’t have a tool, it’s hard to get things done. But,
it’s not our master. There is a point in which we make money our master. If you can’t
give to those in need, you are making money into your master. If you can’t give, if you
can’t tithe, you might be making money into your master. I am not saying that you are. I
know there are various factors. But, if you consistently can’t give or tithe, your money
may have become your master, not your tool.
[Slide 16] Second, let me talk about the idol of sex.
Jezebel taught that was okay to engage in sexual immorality. The Pagan culture
in Thyatira was similar to our culture now. Engaging in casual sex was considered a
normal part of the cultural and religious life. Of course, the culture only allowed that for
men. It was not okay for married women to engage in sex outside of marriage. From that
culture, the Apostles taught husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church. This
was pretty radical. From that culture, the Apostles taught people to avoid sexual
immorality, sex outside of marriage.
This is such a misunderstood area of Christianity.
One mistaken view of sex: Some people think that somehow sex is dirty and if we
really want to be spiritual we need to avoid sex. Not true. That’s not the biblical
teaching regarding sex. That line of reasoning actually originated with a Greek
philosopher Plato who believed that anything that is material like our body is bad, and
anything spiritual or immaterial is good. That’s dualism. That’s the heresy of
Gnosticism. That’s not Christianity. God became a human being, a material being. Sex
is a beautiful thing. God is not up there saying: “my my what will they think of next?”
He invented sex! He wants us to enjoy it.
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
•
April 17, 2016
In 1 Corinthian 7:5, the Bible commands us to have sex. Would God command
us to do something that is dirty?
•
In Proverb 5:19, it says man must be ravished/intoxicated/filled with his wife’s
breasts.
Sex is a beautiful thing when done in the context designed to be done.
But there is also an opposite mistake about sex: some people think that sex is just
an instinct. So, just as we need to eat when we are hungry, we should have sex when we
are horny. But, the Scripture tells us that our natural biological desire/instinct is messed
up because of sin. Just because we feel like getting a fix doesn’t mean it’s right. Just
because we feel an urge for it does not mean it is right. Our nature/instinct is not a good
guide sometimes. Some food are bad. Just because we are hungry does not mean we
should just eat indiscriminately. We have to choose the proper food, wash it, and cook it.
Now, did you ever think about why God invented sex? Of course, having a baby
is probably one of the most important purposes of sex. But, there is more to it than that.
[Slide 17] Ephesians 5:31 says: 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This one-flesh
union is not just about sex. It is about becoming one in everyway: spiritually,
emotionally, economically, socially, and physically. Sex is the act of that one-flesh
union. Sex is a powerful thing, and the way God designed it, it actually means
something. It’s not just a physical urge. It means something. As God designed it, sex is
a non-verbal communication to say: I belong completely and exclusively to you. It is a
non-verbal communication to say: we are one-flesh, one organism, one person,
spiritually, socially, emotionally, economically, in every way. It seals this one-flesh
union. It literally does that. It’s a perfect act for it.
So, physical union (sex) with a person without this one-flesh union is an act
without the meaning. It is hypocrisy. It’s like giving a present without anything in the
box. It’s empty. It hurts. We know that deep in our hearts. We get naked physically
without getting naked in any other way. It’s very fake. It’s not that God doesn’t want us
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
to have fun, he says that if you don’t use it the way it was intended to be used, you’ll
break it, you’ll break your heart, you’ll break the other person’s heart.
If you use sex in the way it was designed to be used, it strengthens your one-flesh
union, your marriage. Sex is a commitment apparatus. It seals your commitment only if
you use it in that context.
Now, if we use sex to feel like we are somebody, if we use sex to feel loved, if we
use sex to feel pleasure, if we use sex to feel powerful (some people do that), all without
the total oneness that comes with absolute commitment called marriage, we have made
sex into an idol. We are worshipping at the feet of the idol called sex. We have been
tempted by the spirit of Jezebel that tells us that it’s okay to engage in sex outside of
marriage and worship God.
Now, I know this is harsh to some of you. You kind of like what Jezebel taught.
But, I think we have to come face to face with idolatry in our lives.
[Slide 18] Idols beneath money and sex idols.
