A Daily Walk

John Randall: Today on A Daily Walk from Pastor John Randall. We need to hold fast to what we have until Jesus comes. There's so many things in this world trying to rip it out of our grip, trying to take it from us. Hold fast to it, hold fast to it, because Jesus is coming.

This isn't the time to loosen the grip. This is the time to bear down and dig deep as it were. Take, take hold. Don't allow anything to be ripped from you. Hold fast. Because Jesus is coming.

We hear a lot about tolerance today, but sin and false teaching should never be tolerated in the church. When it does, it leads to the church's corruption within. Welcome to A Daily Walk with John Randall. We're sharing Pastor John's study of Revelation right now, currently going through the seven letters to the seven churches.

The great thing about this study is we're really getting specific instruction on what the Lord likes to see and doesn't like to see in a local church. Today, in his letter to the church of Thyatira, Jesus confronts the unbiblical tolerance of false teaching. Today, the church is being painted into a corner by the media, by the cancel culture, as being unloving because we are unwilling to forfeit biblical truth in the name of love, as the world defines it.

Taking a stand is considered hate. Conviction is seen as bigoted fanaticism. Centuries-old Christian doctrine is regarded as discrimination. And such is the case in many doctrinally weak churches today. Listen, the church must be marked and known by the love of Jesus, but also marked and known by the truth of God's word. Truth, listen carefully, friends, truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy. There must be a balance in the church today.

So the church of Thyatira, so far so good, loving, working, and serving. They were actively serving. This was important. Jesus had said that the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all. All believers must be equipped to serve the Lord. The whole body of Christ working together. That's what the Bible encourages. They were serving, and if that weren't enough, they were faithful, meaning they were committed to this love and this service, consistent in their endeavors. They were persevering and they were growing. It says here that the works that they did later on were even greater than the works that they started out doing.

So this is a growing church. We think, wow, this seems great. What's the problem? Everything, they seem active, they seem like there's a lot of things going on there. They seem faithful. Jesus is commending them. But then, as the analysis continues, as the great physician continues to examine the church, he gives them the diagnosis apart from treatment, and listen, it's fatal. It's fatal. He now brings a condemnation when it says in verse 20, "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you." And what was that? "Because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols."

The first thing that immediately arrests our attention here is that, listen to this, it's possible to be loving, engaged in good works of service, to to persevere, and at the same time, overlooking things that are vitally important in a church or in a Christian's life. It's possible, listen, it's possible to be self-deceived and carrying on like everything's fine. It is possible to come to a gathering like this and then leave this place and go back into a lifestyle of sin and think, because I've come here, I'm good. It's not good, friend. In fact, it's a little concerning because you're self-deceived to think that everything's fine. It's not fine. It's only fine when you repent and get right with God. Don't be deceived. God's not mocked.

Listen, God wants you to get right with him. He loves you. But that's what was happening in Thyatira. Jesus pointed out that the problem within the church was that there was a woman in the church who called herself a prophetess and she was teaching false doctrine. Jesus refers to her as Jezebel. Now, I don't think that was her actual name, Jezebel. Not too many popular, uh, you know, baby girls named uh, Jezebel that I'm aware of.

I had so much fun this morning before church started. I see that family in the back, I see you guys. I got to hold a baby there. Yeah, it was so awesome. A baby girl. It was like, oh, this is so sweet. I just, it melted me. I was so blessed, but her name wasn't Jezebel, thankfully. But the point is this, nobody names their kid that. But but the whole point, that takes us back to the Old Testament, First Kings chapter 16 through 21, King Ahab, the King of Israel, the worst king ever. And part of the reason is because of the woman he married, her name was Jezebel. And Jezebel was so wicked because she began to seduce the king and his subjects to rid themselves of the worship of the true and living God for the worship of the false god, Baal. She did everything in her power to stamp out any worship of God. She even ordered that the true prophets be put to death, that they be literally canceled.

And so it says here that Ahab, First Kings chapter 16, verse 33, said that Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than any other king who went before him. That's a great way of saying he's the worst of the worst. And so this evil woman Jezebel that Elijah the prophet prophesied against said, you know how she's going to die? She's going to die, dogs are going to devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. It was a prophecy. And guess what? It happened. Terrible way to go, but that's the way she went. Dogs devoured her.

But apparently, there was someone like that, Jezebel, in the church of Thyatira that had been given a place of prominence and leadership. And this woman within the congregation was given the acceptance of and the encouragement in uh idolatrous practices, including sexual immorality. This woman's influence within the church led the church astray by breaking down all the moral boundaries from the world, and she claimed to have authority. She called herself a prophetess. This was a self-acclaimed title. The Lord did not validate her ministry, even though the church gave her a platform on which to perform. But not only did she claim to have authority, but she led others into idolatry. Verse 20 says, "You teach and seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols."

