WEBVTT 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:11.759 You're listening to the road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:16.239 Jesus, see stuff, you guys. 00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:26.719 Those that have betrayed you, many of you have been through divorces, many of you have been through sexual abuse, molestation, stuff like that has happened in your life. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:28.879 And God sees that. 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:32.399 And I'm telling you, there will be justice at some point. 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:33.840 There really will. 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:43.280 Today, Pastor Steve continues his series on the book of Revelation. 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:49.119 At The Road, our vision is to raise up wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ. 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:53.679 For more information on The Road, visit theroad.org. 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:59.039 We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:05.280 We're in the book of Revelation, and I've got a map. 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:07.120 I think you've got that, don't you, Paul? 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:08.560 A map of the seven churches. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:10.719 So I thought this was a really good map. 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:22.400 And the reason I like it is because it shows the male route of why in the book of Revelation, the seven churches, which are the first two chapters, he goes in the order that he goes in. 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:25.840 So we've already done the church at Ephesus a few weeks ago. 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:30.000 We did Smyrna, we did Pergamus, and tonight we're on Thyatira. 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:34.640 But I thought this was helpful as a visual to see the male route. 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:38.560 Notice Patmos out in the Aegean Sea there. 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:44.640 That's where John is, where he was exiled by the Roman government. 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:47.280 And there you can go to the cave today. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:53.599 I've never been there, but I've gone online and looked at it, and there's a cave called John's Revelation Cave. 00:01:53.760 --> 00:02:01.760 And it's believed traditionally, it doesn't say this in Scripture, but tradition says that he was in a cave when he had this revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:05.519 And so, as I've shared in the past, the first three chapters are all in red. 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:16.000 I mean, if you have one of the Bible that's red, it's a lot of red, because Jesus is literally speaking the words to the seven churches. 00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:30.479 And we're looking at these seven churches, and each one of these churches represents both a local meaning to that time period, a translocal meaning for all time, and a personal meaning for each of us. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:38.319 And so, what the theme that we see throughout the book of Revelation, which may surprise you because it is kind of a briefing. 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:41.919 It's like a Jesus briefing on the last days. 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:52.479 And really starting more about chapter 6 with the seals, we will start to get into the prophecy of the last days of the coming of Christ. 00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:57.680 And this is like his intelligence briefing to the church to get ready. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:02.080 Because God is revealing secrets in the book of Revelation. 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:14.240 But there's this overarching theme about the last days church that we don't want to miss, and that is this one word, overcomer. 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:15.599 Overcomer. 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:16.560 Don't miss this. 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:24.000 Because the purpose of the book of Revelation is to train Emmanuel to be an overcomer. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:36.560 And in our lives, as we move into these latter days, church, there's going to be some hairy stuff coming down that's going to be really, really difficult, even for the most devout Christians. 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:39.199 And we know in the book of Revelation, many are going to fall away. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:42.800 I mean, a lot of people that you're hanging out with, might even be some right here in the church right now. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:44.960 You're really not even saved yet. 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:51.039 You've come to church, you've maybe have a belief system about Jesus. 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:53.439 By the way, Satan believes in Jesus. 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:55.520 Demons believe in Jesus. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:58.639 But your heart isn't born again yet. 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:07.280 And so you're sitting there and you're in these, you come to the road, or you've been going to church your whole life, maybe, maybe you're baptized and confirmed in a church. 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:11.840 And still, when you read the word, it's like so boring. 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:19.519 It never comes, oh, you hear Steve tell us this, and you hear another guy, another pastor say that, about hearing from God. 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:22.079 And you're like, I never hear from God. 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:31.199 Well, it might be that you're not born again, that you really haven't given your whole heart to Christ and become a Jesus follower. 