WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.620 Good morning, Watermark. 00:00:01.940 --> 00:00:06.100 My name is Alfie, and I direct the university ministry here at Watermark Community Church. 00:00:06.640 --> 00:00:09.900 I've been here for about two years, just over two years. 00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:12.200 And there are a lot of things I love about Watermark. 00:00:12.339 --> 00:00:14.380 I love that we are a traveling church, that we move around. 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:18.620 Some people don't like that, but I really do enjoy being in new spaces. 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:24.160 I love that people are changing, that we get to hear the lives of people's stories 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:26.440 and how they're coming to know Christ. 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:29.820 I love that sometimes we have little kids dancing in the front. 00:00:30.679 --> 00:00:34.320 And I love that, you know, earlier today I was told off not wearing a blue shirt. 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:39.880 I love baptisms. I love the stories of people being saved. 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:45.880 It reminds me of how I was saved, and it reminds me of the cross and how beautiful it is. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:49.500 But the cross brings two things to mind. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:57.640 The sin that plagues our lives and the price that is paid for it. 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:03.219 I'm going to be honest with you guys, this is not going to be an easy message. 00:01:03.899 --> 00:01:06.700 Not for me, and not for you either. 00:01:08.340 --> 00:01:14.780 In it, we're going to talk a lot about sin, about sex, and about idols in our hearts. 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:20.439 I'm going to see what it looks like in the world, in the church, in our hearts. 00:01:20.500 --> 00:01:25.159 And my hope is that at the end of this, that you wouldn't be left in a pit of despair, 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:33.939 but that together we would turn to the cross, and we would see how beautiful it is. 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:40.599 Just as a matter of a note, on your bulletin it says a letter to Pergamum. 00:01:41.299 --> 00:01:44.420 That is a typo. It should say Thyatira. 00:01:46.439 --> 00:01:49.599 Another thing to note is that I've had a bit of a sore throat, 00:01:50.379 --> 00:01:52.620 so if I take breaks to cough, please bear with me. 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:56.079 Okay, let's start with sin. 00:01:56.079 --> 00:02:02.819 Sin is our actions, our thoughts, our words that show our hearts, 00:02:02.900 --> 00:02:06.239 hearts that are in rebellion against the God of the universe. 00:02:07.099 --> 00:02:11.120 There are things we do or say that demonstrate that our heart is saying, 00:02:11.219 --> 00:02:13.360 God, no, I don't want to obey your law. 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:15.400 I'm going to do this my way, 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:20.699 and that my desires and this world are worth more glory than you. 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:26.219 I think there are few things that turn our minds and our hearts away from God 00:02:26.219 --> 00:02:29.019 and towards sin more than sex. 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:32.679 About sex and money, the writer Paul Tripp says, 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:38.519 neither sex nor money can deliver the promises that we think they are making, 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:42.120 and each area is more dangerous than we tend to think. 00:02:43.099 --> 00:02:46.699 Both function today and in the surrounding culture like spiritual solvements 00:02:47.239 --> 00:02:50.620 eating away at the very fabric of human community. 00:02:50.699 --> 00:02:56.539 He goes on to say that both have the perverse power to master your hearts, 00:02:57.099 --> 00:03:01.239 and in doing so, determine the direction of your lives. 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:04.799 Sex in and of itself is not a bad thing, 00:03:05.619 --> 00:03:12.179 but a desire for sex, when God and his law and his will isn't at the center of it, 00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:15.359 can easily grow into addiction, into insanity, 00:03:16.739 --> 00:03:18.339 into a spiraling pit of sin, 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:20.579 and it doesn't get much better when we think about other things. 00:03:20.699 --> 00:03:23.079 When we talk about money, when we talk about our work, 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:27.179 I think that our hearts are very easy. 00:03:28.139 --> 00:03:31.859 They very easily make idols of anything or anyone, 00:03:32.459 --> 00:03:34.319 whether it's good or bad. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:42.039 I think more than anything else, sex and money has gripped the lives of our world, 00:03:42.359 --> 00:03:44.019 has gripped the hearts of our culture. 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:48.340 I think it's sucking away at our souls, at the church. 00:03:48.340 --> 00:03:51.960 I think that the church can't escape. 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.300 It is true for the church today. 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:56.219 It's true for Watermark. 00:03:57.400 --> 00:03:59.060 It's true for the church in Thyatira. 00:03:59.060 --> 00:04:02.640 So, this is what we're going to do. 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:05.319 I'm going to talk about the city briefly. 00:04:06.099 --> 00:04:07.460 We'll look at what God says is good. 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:10.939 We'll look at things that God says is bad about the church. 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:13.659 We'll try and figure out how they got there. 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:17.319 I'm going to then ask, what about us? 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:19.959 Do we do the same things? 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:23.639 We're going to see what kind of judgment they have in store. 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:25.939 But in the end, when the dust settles, 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:28.540 I hope to show you where we find our hope. 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:30.740 I hope to see that, 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:35.139 I hope that you will see the cross at the end of this. 00:04:35.819 --> 00:04:37.659 I think it's very important that you listen to that part, 00:04:37.939 --> 00:04:38.860 because if you don't, 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:42.399 it will just be half an hour of me beating you guys up 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:44.459 and showing you where all the sin is in your heart. 00:04:44.459 --> 00:04:48.359 I think, you know, if you're not listening to the end, 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:50.139 if you're not looking for the cross, 00:04:50.739 --> 00:04:51.759 then all that is pointless. 00:04:55.339 --> 00:04:57.099 Thyatira's letter is the longest one 00:04:57.099 --> 00:04:59.180 that Jesus writes to the seven churches. 00:04:59.699 --> 00:05:02.019 But incidentally, Thyatira was one of the smallest cities. 00:05:03.479 --> 00:05:05.259 You'll find it right now in modern Turkey, 00:05:05.679 --> 00:05:07.879 and Thyatira is in the middle of this long valley 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:09.379 on the road to Pergamum. