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June 6, 2024 - Jim Bakker Show
58:10
Sermon 7: The Churches At Thyatira & Sardis
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Time Text
White Stone, New Name 00:02:10
Revelation 2, 18.
Remember in our study last week, we studied that those who overcome will be given a white stone, which signifies acquittal, redemption.
Not a black stone.
A black stone means you have been doomed to punishment.
But he said, I'm going to give you that white stone.
We studied it last week.
And he will give us that hidden manna.
And he's going to feed us.
He's going to care for us.
He's going to provide for us.
And he says, I give you a white stone and in that stone a new name written for you.
And in Bible days, when your name was written on a stone and the owner of an estate had put your name with his name, it meant you and your family to come would always have a lodging place eternally with that family.
So this white stone that Jesus is talking about has deep meaning to it.
It means redemption.
Man, I don't know if you've ever been in a courtroom.
Anybody ever been on trial beside me here?
Anybody had a trial, you know?
And have that judge wrap that gavel?
Boy, and tell you you're guilty.
And you're being punished.
I'm telling you, that's what happens when that black stone was given out.
That meant you're guilty.
You are in trouble.
You are being punished.
You're going to be put away.
But if you get that white stone, it meant you are going free.
Oh, when I walked out of prison, what a wonderful day.
I'll tell you, I have such little faith, you know, because even when I was given freedom, even when I was acquitted or given freedom from the parole and all the things, you know, the men in prison, there's a prison, a prisoner saying, and the prisoners say, you ain't got nothing coming.
Merry-Go-Round Dreams 00:03:02
That's literally the, isn't it, Mondo?
That's the saying of prison.
That's the motto of prison.
Because they've been disappointed so many times.
So they just say, you ain't got nothing coming.
And so even when I was finally given the paperwork that says, Jim, you're going on the merry-go-round.
And you say, what is a merry-go-round?
A merry-go-round is what every prisoner lives for.
It means it's your last days in the prison and you have papers.
And you take these papers and you go around to all the different departments of the prison and everybody signs off.
The doctor signs off that you have your test.
All the different ones of the prison signs off that you're able to leave the prison.
And that's the merry-go-round.
And I would watch many of the friends from prison go on the merry-go-round.
I think, oh, God, would I ever go on the merry-go-round?
Would I ever go out?
Would I ever get set free?
And when I finally came to go on the merry-go-round, you know, a guy said, well, you know, sometimes they let you out.
And then as soon as you get out, they serve more papers to you and you got to go right back in.
You ain't got nothing coming.
But I want to tell you something.
When in the middle of the night, they released me in the middle of the night because there was so much publicity around my case that they wanted to do it secretly.
So the warden arranged for me to go out in the dark of the night in the middle of the night.
I even went out the back gates of the prison because the press was at the front gates with all their trucks and everything.
And the warden didn't want any publicity.
But I'll tell you what, when I finally got in that car, and I'll tell you, that security guard, from the parole people that were, I mean, the people that were delivering me out to the airport, from the one of the, actually, actually it's in a guard.
And when that guard offered me a stick of gum, I knew, I began to, you know, that excitement was inside of me.
You know, there's no gum allowed in prison.
So when they offered me a stick of juicy fruit gum, I knew I was free.
Because, see, you can put gum in locks and you can make molds out of it and you can put stick up your locks and keep them open with a piece of gum.
You're never allowed a piece of gum.
I'll tell you, I began to taste freedom.
It tastes like juicy fruit gum.
Did you know that?
But I began to get excited.
And I'll tell you, the further away I got from that prison, the more the joy began to well up inside of me.
And I got to the airport there in the middle of the night in Savannah, Georgia, and there was my son greeting me with outstretched arms as I ran to meet him.
Words Move Along Cheerfully 00:14:17
But I was set free.
Oh, people, you have no idea what it is to be set free unless you realize what we deserve.
And we all deserve hell.
But instead, because of Christ, we've learned in the last church, we have the white stone of forgiveness, of redemption, that says we're free.
Not only free, we have a home eternally with God.
Our name is signed there on that white stone.
So now, in Revelation 2.18, we are at the church at Thyataria.
Can't even say it, but I'm going to try.
I don't know why I have the hardest time with names.
Everyone pronounces this church just a little bit different.
And unto the angel, and remember the angel means messenger and pastor as well as angel.
We studied this word, and this is very important that we understand the word beast even in the book of Revelation is, I believe, a very wrong word to be used.
