The Compromising Church

Welcome to this week's message from the church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

I want you to turn with me this morning to Revelations chapter 2.

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

Does everyone have a worship guide?

If you do not, just raise your hand.

We'll make sure you get one with the outline.

We've got one over here, Brother Larry.

Just raise your hand and we'll make sure you have the outline.

Revelations chapter 2, verses 18 through the end of the chapter, verse 29.

Revelation 2:18

Not verses 18 and 19, but verses 18 through 29 to the end of the chapter.

We've been looking at the seven churches of Asia Minor, and it's been good.

Very good.

We started with the church at Ephesus, the church, the mother church, the great grandeur church.

The church that really probably was the sending church and founding church of all the other churches out of that church.

But we saw it was the perfect church if you went through its litmus of test.

Except one thing.

God said, I have one thing against you.

You've lost your pathosh.

You lost your passion.

You've lost your honeymoon love for God.

And then we went to Smyrna, the poor little rich church.

Didn't have anything, but it had everything.

It was in love with God.

Didn't have a whole lot materially speaking, but they were, hey, had a whole lot spiritually speaking.

I mean, they were one of the few churches that there was no reprimand.

Actually, Smyrna and Philadelphia are the two that was out of the seven, there was no reprimand.

And then last week we came to Pergamo, the worldly church.

Or we called it the church at Satan's throne.

And boy, what a tough message that was.

Because it revealed where the average church is today.

One foot in the world, one foot trying to have one foot in the church.

But today we're going to go to the church at Thyteur, and now it's gone from trying to have one foot in the world, one foot in the church, to totally, absolutely encompassed, completely engrossed in the world.

And boy, how God deals with it.

So, in chapter 2, verses 18 to 29, I'm not going to take time to read all those verses first of all, because I'm going to take them apart as we go and I'll read them.

But anyway, the city of Thyateer was the smallest of the seven cities mentioned in the letters to the churches.

It also was the city of, hey, that was least known.

Yet it is the hey, city that had the longest letter written to it.

The smallest city, the least known city, but yet it was the church that had the longest letter written from God to the church.

I mean, the Lord was, hey, he was upset, the Lord was trying to get their attention.

See, he knew, he knew that they were totally encompassed in the world.

But we see the grace of God and the love of God so magnificently seen here.

Because even though when you and I are so wrapped up in the world, so lost, or so backslidden, even God still comes with everything he's got and says, I love you, I love you, repent, please, repent.

I don't want to bring this judgment on you.

But if you don't, I will bring the judgment of God.

So we really we see the magnificent grace of God seen.

But we see right here, while not a lot is known about the ancient thyateurs, things are known and there's some worthy mentioning.

Number one was Thyateur was probably founded by Alexandria the Great over 300 years before Christ came.

The name Thyateer, listen to what it means.

It means unceasing sacrifice.

Unceasing sacrifice.

It probably received that name because it was a buffer city for Pergama.

In other words, it was really a little city in a little canyon with mountains completely surrounding it.

So it was not a place that was uh militarily speaking located in a good area because all the enemy had to do was get up on the sides of the mountain and just rain down, you know, arrows and stuff.

And I mean, it was easily destroyed, and that's why when you read history about Thyartier, it was uh the city was destroyed and rebuilt several times.

But it was 40 miles east of Pergamus, so it was a buffer city.

And unceasing sacrifice literally meant that the purpose of Thyartier and the Roman soldiers that were there was to prepare, to hold off the armies that had to come through Thyartir to get to Pergamus, which, if you remember, was the capital city of Asia Minor.

It was their their, should I say, their buffer zone to allow Pergamus to get their armies ready for the attack of the army that had just destroyed Thyater.

So that is why we call it the unceasing sacrifice.

No doubt about it.

And then also, it was somewhat famous in the day for commerce.

There was a main trade route that went straight through the middle of the city that joined several other routes from other cities.

Thus, tradesmen from all around the world brought and sold their garments and their products there.

Now, here's the key.

Thyateer was known for its wool industry, especially for the dyes that were produced there.

Rosemarie would love this, all those pretty beautiful colors.

They manufactured a very expensive purple dye that was valued by the royalty.

In fact, it got to the point that after a while, only the with the Romans, they would only allow the royalty or the upper crust to wear this purple dye.

Or the priest would be have this purple uh shawl they would call that was consisted of this purple dye because it was it was very expensive.

It came from a shellfish.

And divers would have to go and get this sh get these shellfish, and they would take one little drop from that shellfish and mix it with the waters at thy terror, and it would make this unbelievable, beautiful dye that could not be found anywhere else in the world.

But now here's what's really exciting about that when you study history with that one single drop.

We're told about a woman, if you remember, named Lydia.

I think I have this Jason up there, Acts 16, 4.

Uh a woman named Lydia who is called a seller of purple of the city of Thyateer.

You remember that?

And then Thyateer was also known not only of the place where beautiful wool garments were made and died there, but it was also, is the outline down, Jason?

I don't see it up.

But but also we see, we see that Lydia, and here's what's going to get exciting about Lydia.

When we see in Acts where Lydia got saved in Philippi, that there's a great chance that Lydia was the key lady that was used to go back to Thyateer and start the church.

