Living Waters of Grace February 26, 2026

This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark

Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland,

County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he

continues teaching through God's Word.

We need to be praying for our brothers and sisters, and I know

sometimes we don't. We're thinking so much about

here and now, my life and my family, my church, whatever my

community, my city, and we need to be praying for those things.

But we need to ask God to give us a mind to pray for those who

are being persecuted right now. There's more Christians who have

been martyred over the last 50 years and all the history of

martyrdom from the beginning of the Church age.

That's hard to believe. We don't hear about that on the

nightly news. I personally don't watch much of

the news anymore. I can't remember the last time I

was encouraged by watching the news, but there was plenty of

information available online. Whether it's genocide in Nigeria

or persecution in China, Christians are being killed for

their faith. Pastor Clark explains today that

we in the United States are privileged not to face the

intense persecution that other believers deal with.

We bear the responsibility to pray for them continually.

We must be prayerfully supporting our brothers and

sisters now. Here's Pastor Clark in

Revelation Chapter 2 with today's edition of Living Waters

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

of Grace. And to the Angel of the Church

of Smyrna, right these things, says the 1st and the last, who

was dead and came to life. I know your works, tribulation

and poverty, but you are rich. And I know the blasphemy of

those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of

Satan. Do not fear any of those things

which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil's about to

throw some of you into prison that you may be tested and you

will have tribulation 10 days. Be faithful until death, and I

will give you the crown of life. The Church of Ephesus was a very

good church, but it had one problem.

It had left its first love. It no longer had passion and

zeal and focus on their relationship with Jesus.

And so when we're studying these churches, I don't want you just

to think about the churches back way back then, but think about

the churches that also exist today.

How are we similar in some ways to these very churches we're

studying? And that we we talked last week

about the importance of having our first love restored with the

Lord, that we're close to him, that that we're in love with him

and that we want to follow him and, and seek his face and live

in a way that's pleasing to him. We need the Lord to rekindle

that love moment by moment, don't we?

It's something we have to work at.

It's something we have to be asking the Lord to do in our

hearts because if we don't, we get cold.

All of us. We we drift.

And so Ephesus was a good, good lesson for us.

Jesus said repent and go back and do your first work, lest I

come and remove the lampstand or the light of influence from that

particular local church. Now, Smyrna is a completely

different type of church and when we study these seven

churches, some are really messed up and some are actually being

faithful in the midst of a very, very difficult time of

tribulation. 2 churches that weren't actually even been given

the admonition to repent was Smyrna in the Philadelphia

church in Philadelphia. Those two churches weren't given

the admonition that Ephesus was and some of the others.

But Smyrna, just for a little bit geographical background

here. It's the modern city of Izmir

today, which is a gateway into modern Turkey.

It was a beautiful, splendid city, was actually the most

beautiful city at that particular time, had the highest

population of Jews and and Asia Minor, and it was the only 7,

only one of seven of the churches we're studying that's

actually still in existence today.

It's not called Smyrna anymore, it's called Izmir.

It also was a city that had been destroyed prior to all this

event occurring as we're studying here in Revelation

approximately 7700 years earlier.

This particular city was destroyed and, and the laden

ruins for about 300 years and then it was rebuilt,

reestablished and it became just an amazing city of influence,

gateway city, as I said, into the modern day country of

Turkey. It's the most brief of all the

letters. I when I was starting to study

this, I said, well, boy, I'm, I'm not going to have enough

information here. It's only going to take about 10

minutes. I'm going to have to go into

program this after I got into this.

No way that I run out of information.

It's just amazing all the things that are written down about the

what happened with this particular church.

So even though it's very, very brief, only a few verses, very,

very powerful things to say to us, these believers in verse 9

says, he says, I know your works, your tribulation and

poverty, they were going through really difficult times.

Now for you today, it might be hard for you to wrap your mind

around what that would be like in your situation right now.

All of us have trials in our lives, right?

Some degree of trial and tribulation.