It means a living being.
And we'll see that as we go along.
So we must know the true meaning of the Greek words as we study the book of Revelation.
So unto the messenger or the pastor of the church in Thyataria, write these things, saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass.
Remember, every greeting to every church is another piece of the description of Jesus Christ.
Are you hearing me?
Now, if you note all of these that we have been teaching you, when we go to find out where does Jesus return in the book of Revelation, we will recognize him by his description.
We will know it can be no one else.
And that is how we know where the coming of the Lord takes place in the book of Revelation.
And where most of you have been taught and you probably still believe, there is no scriptural basis for the rapture or the coming of the Lord taking place at that point.
It simply is a figment of our imaginations.
And we'll go there and we'll show it to you.
I mean, it's not truth.
I mean, anyone, all the Bible scholars that are studying in depth are appalled by this teaching that has brought us to the point.
You know, today we don't want any teaching that says we're going to go through anything.
We want all happy church.
We want all prosperity and riches.
We don't want any tribulation.
And even with the greatest prosperity, God says it's going to come with tribulation, with persecution.
Is that right?
Yeah, I guess I'll never draw crowds at this rate, will I?
Look at Daniel 10:6, and you'll understand this of God.
Unto the angel, the messenger, this is written, These things saith the Son of God, whose eyes are like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass.
This is an unbelievable description of God and his Son, Jesus Christ.
Daniel 10:6, his body also was like the burl, and his face as the appearance of lightning.
Daniel 10, 6.
And his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass.
From Revelation back to Genesis, we have descriptions of God and of Christ, things that only belong to him.
And as you study this, revelation is going to come to you.
And the voice of his words are like the voice of a multitude.
There's another description of the voice of God, like the voice of a multitude.
So here we see this next church being identified.
But first of all, Jesus is giving another piece of the mystery of his description.
You know, if you are Sherlock Holmes, you're going to take bits of information to solve a mystery.
You'll find a piece here and a piece there.
And that's how we study the word.
The Bible in its totalness describes its own self, interprets its own self.
I know thy works.
Verse 19, we're back at Revelation 2:19 now.
Oh, we've had to lay so much foundation.
It's going to be so exciting when you get to where we're going.
I mean, this book is just going to, we're going to have such excitement as we go through this book of Revelation.
And I'll tell you, by the time we get to the end, it is going to be so dramatic.
I know thy works.
Every time we see the opening of a church here, each one of the churches, he says, I know you.
He knows us.
He knows our works.
It says, I know you're toiling.
I know your work.
Some people just groan and moan and complain and bellyache all the time.
Nobody cares about me.
Nobody sees me working.
I'm down here in the kitchen cooking and nobody cares.
I'm up here mopping floors.
Nobody cares.
I'm doing.
Listen, God knows.
God knows you.
You're in the palm of his hand.
You're etched on his hand.
You are there.
You are by his heart.
He sent his only son to die for you.
He says, I know your works.
I know your efforts.
And he goes on to say, and I know your charity.
I know your love and affection.
This word of love is really benevolent.
This is a giving and an affection and love.
And this word love here really also means helping the poor, helping the needy.
And so when you do these things, I'm telling you, when you help the poor, you lend to God.
You want to be God's hand extended, then you help the poor.
You help the abandoned.
You help the broken.
We've got to do this.
Many people will be coming because of television.
They'll come here because they're looking for hope.
And we need to be here to be available for them.
If a pregnant girl comes here, we need to be able to get her into a fine girl's home where she can have her baby.
We need to be able to be God's hands extended.
God says, I know you, church.
I know all about you.
And I know what you do.
And he says, I know it when you give in charity.
I know your love and affection.
And your service.
Service means ministering.
I know your ministry.
I think Charlie's, I see Charlie right ahead of me there, but she works in the bookkeeping here.
She works in the office.
She's doing a wonderful job.
She has a wonderful voice on the telephone when you call.
But she's doing a work.
She is ministering.
When you work for the ministry, you are ministering.
It doesn't make any difference.
If you're out in the kitchen cooking, we have wonderful people that cook in our kitchen.
It's ministering to the saints.
It's ministry.
And God is saying, I know it when you're ministering.
And your faith.
And that means your faithfulness to the gospel.
Now, I've studied hours for this, folks.
I throw a few words out, but I want to move quicker because I want to get into the next part of the book of Revelation.
But I want you to hear these words.
When I throw these words out, I've checked them out in the Greek.