That's what gets real exciting.

It really is.

But Thyatera also was known for its trade unions, its trade unions.

And it was very important.

Very important with those trade unions.

And you'll see as we go on the importance of those trade unions.

Workers from the various industries of the city.

You had bakers, you had wool workers, you had dyers, you had bronze workers, you had potters and others all banded together to set prices and guarantee the work in that city.

So it was just like your unions today, nothing new.

And then Thy Arterior was also a center of occult worship.

There was a temple in the city dedicated to fortune telling.

And it was presided over by a female oracle named, are you ready?

And she was a really, she was an unbelievable witch, really.

That's the correct word.

And it was also to this church operating in the city, this little church, that Jesus sends this letter.

Hey, Thyartier, there's no doubt, I think in Acts 16, 12 through 15, we see that Lydia was probably the lady used, and who knows, it could have even been Paul or some of the people from the church at Ephesus with Lydia that literally started this church.

So it's exciting.

Ladies, it's exciting how God used some dynamic women in the scriptures to continue and to birth his work.

And uh, in fact, sadly to say, in a lot of churches, most of the it's the women that do most of the work.

It ought to be both.

Amen.

Now, while the church in Thyagra might have been founded by a woman, it was certainly being confounded by a woman.

There were serious problems in this church.

And the Lord comes with a word tailored just for this church, as we look at verse 18.

Look at what he says.

And unto the angel of the church, that could be the, hey, pastor, I think it's in reference.

Remember, we said the angels can mean angels or pastors, but here, uh, and I think it's both, really, but the angel of the church, the pastor in Thyatera, right, these things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass.

Now, here's the exciting thing, right here.

In verse 18, Christ presents himself in three ways.

Number one, watch it.

He says that he is the saving one.

In your outline, he's the saving one.

Look at what he says, the Son of God.

He reminds the people that he is the Savior and that he alone is the one worthy to be worshiped.

Amen.

He said, Hey, you gotta remember, I am, but remember now they're involved in unbelievable Baal worship.

I mean, it's ungodly.

It's it's uh, and you'll see in a moment, the priest and the priestesses were involved in sexual orgies.

That was their form of worship.

I mean, they had gotten as perverted almost as America is.

Hello.

Right now, we're teaching in our school systems.

Are you ready for this?

And it breaking my heart.

I was reading an article, this in Christianity uh today.

And that we're the what's going on in our school system, starting in kindergarten, and and some of the schools teaching our kids that it doesn't matter what kind of sex you are, you know, it doesn't matter anymore.

God help us, folks.

That's perversion.

And that's exactly what we see right here.

But he's saying, hey, I'm the way, the truth, and the life.

No man cometh unto the Father except by me.

He says, I'm the only way.

And then notice what else he says.

Not only is he the saving one, I'm the searching one.

Look at the eyes like unto a flame of fire.

He comes as one who sees all.

Listen to me.

You can't get away with anything.

God sees all.

The eyes of the Lord in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

And what I love, look at what he says in Jeremiah 16, 17.

My eyes are upon all your ways.

My eyes are on all their ways.

They are not hidden from my face, nor is there iniquity hidden from my eyes.

Can you see that, church?

You cannot say this with me, church.

I can't get away with anything.

I can't get away with anything.

Hello.

Let's do it again.

I can't.

You can't.

You can fool me.

You can fool me.

You can fool your mate.

You can fool a lot of people.

You can't fool God.

You can't hide, you can't, and by the way, you can't manipulate God either.

You can't do it.

Why?

Because he's God and He sees everything.

He knows everything.

He sees the works of our hands and the motives and thoughts of our heart.

Look at what he says in Jeremiah 17, 10.

I the Lord try the heart.

Oh, hey, I try the mind to give every man according to his ways or conduct and according to the fruit of his doing, or according to what their deeds deserve.

Wow, Jeremiah 17, 10.

Tremendous truth.

He comes seeing all.

Hebrews 4.13 says, All things are open.

Hey, are you listening to this?

All things are open and laid before God.

Wow.

But notice the third thing.

He's the sovereign one.

Feet like fine brass.

You know what that means?

Brass or bronze in the Bible is a symbol of judgment.

Of judgment.

Jesus not only comes as the one able to see all, but he comes as the one that will judge all.

Wow.

He sees all, he judges all.

If there's one word that describes the situation here.

In fact, one of my, I found this verse and I memorized it this week.

Psalm 75, 7 says.

Psalm 75, verse 7 says, God is the judge.

Psalms 75:7

He puts down one and he lifts up the other.

So he, hey, he knows.

He knows.

He knows.

And he's going to put down the ones that are trying to fool him or deceive the people, and he's going to raise up the ones that are honest and true to God.

He's not going to let you get away with it.

You cannot get away with sin.

You can.

You're going to pay.

And if there's one word that describes a situation we see in this church diet here, it's the word compromise.

In fact, that's the title of the message, the compromising church.

This is a church that has left its founding principles and has gone off into compromise and apostasy.

Now, let's look at it.

But now let me remind you this is, I hadn't said this since we started in the first message.