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:35.680 Now you're a Jesus believer, but you're not yet a Jesus disciple. 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:46.720 What's interesting about tonight is when I heard that the Forge, our young 13, 14, 15-year-old kids are getting baptized tonight, I thought, you know, I'm gonna open that up to the rest of you guys. 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:50.160 So if you've never been baptized, we're gonna do a baptism in the fall, by the way. 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:51.120 So we're gonna do it again. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:55.920 So it's not your, you know, it's not gonna be like a hundred years before you do another baptism, but it'll be in the fall. 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:58.879 But the waters are warm tonight. 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:10.319 And if you at the end of this service feel like that God is calling you to get baptized, um, it'd be our joy to baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:14.879 But the theme of revelation is being an overcomer. 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:16.800 It's a training manager for overcoming. 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:17.839 Now, I have a D group. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:19.040 That's a discipleship group. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:19.920 You guys are hearing those words. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:23.120 I was thinking, okay, if you're new tonight, you know, what are we talking about with these D groups? 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:29.439 What we call D groups are discipleship groups, and most people in this church are in a discipleship group, men with men, women with women. 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:31.439 There are about three to five people in a D group. 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:37.519 So this morning I was doing Life in Christ, which is a study I do with some with some young guys. 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:46.160 All these guys are in their 20s or late teens, early 20s, and stuff, and late 20s, sorry, like really late 20s, almost 30. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:46.800 Whatever. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:47.279 I don't know. 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:48.079 I think so. 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:54.079 Anyway, we're in, we're studying the word of God, the power of the word of God. 00:05:54.319 --> 00:06:09.839 And so, in studying that and then getting ready for revelation, I thought, you know, the thing that's the most important aspect of growing in Christ is being a man or a woman in the word. 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:14.160 It's the word of God that's living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:17.680 It's the word of God that brings revival to your soul. 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:23.120 It's the word of God that when we hide it, enables us not to sin against the Lord. 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:31.519 And so let me just quickly go over those verses in that we've covered already about overcoming. 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:34.879 And then I want to just frame that and then we're gonna get into Thy Retire. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:37.839 The first church we looked at was the church at Ephesus. 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.519 That was in Revelation chapter 2, 1 through 7. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:51.439 Remember, the church at Ephesus was a hardworking, persevering church, but it had lost its first love. 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:53.279 Now that's some of us here. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:59.519 Some of you here are just, you're gonna be so fired up about doing the Springs Initiative. 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:03.279 I bet you almost all the church here is gonna probably do something with the Springs Initiative. 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:04.720 It's gonna be really exciting. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:14.959 But I want you to be asking the Lord, even as we're doing things like the Springs Initiative, that you're doing it because you love the Lord. 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:17.360 Not just to work hard, but you love the Lord. 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:22.399 And church at Ephesus was a hard-working church we studied, but it had lost its first love. 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:28.959 And then look at verse 7 in chapter 2, it says, He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:37.279 To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:41.199 And what we talked about is that the tree of life is Jesus. 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:48.160 To eat from Jesus, to be nurtured in Jesus, comes from God's word. 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:52.000 Now, Jake and Angie, Jake leads worship here sometimes. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:08:09.279 And Jake and Angie shared their testimony with me a number of months ago, and both of them kind of come out of heavy drug use, heavy alcohol use, and they're here right now because you're an overcomer. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:14.079 And so we we overcome by eating of the tree of life. 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:25.680 And then we looked at Smyrna, the church in Smyrna, a crushed church, a church that was crushed, but was a fragrance unto Christ even in persecution. 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:28.079 Look at verse 11, chapter 2, verse 11. 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:32.080 He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:37.279 He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:38.320 Overcoming. 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:40.559 The third church was the church at Pergamos. 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:42.799 Look at verse 17. 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:47.679 He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:54.559 To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat, and I will give him a white stone. 