to the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2. There was an old country preacher, and I mean, he was preaching, I mean, he was letting the evils of alcohol have it. He said, if I had all the beer in our county, I'd pour it in the river. Boy, the church said, Amen, preacher, Amen. He said, if I had all the wine in our county, I'd pour every drop of it in the river. Boy, I mean, by that time, I mean, they were shouting hallelujah, they was praising God. He said, if I had every drop of whiskey in our county, I'd pour it into the river. And boy, they were going crazy at that moment. And then they had an exuberant song leader like Brother Tom. And he got up and he said, Church, let's stand and close out the service. Shall we gather at the river? It's good to have exuberant song leaders, isn't it? But I don't think that probably wasn't a good song at that moment. But everything we've done today has been wonderful, isn't it? I believe it's honored the Lord. Well, you should be in the last book of your Bible, Revelation chapter 2. There are seven letters directly from Jesus to seven local churches. He had a message for His churches. But it wasn't just for them, it was for you and me today. God didn't just have a message for Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Thyatira, Pergamos, and Laodicea, Philadelphia, and these different churches we're going to read about over the next weeks. He had something to say to us this morning. He said, every time, He that hath an ear. You see, everybody has ears, but not everybody has a willingness to hear. In a church of a congregation of this size, no doubt there may be someone today, you have ears, but your heart really is not willing to hear what Jesus has to say to you. I trust that's not the case. But it could be. that every one of us ought to have ears to hear, a willingness in our heart to hear from heaven and respond in whatever way that God says that He desires for us to respond to Him. Because it's serious business. Isn't that true? And so we come to verse number 8 this morning. If you don't have a Bible, the text verses will be on the screen. Come to verse 8 and we're going to see what the Lord had to say about the church in Smyrna. And to the angel, the pastor, the messenger of the church in Smyrna write, these are seven churches in seven cities in Asia Minor. If you were traveling through the Roman roads of that day, the first city you would come to would be Ephesus, the second city on your route. would be Smyrna. And so each church and city is going to be mentioned in order as you would come to as you traveled this circuit there in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey today. It said, And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things saith the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. I know thy works. I see. I know. The Lord sees today. He knows. He said, I know thy works and tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich. And I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried. And you shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou fateful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh... Aren't you glad there's a promise to overcomers here? He that overcometh shall not be hurt, of the second death. Now I want you to key in, because this will be the title for our message this morning out of the church of Smyrna, three words in verse number 10. I want you to underline them. End of the verse, Be thou, say it with me church, faithful. Be thou faithful. The first mark of a healthy church that we saw in our study of these seven churches of the church of Ephesus is love. A church ought to be marked by love. Love for God, love for each other. This church in Ephesus, we learned, had left their first love. They were no longer loving the Lord. They were no longer loving Jesus as they should. And church, can I tell you, as we learn, we can never love God too much, but we can always love Him better. And we ought to be fanning the devotion of love in our hearts for the Lord Jesus. We ought to love Him. Love Him first. Listen, if we'll love Jesus first, then we'll love the most important people in our lives better. The second mark of a healthy church is faithfulness. Faithfulness. First mark is love. Second mark is faithfulness. Faithfulness is not just described by God. It is desired by God. It is expected by God. I Corinthians 4.2, here's what he says, Moreover, it is required in a steward. Do you recognize everything that we have, all that we are, we're just We don't own it. We're just managers. We just oversee it. We steward it. Hey, God owns it all. He's given us some. And we have a responsibility to steward life for His glory. And God said, what I expect of you as My child is that you are faithful. That we're faithful. Love and faithfulness go together. They go together. Faithfulness is the fruit of love. Our faithfulness to the Lord flows out of our love for the Lord. Listen, if we love Him, we'll be devoted to Him. If we love Him, we'll be faithful to Him. If we love Him, be thou faithful. That's what He's saying. Unlike the church at Ephesus, the church at Smyrna was deeply in love with Jesus, so much so they were willing to give their lives for Him. Look again at verse 10, those three words, because there's two words that follow after. Notice what he says, "'Be thou faithful