Please turn with me in your copies of the Word of God to the second chapter of the Revelation. Revelation chapter two. Chapter two begins with a word from the glorified Lord Jesus Christ. the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To him who washed us from our sins in his own blood, or as some of your translations read, and he who freed us or released us from our sins in his own blood. This Jesus, the son of God, tells John what you see. Write it in a book and send it to the seven churches. So he writes to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, and Thyatira, which we find in chapter two of our Bibles. For the past four Lord's Days, we've been considering the church in Thyatira. It is my purpose this morning to finish this book, this church in Thyatira this morning. In the benediction of Hebrews 13, 21, we pray that the God of peace will make us complete in every good work to do His will, working in us what is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. And so we see in Revelation 2.19, that which was well-pleasing in His sight. as the great shepherd of the sheep commends these believers for abounding more and more in love and service and faith and patience. Brethren, don't ever forget that our best works, though tainted with sin, are well-pleasing in God's sight because they are done in Christ Jesus, our Lord. The enemy of our souls will try to steal your joy in the service of Christ. And he will accuse you, pointing out the shortcomings in your good works. Hear the encouraging approval of our Lord. Brethren, go through the scriptures and soak up the commendations in God's holy word. For God is pleased with the works of his children when they are done by faith in Christ. However, as we seek for balance in our assessment, desiring not to be exalted above measure, let us hear his word of disproval as well. And this he had against the church in Thyatira, their tolerance, their tolerance of a false teacher. They allow that woman Jezebel to teach and seduce or to lead astray some in the church. Verse 20 of Revelation chapter 2. In an article written by Tim Challies in 2014, he discusses seven things concerning false teachers. He first mentions a few by name. And I hope you remember the exhortation that I cited a couple of Sundays ago by Pastor Jim Sebastio to pastors. And they were exhorted, and we were exhorted to expose false teachers and identify their teachings. So Pastor Chalice, Chalice, I think that's what he pronounces his name, Chalice, like valleys or rallies. I used to call him Chalice, but his name is Chalice. He cites some of these false teachers. He talks about those in past in church history, and he talks about some current ones. He talks about Joseph Smith. He mentioned Benny Hinn and T.D. Jakes, L.N.G. White. And we could add to that list. Since we're talking about Jezebels, we could talk about Mary Baker Eddy and Amy McPherson and Katherine Kuhlman. But we can't forget Joel Osteen and Creflo Dollar. and Kenneth Copeland, and the list goes on. And because there's so many around the world, these false teachers, Challis starts with this, and he gives seven things concerning false teachers. And the first thing he mentions is false teachers are common. When and where there are teachers of truth, there will necessarily be teachers of error, he says. The first and most fundamental thing I learned about false teachers is that we ought to expect them and be on the lookout for them. They are common in every era of church history. This should not surprise us, since the Bible warns that we are on war footing in this world and that Satan is on full out offense against God and his people. And sure enough, history shows that whenever the gospel advances, error follows in its wake. When and where there are true teachers, teachers of truth, there will necessarily be teachers of error. Perhaps the most surprising thing about false teachers is that we continue to be surprised by them, their statements, their teachings. are outlandish and they surprise us with the depths of foolishness that they propound. He goes on to say false teachers, secondly, are deceptive. False teachers are deceptive. He says they do not announce themselves as false teachers, but proclaim themselves angels of light, people who have access to wisdom others have missed or misplaced. As Benny Burke says, false teachers typically won't show up to your church wearing a sandwich board saying I'm a false teacher. Instead, they begin within the bounds of orthodoxy and announce themselves only slowly and through their subtle twisted doctrine. They turn away from orthodoxy one step at a time rather than all at once. He says this, false teachers are dangerous. False teachers are dangerous. And part of what makes them so dangerous is that they will affirm so much that is good and true. They will not deny all of the doctrines upon which the Christian faith stands or falls, but only select parts of it. They draw in the unsuspecting with all they affirm, and only later destroy them with all they deny. There is an important lesson. We only know a person when we understand both what he affirms and what he denies. He says false teachers are divisive. This is an interesting statement. The church often trusts smiling false teachers. or a smiling false teacher ahead of a frowning defender. False teachers cause division within the church and often cause divisions even among true Christians. Because false teachers tend to remain within the church and because they claim to be honoring the Bible, they confuse true believers and drive wedges between them. Amazingly, it is often those who stand fast against falsehood who get labeled as divisive. The church often trusts a smiling false teacher ahead of a frowning defender. You parents, do you smile while fighting off a wild rabbit dog who is attacking your children? You do not. With sternness and anger, you grab a stick or whatever you can find