Remember, these letters can be viewed in three ways.

The letter to the churches are viewed in three ways.

One, practically.

Practically.

They are literal letters to real churches with real issues.

They are.

They are literal letters to real churches with real issues.

Then, secondly, prophetically.

They speak to the church.

All these seven churches, God gives us great examples, and they are spoken to, hey, by God in each different church age, too.

But it gives us an example of how and what the churches will be and are.

And they transcend all the way down to today, prophetically speaking.

And this church, a thyateer, was speaks of the period between 600 A.D.

to 1500 A.D., and it's known as the Dark Ages.

And then personally, these letters have a message for every church and every, hey, every believer who will hear and heed to what God tells us.

There's a word here for us, so let's look at it.

With all this in mind, let's look at this compromising church.

Number one, he commends the service of this church.

Look at verse 19.

This is good.

He says, I know thy works, thy love and service and faith and thy patience and thy works.

And then he says, and the last to be more than the first.

Oh man, it's powerful here.

This was an active church.

This was not a bench warming church.

I meant they were in the community.

They were working.

They were, hey, benevolent.

They were sharing the gospel.

They were doing all the great works.

They had ministries.

And what it says, he says, the last are more than the first.

He was saying that they are continually, hey what?

Starting good ministries and other ministries to reach their community.

Wow.

I mean, that is very commendable.

Notice what he says.

The word works there means deeds.

It speaks of them being active in good deeds and benevolent outreach.

And then notice the word service.

It's the Greek word diakonus.

And the word means ministry.

Throughout the New Testament, the word carries the idea of those who kicked up dust.

I meant they were so involved in working in the community, they were kicking up the dust.

Now that I want to see of our church.

Can I get an amen?

And we are.

We're beginning to do that.

And I'm excited, and we're adding new ministries.

And I think I told you last week we we just uh bought an eight by eight by eight walk-in freezer and ice maker and and all that because we're starting, and I had Keith up here with the outreach of giving food and in this area and bringing people in and setting them down and working with them and loving on them and helping them more than just giving them food, giving them the gospel.

But that, hey, they need both.

Can I get an amen?

So all that's gonna be happening here in the next few months.

And works.

Why do you think?

And Jeremy back there is helping us with the field.

We're planting the grass this week.

Uh he's gonna bring the truck out and on our softball fields to bring in these kids.

Why?

Not just to play soccer.

Yes, hey, sports is an avenue and a means by which to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And all that we do in softball fields and all that we'll be doing.

It's not for the sports of it.

It's for, hey, reaching them with the gospel.

It's ministries that reach people with the gospel.

But notice the second thing, not only does he commend, first of all, he commends the service of the church, A, he commends their ministries.

But look at B, he commends their motives.

Look at what's behind these.

He says, they are motivated by the love.

This is the word agape.

It is referred.

Now, you may want to write this down.

Here's probably one of the best definitions of agape love.

And I've read so many, and I have my own definition, but I felt this was one of the best, so I wrote it down.

It refers to an unconditional.

Here's agape love.

Unconditional, unceasing love that knows no boundaries, and that is not influenced by the worth of the object being loved.

In other words, it's not loving an object because of what that object is, it's loving that object, that person, for hey, who God is.

That means there's no social status involved, or hey, in a lot of churches today, folks, listen to me.

We have the problem of people wanting to reach their own social class.

Amen.

They do.

Or they want to reach their own color.

Hello.

I'd say, I'm not afraid to say that.

Hello.

You know why?

It's man's love and not God's love.

Amen?

And we're going to see in a minute, I'm afraid, that what we see, the love here in Thyatira, was man-centered and not God-centered.

Because if it was God-centered, they would not have been participating in all the ungodly worship.

And what you don't understand, churches can be involved dynamically in their community, doing good works, but yet their hearts far from God.

And we saw that in church at Ephesus.

By the way, Christians, we can do that too.

Hello.

We can come to church every Sunday, be involved in ministry.

And do great works.

We can be involved in the food ministry.

We can be involved in the ice cream ministry, the parking ministry, the cooking ministry, the nursery, the teaching ministry, and steal our hearts far from God.

We're just going through the rituals.

That's scary, folks.

That's scary.

But we see here, let me say it again: unconditional, unceasing love that knows no boundaries and that is not influenced by the worth of the object being loved.

It loves everybody for who they are and who God wants to make them.

Not what we want to make them.

It is God's kind of love.

Now let's face the only real motive for good works is what?

Let's face it.

What is it?

Love.

What did Paul say?

Paul said it this way.

1 Corinthians 15, I mean 1 Corinthians 5, 14, the love of Christ compels me, motivates me.

Oh, what did 1 Corinthians 13, 1 through 3 say?

You can do all these great works, you can have all these great gifts, but if you don't love like Christ loves, it's useless, worthless.

We call it the love chapter.

1 John 3, 18.

I love this.

I love this.

Hey, a love that won't act is not genuine love at all.

If your love is not in action, it's not love.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

You know what?

It doesn't take me long to be around a person with my spirit to know if they really love me or care about me.

Amen.

Then it doesn't take me long to realize that they don't want to be around me.

