All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn to Revelation chapter 2. And the Lord willing, I want
to try to finish out this chapter, our Lord's spoken word to the
church at Thyatira. Now last week, we talked a little
bit about the trade guilds or unions that were in Thyatira. which all had a God connected
to it. Now, you may be wondering what
does that have to do with us today? Well, it's got a lot to
do with us today. People, there's big businesses
in this country who have their idea and concept of who God is,
and that runs all through their company. And even though they
have to abide by the laws of this country and they can't show
prejudice, yet they do. They do show prejudice. And that's
the way it was here, except they didn't have these laws to help
protect these things. So they were very open with it. And then he also gave them warnings. warnings about these things.
And we talked about the prophetess, so-called, our Lord said. This
so-called prophetess, this woman preacher whom the church suffered
to preach and lead people into all sorts of compromising situations. It's a compromise of the Word
of God to have a woman preacher. So you begin with a compromise
and then the compromise gets worse. It gets worse because
if this woman is not in subjection and she goes beyond and transgresses
the way of God by taking to herself the office of a preacher, then
she certainly has it in mind to compromise other things. But her real crime was to persuade
the church, or at least some of them who gathered there, to
patronize false religion. This is one of the biggest problems
I see in our day, is these little groups of believers here, there,
and yonder. They're always somebody in that
group trying to persuade them to patronize religion for the
sake of the people. Try to get some people in the
church. Try to build the numbers up a little bit. Try to get the
support up a little bit. That's always been a problem.
It's been a problem from the beginning. Been a problem from
the beginning. But here's the thing. I don't
have any idea how big the Lord has purposed to have this church.
This may be it. This may be exactly the number
that He purposed to have. Or it may be 10,000. I don't
have a clue. And I'm told not to worry about
such things. Just don't worry about it. Just
go ahead and preach. He'll call out His people, and
He'll save whom He wills. Our God is a God of righteousness,
justice, and holiness. And if there was any, any, And
this is what I want you to see. If there was any willingness
on his part to compromise, any willingness on God's part to
compromise anything, he would not have sent his son into this
world to suffer and die for sinners. He'd have left him right where
he was and compromised. But he's not willing to compromise. Now this morning I want us to
look at our Lord's instruction to this pastor and this church
concerning these very serious charges. Revelation 2 verse 24. But unto you I say, and unto
the rest of Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, this
doctrine of compromise, and which have not known the depths of
Satan as they speak. I will put upon you none other
burden, but that which you have already. Hold fast till I come." Where God raises up a church,
that church is the light of that city, of that area. It's the
only light. Perhaps the light of conscience,
but apart from that, there's no other light in that community.
Just that church. You are the light of the world.
You don't take that light and put it under a basket or hide
that light, but it's to be as a city set on a hill that all
can see it. It's a light in that community.
And we have a responsibility to that area to proclaim to the
best of our ability the gospel of God's sovereign grace in Christ. That's our first priority, is
right here, right here in this place. We don't ignore this place
so that we can run off somewhere else and preach, but our first
priority is right here, right here in this community. Turn
with me to Ezekiel chapter 3. Let me show you something over
here. Ezekiel chapter 3 and verse 17. Son of man, that's what he called
Ezekiel, his prophet. Son of man, I have made thee
a watchman unto the house of Israel. Therefore, hear the word
at my mouth and give them warning for me. When I say unto the wicked, thou
shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest
to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life. The same
wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require
at thy hand." Now, we're under commandment of God. to warn men and women to flee
the wrath to come. We're here to warn them. He that
believeth not shall be damned. He that believeth not Christ,
he shall not see life. He's not going to even see life.
The wrath of God abideth on him. And we're here to... If these
men and women around here won't believe, then we're here to warn
them. We warn them. And that's what he's telling
Ezekiel, and he goes on and tells him much more in that chapter.
But our message is a message to all who will hear it. They
may not believe it. They may not. Lots of folks don't. They may not receive it or submit
to it, but it's a warning to them from God. But to ignore our neighbors and
friends and co-workers and people around us is contrary to the
will and instruction of God. Now, it's obvious to me that
the gospel was preached throughout Thyatira by what our Lord says to His church there in that place,
unto you and unto the rest of Thyatira. And then listen to
this. He says, which have not this
doctrine, this doctrine of universal religion, this doctrine of compromise
and religious patronage and all of these things, this doctrine
of permissiveness and unrestrained practice of wickedness. Those
which have not known the depth of Satan as they speak. Now false prophets are described
in the scriptures of having turned aside from the gospel to what
he calls vain jangling. That's what the Holy Spirit calls
this preaching. You turn a man on TV and he's
on there preaching free will and preaching works and universal
redemption and all of these false doctrines, that's vain jangling. That's what the Holy Spirit calls
it. Now, men and women get upset if I say that. They get upset.
Well, you can't judge. You're not supposed to judge.