unto death.'" to the point or the moment of death. The Christian life, listen to me church, from beginning to end, from start to finish, is to be characterized by faithful. And the Lord's letter to this church reveals what He thought because we're looking at what Jesus thinks of His churches. That's our series title through all of this. It's revealing the Lord's opinion. What He thought of the faithfulness of the church of Ephesus. Now, I want to just stop a minute I want everybody to lean in at this moment, and I'm going to ask you a question. What does Jesus think of your faithfulness? You see, it doesn't matter what I think about my faithfulness. It doesn't matter how I view my faithfulness. What matters is does Jesus count me faithful? Be thou faithful. Faithful. Let's pray together. Lord, thank you for your Word this morning. Thank you for the truth of your Word that we're going to learn. God, grow us in the area of faithfulness. Lord, I know in my own heart I could be more faithful. Father, I pray You would challenge us as Your people today, as Your church, that we would not only be known as a loving church, but a faithful church. Not just loving Christians, but faithful Christians, faithful to our God, faithful to the important relationships and responsibilities in life, that we at the end of life could be written across the epitaph of our tombstone They were faithful. He was faithful. She was faithful. Or simply the word faithful. Lord, I pray you'd teach us today. And if there's someone here today that doesn't know Jesus as Savior, I pray they'll come to know Him. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Here was a church that was known for its faithfulness, and the Lord is reiterating to them to be faithful. Listen, not just that they are faithful, but to continue in that faithfulness. And they were faithful because of the Savior that they worshipped. The Savior that they worshipped. Look again at verse number 8. Notice he says, "...under the angel of the church in Smyrna." That was the city. That was the geographical location of this body of believers. It was about 35 miles due north of Ephesus along the western coast of Asia Minor on the Aegean Sea. It was a beautiful city. Matter of fact, it was the loveliest city in Asia of its day. It was called the ornament or the flower of Asia. Smyrna had an enclosed harbor right in the heart of the city that led to its great wealth and prosperity. By the way, if you went looking for Ephesus today, you would just find a bunch of ruins. You know why? God put their light out. You go to Smyrna today, it is a thriving city in Turkey, in modern day Turkey, known as Izmir. And there is still a thriving population of Christians over 2,000 years later in this predominantly Muslim city. There is a group of believing Christians that are serving God right now with their lives. Listen, they were faithful then and there are still Christians in Smyrna, in Izmir that are faithful today. That's pretty powerful, isn't it? It was a beautiful city. It was also a wicked city. It was filled with idolatry. Nobody knows really exactly how this church got started. It's not mentioned in the book of Acts. It's not found anywhere else in the New Testament. It's only mentioned by our Lord here in Revelation chapter 2. Some believe Paul may have visited the city on his way to Ephesus on the third missionary journey, preached there. Maybe a church was started. Maybe it was during his two-year stay in Ephesus where the Bible says, All they that are in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks, and no doubt many of these churches that came out of the church of Ephesus were planted during that time. It may have been one of Paul's protégés, Timothy, Titus. It could have been another unknown believer. We don't know, but here's what I do know. The gospel came to that city. Can I tell you the best thing that ever happened to King North Carolina is the gospel came to our city. The best thing that will happen to any city anywhere on planet earth is when the gospel comes to that city. And the gospel came. And the Word was preached. And they believed. And they'd been changed. Aren't you glad God changes us? Like the Thessalonians of old, they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Paul said, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believe it. Friend, listen to me. If you believe on Jesus today, your life will be forever and radically changed. Thank God He changes us. What a blessing! I'm glad I can say today I've been saved, but I've been changed. To everyone that believes. To the Jew first and also to the Greek. That word power speaks of the life-altering power of God that comes to a person who receives Christ. The power to forgive sin. The power to change their destiny from hell to heaven. to live a different kind of life, an abundant life in Jesus Christ. And notice how Jesus reveals Himself to this church in verse 8. He said, These things saith the first and the last. He's the Eternal One. Aren't you glad? Hey, listen. They had been worshiping dead idols. They had eyes, but they couldn't see. They had ears, but they couldn't hear. They had a mouth, but they couldn't talk. They had hands and feet, but they couldn't move. Listen, can I tell you those dead idols never answered a prayer, never changed a life, never did anything for anybody no matter how