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:11.819 It was in the middle of a valley, 00:05:12.159 --> 00:05:13.539 and it wasn't very easy to defend. 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:16.540 So invading armies that were trying to capture 00:05:16.540 --> 00:05:18.340 the bigger, wealthier Pergamum 00:05:18.340 --> 00:05:21.080 would always come and run over Thyatira 00:05:21.080 --> 00:05:21.819 on their way through. 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:24.140 The city was burnt down and rebuilt 00:05:24.140 --> 00:05:25.439 and burnt down and rebuilt. 00:05:26.200 --> 00:05:27.879 And when Alexander the Great came through, 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:30.860 and he had his little seat of power in Pergamum, 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:34.280 he used Thyatira as a military barracks. 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:37.800 It wasn't until about 190 B.C. 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:41.319 when the Roman Empire expanded 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:43.360 and peace came to the region. 00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:48.860 And we see that it took on an identity of its own. 00:05:49.540 --> 00:05:50.819 It began to develop industries, 00:05:51.580 --> 00:05:52.860 bronze, clothing, 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:55.439 and the precious purple dyes 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:56.900 that made royal robes. 00:05:56.899 --> 00:06:01.399 The industries grew to such an extent 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:02.620 that historians actually marvel 00:06:02.620 --> 00:06:04.439 at the number of trade guilds 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:05.560 that were found in the city. 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:08.739 Really, a city with that number of trade guilds 00:06:08.739 --> 00:06:10.179 should have been much, much bigger. 00:06:11.179 --> 00:06:11.939 Because of that, 00:06:12.419 --> 00:06:13.759 Thyatira was a wealthy city. 00:06:15.219 --> 00:06:16.199 In Acts 16, 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:18.379 we see the story of a lady from Thyatira, 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:18.679 Lydia. 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:21.699 We see that Paul goes and meets her in Philippi 00:06:21.699 --> 00:06:23.019 and by the river, 00:06:23.280 --> 00:06:24.579 and we see in Acts 16 00:06:24.579 --> 00:06:25.560 the story of her conversion. 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:27.939 And we think that she might have been instrumental 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:30.500 in planting the church in Thyatira. 00:06:32.259 --> 00:06:33.160 So this church. 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:35.340 Let's look at the good things 00:06:35.340 --> 00:06:36.620 that God has to say. 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:39.000 In verse 19, he says, 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:40.040 I know your works, 00:06:40.540 --> 00:06:42.759 your love and faith and service 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:43.720 and patient endurance, 00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:46.639 and that your latter works exceed the first. 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:48.639 So far, so good. 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:49.939 They're doing all the things 00:06:49.939 --> 00:06:50.720 that a church should do. 00:06:51.079 --> 00:06:51.720 They have love. 00:06:51.959 --> 00:06:52.620 They have faith. 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:53.500 They're serving. 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:54.959 And it's the kind of church 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:55.840 that I would like to be in 00:06:55.840 --> 00:06:57.240 because they're growing. 00:06:58.160 --> 00:06:59.319 It's not that we're just going to have 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:00.300 a little bit of love now 00:07:00.300 --> 00:07:02.180 and then we'll keep that forever. 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:03.199 They've been growing. 00:07:03.280 --> 00:07:04.340 Their love has been increasing. 00:07:04.460 --> 00:07:05.480 Their faith is increasing. 00:07:05.840 --> 00:07:07.439 They're more willing to serve. 00:07:10.319 --> 00:07:12.120 The church is almost the opposite 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:14.800 of the first church we looked at, Ephesus. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:17.079 You know, Ephesus, God berates them 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:18.180 and tells them that 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:19.400 you guys are so obsessed 00:07:19.400 --> 00:07:21.199 with right doctrine and orthodoxy 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:22.620 that you've forgotten your first love. 00:07:23.100 --> 00:07:24.500 You've forgotten love and faith. 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:26.420 But Thyatira hadn't. 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:28.280 On love and faith, 00:07:28.699 --> 00:07:29.400 they were good. 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:33.199 In verse 20, however, 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:35.340 Jesus says, 00:07:35.980 --> 00:07:38.579 but this I have against you. 00:07:39.340 --> 00:07:40.780 And this is where the trouble begins 00:07:40.780 --> 00:07:41.960 because Jesus tells them, 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:43.079 I've had it with you guys 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:45.120 and your rampant sexual immorality. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:47.259 I'm tired of you guys 00:07:47.259 --> 00:07:48.879 repeatedly going to these idol feasts 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:50.579 and eating food that's been sacrificed 00:07:50.579 --> 00:07:51.719 to idols. 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:54.699 In Acts 15, 00:07:54.979 --> 00:07:55.959 a council of church leaders 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:56.799 gathered in Jerusalem 00:07:56.799 --> 00:07:58.019 and they were there 00:07:58.019 --> 00:07:58.839 to settle a dispute. 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:00.839 Now there was confusion 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:02.699 about what was expected 00:08:02.699 --> 00:08:03.639 of Gentile believers 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:04.560 when they came to faith. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:06.579 Some said that they had 00:08:06.579 --> 00:08:07.399 to be circumcised. 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:08.959 Some said that they didn't. 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:10.199 Some people, 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:11.319 after they were converted, 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:12.480 continued to live lives 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:13.259 that they always had. 00:08:14.019 --> 00:08:14.819 Others went on 00:08:14.819 --> 00:08:15.959 and adopted, you know, 00:08:15.980 --> 00:08:17.840 the Jewish moral standards. 00:08:18.579 --> 00:08:19.579 And the council gathered 00:08:19.579 --> 00:08:20.939 to clear up this confusion. 