We're supposed to judge that. And you better have enough knowledge
and understanding to be able to judge it or you're going to
be drawn into it. Turned aside from the truth to
bang jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding
neither what they say nor whereof they affirm. One man stands and,
boy, he comes down and firing brimstone, preaching law and
works, and teeing people out there in the congregation going,
amen, amen. And that's what he's talking
about here. They don't understand what they're teaching, and they
don't understand what they're affirming. There's no understanding
in it. He also says this, speaking lies
and hypocrisy, their conscience being seared as with a hot iron. And again, he describes them
as being proud, proud men, but knowing nothing. That's hard, isn't it? Proud
men, but knowing nothing. doting about questions and strifes
of words, whereof come a strife, railings, and evil surmising.
And all such, he says, are perverse disputings of men of corrupt
minds, destitute of the truth. They don't know the truth. If
they knew the truth, they'd preach the truth. They don't know the
truth. It is the doctrines of false
prophets which our Lord here calls the depths of Satan as
they speak. That's what he's talking about.
This is the depths. This is the deepness of the work
of Satan that this world don't even recognize. False doctrines. False prophets. False preachers. This is where Satan does his
damage, the most damage that he does. It's not out in the
world, it's in the church. It's not in the bar room, it's
in the pulpit. This is the depths of Satan. This is what he's talking about
here. The depths of Satan as they speak. When a man or a woman learns
the truth, they understand that all else is a lie. Don't you? If salvation is by grace, salvation
by works has to be a lie. If salvation by works is the
truth, salvation by grace has to be a lie. You read Romans
chapter 10 or chapter 11. If it's of grace, then it's no
more works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
And if it be of works, then it's no more grace. Otherwise, work
is no more work. It's one or the other. It can't
be both. The compromising preacher says it can be a little bit of
both. No. No, it can't. John said, we know that we are
of God and the whole world, life and wickedness. How did he know
that? Because he knew the truth. He knew the truth. It is the depth of Satan working
in men and women, encouraging them to keep on in their religious
associations and participations. I've got friends there, they
say. I'd quit. I'd come over there.
But I've got friends over here. Get new friends. Well, it's through that church
that I got my job. Get a new job. We can't continue on in these
participations. It's ungodly. And the man who
knows the truth knows that. He makes a clean break. He cuts
the cold. John said the friendship of the
world, now listen to this, is enmity with God. That's hostility in God's eyes. And whosoever, therefore, will
be a friend of the world is an enemy of God. That's James chapter
4, verse 4. Listen to this. Paul said, Demas,
this was his fellow laborer. He said, Demas hath forsaken
me, having loved this present evil world. And John said, if
any man loved the world, The love of the Father is not in
him. And to those of you who are not
of this doctrine, he said, that haven't been drawn into this,
that know the truth and hold to truth, he said, I'll lay no
other burden on you than this. Revelation 2.25. Hold fast till
I come. We're reconciled, the scripture
said, in the body of his death, whereby he's able to present
us holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. Now listen to this. If we continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel. That's Colossians 1, 22 and 23. This is what our Lord is telling
this church. Hold fast. Here's the burden I'm going to
lay upon you. You hold fast. Those of you who
haven't been pulled into this mess, haven't been pulled into
this compromising situation, those of you who know the gospel,
love the gospel, stand in the gospel, you hold fast right where
you're at. Don't you be moved. Don't you
be drawn away. David said, I've set the Lord
always before me, because He's at my right hand, I shall not
be moved. Is that where he sits? Is that
where you, by faith, have the Lord sit? He's your Lord. He's your Lord. And David said, I've set Him,
by faith, at my right hand, and therefore I'm not going to be
moved. The burden of the believers to
hold fast to the hope of the gospel. Job said the righteous,
and there's only one way that we can be called righteous, and
that's in Christ. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone who believes. And the righteous,
he said, also shall hold on his way. What's he going to hold
to? Going to hold to church membership? No. He's going to hold on his
way. What's His way? Christ is His
way. He's going to hold on His way, and he that hath clean hands
shall be stronger and stronger. The Scriptures declare very plainly
the perseverance of the saints. There's a very clear and wonderful
verse of Scripture at the end of Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews
chapter 10 and verse 38 and 39. He said, now the just shall live
by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure
in him. Now listen to this, but we're
not of them. Huh? We're not of them who draw
back under prediction, but of them that believe to the saving
of the soul. Faith is the gift of God, not
of works, lest any man should boast. for or because we are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in. And if God has
ordained for me to walk in faith, he's going to enable me to walk
in faith, but I will also walk in the faith he enables me to
walk in. Does that make sense? That's
perseverance and preservation. Believers are described in Romans
9.23 as vessels of mercy aforeprepared unto glory, even us whom he hath
called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. And
while it is absolutely true that every saint called to faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ is commanded to hold on his way, he can never
hope to obey that command. except he know that God shall
enable him to do it. With the command comes the power
to obey it. Peter said we're kept, now listen
to this, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last day. Well, what are you saying,
preacher? I'm saying that God is going
to prove His work of salvation in us by enabling us to persevere. Hold fast, our Lord says to His
church, till I come. Revelation 2, verse 26. And He
that overcometh and keepeth My works. I'm going to say that
to her four times. He that overcometh and keepeth
his works. That's not what that says. He
that overcometh and keepeth my works. What is his works? The work of justification. The
work of redemption. The work of righteousness. The
work of forgiveness of sins. His works. He that overcometh
and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power
over the nations. The man who overcomes is the
man who's been brought into a vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ
by faith, by faith. He was put in Christ by an eternal
covenant union, by an act of God's electing grace before the
foundation of the world. But this is something different
now. This is when the Lord calls a man out of darkness. And He
calls him into His marvelous light. And He puts within him,
makes within him an eternal covenant union. He makes this vital union
of faith and brings him to know, to know these things. predestinated
to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according
to the good pleasure of His will. And before creation, before the
fall, before the foundation of the world, He was made provision
for in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was loved. He was blessed
with all spiritual blessings. All of those things based on
that eternal union. And then in God's own time, He
called us by His grace into that union. That is, to know and understand
that union in Christ. This vital union of faith in
and on the Lord Jesus Christ. The heart and soul of true faith
is to know, to understand, and to rest ourselves in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Having confidence in Him. and
confidence in that holy union which God has made for us. Paul states it this way over
in 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus. That is, in union with Christ
Jesus. Who of God is made unto us wisdom. Is He wisdom? then I have wisdom in him. If I'm in him, he's made unto us wisdom and
righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that according
as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. You
see, you can't have confidence in yourself. Confidence in yourself
is going to lead you down the hill. All you have to do is take
a long, true look at yourself, and you're nothing but a failure.