And I'm a little when when that happens, I get a little.

I get a little pushy.

What I mean by that is I just try to love on them even more.

I do.

I do.

I try to go out of my way to help them.

Why?

That's what convicts them.

See, they don't like you, they don't want to be around you, but all you do is show them kindness and show them love and show them help.

Guess what?

The Holy Spirit nails them.

He nails them.

See, if I can love them, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

I just gotta love them.

Now, sometimes it takes a lot of the Holy Spirit for me to love them.

Amen.

That's part of me doesn't want to love them, huh?

But I have to.

I have to.

I have to.

So they were motivated by love.

Look, the second thing, they were motivated by their consecration.

Look at the word faith.

This word refers to faithfulness.

These were folks that could be counted on to get the job done.

You know what?

We've got people in this church I know I can count on to get the job done.

I am so excited to see.

I'm telling you, for a new church, and we still, we're five years old, that's still a new church.

But to see how many people work in this church and what's being done, and I know Bob's got a work day coming up this next Saturday.

And uh, if you can come down and help us, wait till you see our new educational space.

We're gonna have, we're gonna have a kitchenette in there too, where we're gonna have the freezer.

It's just gonna be awesome.

And we're looking at uh next year, Mom's Day out to reach these young families and all kinds of things that are going on.

Folks, do you realize these ministries are motivated by the love of Christ because we want to help these young couples come to know Christ and what it means to have a godly home?

We don't know what that means in America anymore.

Somebody's got to set an example.

Why do you think we do uh wana on Wednesday night for your precious kids to put the word of God in them?

I had one of my uh Stephanie told me the other day, she said, Dad, those I wana and Mary, I meant not Stephanie, Mary.

Mary, they just started wana.

And she said, Dad, I can remember all the verses I learned in Iwana.

It changed my life.

And she said, now Braden and Brooklyn's in I and they're coming home with quoting scripture.

I you know what that does to Poppy.

The word never returns void, folks.

I'm all for our kids learning sports.

I was all American and three of them.

But if hey, I'm more interested in learning the word of God.

Amen.

We led half our football team to the Lord, my senior here.

Yes, that's what we're talking about, the word.

They were motivated by their faith.

They worked, they you could count on them.

We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus.

What?

Unto good works.

Ephesians 2.10.

And listen to what else he says.

In all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works.

Titus 2.7.

Ladies and gentlemen, you ought to be able to be known by your works.

You should know them by what?

The fruits that they bear, Jesus said.

Matthew 7:1.

Matthew 7:1

Too many times there's work to be done around the church, and no one who wants to do it.

You know what gets me excited about this church?

Every Sunday, and we're going to do it here in a little bit, in about 10 minutes, this whole sanctuary here will be turned into a little cafeteria.

Just like that.

By the time you put your Bibles in your car and come back, you're in line, you're going through and you're eating.

Why?

Because of you.

Everybody does their part.

Everybody does their part.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

That's for, but it's fun.

It's so much fun to know that you're going to sit down and you're going to talk to people.

And I encourage you every Sunday when you eat with us.

Try to find somebody you hadn't, maybe you don't know, you've seen them in church, but you hadn't talked to them.

Sit down with them and eat with them.

Get to know them.

Get to know them.

It's something about breaking bread together.

Amen.

We love that.

Susan, I love having people into our home and breaking bread with them.

Even though they do, sometimes we all stay too late.

Sylvester kept me up late the other night.

But now watch.

Not only do we see, hey, he commends their motives and their love and their faith, but notice the third thing, he commends their maturity.

Notice what he says works and the last to be more than the first.

They are constantly, hey, growing in their ministries and in their works.

That's awesome.

What Jesus says about the church at Thyatir should be true to all of our churches.

We should be a church that is busy for the glory of God, not just having activities for the sake of doing them.

Now, let me tell you why we do it.

We said to reach it, but I'm going to give you three things here in a minute.

But I found this is so cute, I wanted to read it to you.

One preacher said it this way.

This is so cute.

We can bowl for blessings on Monday night.

We can jog for Jesus on Tuesday night.

We can eat in the kitchenette and endure a sermonette on Wednesday night.

We have home runs for heaven on Thursday night, goth for glory on Friday, and spread the table to stay able on Saturday.

In other words, he's saying we should be acted in the Lord's work, but we should see that everything we do is motivated for three things with people.

And here they are.

Write it down.

I don't think I left you a place for this.

But hey, first of all, why do we do what we do?

Ephesians 4.12 says, we do it to build the body of Christ.

We build the body of Christ, to build each other up, to reach people and build them up in the things of God, to teach them the things of God.

And the second reason we do it is to evangelize them, to bring them to Christ.

And then the third reason is we do it to exalt Jesus.

We do it to edify them, to build them up.

We do it to evangelize them, and then we do it to exalt Jesus.

In John 12, 32, Jesus said, If I be exalted, I'll draw all men unto myself.

Can I get an Amen church?

That's why we do what we do.

That's any ministry ought to do, ought to encompass those three things.

One, to build the body, to build them up in Christ, to reach them for Christ, and to exalt Christ.

That's it.

That's scripturally what we do when you do a ministry.