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:57.120 We talked about what that white stone symbolizes. 00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:08.320 It was actually in correlation with the Olympics, that when an Olympic runner was victorious, he was given not a trophy, he was given a white stone. 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:13.759 This is speaking of being an overcomer, a victorious overcomer in your life. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:17.679 Now turn in your Bibles if you have your Bibles or your iPads or whatever you use. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.960 Look at 2 Timothy 3.16. 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:26.480 2 Timothy 3.16, because I'm gonna, this is off a little bit, and then we're gonna get right back into Revelation. 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:40.159 But 2 Timothy 3.16 says this all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:42.480 Now listen to this, don't miss this. 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:52.960 That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 00:09:53.440 --> 00:10:06.320 Men and women, there's absolutely no way that you're gonna survive in these latter days unless you're getting thoroughly equipped for every good work from God's word. 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:08.320 That's how we overcome. 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:17.279 We're overcomers by letting the living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, word of God, flow within us daily. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:19.039 Daily. 00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:30.799 And the reason many believers are dropping off, the reason our young people are dropping off, and I don't know what happened, but that little freshman, young man committed suicide this week. 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:34.639 The halls were full of kids weeping and stuff over that. 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:37.120 I got texts from all over the place about it. 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:40.000 We need the word of God, men and women. 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:45.039 We need parents who are in the word, who are training their kids up in the word. 00:10:46.159 --> 00:11:01.279 Liz and I will be the first to tell you, as parents of seven kids, that the we messed up a lot, but one of the things we did get right is we, Liz especially, was regularly in the word and still is to this day, every almost every day with our kids. 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:02.799 Now, Samuel's teaching the word. 00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:09.120 Each kid, as they get to a certain age, they have to teach the other kids, verse by verse, and they're going through the Old Testament right now. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:16.399 And so I want to say this, I know it's off the beaten path, but I want to say that if you're not regularly in the word, you will atrophy. 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:18.399 It's like working out. 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.120 You know, you've got to pump iron if you want to stay strong. 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:28.879 And as you get older in age, it's more important that you're doing that because you atrophy and you spiritually can atrophy. 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:31.840 And when you spiritually atrophy, you don't even know it. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:39.919 You know, there've been runners, marathon runners, that just drop over dead because something was wrong and they didn't know it. 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:50.559 And so and so in our lives, many Christians are that way, and they get used to like a diet that has no spiritual protein to it. 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:52.240 It's all junk food. 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:58.960 I mean, if you're watching the Word of God taught on TV, that's fine. 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:01.039 I think that's good. 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:03.200 Praise God, it's on TV. 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:20.480 But if that's your main sustenance for spiritual growth, to me, that's like watching some guys in a gym working out, and somehow you experience this effect of feeling more manly because you watch them pump earn. 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:22.960 No, you've got to do it. 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:24.000 Because here's the deal. 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:28.399 I don't want manna that someone else has already digested. 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:30.720 I want manna for me. 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:33.200 I need manna for me, right? 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:34.240 Don't you? 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:36.559 You need a fresh word almost every day. 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:38.720 And the reason I say this is because I don't want you, I don't want to get legalistic. 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:40.320 I mean, because nobody does it every day. 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:42.000 And if they say they do, they're liars. 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:43.679 It's not possible. 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:45.360 I mean, we're busy people, right? 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:46.799 So we're gonna miss. 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:50.080 But you regularly need an intake of God's word. 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:56.480 We we use PB and J with those bookmarks that we give out and stuff, and we'll get those two if you don't have them, but to be in God's word. 00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:01.039 So tonight we're in God's Word, Revelation chapter 2, we're at Thyatira. 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:03.200 Thyrotira is interesting. 