Welcome to the Grace Abounding broadcast brought to you by the Congregation of the Shreveport Grace Church meeting at 2970 Baird Road in Shreveport, Louisiana. My name is Ken Wymer. May the Lord God bless this message preached to the hearts of those He has purpose to hear and for whom the Lord Jesus laid down His life on the cross to pay their complete sin debt and justify them before God the Father. Please stay tuned. You will take your Bible and look with me in Revelation chapter 3 verses 11 through 13. Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." having considered in the previous verses in this letter or message to the Church of Philadelphia the importance of their standing for the truth in the face of opposition and the Lord encouraging them to do so, even in the face of martyrdom. Those are some things that we looked at and considered together, giving Christ himself as an example where he says in verse 10 because thou has kept the word of my patience and we saw last time that that really is a synonym for the gospel that's what the gospel is about it's about the Lord's patience and enduring suffering for his people and he says he gives them that promise that he would keep them from the hour of temptation which had come upon all the world and we noticed last time that that hour of temptation should come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth wasn't the physical persecution that awaited, but it would be even a spiritual blindness that the Lord would send upon the rest of the world, that he would keep his own from that. He's not going to leave them in blindness and darkness. So we see this call to steadfastness, which we all need to be reminded of. It's so easy to get caught up with the things of this life. How we need the Lord's grace and discernment about us in the day in which we live. Things are not different. We have the same synagogue of Satan. It's just as alive and well. False religion. And how subtle it is in many ways. Because they use many times the same words as we use, that we're used to hearing. Redemption. grace and forgiveness. They'll even talk of Christ. And yet, I'll tell you, ultimately it boils down to a salvation that's conditioned on something in man or salvation conditioned on Christ alone. That, to me, is just the bottom line in discerning these things. But how we need, by God's grace, to stand in a day of trouble. But there are promises. It's not just a matter of of our standing and gritting our teeth and facing the wind. The Scriptures are full of promises which encourage the Lord's people. If I've got to stand for something, I want it to be for a cause and I want it to be for the truth. What is the glorious reward of those that are the Lord's? Well, there are two things, I believe, that are given here to encourage us. And I want to encourage you with these, even as they've been an encouragement to me. And one is here in verse 11. There's the promise of Christ's coming. There's the promise of Christ's coming. We're not left to ourselves. Christ said that when he went into glory, he told the disciples he would not leave them comfortless, but he would come to them. Scripture there are many ways in which Christ has come. I know we look forward to His full and final glorious return but He has come in the presence of His Spirit and as we saw in Matthew 24 with regard to the nation of Israel, He came in clouds of glory but He came in judgment. He destroyed that city. He destroyed that temple during in 70 AD. People didn't see it. Understand it that way. but he said that would be the case and here in verse 11 he says behold I come quickly now as we're studying the book of Revelation let's remember that this had a very great significance and importance to the people of that day it means right the first century church and so I believe there is an immediate fulfillment of this prophecy that we need to see here when he said to the Church of Philadelphia, behold I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy craft. For the Church of Philadelphia, Christ's coming quickly was in the sense of his intervention in their distress and deliverance from the oppressors by his grace. I believe that that is how he was reassuring them. He was letting them know that he was not far removed, that his hand is not short to save, and that even though he's in heaven, yet his hand is in everything that takes place upon this earth. I think we as his children can find great comfort in that, no matter what the trial, no matter what the difficulty. We don't have to wait for some future pie-in-the-sky by-and-by. We know at times when it seemed like there was no out that the Lord reached down with His hand. He came in grace and mercy and He delivered us and He dealt with us. Certainly in Revelation 3 and verse 3 we saw this same thing used with regard to the Desartes where he said remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent if therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shall not know what hour I will come upon thee." There again it speaks of His coming but there in the sense of removing their candlestick and so we need to see that God is not passive, He's not, Christ is not sitting up on the throne and just waiting for some return to come back and then set everything in order. What we're going to see through this book of Revelation is that nothing happens on this earth but what it comes to the hand of Christ. And he's doing two things. He's either acting in judgment or he's acting in mercy. Those are the two things that we can be sure of. And so, again, the importance of understanding the book of Revelation for the churches of the first century. We learn from how he dealt with them, but we understand also that his hand is very much in all that takes place. You look over in 1st Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 13, I believe it's in this sense that the Lord encourages us to know that we're not left to ourselves. He's