Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter
2. This blessed book is not about
things that we don't understand. Now there are some mysteries
in this blessed book, but the scripture concerning this book reveals what this book is all
about. It's about Him. Verse 1 of chapter 1 says, this
is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Everything that we consider concerning
this precious book, if it does not honor Him, if it is not faithful
to Him, if it is not truthful concerning Him, we missed it. We've been going through the
letters that were written to the seven churches and this morning
I'd like to deal in both messages again, this one and the next
one. with a letter to the church that was at Thyatira. Revelation
chapter 2, this first message will be out of verses 18 and
19. The scripture begins and says,
unto the angel of the church in Thyatira, 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. I know thy works, and
charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works,
and the last to be more than the first." This letter, like
all seven letters, was written to the pastors of these respective
churches unto the angel. The Lord set forth in the last
verse of chapter 1, the mystery of the seven stars which thou
sawest my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks, the
seven stars of the angels of the seven churches, the pastors.
The Lord set forth that word. Angel means the messenger. The
messenger. Almighty God calls and instructs,
teaches his church, his bride, his elect through pastors. They are to feed the flock of
God. The scripture says in Jeremiah
3.15, with knowledge and understanding, it is my calling, it is my responsibility. Almighty God has called me and
placed me here, and it is my responsibility to seek the Lord's
guidance and direction for the message of the hour, and I am
convinced this is it. This is the message of the hour.
This message that glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ unto the angel
of the church in Thyatira. These pastors, they are to watch
for the souls of God's church. They must watch as they that
must give account. I must be faithful. I must be found faithful. I must
tell you the truth. The one to whom I give account,
I give account, number one, to Almighty God. I give account
to you that knowing when you hear the gospel preached, you're
listening for the consistency of the glory of God in the face
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And let me tell you something,
a believer knows when they don't hear the truth. They know it.
I give account to myself, to my conscience. I must give account
that I may do it with joy, and not with grief as under shepherds. Pastors, the angels, the stars
that are held in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ point the
church, point the sheep to Christ. And they do so through the preaching
of the gospel. This is how you're instructed.
I preach Christ to you. I preach the glory of God in
Christ. It's through the preaching of
Christ that the Lord keeps his people and feeds them the bread
of heaven. And this he does that they henceforth
be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with
every wind of doctrine by the slight of men. And the scripture
says the cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Now this letter This is a faithful
letter because it is from Him who is the faithful witness.
That's what He said to John in Revelation 1 verse 5. I'm the
faithful witness. Faithful. Faithful. Verse 18. Unto the angel of the church
in Thyatira write, These things saith the Son of God. Therefore, Whatever he says,
it is to be trusted and it is to be obeyed. When John penned
under the inspiration of God's Spirit in Revelation 1.13, he
referred to the Lord as the Lord spoke. He said concerning the
Son of Man, he was likened to the Son of Man. clothed with
a garment down to the foot. Now here He says, the Son of
God, thus saith the Son of God, Son of Man. Who is that? He revealed
Himself to be God incarnate. God Himself. In the beginning
was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Lord Jesus Christ is God. He's God. And the Word was made
flesh, the Son of Man. So here the Scripture says concerning
the one speaking, these things saith the Son of God, here is
God Almighty, His deity, His God, Son of Man, He set forth
as the mediator of His people. The one who associated Himself
with them made flesh, real flesh, real flesh, that's flesh, that's
flesh. He was made flesh yet without
sin. A body was prepared him that
knew no sin. As I've told you before, I'm
getting older, you are too. The reason we're getting older,
the reason we hurt, the reason we ache, the weather changes,
it affects us, we feel it. You know why? Sin. But a body
was prepared him, he knew no sin, but he aged. like we do. He hurt like we do.
He fell. He thirsted. He hungered. He
wept, Scripture says. But he knew no sin. Associated
himself with his people. Made himself to feel the infirmity
of his own. But here the Son of God sets
forth the one who is the sovereign God who rules in the army of
heaven among the inhabitants of earth. The scripture says,
verse 18, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, penetrating
omniscience. Omniscience. That means he knows
it all. He knows what I'm thinking. He
knows what you're thinking. He knows exactly what we're thinking.