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:07.759 Thyrotira is about 35 miles east of Pergamos. 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:17.600 If you saw that trade route that we showed you earlier, you know, starting down in relation to Ephesus and then moving north-south, you come to Thyatira. 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:22.000 And all these churches, by the way, you guys, are all in modern Turkey. 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:26.879 So where Turkey is today is where these churches were located at that time. 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:30.639 And there and the ruins for each of these cities is still there. 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:40.799 But the church of Thyatira was located in a beautiful valley on a trade route founded by one of the generals of Alexander the Great, Seleucus. 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:46.639 And here's what's interesting about Thyatira over all the other cities. 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:50.320 You've heard of, have you ever heard of trade guilds, trade guilds? 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:55.519 There had never been trade guilds before until this time, and Thyatira was the first city to have trade guilds. 00:13:55.600 --> 00:14:04.559 And what those were were those people that were in a particular trade formed kind of like a fraternity or sorority. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:06.320 And it was a guild. 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:12.639 And to understand what we're gonna read here, you've got to understand that what they had is you had a trade guild god. 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:20.639 Because remember, this is under the Greek system and the Roman system with a pantheon of gods. 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:21.919 So there were many gods. 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:28.320 So there was a, for those guys who who did carpet, there was a carpet god. 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:32.639 And if you were into textiles, you were there's a textile god. 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:34.559 There's many of them, but there was like a main one. 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:58.960 And what they did, and you'll understand this in a moment when we talk about Jezebel, is that they would go into these rooms, and we found the ruins of this, and there would be a couch or a sofa, and they would come in there, and they would have these sexual drunken orgies to the trade God, to the guild God. 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:06.960 Now you remember in Acts chapter 16, you may remember the story, Paul meets Lydia. 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:18.480 Lydia, if you recall, was one who worked in purple fabrics, and she was from Thyatira. 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:31.759 So if Prince had been alive back then, he probably would have lived in Thyatira because purple was their main color coming out of Thyatira, and it was the reason the reason was because there was a certain kind of snail. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:36.879 Believe it or not, there was a certain kind of snail, and there was a certain called matter root. 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:47.039 Both were crushed, mixed together, and dried out, and that's where you get the color purple at that time, and that was prevalent in Thyatira. 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:53.919 So imagine you get saved, you come to know the Lord, and you're in a trade guild. 00:15:54.559 --> 00:16:04.080 And what your trade guild regularly does is come together and give homage to this God of this trade guild. 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:20.559 And the best description I can remember was my time in Japan living and working in Tokyo, where it was required of all the businessmen that you had to stay behind after work and basically get drunk with the guys. 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:24.639 If you were going to be in the club, you had to get drunk with the guys. 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:46.080 And so late at night, Liz remembers this, about 11 p.m., 11:30, we could hear the businessmen staggering down the alleyway near our apartment, whistling some interesting tunes, singing some interesting songs, because they had to be within their company, hanging out with their company. 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:48.799 And so that's the context of Thyatira. 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:51.120 And so the Christians are struggling, you guys. 00:16:51.279 --> 00:17:02.480 They're struggling because, on the one hand, they can't fit in with the trade guild anymore, but they also don't fit in at church. 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:06.559 And we'll explain why in just a moment, because something really, really weird is going on. 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:11.200 This is the first time adultery is used in the book of Revelation. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:24.799 These things says the Son of God, this is really important, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like fine brass. 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:28.880 Jesus can see it all. 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:30.640 Look at verse 23. 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:32.079 Same passage, same chapter. 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:33.359 Look at verse 23. 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:37.359 I am he who searches minds and hearts. 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:45.039 How many of you have had injustice done to you where you've been ripped off, stabbed in the back, or betrayed? 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:47.039 Raise your hand if that's ever happened to you. 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:51.039 And for you that are not raising your hands, it's in your future, I promise you. 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:53.759 Um but but you've been ripped off. 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:56.000 How many of that happened in the church? 