And if your ministries aren't doing that, or if your small group's not doing that, you're just, hey, you're just fellowshipping.

And I'm all for fellowship, but that ought to be a purpose.

In other words, you're just starting to have a social club.

Hello.

You're starting to have a club.

And you enjoy the club.

I enjoy the club.

Somebody asked me, says, You go to the Y a lot.

I hadn't lately because I got 10 to 9.

I said, My calf.

Hopefully.

But you know why I go?

To work out?

Yes.

To get stress off my?

Yes.

You know where I really go?

To evangelize.

And I got some key people in the Y.

One little sweet lady, Jean, a little black lady at the at the counter, when I walk in, she said, Pastor Danny, what's the word for today?

Do you know what that does to me?

I start preaching for what I've just been studying for three hours and start telling them.

And she, I mean, it just opens the door to evangelize, to exalt Christ.

Because people will be drawn to Him.

Amen.

And to evangelize.

That's what we do, to build up, and those that are there, to build the body up, those that know Christ, to build them up, to encourage them.

And she'll tell you, that's why she loves to ask me that.

What's the word for today?

Because it's encouraging.

We encourage one another.

We build the body.

Hey, we we evangelize and we exalt Christ.

That's what everything we do on this property should do.

When we meet with our council, I've said this almost every time.

We meet here today for one purpose, and the decisions we make in this council for this church will either bring people to Christ or it will not.

And every decision we make is to bring people to Christ.

That's what we do.

That's what we do.

Three tasks right there.

That's it.

He did not save us to be lazy Christians.

Can I get an amen?

I heard about these two men who were walking down the street when they saw these three bums lying in the gutter.

One said to the other, which of those three bums do you think is the laziest?

He said, I don't know, but we'll find out.

He said, All right, what are we gonna do?

He said, Watch this.

He went over to the three bums and he said, Hey, hey there, I'll give you a$20 bill to the one that is the most laziest.

One jumped up and said, Huh, I'm the most laziest.

He said, No, you're not the most laziest.

The other turned around and he raised his hand up and said, Here, give me the 20.

I'm the most laziest.

He said, No, you're not the most laziest.

The third one just laid there and he said, Why don't you just put it in my pocket?

Now that's the most laziest.

Amen.

You ever known anybody like that?

Just a thought.

Just a thought.

Number two.

Jesus confronts the sin in the church.

Verses 20 through 23.

While this church appeared to be everything a church ought to be on the surface at its heart, there were there was a very festering soar, a very festering sin.

The church of Thyateur looked good on the outside, but inwardly it was not doing too well.

1 Samuel 16, verse 7 says, The Lord looks on, hey, the hey, the Lord sees not as man sees.

1 Samuel 16:7

Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.

That's so important.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

Couple of things here that I saw that really got me.

First of all, Jesus comes to confront their sin.

And here's what he says.

First of all, he confronts the teacher of the church.

Look at verses 20 through 23.

He confronts the teacher.

Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee because thou surest that woman, Jezebel.

Now the woman there's, we don't know really who the woman was.

When I don't think her name was Jezebel, but she was acting like the Jezebel of the Old Testament.

She was a Jezebel, which called herself a prophecy, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not.

Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into a great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Verse 23, and I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Whoa! What unbelievable truth Jesus just says.

Now again, we see right here, he confronts the teacher, Jezebel.

Jesus exposes her and her teachings and her judgment in these verses.

And let me remind you, what does Ephesians 5.11 say?

Have no fellowship with unwhat?

Fruitful works of darkness, but what?

Rather reprove them.

Instead of giving in to them, reprove them.

Get them out of the church.

You have to.

Now watch this.

A little background on the biblical Jezebel, if you remember, helps us understand this woman.

Jezebel was the wife of a wicked king Ahab in 1 Kings 16.

Her name means chase, but she was anything but that.

She was the wicked daughter of a Gentile king.

She was a devoted worshiper of Baal, and she had working under her 450 prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18.

You remember Elijah confronts them on the Mount Carmel?

So this is the lady we're talking about.

And remember, she had one purpose, and that was to kill as many of the priests and prophets of God that she could.

She ran Elijah into a cave.

He was so scared.

But God's judgment took care of Jezebel.

Jezebel was thrown out of the window, ran over by the chariot, and eaten by the dogs.

Only thing left was her bones of her hands and her skull.

You can't play with God.

And you don't mess with God's work and God's people and God's messengers.

And watch.

Baal was worshiped through vile sexual acts and gross wickedness.

We see that.

One, look at verse 20.

Her sin is described.

She was a self-appointed prophecy.

Whoever she was, we don't know.

She was guilty of leading people away from true worship of God.

Remember when I mentioned the trade unions?

This city was a trade union.

Now watch how this fits.

These unions were often, uh, they would have meetings in the pagan temples around the town.

Such meetings were often immoral affairs.

You know what they'd do?

They'd get, they would offer uh bullets at the beginning or the end of the meeting of the idols, and then what they would do, they would get drunk, they would do drugs, and they would have sex.

That's that was their worship.

And here's what the unions did.

They were all, hey, behind all of this.