I've checked out from the original text of the Bible so we can get the full feeling of what Jesus said.
And faith to the gospel and thy patience.
Oh, that word patience in the Greek is so wonderful.
It means cheerful endurance.
Oh, isn't that good?
That doesn't mean, well, I'm just, I'm going to make it, but I'm just sitting here.
I don't like it, but I'm enduring this thing.
No, that's not what Christ was saying.
He's saying, I know your cheerful endurance.
Amen.
Don't you want to hang out with cheerful endurers?
Faithful, cheerful people, happy people?
Amen.
Amen.
The joy of the Lord is truly strength in our life.
So he says, I know your works, your toil, your effort.
I know your love and charity and service and ministering and your faith to the gospel and thy patience, your cheerful endurance, and thy works.
He said it again, your acts.
And the last to be more than the first.
Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee.
Because thou sufferest this woman, Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce.
Jezebel means literally a false teacher, a false teacher.
And we have many false teachers today.
We have people teaching the love of money.
And the Bible says the root of all evil is the love of money.
How can we teach what Jesus taught against?
Jezebel in the Old Testament is where this name comes from.
You know the story of Jezebel.
I don't even have to go there, but she was a wicked woman in the Bible.
And she painted her face.
And that's why we call someone who street walks and has a lot of makeup on.
They say, well, that's a Jezebel.
And that's where it comes from.
The Bible actually says she painted her face.
And this woman, Jezebel, and I'm not against makeup, ladies.
I didn't mean to get there.
I'm not trying to be offensive.
CM Ward used to always say any old barn could use a coat of paint.
So I don't know.
No, no, that was Dr. Ward.
I didn't say that.
The man's dead.
Don't get mad at him.
Let's move along.
Let's move along.
I'm in trouble now.
I can say.
Smile there.
Smile at me, please.
But Jezebel literally put the prophets to death.
This smart aleck woman.
Did you ever see a smart aleck woman?
I mean, she thinks she's cute.
She thinks she's just so pretty.
And she thinks she can get anything she wants with her little old body.
You ever see any woman like that?
Just wiggle their bodies around, and boy, they're seducing men all over a place.
That's why it's called a Jezebel spirit.
This Jezebel got what she wanted.
She wanted the prophets dead.
She got the prophets killed.
Her husband wanted a vineyard.
So what did she do?
She wasn't only a seductress, she was a forger.
She forged the king's name.
So she got this poor man.
The king tried to buy the field, but she said, well, the guy wouldn't sell his field, his vineyard.
And so she gets this idea.
She says, so she puts letters out under the king's name, and she gets this guy killed.
So she steals the vineyard.
But what happened?
God hates this.
You know, God hates it when people take what one man built and declare it for themselves.
That's why I am a defender of the founder.
I believe in the founder's rights.
I believe when people pioneer and they build, even if they get old and senile, they should still be blessed.
They should still be honored.
I believe it.
It's God's way.
You know, one of the things I noticed about the Opri, they don't throw anybody out.
I mean, when you get old and senile, they're wheeling you in in a wheelchair.
But they honor their own.
If country music could honor their own, why shouldn't we as God's people honor one another?
I don't know why I'm saying this today, but you know, you get a lot of young preachers that come along.
They want to steal the old man's church.
I mean, there's a time when preachers need to move on.
They need to resign and move on.
But woe unto you who brings the offense about, the Bible says.
Desert Encounter 00:03:05
God will open the door.
You don't have to kick down doors.
You don't have to beat people up.
God has a way around things.
Amen.
When I was at CBN, my brother died in Tucson, Arizona.
And I went out there to see my brother in his last hours.
And while I was there, I went out in the desert to pray.
And supernaturally, God met me.
When I stepped to the foot of the hills, out there in that desert with no people around, I felt the presence of Christ.
And for many hours, I talked to Jesus.
And it was like an audible voice.
And I walked up through the hills of the sand there of the desert, and I saw fences all around.
I was quite amazed.
Why would there be fences up there in that desert area?
And I had been asking God about the denominations that were being filled with the Holy Spirit.
And that's just when the outpouring of the Holy Ghost started.
And so many in Pentecostal circus were circles, circus, circles, were upset because the, you know, the Presbyterians, the Lutherans, all that was receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
And they were just, boy, just upset.
It was like we had a franchise on the Holy Ghost.
You know?
I mean, this really happened back in those days, in the 60s, 70s.
And so I said, God, what should we do?
And God said, get up and walk with me.