You're nothing but a failure. You don't pray enough. Why on
earth? Here's a man among millions. Think about this. One among a
thousand. And God said, here's love on
you, and here's grace on you, and he called you. And He revealed
things to you that the princes of this world were not granted
to see. Do we show that? I'm sorry to
say that we don't. Not very well. And when you start
examining yourself, you'll find out I don't pray enough, I don't
love enough, I don't give enough, I don't say enough, I don't think
enough, I don't worship enough. It's never enough in you. But
thank God, you're not your Savior. Christ is. Now you want to rejoice,
quit looking within and start looking to Him. You can't help
but rejoice in Him. He's pure righteousness. You
can't help but find yourself complete and wanting nothing
in Him because in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily. We're complete in Him. We're
perfect in Him. Is there some principality or
power greater than Him? He sits at the right hand of
God expecting to His enemies be made His footstool. This is why we're like this all
the time, because we look in here. Quit looking in here and
look to Him. That's what faith does. Looks
to Him. Consider yourself in that glorious
union with Christ. Revelation 2 verse 27, and he
that, that is the overcomer, shall rule this world with a
rod of iron, unbending, uncompromised rule. And as vessels of a potter
shall they be broken to shivers, even as I have received of my
father. This ungodly world which has
set in judgment on God's people and cast them into the fire and
made sport of them in the arena is going to be judged by Christ
and His church. And they're judged even now by
exposing their natures in false religion and evil ways. But then
all things will be exposed. And the difference between now
and then is that now our judgments come as warnings and urgings
for men to repent. I'm not up here talking about
the total depravity of the flesh to see how bad I can make you
feel. That's not why I'm doing it.
I'm doing it as a warning, as a warning and as an urging for
men to repent. But then, at that judgment, these
things will come without mercy and be accompanied quickly by
the sentence. He said they shall be broken
to shivers as a clay pot. What seems right now to be impenetrable
and unaffected shall them be broken to pieces. And he says,
as I have received of my Father. Everything given to Christ, a
sovereign mediator, shall without fail come to pass. Now listen
to this, verse 28. And I'll give him the morning
star. What is the morning star? Brother Roth said, I wanted to
know how things come out, so I turned to the end of the book.
And that's what I did on this morning star. In Revelation chapter
22 and verse 16, he said, I am the root and offspring of David
and the bright and morning star. That's Christ. That's Christ. Peter said that we do well to
take heed to the word of the prophecy of this book which testifies
of Christ. As unto a light that shineth
in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star, that's
the morning star, the day star, the sun arise in your hearts. And he is the day star. He's
the sun which rules the day, the light in which all other
lights lose their luster. He's the pure light, and John
said in him is no darkness at all. And I don't know if you
can enter into this or not, but this is a sweet thought to me.
Do you know in Christ, Job speaks of Christ-elect as morning stars? Why don't you listen to this?
He said, when the morning stars sang together. When did they
do this? They did that in Christ before
the world was. When the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Who's these morning
stars? The sons of God. The sons of
God. And we are all sons and daughters
of light, and those who make this claim and walk in darkness,
John said, they do not the truth, they lie. Revelation 2 verse
29. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Every blessing
as well as every problem and sin shall be found in his churches
throughout this gospel age. And thank God he shall show us the remedy. He is the
remedy. He's the medicine. He's the cure.
And there is but one comfort, hope, and assurance as we live
out our days as pilgrims and sojourners in this earth, and
that hope is the Lord Jesus Christ. And so I titled this lesson,
Hold Him, Hold Fast to Him Till He Comes.