I want to just spend a few moments into deeper idols that drive our idolatry for
money and sex. I know that for some of you, if you asked the question, do I make money
and sex into an idol, you might answer no; but, you do cut corner and lie to make more
money; you do engage in sex outside of marriage? And the answer is yes. Maybe what’s
going on is that there is an idol beneath your idols of money and sex. Maybe, what you
really idolize is being somebody. You want others, and maybe even yourself to think that
you are somebody, and if you made a lot of money, you would satisfy that sense and
believe that you are somebody. Maybe if you can get that person to bed, you believe that
you are somebody desirable and lovable. And you so desperately want to believe that
about yourself. You see you are trying to get life from something other than God. Here
is the deep truth about idolatry: it is ultimately about getting life from something other
than God. That’s why God is constantly commanding us to worship Him only and have
no idols in our lives. God is the only source of life. Nothing else gives us. They are all
fake. When the veil is lifted, and reality is shown, this is what the passage tells us
happens when we engage in idolatry.
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
[Slide 19] Consequences of Idolatry.
[Slide 20] Verse 22 says: 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will
make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her
ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who
searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.” I know
when you read this, it sounds really harsh. It is. But, let me point out a couple of things.
(1) When the passage says your children—it means the followers of Jezebel--those who
engage in idolatry. Death in Revelation means spiritual death. It is not physical death. It
means they are separated from God. (1) When the Bible talks about God punishing
people, it is often in the form of allowing people to face the consequences of their
actions. For example, in Romans 1 talks about the sins of humanity, and lists all kinds of
sins. And this is what the Bible tells us the way God reacts to our sins: Romans 1: 24:
“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual
impurities…” In verse 26: “God gave them over to shameful lusts” In verse 28, “so God
gave them over…” The judgment of God is to give them over to the consequences of
their sins. That’s why he says “I will repay each of you according to your deeds.” You
will get what you deserve. If you continue to engage in idolatry, you will get what you
deserve, the consequences of your idolatry. And that is spiritual death.
As we talked about, idols never pan out. They want more and more and they
never give life. If you get money, success, and recognition, it will not give you life.
There is a demonic force in all of these things, and the demons will tell you that you are
still not good enough, not successful enough, you don’t have enough. You need more.
And if you fail, it will tell you that you are a loser. There is no life in idolatry. If you get
all the sex you want, but outside of the total oneness and love that God designed it to be
in, you will not find life.
[Slide 21] Hope in repentance.
The point of the passage, the point of the letter, is to tell us to repent. God is
not up there saying, too bad, here’s the punishment! He says “I have given her time to
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
repent.” Then, he says again—after he talks about the consequences of their actions—he
says again, UNLESS THEY REPENT of her ways.
God believe God is calling us to repent. Don’t just repent of your sinful actions.
Repent of the sin beneath the sin: you idols of the heart. Repent of seeking life from
something other than God. Repent of seeking life from success, money, recognition,
approval, human acceptance and feelings of love, power, machismo. Repent of using
others for your own pleasure. Repent of seeking life from something other than God.
See the unveiled reality. Life only comes from God.
[Slide 22] Promises of the Gospel
This passage ends with multiple promises, good news, the gospel. Jesus told them
he is coming. He said he will give authority over the nations. And he says that he will
give that one the morning star. I love this promise! In the last chapter of Revelation,
Jesus refers to himself as “the bright morning star” (22:26). The morning star usually
appears at the darkest time of the night (2 or 3 in the morning). It usually emerges at that
point when the night is as dark as it is going to get. When it appears, there is no sign of
the dawn. But when it appears, very faint and small at first, you know that the night
cannot withstand the dawn; it is just a matter of time until the dawn wipes the night away.
When the morning star appears, morning is coming, the Kingdom of God is coming. So,
when Jesus says I will give you the morning star, he is saying he will encourage those
who are in darkness. If we keep our eyes on the morning star, we will know that the
fullness of Kingdom of God is coming right behind him.
So, when things are difficult, when you are tempted to compartmentalize, use
God, or fall to sexual temptation, look to the morning star. He is the one who loves us
more than we are ever know. He is the one who died for us. He is the one who gave up
his life for us. He is the one who sacrificed himself for us. He is the one who calls us
into this Kingdom that worships God and him only. He is the only one who gives us life.
Even if it looks like we are losing, we are winning. If it feels like it will lead us to a life
of loneliness, we are being led into life in community not only with God but also with
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Revelation: Unveiling Reality
“Sex, Money and Jezebel”
Revelation 2:18-29
Kevin Haah
April 17, 2016
one another in completely different way. In the way of Christ, in the way of the
Kingdom of God, in the way of life, and life abundantly.
Let’s pray. Invite Prayer team.
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