and you fight off those who would harm your children. And why is it when pastors with passion and zeal fight off those wolves, those who come in in sheep's clothing in this place and seek to lead the people of God astray? Why are we sometimes considered to be harsh and unloving? He goes on and he says, false teachers give people what they want. As Paul wrote in the final letters to Timothy, he warned that the time was coming when people would not endure sound doctrine and hence sound teachers, but instead they would have itching ears and demand teachers who would satisfy this itch. False teachers do this very thing. Their concern is not for what people truly need, but for what people want. The concern of the Christian is the exact opposite. The gospel does not address what we want, but what we need. False teachers are not innocent. False teachers know they are false teachers. This may not be true all the time, and perhaps some false teachers deceive themselves before they deceive others. But I believe most know who and what they are. In fact, I believe most know and delight in who and what they are. They're not naive people who have taken a wrong turn in their theology, but evil people who are out to destroy others. Their attack on truth is far more brazen than we may like to think. False teachers cannot tolerate the gospel. False teachers simply cannot tolerate it, he says. At some level and in some way, they will always add to or subtract from the pure, sweet gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. They may affirm the Trinity or inerrancy or the deity of Jesus Christ, but they will never fully affirm the gospel of the Bible. False teachers or false teaching It's not just false teaching about doctrine, such as the deity of Christ, but false teaching includes wrong view about how to live a godly life. False teaching leads to false living. Be careful, brethren, and take these warnings and these identifications of false teachers to heart. In verse 22, In verse 23 of our text, Christ says what he will do to the unrepentant teacher and her followers. Indeed, verse 22, I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, And all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and the hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your works." It seems that her children is a reference to her disciples, those who imbibed her opinions and emulated her character. Those committing adultery with her and her children are probably the same people and thus join with her in the punishment. Listen to James Ramsey as he comments on this portion. The long-suffering of God towards such deceivers only hardens and encourages them. She is therefore made to eat of the fruit of her doings. Her sin becomes her punishment. She is to find the bed of her pleasures to be the bed of helplessness and wasting disease. Her beauty and fascination's all gone. Herself an object of pity and contempt. All such false teaching brings its authors to shame and disgrace. Of her children, he says, I will kill all her children with death. This language is very peculiar as well as strong. It seems to intimate that this loss of life threatened was nothing that could be caused by such instrumentalities as affect the body only. It was inflicted by the curse of the law itself. They were to be given over to the full power of death to become his special victims, pierced through with his eternal sting. the matters of salvation, to follow any teachings but those of Jesus is to kill the soul itself. Beloved, the greater the light, the greater the light rejected, the greater the evil and the punishment thereof. If we receive great light, if we receive much blessing from the word of God and we reject it, It indeed is a great evil. Consider the words of our Lord in Luke chapter 12, verse 47 and 48. And that servant who knew his master's will and did not prepare himself or do according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know yet committed things deserving of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required. And to whom much has been committed of him, they will ask the more. In 1 Timothy 4, 13, Paul exhorts his son in the faith with these words. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Then down in verse 16, the apostle says, pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for as you do this, you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. Just a couple of Sundays ago, we read our Lord's words in the public reading of the scripture in Matthew chapter 11. Then he began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. Do you remember that? Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it would be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you." Bishop Rouse said, these are to be in the lowest hell. because they heard the gospel and yet did not repent, because they had great religious advantages and did not use them. How awful this sounds. Surely these words are to make the ears of everyone tingle who hears the gospel regularly and yet remains unconverted. How great is the guilt of such a man before God. How great is the danger in which he daily stands. Those who hear the gospel regularly, I consider sitting in this place once a week as regular. I consider coming here 52 Sundays in a year as regularly. And if we come to evening service, it's more regular. Here are the sobering words of 2 Peter 2.21. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, and having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. It would have been better for them not to have known There's some who ball their fist up and they despise and they're angered at the fact that they are made to come to church. I can remember relatives, I shall not mention names, but who said, when I get grown, I'm never going back to church again. And there's some who come. It would be better for them to stay out of church than to hear the gospel plea and to reject it. Too much is given, much is required. How we need to fervently pray for our loved ones here, perhaps more than those who don't frequent this place of gospel proclamation. We think about the folks on the street, the drug addicts and the folks who are committing crimes and doing all kinds of evils. The people you see on the television, on the newsreels, who are committing crimes and doing all kinds of wickedness. And we say, oh, what great sinners. Oh, we need to pray for them. And yes, we do. But brother, I submit to you this morning, We need to pray more, harder, fervently, fasting and praying for those here who are unconverted, who hear the gospel message, and who will not like Jezebel, who will not repent. They need our prayers. No matter what they say, this Jezebel and her company Like those in Matthew 7 who say, Lord, Lord, in that day, Christ, with eyes like a flame of fire, examines their inmost thoughts. The word used here, in verse 23, nephros, or loins, or reins, as we read in the King James Version in the 1901 ASV, is where we get our word nephrology. It's the study of kidneys. The most frequent word used for mind is noose, which speaks of the ruling faculty, mind and understanding and reason. We speak of the noetic effects of the fall. And that's not a reference to know it. It's talking about how the mind has been affected, the noose, the mind has been affected by sin. But here the Holy Spirit uses a different word, nephrus, that speaks of the will and the affections. The hidden parts are examined and judged and punished. Christ says, in all the churches shall know. This punishment is not some isolated punishment or some isolated event. It should draw our minds to the account in the early church, recorded in Acts chapter five, regarding how Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, lied to God, the Holy Spirit. At the end of that tragic event, we read in verse 11, so great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. They heard about Ananias and Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit, and they lost their lives that day. Verse 13 of that chapter says, and none dared to join them. They esteemed the saints highly. They thought well of them, and no doubt their God. But all the church heard about this punishment, this judgment that God enacted to these who lie. The God who sees the depths of the heart punished. Be careful about entertaining this false theology that God can't see. He sees all and he knows all. He says, I will give to each one of you according to your works, verse 23 says. Ramsey said, there is a sad tendency to forget the important and precise place which works hold in the kingdom of grace. Some might ask, according to works and not according to faith? Are we not justified by faith alone? Yes, but faith is justified by our works. Our works validate, they confirm and show forth our faith. Matthew 7 verse 15, our Lord says, beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. But do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So even every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear a good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. What does good fruit look like? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Is that the kind of fruit that you possess? I hope we can say not perfectly, Hopefully we are growing like the church in Thyatira, abounding in these things. By God's grace, can we say these things are true of our lives, this fruit, these good works? Titus is exhorted to tell those in Crete not to profess they know God in word only, but They need to prove their trust and their faith in God by their works. Because there are many who profess to know God, they talk about it. But the Bible says in works they deny Him. Being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified from every good work, Titus 116. And so Titus goes on, and he's exhorted by the apostles to tell them to be a pattern of good works. Verse 7, the second chapter. In the 14th verse, he says, be zealous for good works. Chapter 3, verse 1, he says, be ready for every good work. And then in the third chapter, in verse 8 and 14, he says, be careful to learn to maintain good works. James 2.17 says thus also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Verse 19 and 20, you believe there's one God, you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know? Oh, foolish man, that faith without works is dead. And then in verse 22, he speaks of Abraham. He says, do you see that faith was working together with his works? And by works, faith was made perfect. Because Abraham had faith in God, his works, what he did, validated. the reality and the genuineness of his faith. Now, I must say, we must be careful. We must never drift into the era or the area of teaching that forms works as the basis of our justification. Let me be clear on that. Yet we must remember that what our faith produces will be judged. One commentator said it this way. There are several references in this letter to deeds, the deeds by which we cannot be justified, but by which we shall certainly be judged. Deeds or works are never the ground or means of our salvation, but they are the necessary evidence of it, and therefore they constitute an excellent basis for judgment. Let me come to verse 24. Here we find what Dr. Beeky calls, and I mentioned it last few weeks ago, the Pauline sandwich. He's given the commendation, he's given the word of condemnation, and now he gives a word of comfort. It's like a sandwich. The sweet, the hard, and the sweet. Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden." This sounds much like the comforting word of the Jerusalem Council. They said, for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things. And they sent them a letter concerning those things which they should avoid. Listen again to Ramsey. In such a state of the church, When error holds authority and occupies high places and puts on its most attractive forms and cunning sophistries, it is no easy matter to hold fast to the simple truth and worship of Jesus. And to do so is all the burden he calls his true disciples to bear. He goes on to say, no burden which Christ lays upon us can crush us by its weight or even cause us to walk painfully and heavily. Remember the words of our consecutive reading again in recent days, where our Lord says, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart, or gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. The Lord is concerned about his people, and he will not put upon them a burden too heavy to bear." These false teachers in Thyatira supposed that they had superior insight, perhaps even teaching that in order to be acquainted with Satan's devices, we need to explore the secrets of the dark side. Many have ruined their souls, brethren, thinking they must expose themselves to pornea in order to help their brothers escape its enslaving shackles. Dear ones, what we need to be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work is the Holy Scriptures. That's what we need to study. That's what we need to give our attention to. That's what we must memorize. That's what we must meditate on. We needn't go to the dark side or to the evil things to be able to help people and understand what their struggles are. No, we need the instruction of God's word to tell us how to deal with the issues of this life. It's interesting, I've seen These things posted, I say it's interesting that many who took vows as teens on college campuses to some pagan deity as they pledged in to Greek fraternities and sororities are now being saved by the grace of God and are now renouncing that allegiance publicly and on social media and proclaiming with loud voices that they are followers of Jesus Christ. King Jesus. And that's the effect the gospel has. It causes us to leave the sin and the paganism that we were once enslaved to. But it's sad to say, brethren, that many of these secret societies that fill the church with the deep things of Satan. So you have churches with Freemasons and Eastern Stars and all those, and they think that's a higher level of spirituality. It's beyond what we can read in the 66 books of this holy word. Beware of such false teaching. But the Lord says to the faithful remnant, hold fast what you have till I come. He says, persevere. Don't give up, continue on in the way, no matter how hard the way may seem, persevere. Even in the midst of your church, you see this Jezebel with her and her company, propounding error and living licentious lives, but you continue on faithful. We need to pray every time we come to prayer meeting, Lord. And I heard a pastor say this. He says, when they have an elders meeting, they come together, they say, Lord, we just want to ask you that all of us will be here next year. Now, we understand sometimes jobs move us across the country. Sometimes sickness will prevent us from being here or death. There are other reasons. But what they were getting at is that It never fails at the end of each year, we have to say with weeping and tears that some have departed from the faith. O to God that all of us here will be here next year, loving Christ more than we do today. And if we do hold fast, we will become overcomers, or we will be overcomers. Those who keep his word to the end, we can say with Paul, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. They will be overcomers. The ka'o, when we get the word Nike, to be victorious, to prevail, to triumph, to vanquish, to conquer, Those who trust Christ and are faithful to him and do not deny his name, those who continue on, who hold fast until he comes, will be overcomers. Beloved, our battle is not with flesh and blood. Our greatest battles and struggles are not economical or political. They are against the kingdom of darkness. And the real conflict is in the soul. The conflict is the same for God's people, but the battles differ from saint to saint. We all have a common enemy, and he seeks to work us woe. His craft and power, his craft and powers are great, and armed with cruel hate, and on earth is not his equal. But the battles differ from saint to saint. Where is your battle? What is that in your life that's preventing you from holding fast and continuing to the end? Is it your job? School? Is it family? Is it an unconverted spouse? Is it lust or food? Is it jealousy or issues with the tongue? Or is it the fear of man? Brother, if we don't fight, we will die. Owen said that, he says, be killing sin or it will be killing you. Remember the exhortation of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14. We must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. We are on enemy territory. We're not at home. We are pilgrims and sojourners in the earth. Let us live like those who live in tents. This is a temporary dwelling. Don't get so locked into this world and build mansions here that you lose sight of your heavenly home. Fight the good fight of faith. Fight the battles that are peculiar to you in your life. Listen to Martin Luther. If I profess with loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God, except that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ. However boldly I may be professing Christ, where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved. And to be steady on all the battlefield beside is a mere fight and disgrace if he flinches at that point. At that point where Satan's trying to vanquish your soul, where he's trying to tear you down. You look good in all these other areas and you can pontificate and you can quote scriptures and you have good works like these in Thyatira, works that are commendable, but there's this one little thing hiding in the attic of your soul where Satan's trying to get in and you're not dealing with him or dealing with it. You're not living right. God calls us to universal obedience, to give attention to all his commandments. Each of these epistles concludes with a glorious promise. Verse 26, and I will give power over the nations. I will give you power over the nations. This is a quote from Psalm two, verse eight and nine, speaking of the Messiah's triumphant kingdom. Verse seven, he says, as I also received from my father. Therefore, I do all things for the sake of the elect. that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. That's 2 Timothy 2. This is the faithful saying, for if we die with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. Do you hear what the scriptures are saying to us? that in that day we shall reign with Christ? We shall be given power over the nations? 