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:23.399 And so they said 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:24.000 that circumcision 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:25.060 was no longer required 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:25.920 for believers, 00:08:26.340 --> 00:08:27.720 but they gave four things 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:29.420 that believers were 00:08:29.420 --> 00:08:30.259 to stay away from 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:32.740 as a mark of their salvation. 00:08:32.740 --> 00:08:34.940 The first three had to do 00:08:34.940 --> 00:08:36.019 with ceremonial purity. 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:38.320 They were not supposed to 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:40.379 eat animals 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:41.220 that had been strangled. 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:42.659 They weren't supposed 00:08:42.659 --> 00:08:43.759 to be in contact with blood. 00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:45.320 They weren't supposed 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:47.460 to eat food sacrificed to idols. 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:49.639 And they would stay away 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:51.200 from sexual immorality. 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:53.180 Of these four things, 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:54.379 Thyatira had failed 00:08:54.379 --> 00:08:55.120 on two counts. 00:08:56.500 --> 00:08:57.919 I said earlier that Thyatira 00:08:57.919 --> 00:08:58.659 had a huge number 00:08:58.659 --> 00:08:59.460 of trade guilds. 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:02.460 These were workers groups, 00:09:02.460 --> 00:09:03.500 kind of like a workers' union, 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:04.519 except instead of 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:06.060 membership fees and strikes, 00:09:06.660 --> 00:09:08.460 they had feasts 00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:10.180 where they would eat food 00:09:10.180 --> 00:09:10.920 that had been offered 00:09:10.920 --> 00:09:12.860 to various gods and idols. 00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:14.040 And after they were done 00:09:14.040 --> 00:09:14.740 with these feasts, 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:15.820 they would feast 00:09:15.820 --> 00:09:17.019 on each other's bodies sexually. 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:20.960 Being any kind of craftsman 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:22.320 or tradesman in this city 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:23.860 meant that either 00:09:23.860 --> 00:09:25.920 you were in these guilds 00:09:25.920 --> 00:09:26.740 and you took part 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:27.440 in these activities, 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:29.640 or you stood outside 00:09:29.640 --> 00:09:32.140 where you lost 00:09:32.140 --> 00:09:33.200 the benefits of membership. 00:09:34.660 --> 00:09:35.280 Members in the church 00:09:35.280 --> 00:09:35.780 in Thyatira 00:09:35.780 --> 00:09:36.720 were involved in these 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:38.220 and the pagan worship 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:39.240 they took part in. 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:41.480 They traded their religious 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:43.080 integrity for job security. 00:09:44.800 --> 00:09:45.960 John records Jesus' words. 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:47.340 He says that 00:09:47.340 --> 00:09:49.220 you tolerate that woman, 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:49.800 Jezebel. 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:54.199 Their membership 00:09:54.199 --> 00:09:55.359 in the trade guilds 00:09:55.359 --> 00:09:56.799 wasn't their biggest crime. 00:09:58.699 --> 00:09:59.339 Jesus says that 00:09:59.339 --> 00:09:59.899 there's the woman, 00:10:00.059 --> 00:10:00.459 Jezebel, 00:10:00.599 --> 00:10:01.679 that was seducing 00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:02.919 God's people, 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:04.059 that was tearing them away. 00:10:05.059 --> 00:10:05.459 He says that, 00:10:05.599 --> 00:10:05.659 yes, 00:10:05.699 --> 00:10:06.139 there's pressure 00:10:06.139 --> 00:10:07.039 to join these guilds 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:07.659 from outside, 00:10:08.139 --> 00:10:09.719 but the problem 00:10:09.719 --> 00:10:11.159 is inside your church. 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:11.799 There's this woman, 00:10:12.099 --> 00:10:12.479 Jezebel, 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:13.859 and she is a false teacher 00:10:13.859 --> 00:10:14.279 in their midst. 00:10:14.339 --> 00:10:15.120 And to make it worse, 00:10:15.419 --> 00:10:16.120 she says that 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:16.979 she's a prophetess. 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:18.240 She's saying that 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:19.379 the message that she has 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:19.920 for the people 00:10:19.920 --> 00:10:21.139 is from God, 00:10:21.460 --> 00:10:22.340 that God is telling 00:10:22.340 --> 00:10:23.259 this church in Thyatira 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:24.500 that they should 00:10:24.500 --> 00:10:25.740 be sexually immoral, 00:10:26.100 --> 00:10:26.899 that they should 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:28.000 be eating 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:29.159 this food, 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:30.300 the food that's been 00:10:30.300 --> 00:10:31.139 sacrificed to idols. 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:34.000 The sin of Thyatira 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:34.500 was that 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:36.620 while these lies 00:10:36.620 --> 00:10:37.240 were being spread 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:37.840 that they did nothing 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:38.360 about it, 00:10:38.920 --> 00:10:40.340 that they tolerated Jezebel, 00:10:40.980 --> 00:10:41.820 and they let her 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:43.000 move into a position 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:43.440 of leadership. 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:45.480 Now, 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:46.180 I don't think that 00:10:46.180 --> 00:10:46.740 this woman was 00:10:46.740 --> 00:10:47.879 actually called Jezebel. 00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:49.240 I don't know anybody 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:50.240 who names their child that. 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:52.299 Jezebel was a woman 00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:53.419 who we know of 00:10:53.419 --> 00:10:54.180 in the Old Testament 00:10:54.180 --> 00:10:55.620 in 1 and 2 Kings. 00:10:56.060 --> 00:10:57.039 She was the wife 00:10:57.039 --> 00:10:58.220 of King Ahab. 00:10:58.759 --> 00:10:59.720 She wasn't an Israelite. 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:01.100 She came from Phoenicia. 