He knows all things, eyes of fire. The Lord, 1 Chronicles
28.9 says, The Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth
all the imaginations of the thoughts. He knows. We're not hiding anything
from Him. We think we are. We're hiding
nothing. Scripture says His feet are like
fine brass. Burnished is what that word is. Setting forth Him who is the
strength, the purity, the holiness of all. His ways pure, holy,
dealing with men. Here is the only true God. Isaiah 44.8 says, Is there a
God beside me? Yea, there is no God, that is,
no rock. I know not any. And if God doesn't
know any, there is none but Him. Verse 19, He said, I know thy
works. I know your charity, your service,
your faith, your patience, and thy works in the last to be more
than the first." The Lord, who hath eyes like unto a flame of
fire, he takes notice of the graces that he himself bestows. He said, I know thy works. Now, when it comes to works,
we're going to be truthful. The scripture says, not by works
of righteousness, which we have done. But according to His mercy,
He saved us. So I'm going to tell you something.
If there's any works that started with me, they're self-righteous. They're self-righteous works. Not by works, but he says here,
I know thy works. And he's going to name them in
just a minute. So whatever these works are that he sees and beholds
and approves of, I can tell you this, they came from him. They
didn't start with me. Everything that I do, everything
you do, is tainted, is sinful, is rebellious. Almighty God, keep me from standing
before God and pleading my own works. Because I'm telling you,
I've read in Matthew 7, some that did, and stood before God
or tried to stand before. Every time I hear about somebody
saying, well, I'll tell you what I'm going to do when I stand
before the Lord, I'm going to tell them, I'm thinking, you're
speaking as a foolish. You're not going to stand before
God and tell God anything. Almighty God has spoken, and
it is. But here he says, I know thy
works. I know. I see. One who has eyes is flaming fire. He said, I know your charity. I know your love, your affection,
your benevolence. I know your love for me. I know you love for Christ, I
know you love for His people, for His gospel. I know. Love, I'm going to tell you what
scripture says about love. Love is that which Almighty God
has set forth as being the mark of His people. They love. 1 John
5 verse 1 says, Whosoever believeth, that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. And every one
that loveth Him that begat, or begat, I'm sorry, loveth Him
also that is begotten. Every one that believeth that
Jesus is the Christ. I'm going to deal with this thought
out of 1 John 4 in the next message, so I'll refrain from going into
the depth that it deserves, because Lord willing, I'll do it next
service. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is
the promised Messiah, the one in whom the Father gave His elect,
the one who has ever stood as the surety, Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. All who are born of God
love Him that is begotten of the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 4.20 says, If a man say,
I love God, hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth
not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom
he hath not seen? I just jotted down a few minutes
ago, love. What do we mean when we say love? Love. That's such a broad statement. Love. I know this. I'm going to give you some scripture
to back up what I'm about to say. Love is more than a little
candy coated smile. that we call love. You know,
I had a dog years ago. I love my dog. I love my dog. But is that love? Here. Love. What do I mean when I say love? How is love manifested? I know two ways that love is
manifested according to the scriptures. Number one, in a giving. Giving of self. And secondly,
is by being truthful. Truthful. Love is manifested
concerning Almighty God and God's people. First of all, in a giving. John 3.16. For God so loved the
world. And as I've told you before,
that does not mean the whole world without distinction. It
does not. I can prove that. Number one,
the word means the arrangement. God loves the order of man. He loved the world. If the Lord
Jesus Christ loves everybody without distinction, why in John
17.9 did He say, I pray not for the world? but I pray for those that you've
given me out of the world. The world is not universally
loved by God Almighty. You'll say, well Marvin, are
you saying that God doesn't love everybody? I'm telling you exactly. How do you know that? Because
the Lord said that. I know that he didn't love Esau.
He said, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Someone would
say, well, I just don't think that's fair. And then my reply
would be from the scriptures, who art thou, old man? Out of
Romans 9 that replies against God. Who am I, Pat, to be a judge
toward God? Who am I? I'm a voice. I'm a voice. And I am a repeater
of what God Almighty has to say. So love, I know, has to do with
giving. God so loved the arrangement
of man. There's some men and women, boys
and girls, sitting in this congregation this morning. Amazing creatures. Creatures that have been given,
number one, an intellect. But it takes more than intellect
to know God. It takes a new man. It takes
a new heart. It takes a new spirit, a new
mind, a new love, a new will. The Lord said, I'll give you
that. You must be born from above. Born again. But here's an amazing
creature. We're marvelously made. According
to God's grace, He gives His people the capability to know
Him. No other creature is given that
capability. Oh man, God loved the arrangement.