very much the shepherd of his sheep. He's very much ordaining all things in our lives. That's why we pray with the psalmist lead us by the still waters and to restore our soul. If that were not the case, why pray that? And here in 1 Corinthians 10 beginning with verse 12, wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Let's don't ever get presumptuous and what we know or our stand of where we are today, if we stand it's by God's grace, that's it. But know this in verse 13, there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. Don't you suppose if David fell we can do the same? Abraham, Lot, Peter. Why we think we're above these things and yet here's the glorious message of Christ in that his hand is not short to raise us up. But God is faithful. who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able. Now to be tempted above that we're able would mean to fall away to perishing, I believe. It doesn't mean we're not going to fall, we're going to know falls, we're going to know because there's no temptation that's taking you but such as common domain. But it says here God is faithful. Why is God faithful? Why is that mentioned? Because we're not. We're not. but who will not suffer you be tempted above that you're able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape what is that that's his grace that's his mercy that's the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ I believe a lot of people read that wrong they think well it's being able not to fall and so it's like a chess game okay you took my man that time I'll be ready next time that is not the way we approach this thing we know that if the Lord puts us in the face of temptation we will fall but will not suffer to be tempted above that you're able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to what? Bear it. How are you going to bear your guilt from your falls in the past? How are you going to bear your guilt knowing yourself to be just as great a sinner as any man's lived on this earth? I know it's only in one way thinking about the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and how that is exactly why he lived and died. If righteousness would come in any other way, he died in vain. Again, we're pointed over and over again to the Lord Jesus Christ and his death. And you notice the verse that comes after verse 14, wherefore my dearly beloved flee from my idolatry. What is idolatry? Looking to any other source, even your graces, to think well next time I'll have enough faith to stand. No you won't. I'll have thought this thing through. People say, well, just prepare for it next time. It doesn't matter all the preparing you do. Left to yourself, you'll certainly fall. But the grace of God, the grace of God. You can see, I believe that's the sense here in verse 11, where the Lord said, behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. The Lord is gracious and merciful. verse 11 that it does pertain to his coming broader interpretation for the church. Certainly we await his final and glorious return but in so doing we have this confidence that the Lord is going to preserve his church in time of trouble. He does save and preserve his elect whether in life or in death. I've mentioned this to you several times that the Lord's coming for me in my lifetime one way or another. It'll either be in clouds of glory or it's going to be to take this soul unto himself in death. But either way, he's coming. He's coming. And we live our lives with that in mind and hold fast with that in mind that no man take our crown. I believe the point here is that we're to fear God above men. We're to fear God above men. How often fear is a snare. You look over in Matthew chapter 10 and verse 28. When it talks here about that no man take thy crown. Thy crown, that's what is our glory. That's the glory of Christ that we have by His grace and His Spirit. But the scriptures tell us very plainly not to fear men. We're to fear God above men here in Matthew chapter 10 and verse 28. It says, "...and fear not them which kill the body." What were these of Philadelphia facing? Death. And yet the Lord, even when He was on the earth, told them, don't fear them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul. I would have us constantly reminded that we are a soul. We have a body. We get those backwards sometimes. We think we're a body and we have a soul. No, we are a soul. It says that God When he created Adam, he breathed into his nostrils and he became a living soul. That body was formed just as a clothing for the soul, but we are soul. So therefore, we're not to fear them which are not able to kill a soul, but rather fear him, this is speaking of God now, which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. What's this all about? Well, it has to do with the very salvation of our souls and the glory of God. fast that which thou hast that no man take thy crown." We're to hold fast to what we have. You know, since every trial really is a trial of faith, isn't it? That's what it is, it's a trial of faith. Then it's going to test what is true and it's going to remove what is false. Now trials cannot give faith, only the Spirit of God can give faith. But every trial is a test of The character of that faith and true faith will persevere in the grace of God and the doctrine of Christ. We're not going to sell this thing for a pot of porridge. That's the difference between Jacob and Esau. That's the difference between Achaian and Abel. There's one of two ways this thing—every man is going to be put to a test at some point, whether these things are so or not. He says to them, hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown. We're to be careful. I believe this is the sense here. And this is the promise of the fact that Christ, he has his church and he is tenderly leading that church along in his life and he's coming again for that church. But we're to be careful that no one deter us. I believe that's the