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:02.560 Her father, 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:03.580 King Ethbaal, 00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:04.200 was named after 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:05.019 the pagan gods. 00:11:05.960 --> 00:11:06.879 And so she came 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:08.279 and married King Ahab, 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:09.180 and her time 00:11:09.180 --> 00:11:09.860 in the royal court 00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:10.279 of Israel 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:12.240 consisted of rounding up 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:13.259 God's prophets 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:14.360 and his priests 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:15.379 and killing them, 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:17.019 replacing them 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:17.939 with her own prophets, 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:19.500 with her own priests. 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:21.019 She drew the nation 00:11:21.019 --> 00:11:21.480 of Israel 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:22.439 out of its worship 00:11:22.439 --> 00:11:22.939 to God 00:11:22.939 --> 00:11:23.840 to the worship 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:24.539 of these other, 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:26.039 these idols, 00:11:28.179 --> 00:11:29.080 to worshiping idols 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:30.059 and taking part 00:11:30.059 --> 00:11:30.939 in cult prostitution. 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:32.500 In the end, 00:11:32.580 --> 00:11:33.039 she was punished 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:33.539 by God. 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:35.000 The story says 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:36.240 that she fell out 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:36.700 of a window, 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:37.679 and when she hit 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:38.220 the ground, 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:39.720 she died instantly, 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:40.580 and that her body 00:11:40.580 --> 00:11:41.100 was eaten up 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:41.659 by dogs. 00:11:41.659 --> 00:11:43.379 All that was left 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:44.000 were her feet. 00:11:46.019 --> 00:11:46.819 This is the kind 00:11:46.819 --> 00:11:47.199 of woman 00:11:47.199 --> 00:11:48.679 that was leading 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:50.059 the church in Thyatira 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:51.679 away from God. 00:11:53.659 --> 00:11:54.419 For Thyatira, 00:11:54.779 --> 00:11:55.360 Jezebel wasn't 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:56.299 an outside force 00:11:56.299 --> 00:11:57.000 coming in. 00:11:57.759 --> 00:11:58.299 Jezebel was 00:11:58.299 --> 00:11:59.459 within the congregation. 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:00.500 She was a leader 00:12:00.500 --> 00:12:01.299 there. 00:12:02.459 --> 00:12:02.679 You know, 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:04.579 if they were like Smyrna, 00:12:04.919 --> 00:12:05.679 if the trouble 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:06.720 was coming from outside, 00:12:07.659 --> 00:12:08.799 then their judgment 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:09.319 probably wouldn't 00:12:09.319 --> 00:12:10.059 be so harsh. 00:12:10.059 --> 00:12:11.819 But they had allowed 00:12:11.819 --> 00:12:12.759 Jezebel to come 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:13.199 into this position 00:12:13.199 --> 00:12:13.619 of leadership 00:12:13.619 --> 00:12:14.739 in their church 00:12:14.739 --> 00:12:15.819 and draw them 00:12:15.819 --> 00:12:16.739 away from the worship 00:12:16.739 --> 00:12:17.219 of God 00:12:17.219 --> 00:12:19.759 and turn them 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:20.859 towards idols. 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:24.859 The church in Thyatira 00:12:24.859 --> 00:12:25.759 brings a strong warning 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:26.719 and a reminder to us 00:12:26.719 --> 00:12:27.679 that the enemy, 00:12:27.879 --> 00:12:28.279 that Satan, 00:12:28.459 --> 00:12:29.399 isn't just attacking us 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:30.079 on the outside, 00:12:30.839 --> 00:12:31.919 but he's warring 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:32.619 against us 00:12:32.619 --> 00:12:33.859 in our innermost beings, 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:35.079 in our hearts. 00:12:35.779 --> 00:12:36.699 It's true for Thyatira. 00:12:36.979 --> 00:12:37.819 It's true for us. 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:40.019 It's true for every person. 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:40.239 Here. 00:12:41.239 --> 00:12:42.139 If Satan isn't 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:42.519 attacking you 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:42.939 on the outside, 00:12:43.359 --> 00:12:44.019 then he's probably 00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:44.719 attacking you 00:12:44.719 --> 00:12:45.599 on the inside. 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:48.279 And if you don't 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:48.579 sense him 00:12:48.579 --> 00:12:48.919 attacking you 00:12:48.919 --> 00:12:49.639 on either side, 00:12:50.719 --> 00:12:52.459 then maybe he sees 00:12:52.459 --> 00:12:52.979 that you're not 00:12:52.979 --> 00:12:53.579 worth attacking, 00:12:54.419 --> 00:12:54.939 that he's already 00:12:54.939 --> 00:12:56.019 had you completely. 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:00.699 Jezebel is a deceiver, 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:02.019 and she carries 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:03.039 these characteristics 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:03.879 into Thyatira 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:05.059 because it's only 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:05.799 by lies 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:06.619 and untruths, 00:13:06.659 --> 00:13:07.500 by twisting 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:08.519 what God 00:13:08.519 --> 00:13:09.019 had said, 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:10.240 by twisting 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:10.639 the truth 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:11.320 about who God 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:11.799 is and what 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:12.259 the gospel 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:13.220 is, 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:13.919 that she could 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:14.620 convince God's 00:13:14.620 --> 00:13:16.340 people to depart 00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:17.299 from what God 00:13:17.299 --> 00:13:18.240 had commanded them. 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:20.519 You know, 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:20.980 I think the things 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:21.659 that she said 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:22.580 wouldn't be too 00:13:22.580 --> 00:13:23.000 different from 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:23.360 some things 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:23.840 that we hear 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:24.740 in the world 00:13:24.740 --> 00:13:25.059 today. 