She'd been given the opportunity, a position of teaching within that congregation, and undiscerningly, the church listened and they went along with what she said and embraced it. Guys, listen, we need to be careful concerning what's being taught today in pulpits. We need to make sure that it's Bible-centered, that it's about Jesus, that it's about the scriptures, because in the last days, the Bible tells us that many people are going to turn away from sound doctrine. They're going to be turned away to fables and false teaching. So you need to know what your Bible says so that you're able to discern. This woman came in, created this problem within the church, and they weren't able to discern between what was true and false.

And people began to be drawn away. And in addition to this teaching of Jezebel, there was a popular teaching known as Gnosticism that began to flourish, a heresy that grew in its influence among the churches. And listen, this is what Gnosticism said. It taught that matter or the body or the and spirit or the soul, they're completely separate from each other. So whatever you do with your body, it really doesn't affect who you are. So you can live any way you want, in any kind of sexual immorality you want, and it's not really going to affect anything else. It's not going to affect your relationship with God, it's not going to affect your relationship with other people. And again, people began to buy into this.

Sad to say, that the Lord says, "My servants, my children, true believers that once followed me, they're getting wrapped up in these things." And listen, there there are those today, even in the church, that are getting wrapped up in all kinds of sexual immorality, and it is wrecking marriages, it is wrecking relationships, it's drawing people away from Jesus Christ. People are getting caught in this bondage. Why? Because they started listening to it, they started engaging it, they started observing it, they started watching it, they started embracing it and believing it and then practicing it.

And as you look back in church history, you can observe various times when the church began to embrace these kinds of false doctrines. I think back to maybe around 500 AD when the church increased in size and influence and became known for its corruption. It was called the Dark Ages, surprisingly. But during the Dark Ages, one of the things that was a problem is the people were not allowed to have access to the word of God in their own language. The word, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, they weren't able to read it. They they were without the light in the midst of the Dark Ages.

And at that time, God raised up a man by the name of John Wycliffe and others who died martyrs' deaths for seeking to translate the Bible into the mother tongue of the common people. You see, without the ability to know God's word and read God's word, people didn't know what was biblical and what was unbiblical. Therefore, more and more unscriptural practices were being introduced into the church and the church was just moving right along with it into the Dark Ages. Moving from church history in the past to the present, we see similar sins being tolerated and practiced by those claiming to be servants of the Lord. And here's what happens when we live that way.

It ends up affecting our witness in this world. People don't take us seriously because it's not real in our lives. We say that it is, but our life denies it. And yet, we encourage others to do something, be involved with something, and yet we live contrary to what we're encouraging them to be involved with. Listen, I I wish I didn't know something about that, but that was at one time, that's the way I lived my life. I don't live my life that way any longer, praise God by his grace, but that's how I used to live. And let me tell you, there's a word for it, it's called hypocrisy.

It's called hypocrisy. It's called putting on a mask, making everybody think something and then taking it down and pretending to be something else. God has more. He doesn't want us to live in darkness. He wants us to walk in the light. He wants us to live according to the scriptures. But notice this what the Lord says to these people who were living hypocritically, who were going after sexual immorality. Notice what he says in verse 21, "I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality." Notice this, "and she didn't repent."

I gave her time to get right. The Lord expresses his response to the participation in idolatry, which was long-suffering. God says, "I'm I've been patient. I've been giving her opportunity to get right with me." The false prophetess and her followers were given time to to turn from their sin, but unfortunately, it says they were unwilling. They would not respond. You know, the Bible tells us in Second Peter chapter 3, verse 9, that the Lord is not slack concerning his promises as some count slackness, but listen, the Lord's long-suffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The Lord is long-suffering. He is patient.

He'll send clear messages of warning. Oh, he'll he'll stir things up in your life, especially if you're running from him today. If you're running from him today and you're wondering, why is this happening? Why is this happening? Why is that taking place? How come this is going on? I'll tell you why, God's pursuing you. He's coming after you, not to hurt you, to save you. You're the lost sheep, you're the one who's wandering. You're the one that's out there on your own. You got a little bit of knowledge up here, but it doesn't affect your life at all. He's coming after you. He's pursuing you because he loves you and he's long-suffering. God sent believers into your life to speak to you, to challenge you, to call you out when what you're involved with, but you rejected it. You you say, "Don't judge me." It's the one scripture you know, it's the only one.

Don't judge me, man. I know it says somewhere, judge yourself. Something like that in the Bible. Man, I knew that scripture well. It's like I already I memorized a verse and I didn't even know I memorized it. And some of you are like that. And yet some make the mistake of thinking that the long-suffering of God is actually his acceptance for what we're doing. You you haven't reaped the consequences yet of what you've been sowing to. But friend, listen, it's a matter of time.