And I walked with the Lord.
And we walked over, and there was all these fences.
He said, denominations are like fences.
And he said, but don't tear them down.
He said, come with me.
And we walked a little bit further, and there was a big opening in the fence.
He said, see, you could have gone over there and started tearing things down and trying to get in there.
He said, but my spirit has the way into all the churches.
He said, don't tear down.
Don't destroy.
He says, I have the way in.
And oh, we've seen.
I'll tell you, at Heritage USA, we used to have literally tens of thousands of spirit-filled Catholics would come there to be with us.
And there's genuine believers.
I believe almost everywhere in every denomination.
And you never, ever get anywhere by beating people over the head.
The Spirit of God will guide you and open the doors of where you should go.
So here's Jezebel.
Beware of False Prophets 00:15:24
She took it upon herself.
She took authority.
She took her husband's authority as the king.
And she did evil things, evil things.
This was an evil woman.
Caused the prophets to be killed in great numbers.
And then the end of Jezebel, I might say you know what the end of Jezebel was.
They threw her out the window and the dogs ate her up.
The dogs devoured her.
So notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, that false teacher, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce.
And that word seduce in the Greek is to roam from safety, causes people to leave the safety of God's church, the safety of God's presence, and be seduced from truth and virtue.
My servants to commit fornication.
And remember, that word fornication is a big word of basic filthiness.
Sexual sin, male and female in the Greek.
It's from the word that we get the word pornography from.
The first word in the part of the word in the Greek is porn.
So here we see she caused the servants of the Lord to commit pornography, to commit sin, to commit intercourse, to commit unlawful lust, even, it says.
And to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
And here's the Lord Jesus goes on and he says, and I gave her space.
I gave her time is what that means.
I gave her time, a space of time.
I gave her time to repent of her pornography, of her fornication, of her sexual sins, and she repented not.
We're living in a generation that believes that God winks at sexual sin.
Why do we have a 10 commandment that says, thou shalt not commit adultery?
Why do we have it?
It's the top 10 list of what God says.
These are the most important things that I can advise you to avoid hell and problems.
I gave her time to repent, but she repenteth not.
Behold, I will cast her into a bed.
And then them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation.
This bed is actually a reclining couch in what they used to lay back on and actually eat from.
The kings would lay back and eat.
And so I'm going to cast her into this reclining couch.
And them that commit adultery with her into great.
Say great.
Great.
This is huge, big tribulation.
Except they repent of their deeds.
We can escape the final judgment of God.
We do not have to be destroyed with the harlot.
We do not have to be destroyed with Jezebels.
We can turn, even if you've had an affair with Jezebel.
You can turn from your wickedness.
You can repent and you can have eternal life.
He says, if they repent of their deeds, and I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins, which means the innermost mind.
I am he that searches the innermost mind and hearts.
That's our heart, our minds, our thoughts, our thinking, every part of it.
He knows us.
He says, I know your works.
He knows every part of your brain.
He knows what you think.
That's why you can pray a silent prayer and God hears you.
You can pray a prayer in your soul.
You can meditate and God can be blessed and praised in the meditation of your heart.
The devil does not read your mind.
You think he does, but he cannot do that.
And that's why even speaking in tongues when you're filled with the Holy Ghost is an important thing because the devil cannot interpret.
You pray things that only God knows.
You pray from your heart.
And that's why the meditation of your heart is so important.
And that's why you've got to stop swearing to yourself so much.
Everybody's like, oh, no, not me.
I didn't even do that.
You know, you ought not say such horrible things to a child of God because you're a child of God.
Do you ever call yourself stupid?
Anybody ever call yourself, oh, you dumb thing.
Why did you do that?
I do that myself.
I got to raise both hands.
You know, I fall upstairs.
I mean, that really makes you feel strange.
I mean, most people fall downstairs.
I can fall upstairs.
I don't know.
I can catch my toe on the end while I'm running up a stair and step, slip, and fall up.
And I'll say, you dumb thing.
Why do you do that?
You know, we're not supposed to do that.
I'm trying to be better.
But when you've got to sell for low worth, you say bad stuff to yourself.
But I'm just trying to emphasize here that God says, I am he that searches the reins or the innermost mind in the heart.
He searches our hearts.
And I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
But unto you I say, and unto the rest in thyataria, as many as have not this doctrine, which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden.
Oh, this is so important.
These seducers called their doctrine the depth, the deep things.