sense here from the glory of God in Christ. That's why we live. I don't know if you've prayed that, but I have. It's been a desire of mine that the Lord not let me live one day longer than what I can glorify. I want to live to a long life, if in that I can glorify God the Father in Christ. But if not, I just prefer he take it. I believe inborn by the Spirit of God desire that he gives his children. You know, where it says here that no man take thy crown. That word is a word that was used for a wreath that was given at the end of some sort of public event or race or even given to somebody to honor. We saw recently in the Olympics over in Greece, they went back and everybody that won a, you know, first, second, third place wore this wreath. It was a sign of a symbol of honor. I don't believe that in this portion here is talking about someone losing their salvation. You can't lose what God gives. His calling is without repentance. So it's not that, you know, God saved you but now some man's going to come along and take away your salvation. That is not the sense here. It's not referring, I don't believe, to our eternal state. which in Scripture is called, you read in some portions of Scripture, it's called a crown of glory, it's called a crown of life or a crown of righteousness, but as I said, that cannot be taken away by man. I am not the one that earned it and no man can take it from me. If you look especially over in 1 Peter chapter 1, have to chuckle a little bit because back when I was in school I was in an organization that said they believed in the eternal security of the believer. That was a term that we studied hard and yet it was an organization that denied election and denied Christ's particular death, that the choice is up to you and yet somehow we've got eternal security. You never figure that out since, but they had some people convinced. Now our eternal security is the fact that God is the one that does the saving. He chose those that he'll save, and Christ redeemed them, and the Spirit calls them. Those are without repentance, you see. And here in 1 Peter 1, 4, and 5 we see that. In verse 3 it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away," and look at here, "...reserved in heaven for you." Now here's a reservation that's not going to be canceled. It says here, "...reserved in heaven for you," and then look at verse 5, "...who are kept by the power of God through faith." He's the one that gives the faith and He's the one that keeps you by that faith unto salvation. Ready to be revealed last time. What is it referring to? Well, I believe it's rather a reference to the very glory and honor of standing for Christ and the truth and that being taken away before man in denying it and shamefully in the face of persecution. There's a four-fold glorious reward to encourage us to stand the face of opposition. Stand for the truth of Christ. Stand for that which glorifies Him. If the Lord has given me such a persuasion on the message of God's free grace in Christ, it's because I know as a sinner that's the only way I can ever have any stand before God. And no matter how men argue, they will. They'll argue with it based on their experience. Yet I've got to come back to this Word and stand for what this Word has to say. But there's a reason First of all, I believe it's because there's an ultimate victory which the Lord has promised. You look there in verse 12, it says, him that overcome. Aren't you glad that that's there? Because it implies then that there are those that will overcome. They're not going to follow the course of this world. They're not going to just tag along with those that are in the broad way. Him that overcomes. I believe these words assure the church that although many in Christendom do fall away, and I believe we're living, when I say Christendom, I'm using it in the broadest sense of the word. We're talking about people that claim the name of Christ and yet you listen to the doctrine, you see what they hold to, you look at even the versions of Scripture that are being propagated. It's just a total undermining of the very gospel of God's grace in Christ. Yet, in spite of all that, I see here some light, some hope, and that is that there are those that will not fall away. May I be one of them. May I be one of them. Over against the scoffers, the church will prevail. God has his people that shall prevail. Christ has promised. He's going to cause it to prosper and vanquish, not in its own power, but through the power of God. And even even through the conversion of many who originally stood against her. Stop and think about that. A lot of times we think, well, there's the world and here's the church. Well, there might be one of God's elect still out there in that world that's opposing. That God, by his grace, is going to bring out. So let's don't give up. Let's don't think, well, it's all a lost cause. No. Look at the example of Paul when he wrote to Timothy there. Look in 1 Timothy 1.13. And I'd venture to say that Most of us sitting here in this room, if the Lord has taught us anything of Christ and his mercy and grace, we have to say we were at one time. Same thing, blasphemy. We were on that side that God should have condemned. But why didn't he? Well, he'd marked us out. Christ redeemed us. He'd set us apart. And in his time drew us to himself. You notice he says, that's what Paul says here in 1 Timothy 1 and 12, and I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me that he counted me faithful putting me into the ministry who was before a blasphemer and what a persecutor and injurious but I obtained what mercy because I did it ignorantly and unbelief he wasn't saying that as an excuse he was just saying I was what I was because I didn't I was blind and he said the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with the faith and love which is in Christ Jesus so him that overcometh I'm thankful. There's a promise, and I believe we can rest in this. As