1 Corinthians 6, two and three. Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, you are unworthy to judge the smallest things? Are you unworthy, he says, to judge the smallest things? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things? that pertain to this life. Did you ever think about that? That we should judge angels? Perhaps he's speaking about fallen angels, but to be so united to Christ in that day when we're glorified and changed and God gives us power over the nation. Do you think about what it will be like? I have not seen the things that God's prepared for those that love him, but we see these statements in scripture that talk about what things shall be like in that day, how glorious it should be. We can't fathom what it will be like to be so united to Christ in his majestic glory as our great high priest, our great king. and to be given these things in the new heavens and the new earth. I think we skipped over the judge angels, us? Because we think about ourselves in this fallen state, this redeemed but in this fallen world, imperfect as we are, but one day we shall put off this mortality and put on immortality. We shall be glorified one day. When you have a chance to read Balaam's prophecy in Numbers, chapter 24. And it says, I see him, but now, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out of Israel and batter the brow of Moab and destroy all the sons of Tumal. Revelation 22, 16 is, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star. And so our Lord brings this word of promise in Revelation 2, and I will give him the morning star. And he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The star was a symbol of power and authority. Living in the Roman province, the saints would have been aware of Venus, the goddess of victory and sovereignty, the one who conquers. The Roman legions carried her sign on their standards, but the saints We're encouraged to know that the son of God is the bright and morning star and he must win the battle. And he gives himself to us in that day. Sinners get what they deserve. Saints get far above and beyond what they could even begin to deserve. Because we are united to Christ, we have blessings untold. Christ calls this church to be on guard against false teachers. He commends them for their good works, and he tells them to continue on in that way, but deal with this thing that I hate, the tolerance of false teaching and false living in the church cannot be tolerated. That's why we have church discipline, because we honor our Lord and seek to glorify Him and not bring reproach to His name. And so we teach the word, that it might instruct us in the ways of righteousness. And when we do not heed it, Stronger measures are taken to bring those who are straying and those who are going astray back into the fold. Brethren, don't think it's a harsh thing because the design of this discipline is to bring back, is to cure, is to restore those who are turning out of the way. Oh, we ought to be so concerned about one another. that our antennas go up when our brethren are imbibing things that are not true and biblical. We've had people come in this place who have gathered with some and made friends with some in this place and started to teach things that were not biblical. And we've had to politely ask them not to return if they continue with that type of activity. You can sit here and listen and learn. And if you have questions, we're more than welcome to answer your questions. But to propound heresy and tell us things that are unbiblical and spread that throughout the congregation will not be tolerated in this place as long as we live by God's grace. Brethren, Let us be comforted by the things that God is preparing for us and encouraging us with, and let us hold fast to the end. Let us not give up, but persevere. He's preserving us, but we must persevere. He's working in us both the will and to do of His good pleasure, but we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling. And so, brethren, let's be diligent about serving Christ in this, our generation, that we might be bright and shining lights, that people might see our good works and give Him the glory, for He is worthy. Amen? Let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for these letters. that you have left for us to help us on our journey as we make our pilgrimage to the Celestial City. We thank you, Father, for your church, and we pray, Lord, even this morning, that you would keep us, that you would help us to put away the things of this world Wean us, Lord, we pray, from this world and help us to set our affections on things above. Help us, Lord, to honor Christ and to love him with all our heart. Help us to love him more than we love anything in this world. And Lord, we pray that you would save those in our midst who have not repented, who have not believed on Christ. Help them to see as your word, as your law is pressed to their hearts that they are lost and undone and on their way to that place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. Oh, by your spirit, come and give them new life. They too might walk with us and sing the songs of Zion. and serve the king in this life and be joined to him in the life to come. For it's in his name we pray, amen.