How many have heard people say, I'm going to preach on the deep things of God?
And they twist the scripture all around, upside down and backwards, and they say, This is the deep things of God.
Christ is warning the church, beware of people who say they're teaching the depth of God, because in reality, it's the depth of Satan if they're in contrary to the word of God.
They're preaching things that are contrary to the word.
They're preaching things that are not in the Bible.
That's why when I studied Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, every word that Jesus spoke that is recorded in the Bible, you know, word for word that he spoke, I'm telling you, as I studied every word, I realized that much of what we have taught that we've evolved in today is simply opposite of the teachings of Christ.
And that's why Jesus is warning the churches for the last days to beware, beware of those who preach doctrines of depth that are not depth in the word, but they're depth of Satan.
They are a twisting of the word.
People will take little teeny pieces of word and say, look, this is what it means.
And you know full well that's not what it means.
Many of you have known it over and over and over.
You read the Bible when God says you can't serve God in mammon or money.
You can't have the love of the world and the love of God being in your heart.
And yet you hear preachers today talking about lust of the world, the stuff, the stuff, the stuff.
That's all they talk about is stuff.
Getting more stuff, getting more money, getting more riches.
That's opposite of Jesus.
It's the depth of Satan.
It's the very essence of the harlot of the book of Revelation.
I'm telling you, that's why narrow is the way, and few there be that find it.
How many are really going to heaven, I wonder?
It's scary.
Because the Bible says we must make Jesus Christ Lord, and that's owner, possessor.
Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments.
And we've breaken all the commandments and think God's just winking at it.
He's not doing that.
Awesome times are coming, people.
Awesome times are coming.
And so, as I studied this in depth here, this word depth of Satan, that just intrigued me.
You know, when he said, as many as have not this doctrine, which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, and these depths of Satan, they're like profound mysteries.
How many have ever been a part of anything satanic?
Mean in your old life.
Has anybody been in witchcraft or in Satan worship or anything?
Many times people have gotten saved out of that.
But they tell you there's mysteries.
You know, the satanic stuff is real.
You know, you talk about, ooh, you know, that's satanic.
Jesus is not.
You know, the Satan is weary and eerie and evil.
And that's why you don't have to fear the things of God.
You know, perfect love casts out fear.
There's no love in God.
God is love.
There's no fear in God.
God is love.
But here you have this seducing spirit of Satan that's speaking through this woman, this Jezebel, and it said it will be happening in the last days.
And he warns the church.
And it says that this is a spirit that amuses people.
You know, people go to church.
I mean, some churches are, I mean, they're funnier than Red Skeleton.
I mean, they're funnier than, I mean, there's preachers that are absolutely a hoot.
They're funny.
You know?
And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with laughter, but I'm telling you, this is a very serious book and a very serious time.
And I believe in the joy of the Lord, but I'll tell you, we better get dead serious about our relationship with God.
And this goes on to talk about they're endeavoring to persuade people that they have a deep insight into religion, more so than the other churches, or more so than other people.
And Satan wants you to follow him.
What Christ called them the depth of Satan, they were satanic delusions.
Oh, there's so many that are delusion, that are in a delusion over Satan, his devices.
Diabolical mysteries.
You see, the gospel, the Bible calls it a mystery.
The gospel is a mystery.
But Satan is an imitator.
Satan has his own gospel.
Satan has this diabolical mystery, these enchanting chantments, you know, and chants and all these things and go out in the woods and sacrifice babies or sacrifice animals.
And it's real weird and it's satanic, as we say.
It's a dangerous thing to be involved with these things.
Dangerous to be involved with Satanic.
Dangerous to be involved with things that despise the very mystery or the gospel of Jesus Christ and have their own mystery, the mysteries of Satan.
We must turn away.
Listen to me.
I have known more people that have gotten so far on the wrong track.
People who profess to be godly family Christian members, and they've gone to have their hands read, their palms read, they've gone to have Tarot card readings, they've gone to Susan.
My brother's life, literally, I am convinced, was destroyed by a soothsayer.
His wife went to have her fortune told.
And, I mean, the fortune teller said, well, you're going to get a divorce.
You're going to do this.
Well, I mean, your brain will make things happen.
You think about it, what happens in the mind will happen in time.
And you sow those seeds of evil.
How many millions of Americans, almost every newspaper in America has a horoscope in it?
Now, if you put a daily devotional in a newspaper, most people would complain and they would say you shouldn't do that.
But every paper basically has the horoscopes in almost everyone.