So what's happening in the church is now these thyrians have gotten saved, but yet they are these workers and they're part of the union, and the only way they're going to get their job or hey, keep their work is to participate.

And so now we have a prophecy that comes into the church and she says this it's okay for you to get saved and still participate in that kind of worship.

Now, think a minute.

I hope you've been following me.

Does that sound familiar?

Absolutely.

That was the Nickelodeon's form of false teaching.

They separated the body from the soul.

They didn't care what the body did.

The body could do anything as long as you took care of the soul.

So you could be saved and still participate in all that garbage.

But I got a problem with that, and the word of God has a problem with that.

And the word of God is pretty adamant about that.

Truly.

In fact, hey, he says, come out from 1 Corinthians 6, 18 through 20, come out from among them, be ye separate, saith the Lord, touch not the unclean things, and I will receive you.

Hey, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.

I mean, it's very, and then when you get the first John, hey, listen to what he says in 1 John 1 6.

If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we are a liar.

And the truth's not in us.

That's powerful.

Hey, that uh that nail us right between the eyes.

Oh, well, I'm a Christian, but you live like the devil.

I got, hey, somebody's lying.

Hello.

Oh, wait, wait, wait.

What's this?

1 John 2, 4.

He that says I know him and keeps not my commandments is a liar and the truth's not in him.

Hello.

Oh, I'm saved.

I just don't go to church.

I don't read my Bible.

I do what I want when I want, but it's okay.

I'm saved.

I got somebody's lying.

Are you listening to me, church?

Man.

Listen to what Jesus said.

Do I have this up here, Jason?

If not, I want you to throw it up.

I want you to hear what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

This is powerful.

I saw this yesterday morning, and I said, oh, we gotta look at that.

Matthew, Matthew 7, 15 through 20.

I want you to see what Jesus said.

It's profound and illuminating, and I'm telling you, it's unreal.

Matthew 7, 15 through 20.

And Jesus is speaking.

This is part of the Sermon on the Mount.

And listen to what he says.

Beware.

There it is.

Beware of false prophets who come to you in what?

But inwardly they are what?

This is what we see.

That's what a Jezebel was.

Okay?

Then you will know them by their what?

Do men gather grape from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?

Even so, every good tree, read it, bears what?

But a bad tree bears what?

A good tree cannot bear what?

Nor can a bad tree bear what?

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Therefore, say it with me, church, by their fruits you shall know them.

Jesus put it plain and clear.

You can tell me all day long you're a Christian, but if your fruits are bad, I got news for you.

You're not a Christian.

You're a liar, and the truth's not in you.

You say that's hard.

No, no, no, no, no.

That's the truth.

Now, here's the exciting thing.

Jesus says, I know you're doing that and I know what's going on, but I still love you.

And here, I want you to repent.

I know you think you're a Christian and you're out there running and doing what you want to.

And I know you think you're okay, but I want you to know you're not, but I love you.

I died for you.

Please repent.

What love.

What grace.

Now watch.

Whatever she was doing, she was leading people of God astray.

Look at the word seduce.

Let me tell you what that word means.

To lead out of the right path.

When somebody seduces you, they lead you out of the right path.

And they lead you into the wrong path.

Notice the other word: fornication.

You know where it comes from?

The word pornia.

We get the word pornography from it.

It refers to any sexual sin.

The word literally means, watch, to prostitute one's body to the lust of another.

That's what it means.

Wow.

That's why it says in 1 Corinthians 6.18, flee fornication.

Run from it.

Thank God for Joseph.

He ran.

He ran out of her presence.

He ran away.

Now watch.

It can refer to sexual sin or it can be used as a metaphor for idol worship, regardless of what they were doing.

Notice verse 24.

The Lord calls it the depths of Satan.

And let me say this it couldn't get any worse.

They were at Satan's throne.

Wow.

Wow.

We see that teaching today.

Everywhere people who call themselves Christians claim that they can have a relationship with the Lord on the one hand, live lives open in sin on the other.

Homosexuals, pornographers, drug abusers, drunkards, adherers to false religions, etc., on and on and on and on and on.

Folks, somebody's a liar.

He that says he loves me keeps not my commandments.

He's a liar.

And the truth's not in him.

If you love me, John 14, 15, keep my commandments.

Powerful, powerful.

The Lord told these people right here, separate from that kind of lifestyle, 2 Corinthians 6.17.

He told us that his people receive a new birth at John 3.3, and that they become new creations.

2 Corinthians 5.17.

Anyone who lives a lifestyle of committed, continual, unrepented sin cannot be saved.

Did you hear me?

Continual.

Continual, committed sin.

1 John 2, 9 and 10.

That's what it says.

You know what Romans 14, 16 says?

Let me tell you what two verses that have helped me over the last 35 years of my Christian life about trying to be a good testimony.

Because there's a people try to say there's a lot of gray area.

There's no gray area.

We make the gray area.

Romans 14, 16, Paul said this.

Let not your good be evil spoken of.

Let not your good be evil spoken of.

1 Thessalonians 5.22.

Abstain from all appearances of evil.

Oh my goodness.

All appearances.

That's gonna decide what you watch on TV.

What you listen to, what you read.