He loved the order of man. That's what He said. When God
so loved the world, I know He didn't pray for all of them.
I know He said, John 17 9 said He didn't pray for them. But
I'll tell you this, God loves the arrangement of man. But what
did He do? God so loved the arrangement
that He gave His only begotten Son. And whosoever, I've said
before, people say, you don't believe in whosoever. Yes, I
do. Whosoever believeth on Him should not perish. How are they
going to believe unless God gives them a new heart though? How
are they going to believe unless Almighty God gives them a new
spirit? Why? Because I'm born dead. Spiritually
dead. I'm blind. When Adam sinned against
God, all capability of fellowship with Almighty God was lost. That's
what he told Adam. In the day you eat, you take
one bite. You take one bite and you're
going to die. Jared, he took one bite. Mankind
died by one man's disobedience or by man's one disobedience. Many were made sinners, all have
sinned, come short of the glory of God. So I know this, love
is manifested in giving, giving. Giving of self. Listen to this,
John 15, 13. Greater love hath no man than
this that a man lay down his life for his friends. Now I'm
going to ask you something, and you just answer for yourself. Here again, I jotted this down
just a minute ago, just before I got up here. Greater love hath no man than
this that a man lay down his life for his friends. There's
a lot of people in this congregation this morning. And we say we love. We love one
another. Let me ask you this. You just answer for yourself.
I'll answer for myself. And it's extremely convicting.
Is there anybody in this congregation that you wouldn't die for? Love is manifested by telling
somebody the truth. You know, if you don't love somebody,
you don't care if you lie to them. I don't care. What difference does it make?
I don't love you anyway. That's the attitude. Love is
manifested when you'll tell somebody the truth, even if they hate
you for it. But speaking the truth, Ephesians
4.15, speaking the truth in love. Love for God, love for God's
Word, and love for the eternal soul, the one you're talking
to. Speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things
which is the head, even Christ. Darrell, you don't want me to
lie to your kids. You don't want me to lie to them. The only thing
that's going to set a man free is the truth. That's the only
hope we've got. God Almighty speak in truth through
a preacher. The truth sets a man free. And I'm telling you, to love
you, I must tell you, you can't. You don't have the ability to
please God. If I'm going to be truthful,
if I'm going to love you, I'm going to tell you. God Almighty
has set forth that God has a people he's going to save. And he's
going to save them through this message right here. The message
of God's sovereign, electing, redeeming, quickening grace. I've got to tell you the truth.
If I lie to you, I don't love you. The truth. The Lord says, I know thy works. Your charity, your love. Love
for him, love for his word, love for his Christ, love for his
people, love for his gospel. Be truthful. I don't want you
to hate me, but I must tell you the truth. Anybody that tells
you that you can do something to please God is lying to you. not by works of righteousness
that we've done. He said, I know your service. The word service there means
the attendance to the ministering. I know your attendance to the
ministering. It seems to indicate their commitment
to the ministry of the gospel. They were committed to the spread
of the gospel. They were committed. We've got
people that are missionaries, and others that we support, and
we pray for, and the attendance to the Scriptures, and the love
for one another, and the sensitivity to one another. There was a sacrifice
that the Lord saw, a sacrifice of their self, their time, their
resources, their money. They gave. They gave. I was reading
last night, go back, it's the last chapter of 1st Chronicles. I was reading it last night.
And how the people just, their hearts were just, there was going
to be a building of the temple. David wanted to build the temple
and God wasn't going to let him because he said you're a bloody
man. Much blood was shed at your hand.
Your son Solomon can build it, you can't build it. And the people
gave. And He just gave and I mean it
was amazing to see the generosity of people. God's people are generous
people. They give. He said, I know your
service, your attendance to the ministering. There was a sacrifice. They weren't selfish people.
God's people are not selfish people. He said, I know thy faith. Here's that, that grace without
which no man pleases God. Faith. Faith. Hebrews 11, 6. Without faith it's impossible
to please Him. Without faith there's no believing
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Without faith. Faith. When he says without faith it's
impossible to please God, We must believe on Him. Listen to
this, John 3.36. He that believeth on the Son,
he that leans upon trust, not in himself, not in himself, he
that believeth on the Son hath, he already hath, he doesn't believe
in order to be saved. God saves him in power, in grace. Then the man believes. What comes
first? Life. I'm like Brother Henry,
I don't know how you separate, because when life, faith is there.