Not everyone, but almost.
Think of it.
I'm always thrilled when some newspapers, because Billy Graham does a daily devotional, and some papers carry that.
You know, I think, boy, that's a wonderful thing.
They probably still carry the horoscope, but at least they're giving the other side a little equal time.
But it's very dangerous, people.
And I'm always shocked in this town who so many confess Christ.
I'm always shocked to see fortune-telling in this town.
And you know what I do?
Every time I drive by one, I bind it in the name of Jesus.
I'm binding it every day.
I wish you would join with me in binding.
Would you do that?
What we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.
We don't need that stuff in this town.
We need to put a chapel in those places.
Why don't somebody pray those buildings out and put a, you know, as my buddy once said, what the world needs is more Christian bartenders.
Where does somebody go to find help in the middle of the night?
Where does somebody go to find hope?
Huh?
What's open?
The only one to listen to you as a bartender.
Maybe we ought to have a Christian bartending school.
How to get people saved.
Infiltrate.
I don't know.
That's wild, too.
I guess.
But let's bind these things.
But it says, verse 25, but that which you have already, that which you have already, verse 25, hold fast till I come.
Hold Fast to the Word 00:14:01
Be faithful.
Hold fast.
This is our tender Savior.
He's talking to his faithful servants.
He's saying, I will lay upon you no other burdens.
But he says, I want you to hold fast to what you know is right.
I want you to hold fast to what I've taught you.
I want you to hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Hold fast to what you've already taught, what you know in the word of God, because in the last days, people are going to fall away.
And he's saying, hold fast.
Don't give up what you know.
I'm not going to put more burdens on you, but I want you to know my word and hold fast to it.
I will not overburden your faith with new mysteries.
I'm not going to overburden you with things you don't understand.
And I will not give you new laws.
It's all here in the book.
It's already been done.
And I only require that you give attention to what you've already learned and what you know.
You see, we have people falling away from the faith when our young people are living in open adultery and fornication in our churches.
When 95% of the boys before 18 have sex outside of marriage, that are church boys.
We have changed the word of God.
So I'm telling you, we go back to what the Bible says.
I'm not trying to create a new doctrine.
I'm telling you, the Ten Commandments are just as basic as you can get.
And we're breaking all of them today.
Christ is coming to put an end to all temptation of his people.
So he says, hold fast.
Hold fast till he comes.
And then all the dangers and all the difficulties, one day will be past.
Verse 26, and he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give the power over the nations.
You're going to rule and reign with Christ if you overcome.
We give up for little moments of pleasures on this earth.
We give up eternity.
He says, he that overcometh and keepeth my works, my word, unto the end, to him will I give power over the races, over the nations, over peoples.
Verse 27, and he shall rule them with a rod.
He shall rule like as a shepherd with a rod, with a stick, with a staff of iron.
As the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers.
What that means is those, this gentle Savior, this gentle shepherd, this gentle, how many have ever seen that picture of Jesus?
I wish we had one around here, one of those old pictures with Jesus and the Lamb.
You've had them in your home, Laurie.
I know we had them growing up, but Jesus, gentle Jesus, the shepherd.
But he's coming.
Yes, to those who love him.
He's not going to put any more on you.
He's going to receive you unto himself, those who have been faithful, those that have been true to him.
But he said, those who are not, he's warning the church.
He says, I am going to give you power to the overcomers.
I'm going to give you power to those who keep my works to the end, my word to the ends.
I'll give power over all the nations.
And then God's going to rule with an iron rod, not the gentleness of a shepherd's rod, but it's a rod of iron.
And he says, I am going to break them as the vessels of a potter.
They shall be broken to shivers.
And that word potter means clay.
It just means, I'm going to break you like you were clay.
I'm going to break you.
And you're going to be broken to shivers, which means crush completely powder.
Even as I received of my father this brokenness.
And I will give him the morning star who overcomes.
Christ is the morning star.
He is the bright and morning star.
He brings day into your soul.
He brings day.
The people of the night was the people of wickedness.
But he says, I am going to bring day into your soul, the morning star.
He's going to bring light and grace and life and glory.
He's giving his people the perfection of light and wisdom.
He is the bright and morning star.
He says, I will give you the bright and morning star and dominion they shall have in the morning of resurrection power.
He is the bright and morning star.
Verse 29, he that had an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
This is the message to us in the last days.
As I said before, I believe these messages are more for us than they are for the very churches they were written to in the book of Revelation.
