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’[b]—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.
Iwould have included the whole portion of the letter, for your reference, but having dealt with rebuke yesterday, (and in the letter toThyatira, as in to Pergamum, there is a good deal of that here) today I would like to focus on Jesus words to those not caught up in all this immorality and adultery.
It is worth noting that Jesus' pronouncement of coming judgements on Jezebel and her followers are even more explicit and disturbing than they were to those in error in Pergamum, but he turns to address the more faithful segment of his Church in Thyatira with a far more conciliatory tone .
He says;
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
I think, it sounds to me, given the age and area they are living in, that they have more than enough on their plate already.
And in the midst of this, they have not given way to the false teaching or the debauched lifestyle.
I feel like we are in danger of taking these words of Jesus in the context of a siege mentality. Just hang on in there till Jesus comes.
And of course there is an element of that. But regardless of what John or the Thyatirans may have thought, Jesus return was not quite as immanent as they expected.
We live in a tumultuous time when speculation about end times is rife. I know people who will link our decision in the UK today, to the creation of some sort of 'United States of Humanitarianism'. From which a potential anti-Christ could arise.
And times are tumultuous indeed. The middle east in a mess. Iran is going nuclear. Donald Trump is running for the Whitehouse. Russia is becoming ever more militant.
It is easy to speculate, regardless of your eschatology. And I do. I do it all the time.
But whatever the fires to come, if we have faith in Jesus, they will only prove to be the refining fires.
And in a sense, world events are irrelevant. God is Sovereign over all, working together all things, for the good of those that love him, according to his will and purpose.
To 'hold on to what you have' is to retain the purity of the gold. Everything else can be surrendered to the heat of the furnace, whatever furnace that may be.
Paul says in Ephesians 6, in the context of this spiritual battle that we should;
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
And some days, simply standing in itself is a victory. Not retreating, even though not advancing is a triumph.
Stand firm then.
And the reality is that Jesus will return, and regardless of when, it is a reality that should fill us with hope.
- If we are living, then we must be ready, living in such a way that would be to our credit if we came face to face with him.
- And if we are asleep. then we will be caught up to be with him, and be finally changed into his likeness.
In my recent studies in 1 John, whilst preparing for my sermon, I came across these verses, and they seem to have stayed with me.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Doesn't this thrill your heart. At his revealing, we will be changed. Hallelujah.
But this revelation does not simply hold out hope for our future improvement. It means something now. The very next sentence says;
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
This Journey towards Transformation, is more than clinging on for dear life, to the cliff edge of faith, whilst the world around us crashes into the abyss.
Holding on to what we have, means that our faith is doing it's job, and our sanctification is being made complete. In a sense, that IS the journey.
And there is a reward coming. To the politically powerless Church (at the time) he says
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’[b]—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.
Lord Jesus, as we hold to this hope of transformation, to become like you, give us the grace, power and will to refine ourselves through your Spirit, to be more and more like you, in any and all circumstances,
Amen.
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