devoted they may have been to those idols. They were dead. He said, I just want to remind you I'm alive. I'm the living God. He is the Eternal One. Isaiah 44 verse 6, Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the first and I am the last, and beside me there is no God. Listen, friend, can I tell you? Listen, this world over, you can find Lord's many and God's many, but they're no different from those idols. Listen, they'll never change a life. They'll never make anything better. Friend, can I tell you, there are people that worship sticks and stones. They worship all kinds of things. Even in America, they worship power and fame and pleasure, and it doesn't make anybody's life different. Thank God there's the living God that changes us. He said, I'm the sovereign God, I'm in control. Matter of fact, you're going to find they probably thought their lives were out of control. Their world turned upside down. But He's reminding them, I'm the Alpha, I'm the Omega, I'm the beginning, I'm the end, I'm the one who started it all, I'm the one who's going to end it all. Listen, I never lose control. Aren't you glad? No matter what you're going through in life today, no matter how much you suffer, God is still in charge. He's the conquering one. Look what He says in verse 8. He said, which was dead and is alive. I'm the first and the last. I'm eternal, which became dead. That's a reference to the cross where Jesus died for my sin and your sin was buried. But thank God, He didn't stay dead. Isn't that a blessing? He became dead, which was dead and is alive. Hey, He was dead at a point in time, but He's alive forevermore. Isn't that a blessing? Because He lives, we'll live also. I just want to go on record and say this morning, that's my God. If He's your God, give a witness to that this morning. Number two, not only were they faithful because of the Savior they worshipped, they were faithful during the sufferings they endured. Christian, don't ever think that you're going to get out of this world without suffering. Suffering in some form, some fashion, comes to everybody. Here in Smyrna, they're suffering because they're Christians. Smyrna was named after its chief export, myrrh. Remember the three wise men? Gold, frankincense, myrrh. Do you realize that myrrh was given to Jesus as a very costly fragrance, perfume? It was harvested from a shrubby tree, sort of like maple syrup is here in America. It had a sweet aroma, it did, but it had a bitter taste. It was used for medicinal purposes. They offered it to Jesus as part of an anesthetic to deaden the pain at the cross. He refused it. Listen, suffering the full weight of the pain that he might keep his mental faculties as he fulfilled Bible prophecy as the Messiah and Savior and Redeemer of mankind. It was used for embalming. When Jesus died, you're going to find that Joseph Arimathea and Nicodemus, the women, they took linen cloths and spices. Myrrh was one of those spices in the embalming process. You see, myrrh had to be beaten. It had to be crushed to give off the sweet smell, the fragrance. It was a fitting name for the church in this city. Oh, they were a sweet church, but they were a suffering church. There's five words in our text I'm going to deal with very quickly that describes their suffering as they face the fires of persecution. Look at the first one in verse number 9. I know thy works and tribulation. I underline that in my Bible. The word tribulation means pressure. It means affliction. It means anguish. It means persecution. It means to be crushed. They were being crushed for their faith. You see, Smyrna was a city that was extremely loyal to Rome. I won't go into all the detail, but it was a center of the imperial cult of Rome. Emperor worship. They would go into a large temple that had been built several years earlier in honor of Caesar. And there the citizens of Smyrna would enter that temple. They would take a small pinch of incense. They would burn it upon the altar. And here's what they would say with bowed knee. Caesar is Lord. Just a small pinch of incense. Just three little words. Whether you meant it or not, you did it. Caesar is Lord. The Romans would say to the Christians in Smyrna and later throughout the empire, go ahead and worship Jesus. It's okay. We don't care if you worship Jesus, but you have to worship Caesar too. See, can I tell you, the world doesn't mind if you worship Jesus. Just keep it at home. Don't live it out on Monday on the job and out in the community and at school. It's okay to be a Christian, but you just stay in the closet and don't you let anybody else know about it. And by the way, keep your views silent and don't you tell anybody and don't you tell us about what we need and who we need to be and what we're doing wrong. Three little words. All you've got to do is burn the incense. Caesar is Lord. And the Christians at Smyrna looked at Him and said, we can't do that because Caesar is not Lord. Jesus is Lord. And Caesar and Jesus can't both be Lord in our lives. They had chosen who was going to be the master in their lives. And I'm just going to say something to American Christians in our day. We need to decide who's going to be Lord in our lives. You can't and I can't serve two masters. And let me tell you what's the matter. And the anemia of the church in America is for far too long we're trying to serve two masters. And