But I'm telling you, no man believes till God gives him life. He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the
Son shall not see life. He said, I'm the way, the truth,
the life. And it says, he that believeth
not shall not see him. Won't see him in mercy. See him
in judgment. Won't see him in mercy. Shall
not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Now there
were some that truly possessed faith to believe God and the
Lord saw it. I know it. He said, I know thy
patience, patience, your constancy, your endurance under the trial
of their faith. Those who are by the grace of
God, given charity, love, given a
heart for their service, given faith, Those are the ones that
you will normally find are the most tried. Most tried. I got to thinking
about the scriptures references to those in the Old Testament
who went through some real trial. I mean, I was thinking about
Abraham and Moses and how the Lord raised up this man Put him
over all of those people. Put him 40 years through the
desert, that wilderness. And time after time after time
after time, they raised up their heads in rebellion against Moses
and accused Moses. Moses was trying to tell them
what God had said and they just accused Moses. You know, what
have you done? You brought us out here. Then
they accused God. That's who they were accusing.
And they hated him. So many times, Korah stood up
before him. Korah told him, he said, you
just take too much on yourself. You take too much on yourself,
Moses. Who do you think you are? Moses said, get your censor.
Show up here tomorrow and we'll let God answer this. And they
did. And God did. God opened up the
earth and sent them all to hell alive. closed up the earth. He said, boy, I tell you what,
man, if anybody saw that, they'd never open their mouth again
against God's man or against God. How long did it take? The next day. The next day. He started accusing Moses. And
here was this man and he, trials, tribulation, Shadrach, Meshach,
Abednego. You bow down to this idol that
I've made, I'm going to throw you in that furnace." And they
said, well, our God's able to deliver us. If He doesn't, well,
being known unto you, we're not going to bow down. And they threw
him in. And God preserved him. He said,
I know your patience. I know your endurance under tribulation. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. James 1.3 says,
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith... God gives a man and a woman a
heart to believe God and trust God's sovereign, God Almighty
and His majesty and divinity. Believes the gospel of free grace. Looks at himself and sees it's
just right here. Everything that comes out right
here is dung. That's what Scripture says, loss.
He's worth it. He's worth it. Knowing this,
that the trying of your faith, that you'll be hated for. People
hate you because you believe that. Preach that. Worketh patience,
endurance, that peaceful resolve of heart to the will of God.
And then he says in closing, and thy works, and the last to
be more than the first. Now look, he started off in verse
19, he said, I know thy works. Then he says, And thy works at
the end, the last to be more than the first. That second time
that he said, I see your works, it indicates a maturing of God's
people. I see your works and I see your
works. A growing in grace. 2 Peter 3.18,
grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. A man or woman that grows in
grace, I'll tell you how they grow. Down. Down. Almighty God humbles
his people. I must, I must decrease. He must increase. A growth in
grace, listen to a man or woman talk. Listen who gets all the
honor and the glory and the praise for their salvation, and you'll
find out what they know about grace. Pride, self, put down. The more we're convinced of our
helplessness and our lack of understanding what we received
from the Lord, the more we realize It was by grace He taught me
that. I didn't deserve that. I didn't deserve that. I jotted
down this scripture. I said, here are the words of
one that the scripture reveals to have grown in grace. Isaiah,
before, you've heard this said before, he was always saying,
woe is you, woe unto you, woe unto you. And in the year the
king Uzziah died, he said, I saw the Lord. I saw God, high and
lifted up. His train filled the temple.
And above him, the seraphim. And with their wings, they flew. Two wings, they covered their
faces. Two wings, they covered their
feet. And this is what they cried. Holy, holy, holy. Holy, holy. And this is what
Isaiah said when he saw the Lord. Now here's a growth in grace.
Then I said, woe is me, for I am undone, because I'm a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips, for mine eyes have seen the King of hosts. The Lord said
to the church at Thyatira, I know, I know, I know your works, I
know your service. I know your patience. I know
your works. The last to be more. The last,
those in quality is what it is. The last to be more. More in
quality. It's always an encouragement
to behold a tried and proven believer. The ones that God Almighty has
put through the trials, the chastisements at the hand of a loving God,
merciful God. It's always an encouragement
to me to behold. I think about some of these men
and women that have gone before us. You think about them. Those
that suffered, suffered for His sake and for our good and instruction. Lord, teach me for Christ's sake.