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:27.080 You know, 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:27.799 it could be that, 00:13:28.220 --> 00:13:28.759 you know what, 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:29.600 your bodies 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:30.139 and your souls 00:13:30.139 --> 00:13:30.740 are separate, 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:32.580 that neither one 00:13:32.580 --> 00:13:33.040 has an effect 00:13:33.040 --> 00:13:33.460 on another. 00:13:34.540 --> 00:13:34.840 You know, 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:35.420 do the things 00:13:35.420 --> 00:13:35.780 that you must 00:13:35.780 --> 00:13:36.460 in your flesh 00:13:36.460 --> 00:13:38.639 because it's only 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:39.800 in your flesh. 00:13:40.460 --> 00:13:40.879 Your spirit 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:41.440 won't be harmed. 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:44.920 Or this lie, 00:13:45.300 --> 00:13:45.960 that the laws 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:46.340 of the church 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:46.900 are old, 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:48.139 they're old-fashioned, 00:13:48.580 --> 00:13:49.240 they're traditional 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:50.100 and intolerant, 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:50.860 and they don't 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:51.780 apply to us anymore. 00:13:54.040 --> 00:13:54.960 Or this lie, 00:13:55.520 --> 00:13:56.040 that you know what, 00:13:56.100 --> 00:13:56.660 God put these 00:13:56.660 --> 00:13:57.500 desires in you, 00:13:57.820 --> 00:13:58.680 and it's a sin 00:13:58.680 --> 00:13:59.440 not to go 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:00.280 and satisfy them. 00:14:03.400 --> 00:14:04.320 God is out of touch 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:04.780 to the world. 00:14:05.879 --> 00:14:06.960 If he'd been in the world 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:07.540 and experienced 00:14:07.540 --> 00:14:08.160 these things, 00:14:08.660 --> 00:14:09.400 then maybe the laws 00:14:09.400 --> 00:14:09.960 would be a little bit 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:10.259 different. 00:14:11.420 --> 00:14:12.340 Or we are more 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:13.100 enlightened than 00:14:13.100 --> 00:14:13.879 Moses was, 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:16.139 so we can allow 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:16.860 for more things. 00:14:18.740 --> 00:14:19.139 Or, 00:14:19.300 --> 00:14:19.720 this one, 00:14:19.780 --> 00:14:20.560 Paul writes about it, 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:21.740 that God's grace 00:14:21.740 --> 00:14:22.280 is big, 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:23.960 and by sinning more, 00:14:24.180 --> 00:14:25.080 we make God's grace 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:25.480 bigger, 00:14:25.780 --> 00:14:26.560 so we should sin 00:14:26.560 --> 00:14:27.040 to make God 00:14:27.040 --> 00:14:27.560 more beautiful. 00:14:28.700 --> 00:14:29.500 That's a lie. 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:32.720 She would have 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:33.179 told them that 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:33.820 if you're in Christ, 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:34.519 these pagan things 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:35.460 have no effect on you. 00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:36.559 That actually, 00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:37.059 maybe, 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:38.539 to know that your 00:14:38.539 --> 00:14:39.200 faith is real, 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:40.480 you should get involved 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:41.279 with the deep things 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:41.720 of Satan, 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:43.519 because then you'll know 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:44.600 that you're truly 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:45.000 separate, 00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:46.360 and you can truly resist, 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:47.399 you've truly mastered 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:48.019 your desires. 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:50.559 Lies. 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:51.840 Lies. 00:14:53.179 --> 00:14:53.919 And it's not an attack 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:54.500 from the outside, 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:56.059 it was from inside, 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:57.379 it's like the poison 00:14:57.379 --> 00:14:58.419 apple in Snow White. 00:14:58.419 --> 00:14:59.500 In the outside, 00:14:59.620 --> 00:15:00.199 it's red, 00:15:00.479 --> 00:15:00.959 and beautiful, 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:01.719 and perfect, 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:03.019 but when you open it up, 00:15:03.979 --> 00:15:05.899 there's only death. 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:09.740 Who was there 00:15:09.740 --> 00:15:10.259 to say no? 00:15:11.439 --> 00:15:12.099 Who was there 00:15:12.099 --> 00:15:12.620 in Thyatira 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:13.099 to say 00:15:13.099 --> 00:15:14.919 that this is not right, 00:15:15.939 --> 00:15:16.639 that this woman 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:17.519 is telling lies, 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:19.699 that you guys 00:15:19.699 --> 00:15:20.259 need to repent 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:21.519 and turn back 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:21.959 to God? 00:15:24.299 --> 00:15:25.459 What you must understand 00:15:25.459 --> 00:15:26.679 is that in Thyatira, 00:15:27.079 --> 00:15:27.759 these things 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:28.819 were totally normal. 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:29.340 These were things 00:15:29.340 --> 00:15:29.819 that happened 00:15:29.819 --> 00:15:30.799 in the culture 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:31.299 around them. 00:15:31.779 --> 00:15:32.740 If you went home today 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:33.879 and you stood 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:34.460 in your lift 00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:35.539 and you're going up 00:15:35.539 --> 00:15:36.120 and your neighbor 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:37.059 was talking about 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:37.960 how the meat 00:15:37.960 --> 00:15:38.659 at the idol feast 00:15:38.659 --> 00:15:39.639 was a little bit stringy, 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:41.639 you might wonder 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:42.259 what they're up to. 00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:43.840 If they then went on 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:44.720 to complain 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:46.059 or to rave 00:15:46.059 --> 00:15:47.980 about the sexual feast 00:15:47.980 --> 00:15:48.819 they had afterwards, 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:50.179 I wouldn't blame you 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:50.580 if you rushed 00:15:50.580 --> 00:15:51.539 to cover your kids' ears, 00:15:52.439 --> 00:15:53.559 because those are things 00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:54.539 that we don't see 00:15:54.539 --> 00:15:55.740 or expect today. 