Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Tolerating Jezebel (Third in the series, Demolishing Strongholds) Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA April 29, 2007 Main Scripture text: Revelation 2:18-29. Demolishing Strongholds April 1, 2007 • True Christian Humility April 15, 2007 • Understanding Strongholds April 29, 2007 • Tolerating Jezebel May 6, 2007 • Recognizing the Spirit of Jezebel May 27, 2007 • Demolishing the Spirit of Jezebel The church at Thyatira is an exemplary one in many ways. They are living the Christian life through deeds, love, faith, service, and perseverance. Then our eyes fall on those dreadful words: "Nevertheless I have this against you." There is one thing that mars their otherwise admirable record: they "tolerate that woman Jezebel." There is no mention that they are participating in sinful actions with her -- or even endorsing what she does and teaches. What they are doing that troubles Jesus is they tolerate her. Let me stress that tolerance is not a bad thing in and of itself. It is akin to patience. God has been patient, enduring, and forgiving (tolerant) with us. We ought to treat others the same way. But we dare not tolerate that which is opposed to God, or that which He has declared to be evil. We need to resist the temptation to tolerate what some Bible commentators call the "spirit of Jezebel" -- that is, a demonic power that motivated and empowered the first Jezebel in the book of 1 Kings, and perhaps the Jezebel mentioned in Revelation 2, if this passage is talking about an actual person. The name "Jezebel" can literally be translated "chaste in the sense of without cohabitation." Figuratively, the idea is that she refuses to live with anyone unless she can control and dominate the relationship. Let me give you three characteristics of the spirit of Jezebel: 1) She is ambitiously independent and controlling. Remember that in 1 Kings, the human woman Jezebel gained control over Ahab, the king of Israel, and led him into the worship of foreign god. 2) She is a usurper of authority. Whatever evil she may be doing, Jezebel is always moving toward positioning herself in the places of authority and exerting authority. If she is unable to manipulate and control that authority, she will move to destroy it either by actual or character assassination. 3) She is a ruthless murderer. In 1 Kings 21, it wasn't a dispute about a vineyard that was the real issue. The issue was power and authority. Jezebel controlled Ahab and his throne -- and she would stop short of nothing, even murder, to accomplish her objectives. Back now to Revelation 2. What was the problem in Thyatira? What was "Jezebel" doing? Jesus mentions three things: 1) She calls herself a prophetess (when she is not); 2) She practices sexual immorality; 3) She eats food sacrificed to idols. But are these really the root issues? Or are they merely symptoms of of something deeper? Remember that the Old Testament Jezebel introduced the worship of false gods into Israel -- worship that involved having sexual relations with cult prostitutes. So I think the real issue is idolatry. Jesus affirmed that the "greatest commandment" was to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. You can't do that and worship other gods at the same time. In the next few weeks, we will look at other things about "Jezebel." And I hope we will recognize the many ways, direct and subtle, she is influencing our culture -- and may be influencing the church. Supporting texts: 1 Kings 16:29-33 | 1 Kings 21:1-25 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (30 min.). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio CD of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a CD by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify number 070429a: Tolerating Jezebel. © 2007 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us