Not one of us here doesn't have something they're they're going

through or thinking through how you going to get past it, how

you going to deal with it, How you going to have the wisdom to

know how to be influenced in the godly way through whatever it is

that you might personally be going through individually.

But the tribulation that these folks were going through is much

more difficult than than what we're going through.

They were basically being assaulted for their faith in

Christ. They were being thrown in

prison. They were being beat.

Many of them died as martyrs for their faith.

They were, because of their faith, not given the opportunity

to earn a living. It would be like the companies

that we work for today, that if they found out we were

Christians, they would say you don't have a job unless you

forsake and curse Christ. That's how tough it was.

And because of that, the people were very poor.

They didn't have much in the material wealth that we have

been given the privilege to experience in our culture, our

country. They were plundered and deprived

of their right to work. And you think about living in

those days. And I tried to think about some

countries that are actually going through that right now as

we speak. And I think of Indonesia.

It's a beautiful, beautiful country, but it's basically

overrun by Muslim rule. If you're found to be a

believer, you will possibly be martyred and killed for your

faith. Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan,

Iraq, Iran, many, many of these countries as we speak are going

through these kind of times. So we need to be praying for our

brothers and sisters. And I know sometimes we don't.

We're thinking so much about here and now, my life and my

family and my church, whatever, my community, my city.

And we need to be praying for those things.

But we need to ask God to give us a mind to pray for those who

are being persecuted right now. There's more Christians who have

been martyred over the last 50 years and all the history of

martyrdom from the beginning of the Church age.

And it's hard to believe we don't hear about that on the

nightly news. We'll hear about other types of

atrocities, but you don't hear a lot from your local newscaster,

your major television affiliates telling you that Christians are

being martyred in many of these countries, China and other

countries. It's been very, very difficult

to live in as a as a believer. We're still given the privilege

in our country to have freedom of religion.

We have the right to assemble, to worship and to proclaim

Christ in the media. We still have that privilege and

the print, television, radio, we also have the ability to

communicate our faith even in our places of employment.

And that's a privilege I think so often that we take for

granted. John was teaching us this

morning and he said, you know, we should be praying that God

would give us one person in our life this week that we might be

able to share the gospel with and really be thankful that we

have the privilege and we can do that without fear of being in

prison, right? Yet these people in these

countries and the folks in Smyrna, because of the

persecution and because of the rules and the laws of Caesar,

they spoke about their faith in Christ anyway.

They didn't care if they lost their job.

They didn't care if they were thrown into prison or beaten or

even killed for their faith. And as I read that, I say, Lord,

where's my heart and all this? If I was put in a situation

right now, today, tomorrow, next week, where I had to lose my job

because of my stand for Christ, would I be willing to stand up

for my faith? We all say, yeah, we would.

But when we're in that situation, only God knows what

our hearts would actually do, right?

But I believe that God gives us grace in the midst of the times,

of the trials and the tribulations.

We don't have the ability, so to speak, to think I'm tough, I'm a

strong Christian, I can handle anything.

I'll do this. That's foolish.

But to realize, Lord help me, if I'm ever put in a situation like

these folks in Smyrna, that I'll be found faithful to the end,

not relying upon my strength, but upon the strength that only

you can give me. And that's called dying grace.

Many of the martyrs, when they gave their lives for Christ,

they were freaking out up until the moment that they were taken

to the torches. And once they were tied up and

the fire was being lit and being lit, many of them said.

And before they died, there was such a sense of God's presence

and peace that they were excited about what was waiting for them

on the other side of this world. And that's the grace of God

provided for us, I believe, in the time of our most desperate

need. There was one minister at that

time, a very famous church father.

You might have read about him as you studied church history and

approximately 155. His name is Polycarp and he was

a minister, but that later on after these days of Smyrna.

But this persecution continued intensely up until the 3rd

century until Constantine saw this vision in the sky of a

cross. And he said he heard this voice

saying by this you'll conquer. And that's when he became a

Christian and he made Christianity the religion of the

provinces at that time. And so the persecution stopped.