00:15:56.439 --> 00:15:57.699 But in Ephesus 00:15:57.699 --> 00:15:58.399 and Thyatira 00:15:58.399 --> 00:15:58.959 and Corinth 00:15:58.959 --> 00:15:59.620 in cities 00:15:59.620 --> 00:16:00.659 in that day and age, 00:16:01.079 --> 00:16:01.519 those things 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:02.159 were very normal. 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:02.860 They were as normal 00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:05.019 as paying taxes. 00:16:09.179 --> 00:16:10.099 Tolerance for sin 00:16:10.099 --> 00:16:11.659 is a very sneaky way 00:16:11.659 --> 00:16:12.620 of getting into our church. 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:14.480 And often 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:15.360 with sexual immorality 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:16.339 it's very easy 00:16:16.339 --> 00:16:18.339 to go and shift the blame 00:16:18.339 --> 00:16:19.839 to the culture outside. 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:22.100 It may be true, 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.220 but we only succumb 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:26.100 to sexual immorality 00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:28.700 because of the desires 00:16:28.700 --> 00:16:29.399 in our flesh 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:30.940 and in our hearts. 00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:33.639 The culture 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:34.879 and our flesh 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:36.019 fight together 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:37.060 against our spirit 00:16:37.060 --> 00:16:39.019 to turn us away 00:16:39.019 --> 00:16:39.660 from God 00:16:39.660 --> 00:16:41.360 towards sin. 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:44.000 They tell us 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:45.019 that what is the truth 00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:45.580 is a lie 00:16:45.580 --> 00:16:46.379 and that what God 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:47.519 has said is forbidden 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:48.820 is permissible. 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:51.820 And I don't think 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:52.560 things have changed 00:16:52.560 --> 00:16:53.080 too much 00:16:53.080 --> 00:16:54.580 in 2,000 years. 00:16:56.259 --> 00:16:57.019 When the church 00:16:57.019 --> 00:16:57.540 in Thyatira 00:16:57.540 --> 00:16:58.980 slipped on its sexual conduct, 00:16:59.399 --> 00:17:00.800 we do the same. 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:01.960 And don't think 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:02.840 that because we're here 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:04.220 inside the church 00:17:04.220 --> 00:17:04.920 and God's fellowship 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:05.319 of believers 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:06.640 that we're exempt, 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:07.740 that we're immune to this. 00:17:08.740 --> 00:17:09.420 Here's some numbers. 00:17:11.120 --> 00:17:11.559 Statistically, 00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:12.900 about 88% 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:13.500 of singles 00:17:13.500 --> 00:17:14.500 in developed countries 00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:16.980 engage in premarital sex. 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:19.140 In that church, 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:20.120 in the church, 00:17:20.220 --> 00:17:20.960 that number drops 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:23.120 to 80%. 00:17:23.120 --> 00:17:24.759 80. 00:17:28.420 --> 00:17:29.500 70% of men 00:17:29.500 --> 00:17:31.000 18 to 35 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:32.740 watch pornography 00:17:32.740 --> 00:17:33.280 regularly. 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:36.020 That's the kind of statistic 00:17:36.020 --> 00:17:37.420 that seeps into the church. 00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:39.340 Studies have shown 00:17:39.340 --> 00:17:40.720 that 50% of pastors 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:41.440 struggle 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:42.720 with pornography. 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:45.720 Something is wrong 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:46.440 with our church, 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:47.340 with the way 00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:48.000 we view God, 00:17:48.879 --> 00:17:50.179 when 40% 00:17:50.179 --> 00:17:50.679 of women 00:17:50.679 --> 00:17:51.619 going for abortions 00:17:51.619 --> 00:17:52.399 in the United States 00:17:52.399 --> 00:17:53.379 say that they're Christians, 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:54.259 that they have a faith 00:17:54.259 --> 00:17:55.679 in God. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:17:58.699 Studies show 00:17:58.699 --> 00:17:59.980 that one in four marriages 00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:01.319 within the church 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:03.319 experience domestic 00:18:03.319 --> 00:18:04.319 and sexual violence. 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:08.179 And increasingly, 00:18:08.399 --> 00:18:09.099 more and more people 00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:09.699 in the church 00:18:09.699 --> 00:18:10.899 begin to teach 00:18:10.899 --> 00:18:12.299 that homosexuality 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:13.299 is a part of God's will 00:18:13.299 --> 00:18:14.240 for marriage, 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:14.700 family, 00:18:15.059 --> 00:18:15.539 and sex. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:19.039 In the church then, 00:18:19.579 --> 00:18:20.559 in the church now, 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:22.279 sexual conduct 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:22.839 is an issue. 00:18:24.259 --> 00:18:25.220 In 1 Corinthians 5, 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:26.140 we see Paul berating 00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:26.539 the church 00:18:26.539 --> 00:18:27.279 for celebrating 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:28.599 incest in its midst. 00:18:29.819 --> 00:18:30.819 They brought into the lie 00:18:30.819 --> 00:18:31.799 that freedom from sin 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:32.460 meant they could do 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:33.140 whatever they want. 00:18:34.680 --> 00:18:34.880 Now, 00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:35.579 don't look at Corinth 00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:36.180 and think that we're 00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:36.579 any better. 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:39.160 Because pornography 00:18:39.160 --> 00:18:40.099 is as much a sin 00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:41.939 as incest is. 00:18:43.459 --> 00:18:44.399 Homosexual relations 00:18:44.399 --> 00:18:45.019 are sin 00:18:45.019 --> 00:18:47.559 as much as adultery 00:18:47.559 --> 00:18:48.399 is sin. 00:18:50.159 --> 00:18:51.179 And in God's eyes, 00:18:51.699 --> 00:18:53.000 emotional and sexual abuse 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:54.519 are as much a sin 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:56.099 as pedophilia. 