Amen.

Think about that.

Don't let your good be evil spoken of.

Don't let, hey, abstain from all appearances of evil.

My goodness.

Somebody, when I was teaching at Liberty University, you know what the big issue was?

Social drinking.

It's a big issue now.

Okay.

Preacher.

God created the wine in the Bible.

Not even gonna try to debate that.

Okay?

You know what I used to?

And and we I'd had 800 to a thousand students.

We'd go on and I'd let them go.

I enjoy debates like that.

And we'd go on and we'd go on.

There's nothing wrong.

Moderation.

Okay?

Moderation.

I'd let them go on.

The next day, after we had a good discussion, you know what I did?

I came in and I do this once a semester.

I'd come in.

Everybody gets started.

We'd pray and all.

I say, man, I'm thirsty.

I'd pull out a beer beer can.

Now they didn't know it was empty.

Now let's go.

We're gonna.

Pastor Danny.

I mean, literally, they'd be.

I said, now wait a minute.

Time out.

What's wrong with me drinking this beer?

I'm thirsty.

But Pastor Danny, you're you're the you're the teacher.

You're the evangelist, you're the preacher, you're that, and this on and on and on, you know, they start come popping up everywhere.

I said, oh really?

I thought y'all said that didn't matter.

I'm just gonna drink one.

Everybody in here that drinks beer, y'all gonna think I'm all over you.

Here's my point.

Do not let your good be evil spoken of.

800 to 900 students, right there, my good was being evil spoken of.

And I ain't even taken a drink.

I just put it up there.

Abstain from all appearances of evil.

Well, beer's not evil.

I didn't say it was, did I?

They did.

Hello?

I rest my case.

I'm just sharing my heart, folks.

My mother died of alcoholism.

You know what she told me?

Died at 52.

I said, Mom, when did you start drinking?

You know what she said?

Started with one beer.

You don't know what's gonna happen.

You don't know.

Now wait a minute.

And I know the other sins are just as bad.

The overeating and all that.

I agree.

In fact, isn't it amazing how Proverbs talks about the drunkard, and then he says, put a knife to your throat if you're a big man given to appetite?

Hello.

I used to have my kids all the time say, Pastor Denny, they always talk about drinking, but they never talk about the overeating.

And preacher's up there weighing 500 pounds.

And he's preaching on my drinking, but he doesn't say anything about his eating.

I'm just telling you what the kid said.

It's amazing when you teach scholar students for 20 years, what you can learn.

It makes a difference, folks.

Your testimony means a lot.

And then his sentences, hey, his sentence is the, first of all, notice number two, the stubbornness is denounced.

The Lord, hey, verse 21 says, hey, followers, time and he says, hey, turn from the sin, refuse it, repent.

Our God is patient.

He's a loving God.

He gives lost sinners and wayward believers opportunity on top of opportunity to get right with him.

When they refuse, he says they can expect nothing less than judgment.

Look at what he says in Proverbs 29:1.

Proverbs 29:1

This is awesome.

He who hey often is rebuked and hardens his neck will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Wow.

When we reject the warnings of God, the convictions of God, and we harden our heart, he said, destruction's coming suddenly.

Wow.

Ask Pharaoh.

What happened?

And then her sentence is declared, verses 22 through 23.

Because of what she has done, she and all her followers will face God's wrath by using the phrase, look at it.

Cast her into great tribulation.

He is telling us that these people are not saved, but notice the grace in his judgment.

He is still giving them, look at it, the space to repent.

If they refuse, they will be judged.

Notice what he says, according to your works.

Salvation is always based on God's grace, not works.

But judgment is always based on your works.

Somebody say that's good.

I'm going to repeat that again.

You need to write that down.

Salvation is always based on God's grace.

For by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourself.

It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast, but God's judgment is based always on your works.

Jesus said in Revelation 22, 12, Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according to his work shall be.

Always.

People who will not bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, trust him for salvation, demonstrate that salvation through a changed, dedicated life are people who have never been saved.

They abide under the wrath of God and will be judged by him according to their works.

Revelations 20, 11 through 15.

And we're going to see that in detail.

But notice what it also else says.

Do you notice it refers to her children in verse 23?

The young people are always the ones that suffer the most.

That's why he says, Despise not thy youth.

And he goes on and he says, and I love that scripture.

He says, not only despise them not, but be an example to them.

No man.

He says, let no man despise the youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, love, faith, and purity, showing yourself an example of those who believe.

You know who hurts the most?

The kids.

Anytime there's a breakup in a family, who hurts the most?

The kids.

I'm praying and dealing with a lot of our people, a lot of other people that's going through different situations with custody cases and stuff and all that.

And it's just a big old mess.

But you know why?

Satan is behind it all.

He's come to kill, steal, and destroy.

He wants to destroy the home.

But you know what?

He really wants to destroy the young people.

He wants to turn them away from God.

And he's doing a good job of it.

Then notice the second thing he confronts the tolerance of the church.

Verse 20.

Jesus expresses displeasure with this church because they allow this woman to be in a position of leadership, and because they tolerate the lies she was teaching for truth, the word sufferish.

You know what it means?