so often the world and what we want is Lord rather than Jesus. And as a result, they run patriotic. They were traitors. They couldn't be trusted. and they experienced deep persecution to the point of death. There was tribulation, next word, and poverty. Not just poverty in the sense that they were poor. They were destitute. They had experienced the loss of all things. Because they were Christians, their homes had been plundered, their businesses lost, their jobs because they were many times attached to some type of idolatrous worship of an idol. They had been ostracized. There was no way to make a living. They were outcasts. Can I tell you what's the matter with us today? We want to be in the in crowd rather than the outcast crowd. But I'm going to tell you where Jesus is. He's the outcast in our society and we need to go where He's at. We need to be willing to bear His reproach. You determine you're going to live for Jesus. I'm talking about not just on Sunday, but every other day. You're going to live godly. The Bible says all them that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Well, preacher, I don't see them putting anybody to death in America. Not yet. Not yet. But let me tell you how crazed our society is. When you can have mobs on college campuses because somebody's not agreeing with what they want, cry for a guillotine and the execution of those that they believe standing in their way and deaths to people. Friend, can I tell you, we're not far from a society that somewhere down the road will be saying, bring out the guillotine and kill the Christians. And then we'll see what we're made of. Help Ministries has a great presence in the island country of Cuba. Many born-again Bible-believing Baptist Christians in that country. One of our missionaries there from America asked them a question and said to those pastors around them, because there was a time when Castro was going to die, they were unsure of what was going to happen, they said to them, asked them the question, a group of pastors said, what do you fear the most? Here's what they said. Freedom. Because we know what we are under oppression, but we don't know what we'll be like as Christians if we had freedom. There is a devoutness in lands under deep oppression that maybe we don't even understand. Because I look around me and maybe somebody's from time to time been passed over in a promotion. Maybe you've been outcast in your little group because of your stand for Jesus. Maybe you've been slandered a little bit, but I don't know anybody's home's been plundered and your goods taken and imprisoned and killed. Do you? But we may not be far from some of it. All it takes is a total change of government and an anti-Christian sentiment. Because in certain states you already feel it with bakers that refuse to compromise their convictions about a cake and a wedding for a homosexual couple. They had made cakes for them for every other occasion, but they weren't going to celebrate what they knew to be sin. And they lost their job and their business and their livelihood. Are you willing to do that? What does the Lord think of your faithfulness? What does He think of mine? But I love this little parenthesis in our notes. He said, "...in poverty, but thou art rich." Do you know that you can, without Jesus, possess everything and really have nothing? But with Jesus, you can have nothing and yet possess everything. Isn't that amazing? You're rich. You say, preacher, I don't have anything. Do you have Jesus? Yeah? You're rich. You're rich. Blasphemy. Notice what he says. I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan. That word blasphemy means slander. They weren't just blaspheming God. They were slandering the Christians. They called them atheists. Did you know that? Because we believed in one God. They believed in many. They didn't believe in the Roman gods and therefore they were considered atheists. Isn't that a little change? And they slandered them and they mocked them. And you know who were at the forefront of it all? It was these unbelieving Jews. There were Jews that were exempt in the empire from having to burn the incense and to proclaim Caesar as Lord. They were exempt from that, but instead of joining with the Christians, they actually led the persecuting of Christians. But Jesus reminded them they're not true Jews. They say they are Jews and are not, but watch this next phrase. Are you all leaning in and you're with me? but are the synagogue of Satan. Do you know if you looked for the devil today where you're not going to find him? You're not going to find him in the alcohol trade. The demons can do that. You're not going to find the devil in the pornography trade. He's not going to be leading that. Demons can do that. You're not going to find him in the drug trade. The demons can handle that one. Do you know where you're going to find him? in government. That's where he's at here. He's in government. You know where they find him? In the halls of academia. That's where you find him. You know where you find him? You find him in religious institutions and colleges and schools. That's where you find him. That's where he's at. The synagogue or the church of Satan. I'm not talking about the occultic church of Satan where they have their own little Bible. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about dignified circles of religion where they talk in platitudes of religiosity. The pastor opens a Bible and then denies its miracles and its message. They deny the deity of Jesus, the blood atonement, the resurrection from the dead. It's all just a bunch of fables and legends and myths. But if we look at it long enough, we can find some benefits and some virtues and some life. And you know, Jesus is a good man and He's a great man and a great moral teacher. And if we could all just emulate Him and do a little better, then you know what? We'll get through life and maybe get to heaven. If we just work hard enough, that's where you're going to find the devil. Because He's going to give anybody anything He can as a substitute for true Bible salvation. That's where you're going to find Him. I love what Leonard Ravenhill, the great revivalist of the past, he said, here's what he said, When God opens the windows of heaven to bless you, the devil will open the doors of hell to blast you. Notice prison. I need to hasten. Verse 10, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison. Notice you say, no, it's the Roman government. It was the city officials. It was the salt. No, no, no, no, no. The devil. He's reminding them that their real enemy is not the pagans around them. It wasn't flesh and blood. Christian, can I help you understand? Your real battle is not with flesh and blood. It's not the person you think it is. It's really the one who's behind all of that. It's the devil. That's our enemy. I'm not the enemy. I'm not the enemy of the world. I'm not the people of the world. I'm not their enemy. No. No. I recognize that they're not my enemy. Who's the real enemy? It's the devil. That's who the real enemy is. That's what he's reminding them. Everything that's happening, here's the real enemy. And then notice prison. Let's look quickly. He says, you shall have tribulation, and the devil shall cast some of you into prison. Some of them within that church were going to be imprisoned for the cause of Christ. You know today, some of God's choicest servants are imprisoned in China, and Russia, and Iran, and Saudi Arabia, and other such countries. Canada. Canada. And if some in our government had the chance, it would be America. because they want to have hate speech laws that would silence the pulpits of America. And then notice there's one more word. Be thou faithful unto what church? Death. Some would die a martyr's death. Not all of them, but some of them. One of them was a man by the name of Polycarp. Polycarp was a disciple of the apostle John. He was asked by the proconsul to renounce his faith and revile Christ. Here's his answer. It's a written answer of an eyewitness. And here's what he said. He said, For eighty and six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. And how can I now blaspheme my King who saved me? Boy, what a word. Caesar is not my King. Jesus is. And when an earthly king asks me to do something that's going to disrespect or dishonor my heavenly king, I'm going to obey the heavenly king every time. That's what he said. I can't go into all the story for sake of time, but they threatened him with animals in the arena and he said, let them loose. He was brought into the arena to the delight of the howling mobs. He was bound, stripped of his clothes, and burned at the stake. Then when the fire failed to consume his body and he wasn't dying as he should and being consumed, a Roman soldier took a dagger and stabbed him to death as he was smoldering in the fire. Here's what he cried out of the fires. First of all, it was praise to God that he was worthy to be counted the honor of suffering for Jesus' name. And he cried out loud, I am a Christian. Polycarp was willing to die for Jesus in his day. Here's what the Lord's asking of us in our day. He's not asking anyone in this room to die for Him. He's just asking us to fervently and faithfully live for Him. What does Jesus think about your living for Him and my living for Him? Be thou faithful unto death from start to finish. Jesus demands a life of faithfulness. Number three, very quickly, I want to finish this morning. Not only were they faithful because of the Savior they worshiped, not only were they faithful in the sufferings they endured, but they were faithful because of the sure promises they received in the midst of their suffering. He gave them promises. Christian, can I tell you? You may not always have the answer of why you suffer in whatever that area of suffering is. You may never get the answer, but I tell you what God will give you. He'll give you His promises. I won't understand the answers, but I can sure anchor myself to the promises. Isn't that a blessing? Let's see what He gave them. He promised them peace. Look at verse number 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. You know what? They were afraid. Are you afraid at times? Do you ever get afraid of the future? The unknown? The uncertainty? What might happen? Has the icy hand of fear ever come into your bedroom at night, in the dark of night, and gripped you over what might happen? That's what they're experiencing. And Jesus comes to them in this hour of suffering and He said, Don't be afraid. He brought peace to their heart. I am the first and the last. I'm in control. I'm He that was dead and is alive. Hey listen, men and Satan has done to me what they could. They have killed me, but I'm alive. That's