00:19:01.439 --> 00:19:02.279 As I grow 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:03.079 and I'm walking 00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:03.859 on this journey, 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:05.480 I'm made more aware 00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:07.700 of how sinful 00:19:07.700 --> 00:19:10.079 and how broken I am. 00:19:11.579 --> 00:19:12.480 I don't have to look 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:13.299 back very far 00:19:13.299 --> 00:19:15.360 to see a time 00:19:15.360 --> 00:19:16.539 when I was in a pit. 00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:19.759 On one side, 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:20.180 pornography, 00:19:20.360 --> 00:19:20.880 on the other side, 00:19:21.360 --> 00:19:22.140 casual sex. 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:23.180 It's not 00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:24.519 too many years ago 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:27.759 that I emotionally 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:28.620 abused my girlfriends 00:19:28.620 --> 00:19:29.920 to satisfy 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:31.200 my sexual desires. 00:19:33.620 --> 00:19:34.620 I see every day 00:19:34.619 --> 00:19:35.899 how much my thoughts 00:19:35.899 --> 00:19:36.819 and my actions 00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:39.599 are torn apart 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:43.599 by slavery 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:44.319 to the flesh. 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:48.679 I see it's only 00:19:48.679 --> 00:19:49.379 by grace 00:19:49.379 --> 00:19:51.199 that I'm able 00:19:51.199 --> 00:19:52.039 to pursue holiness 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:54.179 and purity. 00:19:56.239 --> 00:19:57.179 The truth is 00:19:57.179 --> 00:19:58.119 that our sinful nature 00:19:58.119 --> 00:19:59.099 uses sex 00:19:59.099 --> 00:20:00.500 to make slaves of us. 00:20:00.579 --> 00:20:01.519 It wraps us in guilt 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:02.619 and shame 00:20:02.619 --> 00:20:04.179 and it blinds us 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:04.759 to a multitude 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:05.600 of other things. 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:07.640 It makes us, 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:08.299 as Peter wrote, 00:20:08.980 --> 00:20:09.480 ineffective 00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:11.480 and unfruitful 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:12.840 in the knowledge 00:20:12.840 --> 00:20:13.860 of Jesus Christ. 00:20:15.779 --> 00:20:16.420 The problem, 00:20:16.580 --> 00:20:16.740 however, 00:20:16.860 --> 00:20:17.759 is not with sex. 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:20.299 Without a tire 00:20:20.299 --> 00:20:21.240 in much of the ancient world, 00:20:21.320 --> 00:20:21.940 the blame was shifted 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:22.480 to livelihood. 00:20:23.460 --> 00:20:24.340 Sex is only a problem 00:20:24.340 --> 00:20:25.940 because we need to live. 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:27.100 We need to eat 00:20:27.100 --> 00:20:27.880 and feed our families. 00:20:28.980 --> 00:20:29.580 If we're not 00:20:29.580 --> 00:20:30.200 in these guilds 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:30.620 and taking part 00:20:30.620 --> 00:20:31.140 in these things, 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:32.060 how are we going to tithe 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:32.960 and support the church? 00:20:35.220 --> 00:20:36.039 Do we do the same 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:36.500 in Hong Kong? 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:39.519 Do we compromise 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:40.200 our faith 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:41.519 for our livelihood? 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:44.559 I get to spend 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:45.039 a lot of time 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:45.779 around HKU. 00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:47.220 Students at Hong Kong 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:47.700 University 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:50.079 are incredibly pragmatic. 00:20:51.139 --> 00:20:51.819 They know that 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:53.059 to get good grades, 00:20:53.099 --> 00:20:53.619 they need to study 00:20:53.619 --> 00:20:54.899 and they will study 00:20:54.899 --> 00:20:55.940 all day 00:20:55.940 --> 00:20:56.960 and all night. 00:20:58.279 --> 00:20:59.200 And they'll do that 00:20:59.200 --> 00:20:59.740 all the way 00:20:59.740 --> 00:21:00.299 through the semester 00:21:00.299 --> 00:21:02.480 and then they'll get 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:05.039 to where exams 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:05.420 are coming, 00:21:05.539 --> 00:21:06.339 which is going to be 00:21:06.339 --> 00:21:07.000 in a couple of weeks. 00:21:07.819 --> 00:21:08.599 And then they have 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:09.599 Super Pass season. 00:21:10.220 --> 00:21:11.240 Super Pass is a phenomenon 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:12.759 at Hong Kong University 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:13.720 where there are 00:21:13.720 --> 00:21:14.440 different celebrations 00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:15.240 and different things 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:15.819 that they do 00:21:15.819 --> 00:21:17.980 to, you know, 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:19.480 get better exam grades. 00:21:20.099 --> 00:21:20.960 It usually involves 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:21.660 sticking banners 00:21:21.660 --> 00:21:22.220 on your door. 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:25.220 Sometimes it involves 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:25.799 a pig 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:26.740 and they have this ceremony 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:27.160 where they get 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:27.860 this roast pig 00:21:27.860 --> 00:21:30.580 and you get a big knife 00:21:30.580 --> 00:21:31.740 and you cut it 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:32.580 and each person 00:21:32.580 --> 00:21:33.360 has a go cutting it 00:21:33.360 --> 00:21:34.400 and the idea is that 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:36.000 if you cut all the way 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:36.560 through the pig 00:21:36.560 --> 00:21:38.279 that you'll Super Pass 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:38.680 your exams, 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:39.440 that you'll be blessed 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:40.420 and you'll get at least 00:21:40.420 --> 00:21:41.500 a 3.0 on your GPA. 00:21:43.259 --> 00:21:44.259 Now, I haven't met anyone 00:21:44.259 --> 00:21:44.779 who calls this 00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:45.519 a religious ceremony 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:46.080 but to me 00:21:46.080 --> 00:21:46.700 it smells a lot 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:47.400 like idolatry. 