That was a wonderful thing in some ways.

But when the persecution stops, what happens is a church has a

tendency to then become lukewarm and cold.

That's just the way it is. But anyway, Polycarp, he was

given this edict that he had to come into the Colosseum.

It was during the times of The Olympian Games, similar to like

right now what we have going on in Canada.

And it was accustomed that he would have to or Christians,

anybody, they'd have to give allegiance to Caesar, basically

say Caesar is Lord. And there was no way Polycarp

was going to do that. He refused.

And so the crowds are crying out in the Coliseum for Polycarp

because he was very influential at the time.

Everybody knew his faith and how he lived.

And they're all thinking like this guy, he's not going to

stand for his faith when it's going to possibly cost him his

life. This is what he replied whenever

they told him you curse Christ, you make a sacrifice of Caesar

or you die. This is what a polycarp said. 86

years have I served him and he has done me no wrong.

How can I blasphemy my king who saved me and he was burned at

the stake by the Romans and Jews?

How awesome. What an example to us of a hero

in the faith. And so Jesus is encouraging them

as he speaks to his church in Smyrna, He says to them that he

is the 1st and the last who was dead and he came to life.

So he's speaking to those who are facing martyrdom.

He's saying, think about this, they crucified me, they killed

me, but the grave could not hold me.

The grave won't hold you guys either.

If you're believers in Christ, no matter how you die, no matter

what happens in your life, whether it's just your natural

death, old age or disease or a tragedy or maybe for someone day

martyrdom. We don't have to fear or worry

because as Christ has been risen from the dead, we also shall

rise in newness of life. And so he's speaking to them

comfort and he says in verse 10 about the sacrifice that he

made, He said don't fear the things that you're about to

suffer and the deed. The devil's about to throw some

of you into prison that you may be tested and you will have

tribulation for 10 days. What Christ went through for you

and me that the death of the tomb couldn't hold him.

We read about that in the the Gospels during our daily Bible

reading. I mean, they sealed that tomb

up. They sent the soldiers there

because they heard, hey, this guy, supposedly he's, they say

he's going to raise. We've heard them say this about

him. He said this about himself.

So this would be on the safe side.

Get down and really seal that tomb.

I mean, a huge rock was, was pushed in front of it.

How in the world you'd ever get that thing off would be a

miracle in itself. But the seal, it made it

impossible to do anything with that.

I mean, that was a done deal. And yet that sealed tomb, that

big stone couldn't hold him, could it?

He walked out the third day and he was seen by over 500

witnesses. He was alive from the dead.

So he's encouraging them to be faithful and death.

Don't, don't fear. He's exhorting them.

Be faithful until death. And he says you'll be crowned

with the reward of life. And you think about the trials.

He says, I know your works, your tribulation, your poverty.

Sometimes we think about trials. Why do we have them?

We all go through them. But there's nothing like trials

to purify us, is there? There's nothing like difficulty

in life to get us on our face and say, Lord, help me.

And that's humility. When a trial comes, God allows

it because he knows it's going to bring us closer to him.

Now we're freaking out. We don't like it.

We want it to go away as quickly as possible.

He understands our frame, our weakness.

But he says don't be afraid that the trying of your faith works.

Patience, try. Your faith will make you like

me, and you'll shine like pure gold.

If we're going to be glorified together with him, the apostle

Peter tells us, we also have to suffer with him.

And we always have to remember all of us, that in the midst of

the trials and the struggles of life, God is with us, isn't he?

He always is with us. He promises He'll never leave us

or forsake us. Sometimes we feel like, God,

where are you? I felt like that at times.

I'm sure you have too. You're going through something.

You're like, Lord, where are you in all this?

But he's there, He's always there.

He promises never to leave us. He walks through it with us.