what He's saying. And you will be too. You know what he's saying? No matter what happens, you're mine and you're going to make it. Christian, I don't know what's in our future. I don't know how long it's going to be before Jesus comes. I don't know. I remember 1984 in the back seat of my granddaddy's car on the way to church. It was the year I was saved. And I'll never forget. He said, I just don't believe that Jesus could wait another... I don't believe there could be another... He said, I don't believe we'll see 1985. Jesus has to come this year. Things are so bad. We are in 2024. I have no idea when He's coming. I know He's coming. I don't know when. I don't know what you and I will face. I don't know what we'll go through this side of heaven. I have no idea. I don't know what health crisis is. I don't know what financial crisis is. I don't know what type of emotional crisis is or difficulties, family, marriage, whatever. Maybe persecution. I don't know what's going to come our way. But here's what I do know. Our God is thankful. He is above it all. He's greater than it all. And we're going to make it. That's what He's telling us. He said, in the world you're going to have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world, and you can too. Purpose. Look at verse 10 again. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be... What's this word? Tried. That means tested. Preacher, what's God doing in my life when I suffer? He's testing you. God already knows, but we don't know the metal of our faith. Nothing's going to happen in your life or my life that is without purpose. God is at work. Don't ever lose sight of that. When we get into the difficult times of life and life gets foggy and we can't really see, listen, God's not stopped working. God's not abandoned us. God's not... not cast us off. No, it's not that at all. God's at work in our lives in ways we don't even understand. I Peter 1, 6 and 7, He's talking about salvation at the beginning wherein you greatly rejoice, though now at this moment for a season. Friend, anything that comes into our life is just for a season. If need be, you're in heaviness. You're burdened. went through manifold temptations, testings, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Here's what God's saying. When suffering comes into our life, we are in the refining fires. God is refining our lives. He is purifying our faith. He is testing us. He is growing us. And you know what He's wanting from us? Faithfulness. So that one day we hand Him a faith that's like gold. Preacher, what is God doing in my life? He's purifying you. He's proving His faithfulness every step of the way. And it was an opportunity. Every form of suffering is an opportunity to proclaim His name. like polycarp in the fires. I am a Christian. Can I help us understand something? The world's not impressed with our Christianity when we're shouting on the mountaintop. It's when we're suffering in the valleys that we proclaim His name. That's when they see the difference. Control. That's a promise. Look at verse 10. He said, You shall have tribulation ten days. Ten days. It was a limited amount of time. It's not going to last forever. Aren't you glad that the trials of life don't last forever? There are times that we'll have chronic issues and things that only heaven will heal, but it's not going to last forever. Ten days Caesar and all the demons, legions of Rome and the devil and all the demons of hell were powerless to make it eleven. God set a time limit. You're only going to persecute my people ten days. That's it. Child of God, when you're suffering the furnace of affliction, you just be assured that God's hand's on the thermostat and His eye's on the clock and you won't suffer one second longer than is necessary than to accomplish His divine purposes in your life. I don't always understand it all. I don't have all the answers. The longer I've been a pastor in these 34 years as a pastor, I've learned how much I don't know. I don't always have the answer. I don't know what God's doing in every person's life, but I do know He's at work and He loves you. And He's the first and the last. He's the one that was dead and is alive. He overcame and you can overcome. Victory. Here's the last one. Here's the last one. Be thou faithful unto death from start to finish. Christian, whatever it is that God asks of us in our lives, Be faithful. Some will go through life and compared to others, it'll be a breeze. But all God's asking of you is to remain faithful to Him. That's it. Be thou faithful. Will you say those three words with me? One, two, three. Be thou faithful. Let's say it again. One, two, three. Be thou faithful. Are you willing to be faithful? He says, when you are, I'm going to give you a crown of life. Isn't that amazing? That's not eternal life. You already have that if you're saved. It's an eternal reward given by the Savior. It may be the fullness and the joy of heaven in a way we don't understand. I don't know. It's probably also a literal crown of gold, crown of life that you'll be given in heaven, but not to wear around. Nobody's going to be wearing stacks of crowns in heaven saying, Brother Randy, look how many I got. Now what you got? We're not going to be doing that. No, that's pride, isn't it? No, you know what you're going to get to do? You're going to get to hear these words. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. And I'm going to get to take that crown of life if I receive it. I don't know yet. Maybe I will and I get to take that crown. And I get to lay it at the feet of the One who enabled me to overcome, who enabled me to be faithful, the One who's fully worthy because I'm not worthy. You know an unsaved man doesn't understand that. It means absolutely nothing to him. A carnal Christian, a Christian that's not really wanting to live for Jesus, that means absolutely nothing to them. But if you have any heart for Jesus Christ and a desire to please Him at all, those words out of the mouth of the Son of God that saved you, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Here's your crown of life and you get to lay it back at my feet because I'm worthy. And what a day that's going to be. I don't want to go to heaven and not have something to lay at the feet of the thorn-pierced hands of the Son of God. The crown of life. James 1.12, Blessed is he that endureth temptation, trials, testing, temptation for sin. When we endure it, we bear up, we overcome. For when he has tried, he's tested, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. If we love him, we'll be faithful to him. But then look in verse 11, there's a little promise to overcomers, and I'm done. He that hath an ear, let him hear. Not everybody's going to hear today. But there's some who will. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh. Now these aren't super saints. We've already learned that in our Overcomer series. These aren't Christians with an SC, a super Christian on their chest. No, they're those who are saved. This is a promise to everybody that knows Jesus because if you're saved today, you're an overcomer. Isn't that right? Notice what he says. He that overcometh shall not be hurt, harmed, injured of the second death. You know what that means? I just wrote it in my Bible. You know what it means? I'm on the winning side. That's what that means. I'm on the winning side. If you're saved, friend, you're a winner. You're an overcomer. Do you know what the second death is? That's eternal death in the lake of fire. That's what the Bible says. The fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, adulterers, and all liars." Which one of us doesn't fit that category? "...shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Here's the good news. If you've been born twice, that means you've been born one time physically and a second time spiritually. That means you've trusted Jesus Christ personally for salvation. You're only going to die once. That's it. You'll not be harmed to the second death. It's not even in your future. But if you've only been born one time physically, but you've never been born again a second time spiritually, you'll die two times. You'll die one time physically and they'll lay your body in the ground, but you're going to die a second time eternally forever in the lake of fire because your sins have not been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. not be harmed of the second death. Aren't you glad that Jesus is the victor and we're the overcomers? Christian, listen to me this morning. The lake of fire is not in your future. The worst that a man can ever do to you or a disease or anything is take your life. But it'll never harm or rob or steal your soul that belongs to Jesus. were kept by the power of God. Isn't that a blessing? During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 in China, China was trying to wipe out everything Western in their country. And that included Christianity. Insurgents captured a mission station and they blocked all the gates but one. They took a big wooden cross at that gate and placed it flat on the ground. Then the Word was passed to those inside that mission station. When you come out that door, if you'll trample the cross, that means you'll walk over the cross, we're going to let you go. But if you refuse, you'll be shot. Terribly frightened, the first seven students walked out and they stepped on the cross and they trampled it under their foot and they were allowed to go free. But the eighth was a little nine-year-old girl. She came to the door, the gate of that mission station. She looked at the cross. The story goes that she refused to do a sacrilegious act and step on that cross, and instead she kneeled beside of it. And she prayed and asked God for strength. And then she arose and she moved carefully around it lest she step on it. And she went out and faced a firing squad, and on the spot she was shot and killed. You say, what a waste. Strengthened by our example, the 92 remaining students followed that little 9-year-old girl's testimony, and all of them, 93, gave their lives for Jesus Christ. They were faithful. Christian, the world is asking you to trample on the cross. And everything you hold dear as a Christian, Jesus is not asking you to die. You're not facing a firing squad or prison or death. Jesus is just saying in this world here in America, here at Calvary Baptist Church, will you live for me? Will you be faithful to me? Do you love me enough to be faithful unto death? That means to the point that I bring you to heaven that your life will be counted in faithfulness. I close with this. What does Jesus think of your faithfulness? And what do you need to do about it? Let's bow our heads in prayer. Father.