It's a matter of time. You may be doing some great things, but at the same time, you're allowing corruption in your marriage, in your business, in your home. And nothing's happened yet, and the reason is because the Lord's giving you time to repent. He's giving you a moment to respond to his love and his grace. And with eyes like flame of fire, he sees and he knows what's going on. Even though everybody else might not know what's going on, he sees it and he's calling you out, calling you to himself to get right. Will you respond? The Bible says in Romans chapter 2, verse 4, "Do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that it's the goodness of God that's leading you to repentance?" Is that what this is?

You just despise his long-suffering. You don't understand yet that this is his kindness. This is his goodness that's drawing you, leading you back to him. Are you aware of that? If you're not, I pray you are today. And because the church continued to sow to immorality and idolatry, it says there was judgment coming from the Lord. Notice the repercussions of their sin as we're almost through, it says this, "Indeed." This is Jesus talking, all right? Listen what he says. Jesus said, "Indeed, 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." It means those who are following her, they're also going to experience the death that sin produces, those that are following these practices. "And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches the minds and heart, and I will give to each one according to their works." Man, this is so heavy, guys. Three times the Lord uses the words "I will." The first thing he says is, "I will give to them physical affliction." Isn't it interesting that that in sexual immorality, they love the bed of pleasure. That's where she committed these sins. And Jesus said, "If that is what you want, that bed of pleasure will become a bed of pain."

That what you are pursuing, you think that satisfies you, gratifies you temporarily, it's going to change. It's not going to be all that you thought it was. It's going to get old real quick and you're going to feel the sickness that sin produces. He says, this pleasure is going to be turned to pain. And then he says that there's going to be great tribulation. In the immediate, that could apply to persecution. In a moral sense, it could be the repercussions, the consequences. But in a prophetic sense, those that live in this kind of lifestyle, going into the great tribulation period that the Bible talks about in Revelation, we'll see it in chapters ahead.

That's enough to Okay, I'm definitely going to stop that. I don't I don't want that. And God doesn't want that. That's why he gives the warning. He's not warning these people because he's angry with them. Listen, God warns us, care listen, because he loves us. He loves you. He said, unless they repent, this is going to be the consequence of their sin. It's through this judgment, the Lord said, what's going to happen as a result of this? Everybody's going to know that I'm the Lord is what the Lord says here. Everybody's going to know that I'm the one that searches hearts and minds, that I see what goes on that nobody else can see. Unless, unless they repent. And that's the turning point. Unless if they repent, they get right with God. Everything changes. Friend, if you're here today and you need to get right with God, everything can change in your heart in a moment. You can be saved. You can come to Christ today and you can know that your sins are forgiven. And listen, the consequences of sin, they might be there, some of the things that you've done, but God's going to get you through that. He'll restore you, but you got to repent. If you repent, then he'll restore you.

I'll never forget the day that I was driving and I sat down, I was in my car and I sat there and I I had had enough of that life, of that life. And I said, "God, I'm done. I'm done fighting you. I'm done resisting you. Lord, I need you." And I cried out to God, and you know what happened? He met me. He forgave me. And can I say to you today, he restored me. Restored me. And he can do the same for you, friend, if you'll turn to him.

Jesus now turns his attention to those that were continuing to have the true testimony as we wrap this up. Here comes a reward. He says, "Now to you, I say, to the rest in Thyatira." Not the unfaithful who are living in immorality, but to those as do not have this doctrine and have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, "I will put on you no other burden." In the midst of what was taking place in the church, there were those who had not bowed the knee. Those who had not tolerated or embraced the teachings of Jezebel. Those in the community that had gone in that direction, they did not participate. The culture that surrounded them criticized them for not complying with what everyone else was doing. But the faithful, they were unwilling to submit, and Jesus recognized it, says, "I see it," and he commends them. "You haven't embraced this false doctrine. You haven't gone after this lie. The Gnostics that boasted of having this deeper knowledge." It was actually the deeper knowledge of Satan. The Lord says, "I'm so glad you don't know anything about that. You stay away from that." And because of their faithful resistance to the cultural norms, Jesus said, "I've got a blessing. No other burden, but here comes a blessing."

Here's the blessing, verse 25. "Hold fast what you have till I come." Not if I come, please notice that. "Until I come." He's coming again. "And he who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron. They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels, as I also have received my from my father. And I will give him." I love this. "The morning star." "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says." First of all, Jesus says to this faithful portion of the church, the faithful contingent that had not been corrupted by false doctrine. Here's what he says to them, listen, "Hold fast to what you have till I come."

Friends, I think that's a word for the church today. We need to hold fast to what we have until Jesus comes. There's so many things in this world trying to rip it out of our grip, trying to take it from us. Hold fast to it, hold fast to it because Jesus is coming. This isn't the time to loosen the grip. This is the time to bear down and dig deep as it were. Take, take hold. Don't allow anything to be ripped from you. Hold fast. Because Jesus is coming.