I like what Psalm 32 says. He says, behold, the eye of the

Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy

to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive and in

falling. Our soul waits for the Lord.

He is our help and our shield for our heart shall rejoice in

him because we have trusted in his holy name.

Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us just as we hope in you.

He says that in these trials, in the midst of these trials,

they're rich. And James says in chapter 2,

verse 5, listen my beloved brethren, has God not chosen the

poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom

which He promised to them who love him?

I think about the Christians in Haiti.

You've seen him on TV, haven't you?

They have lost everything. They didn't have anything to

begin with. One of the most poor countries

in the world. They have this horrendous

earthquake that wipes out over 200,000 people.

Many of them lost their children, their spouses, their

loved ones, their friends, and I was blown away to see them

assembling together, raising their hands and worshipping God.

Poor, inheriting the Kingdom of God.

He speaks about the adversary, the devil, and he is a real

being. He is interested in destroying

all of our lives. The Bible tells us the devil has

come to seek and to kill and to rob and to destroy.

He is involved in this world every day to keep it from

knowing the truth of Jesus Christ.

He is sending his emissaries out all the time to prevent you and

me from growing in the grace and the knowledge of God.

He wants us to be stunted, immature Christians.

He wants us to live without our inheritance in this world, not

experiencing the Kingdom of God within.

He'll do everything he can to destroy your faith.

The Lord allows him to work. That's the mystery.

And the purposes of God are sometimes very, very complex for

our human frail minds to understand.

But the Bible tells us that God's ways aren't our ways.

Neither are his thoughts. Our thoughts, for his ways are

so much higher than our ways, and His thoughts so much higher

than ours. There's a purpose in all these

things, and God is ultimately glorified.

And one day this enemy of our souls and the enemy of the

Kingdom of God will be one day in that final judgment, pass

into the lake of fire forever and ever, never to bother or

hassle anyone again. But he's always working to

trouble the church. His big focus is to destroy the

Church of Jesus Christ. The good news is Jesus Christ

says I will build my church and the gates of hell will not

prevail against it. The enemy can take everybody

out, but it can't stop the work of God moving on.

And many of these people had given their lives in this day

and Smyrna for the sake of the gospel, but it hasn't stopped

the movement of the gospel. 2000 years later.

He speaks about these people that are enemies of God and

they're tools of the devil. It says these folks say they are

Jews and they are not two different kind of Jews.

Jews that have a heart for Messiah, Jews who are waiting.

Jews even at the time of Christ crucifixion were sensitive, even

though they couldn't understand that he at this time was the one

they were waiting for. They had a vulnerable, a

vulnerability of softness. Many of them eventually did come

to believe on Christ because the early church was made-up

primarily of Jews and they carried the worship of the

synagogue right into the New Testament.

Many of the symbolism and the pictures and the art and the

design of the priestly garments and robes were carried through

from the Jewish temple. It's interesting as we're

reading right now in Exodus, isn't it the, the, the specific

detail on how God wanted that Tabernacle built, the colors,

the, the length of the, the material that was used, the

embroidery and the, the symbolism, the type at this,

this mind blowing of the, of the beauty of, of God and, and his

Kingdom, his church. But there were obviously as

there is today, not any Jews but Gentiles who cannot stand the

gospel of Christ and they are the enemies of the gospel.

I would say organizations like the ACLU.

They are dead set against our freedoms as Christians and the

message that we proclaim the person we believe in and trust

in his Lord and Savior. Many, many people today on the

liberal side of the agenda that are pushing all these teachings

of of really ungodliness are against what we do here and what

we do as churches in these last days, standing on the Scriptures

and teaching the word of God and so.

Because of the large population of Jews in Smyrna, the

Christians were really overrun by all these people that wanted

to destroy them. It was a tough place to be a

Christian in. They were the main enemies of

the gospel. Verse 10 he says to them again,

don't fear these things which you are about to suffer.