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:58.079 Everybody, same people. 00:17:58.319 --> 00:17:59.839 Like hands higher. 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:00.480 Okay. 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:02.640 Yeah, me too. 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:06.880 And it's happened to me, it's happened to you, it's all happened, and it will happen to all of us. 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:09.440 But God sees that. 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:11.759 You know what a comfort that is? 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:13.519 Have you thought about that? 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:19.920 That He's got flaming eyes and he sees injustice. 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:22.720 You know, a comfort to me has been Luke 18. 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:28.960 Luke 18 is that parable where Jesus says, There was once a widow, and she had nothing. 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:32.880 And she went to an unjust judge because she wanted justice. 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:35.759 And she cried out to him, and he said, I don't want to have anything to do with you. 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:37.680 I don't fear God and I don't fear men. 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:53.279 And then Jesus goes on with the parable to say, but because she kept bugging him, Steve Holt translation, because she kept bugging him, because she would not let him rest, he said, Okay, I don't fear God, I don't fear man, but I will give her justice. 00:18:53.359 --> 00:19:04.319 And then he goes, How much more does the Lord care about his children, who will bring, yea, even with patience, answers to their prayers. 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:12.640 And it's interesting because when Jesus begins that parable, he says, He told this parable so that they would pray and not lose heart. 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:24.640 So men and women, Jesus sees stuff, and we may not see what we hope to be the result of our prayers for a while. 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:28.799 Matter of fact, it seems in Luke 18, you won't. 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:32.480 Because God's teaching you patience and God's teaching you perseverance. 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:33.839 James 1. 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:39.680 Counter all joy when you counter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 00:19:39.839 --> 00:19:46.480 It produces endurance so that you'll be complete and perfect and lacking in nothing. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:47.839 I hate that verse. 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:55.119 Do you realize that becoming complete and perfect and lacking in nothing is because of patience, and patience is because of trials? 00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:57.839 That's a real bummer. 00:19:58.079 --> 00:20:08.960 But the reality is, here's what's cool is I think the way we start sucking life out of our circumstance instead of letting our circumstances suck life out of us, it's rather I'm getting perfected. 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:11.119 I'm becoming complete. 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:15.279 If I'll endure with patience and pray and not lose heart. 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:20.160 And so Jesus sees stuff, you guys. 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:37.359 Those that have betrayed you, many of you have been through divorces, many of you have been through sexual abuse, molestation, stuff like that has happened in your life, and God sees that, and I'm telling you, there will be justice at some point. 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:38.799 There really will. 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:41.519 God is not missing that. 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:48.960 And he has eyes like flames of fire, which to me is a connotation of the holiness of God. 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:50.960 The holiness of God. 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:56.720 He can see through, don't miss this, false religious spirits. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:03.440 The church is packed with false religious spirits. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:10.160 People who pose, pretend, and seemingly are perfect in everything they do. 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:13.440 And they're hypocrites. 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:21.839 Because they've never learned the vulnerability of being open and honest and finding the freedom that comes through breaking that religious spirit in their life. 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:32.319 God's eyes examine leaders, God's eyes examine churches, God's eyes examine pastors, God's eyes examine nations. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.640 God is examining our nation. 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:43.680 His eyes are like flames of fire, and his feet like burnished bronze upon America. 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:50.000 So today I was in Amos, and I just I just felt led to spend time in Amos. 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:53.599 I read through Amos for our nation. 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:56.000 Praying for our nation. 00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.759 We are a result of the leaders that we have. 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:08.720 The leaders we have today would have never been the leaders that they are in the positions that they are 35 years ago. 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:11.680 They'd have been a joke. 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:16.960 But because we've joked our way through life for so long, that's now our leaders. 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:20.400 We got jokers for leaders who've been joking for 30 years. 00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:27.839 Verse 19, I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience. 