Revelation is for us in the last days.
We only have a few moments left.
Let's begin with Revelation chapter 3, verse 1.
Let's start with the church at Sardis.
In John's day, this church, this next church at Sardis, was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia.
Remember the ladies from Lydia.
And this was no longer the capital.
It was really an insignificant city.
Even the churches there partook of the abasement or the putting down of this city.
It says, thou hast a name that thou livest and thou art dead.
This town, actually, of Sardis was a town that once was a capital, and it was no longer a capital city.
It was like a dead city.
In fact, I'm not sure if there's even a church there today.
For generations after generations, there wasn't any churches there after this.
So Revelation chapter 3, verse 1.
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis, and unto the pastor of the church in Sardis, or the very leader of the church in Sardis, write, these things, saith he that hath the seven spirits of God.
Oh my, here we go again.
Jesus starts the message to another church with another description of Jesus Christ.
He hath the seven spirits of God.
Oh, I want to show you this in the future.
These seven spirits of God.
It is so exciting.
His attributes, this very life of the spirit, and how he has individual characteristics that will minister to you.
And the seven stars, I know thy works again.
I know your works.
I know your trials, that thou hast a name, that thou livest in our dead.
Even the church had a good name.
And I'll tell you, I've seen a lot of churches today.
I mean, they're hopping churches.
They have music that I'm telling you, they have a hoe down.
They have fun.
They shout.
They run.
They jump.
And they have church.
They have a happy time.
But I want to tell you something.
I know there is death in those churches.
They have mega churches, super churches.
I mean, they have something for everybody.
God, who wouldn't want to go?
They got bowling alleys.
They've got swimming pools.
They've got parades.
They got everything going for it.
I mean, why not?
It's the greatest entertainment on earth in some of these churches.
The greatest place.
Your children are cared for.
Everything's taken care of.
But yet, if you look around the outside of some of these churches, there is death all around it.
There is divorce unparalleled in those churches.
There is pain and suffering.
And yet, they're having the happiest time on earth, it seems like.
But yet they're not bearing one another's burdens.
They're not caring for one another.
They're not loving one another.
And that's what was happening to this church at Sardis.
They had a big name.
But the Bible says, in reality, they were dead.
Have you ever been to any of the shows in Branson?
Do you realize that every night in this town, there's at least 50 shows going on, and it's the same show that went on the night before?
And it's going on the next night and the next night and the next night and the next night, the same show.
We've got a lot of churches that are putting the same show on stage and people keep coming.
But I want to tell you something.
Only the really great performers know how to make a show come alive the next night.
Because I've gone to some of them where I watch the band.
I watch everything.
When I go to a show, I'm looking around.
And I can tell you, I can tell the band members who died.
They just prop them up and they're still playing.
You can just look in the eyes.
The eyes are dead because they're going through the routine.
They're bored to death.
Well, it takes skill.
It takes talent to play the same thing every night and every night and every night and keep that excitement there and that life in the eyes.
Many are in church today, but they're dead.
Thou art dead.
These things saith he that have the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, I know thy works.
Thou hast a name that thou livest, but thou art dead.
Quickly, go to Revelation 4:5.
Revelation 4, verse 5.
Here's the seven spirits of God again.
And out of the throne proceedeth lightning and thunderings and voices.
And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
Oh, it's interesting.
Go over to Revelation 5:6, just a little ways down.
And behold, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, living beings, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes.
Oh, we've got to study all this in a little bit.
Which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Oh, we've got to learn about this.
Oh, we got to get over to Ezekiel and find out all about the spirits coming from the throne of God that are going about the earth.
Oh, you won't feel so alone when you realize that the Spirit of God is looking over you.
Oh, this is exciting.
Then, so we want to know the spirit, the seven spirits of God.
I wanted you to hear just a little bit of that, and we'll go into that a little bit deeper later on.
Revelation 1:20, go back there.
We've already read that.
But remember the seven stars.
It says the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Seven Stars, the mystery of the seven stars, which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.
The seven stars are the angels or the messengers of the seven churches.
And the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
So the Bible explains itself.
That's why you just can't read one verse and think, well, I'll just open my Bible and read this one verse.
It won't explain.
You're going to get all mixed up if you don't know the whole word of God.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by what?
Every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.
Revelation 3:1.
Again, and unto the angels of the church and Sardis, write, these things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, I know thy works, that thou hast a name and thou livest and art dead.
The church had gained a great reputation.
It had a great name.