And then the Lord says, not only is he going to come for us, but he's also going to give us the privilege of ruling and reigning with him. Powerful. At the end of the tribulation period, we'll see it in the book of Revelation, the church will come back with the Lord in his second coming where the Bible says he is going to rule and reign and we're going to rule and reign alongside of him. You say, where? What are we going to be doing? Ruling and reigning. Well, what does that look like? Ruling and reigning. I don't know exactly. I just know it's a good thing and you want to be part of it. It's a blessing. That's what I know for sure. But then Jesus also said, "And I will give him," those that hold fast, those that don't compromise, those that remain faithful. "I'm going to give them the morning star." Now, again, there are some varying opinions as to what the morning star refers to, some explanations. Some say it it applies to Jesus himself. And the reason is because in Revelation 22, verse 16, it says this, "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."

Almost like the Lord saying, "I'm going to give to you myself." The bright and morning star. It's Jesus in his role as the returning one who will rapture the church before the dark hours preceding the dawn of the millennial kingdom. We get to experience the bright and morning star with him. We get to be with him. That's reward enough. But we know from Revelation 22 that Jesus is not only referred to as the bright and morning star, but he goes on to say to these individuals, "I'm I'm going to allow you to partake of that, to receive that." And whatever that is, you you want it. But also, it may speak of the fact that the morning star is the brightest and the symbolism may indicate the glory that the righteous will experience in the Lord's coming. You say, "Why do you say that?" Because in the book of Daniel, chapter 12, in verse 3, listen to what it says. Hey, this is a great verse. "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."

Maybe that's the promise. To those who are wise, to those who are shining, to those who are uncompromising, to those who are holding fast, this is what you're going to experience. You're going to shine like the stars forever. You're going to have that opportunity to be with the Lord, glorified with him there in heaven. What a promise, a glorious future awaits the child of God. Listen to me, friend. I want to ask you a question today. How do you want to live your life? You know, there is something that is rather spectacular to observe, a firework display. Pretty powerful. Fourth of July, fireworks go up and it's just lighting up the sky.

And I always love to see them, love to see the display, hear the sounds. And you always wonder, I don't know if anybody else struggles with this, but was that the finale or that that was the finale? Oh, wait, there's another. You ever wonder? Am I Okay. But here's the thing about that. It's all bright and boom, it's spectacular and look at it, it's going up in the air. And then when it's all done, it's just smoke and ash, it disappears. There's nothing left. But you know when the smoke and the ash clears, you know what's still there? The stars. They're still shining. Friend, how do you want to live your life? You got one shot at this. You want to live it just like smoke and ash, just make your, you know, display so everybody can see and then there's nothing left? Or do you want to shine like the stars in heaven forever? It's really up to you, what decision are you going to make?

And listen, I want to give you an opportunity today to make that decision to turn to Christ, to be saved, to turn from whatever lifestyle of sin that you're in and come to Christ, have your sins forgiven, have your guilt taken away, have the hope of heaven. If you want to get right with God, you may have been coming here for months, listening and hearing. But the question is today, do you have ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to you? You know, I was back here again before and I felt like the Lord was saying, "There are people here today, John, that I'm going to open their hearts and they're going to they're going to respond to the gospel." And whether that's one or two, it it makes no difference to me. I just know if you're here and you need Christ, do not let another weekend go by, friend. You don't know. Today's the day.

It's time. It's time to get right with God. It's time to turn your life to him.

Well, maybe that's just what you need to take care of today. The Lord is calling you to himself. So answer the call, and then let us know that you did. All of us at A Daily Walk would be thrilled to hear that. Pastor John Randall's message on the tolerant church can be heard again at adailywalk.org or oneplace.com. It's also available on most podcast platforms. We'd sure love to connect with you and we appreciate your prayers. Here's our email address where you can send your comments and your prayer requests: adailywalk@gmail.com. That's adailywalk@gmail.com. Maybe you're looking for a devotional to go through here in 2026. We picked out a good one from Oswald Chambers called, My Utmost for His Highest. This is the updated language gift edition, offering you a wonderful daily devotional for each day of the year. It's available through our e-store for the cost of $18. Head over to adailywalk.org or call us at 877-242-0828. Again, that's 877-242-0828. Thank you for remembering us in your giving to the Lord. Each gift that comes in is responsibly used to help people all over the world have access to God's word. Donations can be made at adailywalk.org. And speaking of devotionals, have you checked out the Daily Walk devotional? These short videos are released each day at adailywalk.org and are both edifying and encouraging.

Next time on A Daily Walk, we give attention to a dead church as our look at the seven letters to the seven churches of Revelation continues with Pastor John Randall. This program is made possible through your generosity and brought to you by Calvary South OC.