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:32.000 And as for your works, the last are more than the first. 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:40.640 So one of the things that Jesus sees, and he says it twice just in this verse, he sees, men and women, your works. 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:42.720 He sees your labor of love. 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:44.000 He sees your service. 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:45.119 He sees your faith. 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:46.640 He sees your patience. 00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:48.160 Don't miss that. 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:52.240 When nobody else notices you, he notices you. 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:57.839 I mean, it's amazing the passages like Psalm 78. 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:06.160 Psalm 78 says that he took David from the sheepfolds to be king. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:12.960 You see, Jesus was noticing David when his dad didn't even know where he was. 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:20.480 I mean, Samuel, the prophet Samuel, I mean, this is the Billy Graham of Israel at that time. 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:25.279 He's coming to your house, and he says, I want to meet everybody in your family. 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:27.200 Billy Graham's coming. 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:29.599 Louis Palau's coming. 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:31.440 President Barack Obama coming. 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:33.200 We're talking about Bigwig's coming. 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:36.000 I want to meet all of your kids, and you forget one? 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:42.960 So here was a young man that was the least, even in his own family. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:51.440 We know in 1 Samuel 17, when he goes into the valley of Eli against Goliath, Eliab totally makes fun of him because he wants to take on Goliath. 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:53.440 He's the least in his family. 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:58.400 Even his dad doesn't know where he's at when the prophet Samuel comes. 00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:02.880 But it says in Psalm 78, he took him. 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:16.000 2 Chronicles 16, 9 says, the eyes of the Lord look to and fro across the earth to find those whose hearts are wholly committed to him that he might fully support them. 00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:19.920 So leaders may not notice you. 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:29.200 Your family may think you're the weirdest guy because you go to church now and you go to that weird church where the pastor wears jeans and stuff, and that's not a real church because he doesn't wear a tie. 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:33.759 And it can't be a real church because they do rock and roll music worship. 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:36.000 And it can't be a real church because they're borrowing a church. 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:37.119 They don't even have their own church. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:38.480 I mean, that's like a weird church. 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:40.079 That's not a church. 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:43.839 They don't even like have like a cross anywhere. 00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:45.279 Oh, okay. 00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:46.640 We got one here. 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:53.599 We're legit! Whoa, we have a cross now. 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:55.599 But God notices. 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:57.680 When nobody else notices, God notices. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:59.119 And he notices your good works. 00:24:59.279 --> 00:25:11.759 And so if you're cleaning a bathroom here, if you're vacuuming a carpet, if you're gonna be scraping and painting in a few weeks with us, Jesus notices. 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:14.480 And he loves you. 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:15.920 And he's with you. 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:18.960 When nobody else notices, don't miss that. 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:26.400 I'm your pastor, and a lot of times I don't notice all the cool things that happen around here, but Jesus does. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:28.640 And he loves you and he's with you. 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:33.200 You know, there's no other faith in all of the world like Christianity. 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:39.359 We build hospitals, we build orphanages, we build churches, we do medical clinics. 00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:40.720 We're gonna be doing that in Brazil. 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:47.680 Group of them is gonna be in Brazil doing a medical clinic and sharing their faith and taking care of the poor. 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:50.640 Buddhists don't build hospitals. 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:53.839 Muslims don't feed the poor. 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:56.160 Christians do. 00:25:56.960 --> 00:26:11.759 When I went to Japan back in the 80s, I would meet these kids on this college campus, and they would say, you know, after the war, you guys came and you just built all these hospitals and universities, and they knew where they were. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:17.359 And these kids weren't even churchgoers, they didn't know anything about Christ, but they knew what Christians had done after the war. 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:20.240 God notices our good works. 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:27.200 I think about this church, and I don't know all the history of this church, but this church is 40 years old, Chapel Hills Church. 