bad as things are in this world against the gospel, the true gospel, yet the Lord is going to do his work. There are those that he's going to cause to overcome. But secondly, I see in this a promise of safekeeping in the time of trial. Him that overcometh. There are many that when that wind of trial and temptation comes, they fall away. They're blown away. probably most of us can think of examples of people that we know that at one time sat right where you're sitting and seemed to rejoice in the message and then some trial came, some difficulties, and they're gone. They're gone. They're back in religion. They're back in the free will religion. Seen that happen with some preachers' wives. They stood by their husband so long as he's alive. They would give credence to what he preached. But I've been awfully surprised in different ones I've known that have preached the gospel in the past where I've asked, where are their wives today? What's happened to their wives? Moved right on back because of family. Because of family. People that came for a while and then they're gone. These are things that take place. I think about hurricanes that we just went through here in Louisiana. You read some of these stories how the same people went through the same flood and yet when it's all over here's a house standing, almost untouched. People went back and found the thing just like they left it, hardly any, just maybe a few trees down and then right next door or just down the street, total devastation. You know, the world says, well they got lucky. That's the way the world puts it. No, that's God's sovereign hand. in determining all things. And I'll tell you, it's the same thing in our safekeeping. If I'm enabled to stand in the day of trouble while others are washed away, I can only attribute it to one thing, the grace and mercy of God. He was pleased to keep me. And I believe that's important. Don't get cocky about this and think that somehow we've had something to do with it. I know they came up back in the day with that title, The Perseverance of the Saints, but it's really The Preservation of the Saints. I know that. Here it is in Isaiah 43, a great verse. Verse 1, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. When you understand redemption, the Lord causes you to learn of having been bought by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, your heart is turned to him who redeemed you. That's what takes away all fear, fear of judgment, fear of guilt, fear of sin. I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. You know, I look at the order there, it's so important. First he mentioned being redeemed, doesn't he? And then called, we were created unto his glory, but redemption, that's before the calling. There was that pain of the prize before we knew anything about it. And when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. through the rivers they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Why? For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior, thy Savior. We have no reason to boast but that's the promise that we have of His safekeeping. But thirdly, I believe there's a fourth whole glorious reward, the promise of our ultimate victory, the promise of our safekeeping in a time of trouble, but thirdly, an everlasting salvation. This is hard for me to get a hold of. In this life, there's nothing everlasting. In this life, you see everything just turn into mold and corruption, even the newest and brightest. We're talking about here an everlasting work of salvation. It says there in verse 12, Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God." A pillar in the temple of my God. You know what a pillar is? It's a symbol of permanence. And when God places it, it is permanent. It is permanent. It cannot be moved. That's the salvation. When we say salvations of the Lord, that's what we're talking about. Him being pleased to take his own and to place them upon that foundation the Lord Jesus Christ and never be moved. I shall not be moved. That was certainly David's desire. You look over here in Psalm 27 and verse 4 is what he said. He said one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may what dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life be one of those pillars I'll tell you, I'm so tired of being moved by every wind of doctrine before I was taught of Christ, just following this and following that, but oh, the glory now of knowing Christ just as he set forth, that's where I shall not be moved. See that? To behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple all that pertains to his glory. That whole temple had to do with Christ. What a place to be fixed. No earthquake or hurricane will ever remove them or drive them out of the church. We might be driven to and fro in this world as sheep scattered, but I believe the hope of every one of God's elect, those he's redeemed and called by his Spirit, is to abide in Christ forever. If I didn't have that hope, I couldn't stand up here and tell you these things. I believe these things are just exactly as I'm telling you, dear friends, and that hope we have when all the world is against you. Look to Christ, look to Christ. There's an everlasting salvation. Then finally, this here probably to me is the most precious. You think about all these, this fourfold reward, but here to me is the most precious, to be owned by Christ himself. Stop and think about that, why me? To be owned by Christ himself, the redeemed. That's the precious promise right there. You have been listening to the Grace Abounding broadcast brought to you by the congregation of the Shreveport Grace Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. For more information about our assembly, times of worship, and other Christ honoring messages that you may follow online, please visit our website at www.shrevegrace.org. Plan to join us each week at this same time for another Christ honoring message. To Him be all the glory.