Luke chapter 12, verse 4, Jesus says to the disciples, My

Luke 12:4

friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that

have no more that they can do, but fear the one who has the

power to cast 1 into hell. So Christ himself reminding us

that we're not to fear what man can do to us.

You know, there's this element of fear that we all have, a fear

of disease, fear of failure, fear of financial ruin, fear of

losing jobs. We all, we all struggle with a

certain type of fear, but a fear of knowing that you're in the

jail cell tonight. This is your last night on

earth. And you know, tomorrow you're

going to be thrown to the lions or you're going to have your

head cut off because of your faith.

And you're probably walking around pacing in the cell

saying, Lord, I really believe you.

But I really have to go through this.

Is there another way out of this?

You know, would you mind if I just, you know, I really believe

in you, but would you mind if I just told him I didn't?

I'm sure those things would go through all of our minds and our

hearts, especially when our families, maybe we're at home

and we knew that we wouldn't see them again until the next life.

The struggle of having to wait for the Lord to bring everything

to a final culmination in the last day.

But I think about martyrs. I think about Stephen, the first

martyr in the New Testament in Acts Chapter 7.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

This is what happened after he's being accused of treason and

he's speaking out and proclaiming the gospel with all

his heart, all his mind, all his soul is strength.

Such conviction and fervor and love in his heart for the people

he's speaking to. He's speaking to them about who

Jesus is and what he did for them.

It says that people were so angry they clenched their teeth.

They just like, let me add them, let me get rid of them, just

like they wanted to get rid of Christ.

And it says, but he being full of the Holy Spirit.

And that's the key, guys. No matter what we're going

through in life, the struggles, the fears, the anxieties, the

pressures at work or home or wherever, when we are filled

with the Holy Spirit, we're overcomers.

But when we're filled with our own vanity and pride and our own

fear, we're basket cases. Stephen's full of the Holy

Spirit. He gazes into heaven and God

gives him a vision. He sees the glory of God and

Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

I love that Christ stood up. He it says right now he's seated

at the right hand of Father ever living to make intercession for

us his Saints day and night. He's praying for us all the

time. But there's a limit, isn't

there? What he's going to allow to

happen to his kids. And so he sees what's going on

with Steven and he couldn't help but to stand up.

And one day he's going to stand up and not only stand up, but

come back and put all things in order, and he's going to destroy

wickedness from the face of the earth, and no one will ever

raise their hand and one of his children again.

What a day that'll be, huh? When are Jesus?

We shall see when we look into his face, the one who saved us

by his grace, the old song, What a day, glorious day that will

be. And so Jesus, he stands in the

right hand of the Father. And Stephen says, look, I see

the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right

hand of God. Thanks for being with us today

here on Living Waters of Grace. We're in the Book of Revelation,

and we find it fascinating how influential and involved the

angels are in this book. They bring about whatever it is

that God has instructed them to do, but it's through their

actions that much of the judgements come on the earth.

The angels are in submission to God as their authority, but He

utilizes them in unique ways throughout this book.

Like angels have a specific purpose from God, you have a

unique purpose and plan too. God wants to use you in your

life as a testimony to others and to bring others who are

currently lost into the fold of God.

God would love more than anything for all who are willing

to come to Him for salvation, but He wants it to be their

choice, not a forced situation. This is the way God works, not

forcing himself on anyone, but giving each person free will.

If you're interested in learning about this choice that's free

and that it's a gift, go to calvarychapelonline.com and

click on the About Us tab and then find the link for what we

believe. We'd love to be a help and a

resource for you as you walk through what it means to be a

follower of Jesus. If you find the contact tab on

our website, you can get in touch with us or submit a prayer

request. We'd love to hear from you.

That's all for today's edition and Revelation, but there's much

more that Pastor Clark plans to share with us from this

culminating book of the Bible. Stay tuned for that and make

sure to mention this radio program to others.

Invite them to tune into Grace FM 91.7 FM.

They can stream worldwide at Grace Radio dot FM.

This has been Living Waters of Grace.