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:33.759 I just heard this week that Circle Drive Baptist is up for sale. 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:37.599 There's another church right up here near uh Shrever. 00:26:37.759 --> 00:26:44.079 I can't remember the name of it, but that church just got sold, and I think a school, a charter school, got the building or something. 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:47.839 So here's the deal: churches come and go. 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:54.960 But they did works that Jesus saw, and he hasn't forgotten that. 00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:58.240 God loves you and you do good works. 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:06.160 There's Martin Luther who said, We're saved by works alone, but we're not saved by works that are alone. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:07.920 That's a great quote. 00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:14.000 You're saved by faith alone, but you're not saved by faith that is alone. 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:20.400 So your salvation is faith alone, but faith, proof of your faith, is that it's not alone. 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:33.920 So if you if you have no desire to help people, if you have no desire to love people, if you have no desire to give and to care and be there for people, then you need to really examine if you're in the fold. 00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:35.440 I mean, if you're really in. 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:38.799 Because James says faith without works is dead. 00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:42.880 It doesn't mean your salvation is by works, it means that works are a result of your salvation. 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:44.400 Verse 20. 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:45.920 So here's what I want to talk about here. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:46.640 This is really interesting. 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:51.039 I'm gonna call it, if you want to put a rubric over this, the Jezebel Church System. 00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:53.519 We're gonna call this the Jezebel Church System. 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:54.480 That's my term. 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:56.240 And I'll explain it in just a moment. 00:27:56.480 --> 00:28:13.359 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:16.079 Now again, he's using an Old Testament situation. 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:19.680 If you remember at Pergamus, we talked about the doctrine of Balaam. 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:21.759 That was a couple weeks ago. 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:26.640 This is a doctrine, I'm gonna call it a Jezebel church system. 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:32.079 There's a lot of churches that are under the influence of this Jezebel spirit. 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:35.839 First of all, let me say this: there's no woman named Jezebel. 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:40.319 I've never met anybody who named their kid Jezebel. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:41.599 Okay? 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:57.599 And at this time, even in Asia Minor, with both Romans, Greeks, and those that were Israeli who'd become believers, Jezebel is not a positive name even back then, because everybody knew the history of Israel about Jezebel. 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:00.880 So this, first of all, it's not a person named Jezebel. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:09.680 It's actually a spirit over a woman that he's calling Jezebel. 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:17.200 And it's a Jezebel system, now listen to this, of idolatry and sexual immorality. 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:20.480 Idolatry and sexual immorality. 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:28.480 Jezebel in the Old Testament was a vile and evil woman who led Israel into the worship of Baal. 00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:42.720 It seems to be similar to the cult of the Nicolaitans, which we talked about a few weeks ago, and the doctrine of Balaam, compromising holiness, leading to idolatry and sexual sin. 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:44.559 So here's what I think it is. 00:29:44.640 --> 00:30:00.640 And this is just from commentaries I've read in historians who say they believe that this woman that he's calling Jezebel to infer a particular way in which she was influencing the church was probably a leader of one of the trade guilds. 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:02.640 And here's what we think she did. 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:06.000 And tell me if it's not appropriate to our day. 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:13.359 To say something like this look, when we get together as people who die carpets, so you might be a carpet dyer. 00:30:13.599 --> 00:30:23.839 Um, and I've been to Morocco, and you'll you can go up into Morocco, and I've been up in these parts of Morocco where it's exactly, except for the cars and the motorcycles, it looks exactly like the time of Jesus. 00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:30.319 And that's where they do a lot of the filming for Middle Eastern movies and stuff like that, um, where they're doing Jesus movies and stuff like that. 00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:31.359 They do it in Morocco. 00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:38.079 So you could go up in a building, we were up in this building, and you could see them dyeing the carpets the way they've done it now for thousands of years. 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:44.880 So they've got the vats and everything, and they and they run a shirt through, or they run a carpet through, whatever, and they've got all these colors. 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:56.559 So that might be a gill, for example, and it could be that this woman's head of that, she says, look, when we get together, I know you're believers now, I'm a believer too, but look, you can't evangelize if you don't fraternize. 