To tolerate, to permit, to allow.

Ephesians 4.27 says, Neither give place to the devil.

Can I get an amen?

Oh, but Pastor Danny, we can't judge.

Everybody's doing it.

Oh, you can't say anything that's going to offend somebody.

They may not come back.

Oh my soul, folks.

Help me.

We never, never say anything in a harsh way.

What we say is in a loving way, but we if you really love, listen, let me help you, parents.

If you really love your children, you're going to discipline.

Hello.

That's what's there's 18 different verses in Proverbs that talks about that.

If you really, hey, if God really loves us, He's going to chasten us.

You can't get away with it.

And you can't tolerate it.

And then notice the third thing.

See, he confronts the testimony of the church.

Verse 23.

He confronts the testimony of the church.

Powerful.

And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins in the hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your work.

Wow.

The Lord tells the church that he would use them as an example to teach other churches what happens when truth is compromised.

The Lord will not tolerate sin in the church.

When it is allowed to flourish, remember what he said in 1 Peter 4.17?

Reminds us the judgment must begin at the house of God.

Here's what happens.

And I've seen this in all these churches.

In other words, when there is sin in the camp, the Lord will deal with it.

He will remove his presence and his power from the congregation.

In fact, he will write Ichabod over the door.

You know what that means?

God has left this place.

God help us.

God help us.

And then the last thing, and I'm through.

He comforts the saints in the church.

One, he comforts them concerning their duty, verses 24 through 25.

He tells them that he expects from them is that they stay the course.

Is that not it?

Stay the course.

He wants us to stay the course for the glory of God.

He wants us to put on the armor of God in Ephesians 6, 11 through 18.

He says three different times, stand when you've done all you can do, stand when you've done all you can do, stand.

Because he knows it's coming.

He knows the temptation, the battle's coming.

And then secondly, he confronts them concerning their destiny.

Verses 26 through 27.

The Lord Jesus promises them that if they will remain faithful to him, they will rule with him.

When he comes in his kingdom, he seems to be saying, You folks are powerless to change your situation now.

But the day is coming when I will put my power into your hands and you will reign with me, and your struggle for holiness will be worth it all in the end.

Thank the Lord.

But I got news for you.

One day it's all gonna be over, church.

Oh, it's all gonna be over.

Why?

The next part.

Notice what he says.

I love this.

Hey, is this not awesome?

He comforts them concerning their deliverance.

Verse 28.

Jesus promises these faithful believers the morning star.

Now there's a lot of stuff about the morning star.

A lot of stuff.

From the Masons to Satan to Jesus.

In fact, right here in Revelation, after all, Jesus is the bright morning star, Revelations 22, 16.

Some think it refers to Satan, Luke 10, 18, that Jesus will let the church see Satan get what's coming to him someday.

Ha ha.

We will see that too.

Revelations 20, 10.

Now, let me tell what I think he's talking about.

I think he's talking about the rapture.

It's mighty dark now, but there's going to be a glimmer of hope in the heavens.

Hang on.

He says, I'm coming.

If Jesus is the bright morning star, and he is, guess what?

One day he's coming back for his church.

And you know when he's coming?

When it's the darkest.

The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

That's the only time it's gonna pay to be dead.

But the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the heaven.

Wherefore comfort one another for these words?

He's coming, church.

The bright and morning star is coming.

He's coming.

And the question is are you ready?

Are you ready?

Are you trying to live one foot in the world and one foot in the church?

Or maybe you're just saying, I'm just living for the world.

Oh my friends, I'm gonna cry out like he told this group of people in Thai tier.

I beg you, repent.

Don't let me bring the wrath of tribulation upon you.

That's what he said.

Young people, please don't fall for this ungodly bait that Satan has given to you.

Don't do it.

Well, everybody's doing it.

No, not everybody is doing it.

There's always a chosen raiment that's not doing it.

God's church is not doing it.

Not a real church.

You say, but they think I'm weird.

Well, that's okay.

Hey, I am weird.

I'm different.

You're supposed to be a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people.

You're supposed to be different.

When people look at you, they ought to see a reflection of who Jesus is, not who the world is.

Are you listening?

Now I'm not talking about being some.

Yeah.

You ought to be a fanatic for Jesus.

Amen.

You know what a fanatic is?

You know what Dr.

Falwell told me about a fanatic?

He said, you know what a fanatic for Jesus is?

I said, no, sir, what is it?

He says, someone loves Jesus more than you do.

That has always stuck with me.

A fanatic.

You're a fanatic.

Preacher, you're a fanatic.

Yeah, I am.

I got the can't help it.

Can't help but speak.

Hey, the things that I've seen and heard.

Acts 4.20.

Can't.

I can't.

Do you love him this morning?

Do you really love him?

Do you really love him?

Peter, do you love me?

Feed my sheep.

Peter, do you love me?

Feed my sheep.

Peter, do you really love me?

Lord, you know I love you.

Really?

And feed my sheep.

You know what he's telling Peter?

You denied me three times.

He gave him a chance to tell him he loved him three times.

But you know what he's telling you?

Okay, Peter.

Go live what you know to be true.

Go live what you know to be true.