It was a superchurch.
It was a mega church.
It was well known.
It was very honorable in its reputation.
It was a flourishing church.
It had a name for being vital and lively.
I've studied all this about this church.
It was very religious, lively religious.
It was known for purity of doctrine, unity among themselves, uniformity in their doctrine, what they believed, and decency.
Things were done in order.
And we read nowhere of any unhappy division among them.
Everything appeared well as to what falls under the observation of man that they could tell any history writing about this church.
Be Watchful and Strengthen 00:07:16
But this church was not really what it looked like.
They had a name to live, but they were dead.
They were going through forms.
They had a form of godliness.
They had the ceremonies.
They had the music.
They had the liturgy.
They did all the stuff.
They had a form of godliness, but not the power.
They had a name that they were alive, but they were dead.
There was a great deadness in their souls.
I wonder how many people go to church and have a really wonderful time and then go home and face the same problem at night.
That should not be.
God has the answers.
There was a great deadness in their ministry to the others, in their praying, in their preaching.
What little life was yet left among them was in a manner expiring and ready to die.
Verse 2: Be watchful there.
Here's the word to this church at Sardis.
This is our word today, people.
Listen to be watchful.
Awake.
Be awake, it means.
And strengthen.
Here's the word.
We're going to close now.
We only got three minutes left.
Be steadfast.
Be resolute.
Turn from wickedness.
Repent.
Turn away from the past.
Turn away from sin.
And be steadfast.
Be watchful and strengthen the things.
It really means, I hate this way this was interpreted because in the Greek, it's not things.
Strengthen people.
It's he or she, not things.
Strengthen people.
Strengthen he or she, the remaining ones, it means in the Greek.
Strengthen those who are still around.
That's what I'm trying to do with you.
There's still a remnant around that are not selling their souls to Baal.
There are a remnant around who have not sold their souls out for a mess of pottage.
There's a people that want to hear the word of God.
And he says, Be watchful, be awake, and strengthen them.
He or she, the remaining ones that are ready to die.
For I have not found thy works perfect.
And that word perfect means I have not found your works crammed full like a fishnet full of fish.
That's what it means in the Greek.
He says, the word doesn't mean perfect.
It means complete, full.
He says, I haven't found you full yet.
You're not filled up with me.
You're not filled with the Holy Spirit.
You're not filled to overflowing of working for me.
Your nets aren't full.
We believe we can just come to God and get saved and then do nothing.
I believe when we're truly born again, we're going to rescue the perishing.
We're going to care for the dying.
We're going to get involved.
We've got to wake up.
The Bible says, awake, be watchful.
I have not found thy works perfect or complete or full before God.
Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, guard, and repent.
Hold fast, guard, repent.
If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come up on thee.
Did you read that?
You better read that.
This is one of the most important lessons right now in closing.
You're going to learn.
If therefore you don't watch and be alert and be on guard, I will come as a thief in the night.
I will come on you, on thee, as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come up on thee.
That's why we have to study people.
Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled or soiled their garments.
And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.
Your name can be blotted out.
I don't understand this.
You good Baptists will have to explain this to me.
But he that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name, erase it out, it means, out of the book of life.
But I will confess.
I will confess his name before my father and before his angels.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith in the churches.
He says, I will confess you before the Father, and this confession is covenant acknowledgement.
Oh, is that strong?
That means blood covenant.
When you've made that blood covenant on the cross of Christ, he said, I will acknowledge you.
Quickly, go to 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 1.
And we'll pick up from here as we start the church at Philadelphia next time.
But I want you to read this because it was really important.
If thou, therefore, thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
1 Thessalonians 5:1.
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, are you there?
You have no need that I write unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the knife.
Don't turn your brain off.
Stay with me.
For when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction come upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.
But you, brethren, are you watching?
Are you reading?
But you, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Jesus Christ is not coming for the saved as a thief in the night, only for the unsaved.
We've read it here in the church at Sardis.
We've read it here in 1st Thessalonians.
You are all the children of light and the children of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
Here's what he's saying: we can know when he's coming back.
We are to know as God's people.
He is not coming as a thief in the night.
Yeah, we may not know the exact day or the exact hour, but he says you're going to know these times in these seasons because he says, I'm telling you, brethren, you are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.
God is not willing that that day come upon us unaware.
And that's why we've got to study so we're not shocked by the things that are about to hit planet earth.
Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that somehow we'll hide this word in our hearts.
Be with us now, I pray.
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