00:30:57.119 --> 00:30:59.359 You can't evangelize if you don't fraternize. 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:01.440 So get a little bit drunk, it's okay. 00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:05.839 A little bit of sex, that's okay too, because we're gonna try to reach them for Christ. 00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:08.559 It doesn't mean anything. 00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:10.480 That's not a real God. 00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:11.839 We all know that's a fake God. 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:19.519 That little thing, that little man that's up there on the shelf in the guild, like where the couches are and everything, doesn't mean anything. 00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:20.960 It's just an idol. 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:23.359 So it's okay. 00:31:24.079 --> 00:31:39.519 And so it seems that she drew many from the church in Thyrotira in with, listen, a combination of idolatry and sexual immorality, because here's the thing we got to understand: spiritual fornication. 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:45.200 Spiritual fornication always leads to sexual fornication. 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:48.640 Not the other way around, most of the time. 00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:50.880 Spiritual fornication, what do I mean? 00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:54.720 I mean compromising your true love. 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:58.079 Compromising your true love spiritually. 00:31:58.240 --> 00:32:12.079 That's what concerns me about so many pastors that are acquiescing right now doctrinally and theologically and biblically to the doctrines of America, I would say. 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:18.400 Kind of the greed of America, the idolatry of America, they're spiritually fornicating. 00:32:18.880 --> 00:32:24.000 Because they're giving up their first love for other lovers because it's easier. 00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:26.319 And it's cooler. 00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:30.559 Because it's really important now to be cool and hip. 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:36.000 So the real deal right now is to be kind of cool and hip. 00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:44.640 And listen, if you're not careful, spiritual fornication can happen, which can lead to sexual fornication and religious syncretism. 00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:47.039 And so that's what was happening at this time. 00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:50.160 And so she calls herself a prophetess. 00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:54.079 Have you met any card-carrying prophets lately? 00:32:54.640 --> 00:32:59.279 Usually we run them off pretty quick around here, but um, they're around. 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:05.119 And that's what they their identification is they're a prophet. 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:11.680 Or they're a prophetess, and they've got some new teaching that they want to bring into the church. 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:14.079 I call that the Jezebel system. 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:20.319 The Jezebel system, this deeper teaching that gets us away from the main and the plan. 00:33:20.400 --> 00:33:32.400 I remember a number of years ago, a church in Denver, the pastor was a friend of mine who got involved in this thing in his church called soulmate prayer partners. 00:33:33.440 --> 00:33:38.160 And it was men with women, women with men, and you know where that went. 00:33:39.599 --> 00:33:45.359 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 00:33:45.599 --> 00:33:47.759 God always gives us a chance to repent. 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:51.759 He always gives us time to turn from our wicked ways. 00:33:52.000 --> 00:34:02.559 If you're sleeping around, if you're involved in drug stuff, if you're involved in immorality right now, God will give you a chance to repent, and you can repent tonight. 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:07.599 Because there is, there is a grace period. 00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:09.760 I'll call it a grace period with the Lord. 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:10.800 There really is. 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:21.280 Now there's always grace, you're always loved by Him, but you could also be under the discipline of the Lord because you wouldn't repent. 00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:45.840 And so we see it in our country with STD, we see it in our country with abortions, we see it in our country with AIDS, other stuff that we could go on and on, some new viruses coming out even in the last month, because of sexual transmitted diseases that, with our sex-saturated culture, have brought spiritual and sexual fornication into our world. 00:34:46.559 --> 00:34:48.639 And God gives us a chance to repent. 00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:55.440 Major denominations are compromising in the era of sexual licentiousness. 00:34:55.679 --> 00:35:02.079 Instead of using God's word to define what those boundaries are, which bring, listen, guys, that bring freedom. 00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:10.960 When we take, have you ever noticed you take boundaries away from kids, they actually go into bondage because you don't know what the rules are. 00:35:11.280 --> 00:35:14.320 And so God's given us boundaries that lead to freedom. 00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:17.039 And here's the deal, you always get found out. 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:25.519 It's amazing to me, even with some of our most famous people who did some pretty interesting things, who are presidents of our country and leaders. 00:35:25.840 --> 00:35:29.760 Even in post-mortem, they get found out. 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:36.480 And suddenly all of the accolades are just thrown out because God allows them to be found out. 00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:38.880