00:21:48.580 --> 00:21:49.400 Like saying that 00:21:49.400 --> 00:21:50.560 this pig 00:21:50.560 --> 00:21:51.240 and my ability 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:52.040 to cut through it 00:21:52.040 --> 00:21:53.380 has an effect 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:53.880 on how I'm going 00:21:53.880 --> 00:21:54.620 to do my exams. 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:56.979 It has more effect 00:21:56.979 --> 00:21:57.599 on my exams 00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:58.599 than God. 00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:02.479 I think that we misplace 00:22:02.479 --> 00:22:03.239 our trust all the time 00:22:03.239 --> 00:22:03.699 and it's not just 00:22:03.699 --> 00:22:04.219 the students. 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:05.699 I think we're all 00:22:05.699 --> 00:22:06.319 guilty of that. 00:22:07.019 --> 00:22:08.059 We do it in our feng shui 00:22:08.059 --> 00:22:09.179 to get the flow 00:22:09.179 --> 00:22:09.599 of money 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:10.779 to our desks. 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:12.399 You know, 00:22:12.439 --> 00:22:12.959 we do it when we 00:22:12.959 --> 00:22:13.879 throw Joss papers 00:22:13.879 --> 00:22:15.119 at wishing trees. 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:16.519 We do it when we 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:17.319 go under the bridge 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:18.939 so that, you know, 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:20.039 our wives can be blessed 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:21.099 so they can have 00:22:21.099 --> 00:22:21.699 healthy children. 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:24.720 You know, 00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:25.980 we do it when we 00:22:25.980 --> 00:22:26.460 put hope 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:27.920 in what the horoscope 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:28.400 says. 00:22:29.580 --> 00:22:30.120 When we buy 00:22:30.120 --> 00:22:30.819 a little money cat 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:31.640 to stick in our doorway. 00:22:32.980 --> 00:22:33.640 When we think about 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:34.220 the dates that we're 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:34.940 getting married on 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:36.259 or the colors 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:36.900 that we're going to wear. 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:39.019 I think without thinking 00:22:39.019 --> 00:22:39.799 we make idols 00:22:39.799 --> 00:22:41.640 of just about anything. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:45.180 We trust these things, 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:45.860 these people, 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:46.900 these rituals 00:22:46.900 --> 00:22:48.860 more than we trust God. 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:49.220 And we don't have 00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:49.940 to say it out loud 00:22:49.940 --> 00:22:50.940 because our actions 00:22:50.940 --> 00:22:51.799 do that for us. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:53.340 They say that 00:22:53.340 --> 00:22:54.700 God isn't enough, 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:57.620 that I need these things 00:22:57.620 --> 00:22:58.920 to trust in 00:22:58.920 --> 00:22:59.519 because they're just 00:22:59.519 --> 00:22:59.900 going to be that 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:00.580 little extra 00:23:00.580 --> 00:23:01.900 that God can't do. 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:05.100 What I'm saying 00:23:05.100 --> 00:23:05.600 is that the problem 00:23:05.600 --> 00:23:06.900 isn't with our livelihoods. 00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:08.700 It isn't with these rituals. 00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:10.640 It's not with sex. 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:11.720 It's not with slipping morals. 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:14.360 It's not our carnal desires 00:23:14.360 --> 00:23:14.840 with us. 00:23:15.380 --> 00:23:16.620 The problem's in our hearts. 00:23:16.619 --> 00:23:19.079 In our hearts, 00:23:19.139 --> 00:23:19.739 we don't trust 00:23:19.739 --> 00:23:20.479 and honor God. 00:23:21.500 --> 00:23:22.819 It was a case in Thyatira. 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:26.719 The issue wasn't sex. 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:28.259 It wasn't tolerating sin 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:29.259 or false teachers. 00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:31.279 It was that their hearts 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:32.839 were not on God. 00:23:34.379 --> 00:23:35.359 I know that's true. 00:23:36.199 --> 00:23:38.539 My problem wasn't sex. 00:23:39.679 --> 00:23:40.539 My problem was that 00:23:40.539 --> 00:23:42.419 my heart would rather 00:23:42.419 --> 00:23:43.239 serve my flesh 00:23:43.239 --> 00:23:45.679 than it would serve God. 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:47.380 And Paul captures this. 00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:48.460 I love it in Romans 1 00:23:48.460 --> 00:23:48.980 because he says, 00:23:49.340 --> 00:23:50.400 although they knew God, 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:51.759 they did not honor Him 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:53.160 as God or give thanks to Him. 00:23:54.080 --> 00:23:55.100 They became futile 00:23:55.100 --> 00:23:56.180 in their thinking. 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:57.860 Their foolish hearts 00:23:57.860 --> 00:23:58.539 were darkened. 00:23:59.320 --> 00:24:00.100 Claiming to be wise, 00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:01.279 they became fools. 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:04.519 They exchanged the glory 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:05.680 of an immortal God 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:06.759 for images 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:09.440 resembling mortal man, 00:24:09.620 --> 00:24:10.580 birds, animals, 00:24:10.700 --> 00:24:11.480 and creeping things. 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:14.860 And so here we stand 00:24:14.860 --> 00:24:17.140 with the Thyatira in church. 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:19.140 Their sexual immorality, 00:24:20.579 --> 00:24:21.400 their idol worship. 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:23.880 And God comes before them. 00:24:24.660 --> 00:24:25.440 At the beginning it says 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:26.140 that He has eyes 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:27.240 like a flame of fire 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:28.799 and feet like burnished bronze. 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:30.200 It's not a nice image. 00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:31.480 It's not Jesus 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:32.240 with white hair 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:33.019 and white robes. 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:35.099 Jesus is here 00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:35.960 and He means business. 00:24:36.339 --> 00:24:36.980 His burning eyes 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:38.759 say that He sees 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:40.119 and He searches their minds 00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:41.099 and their hearts 00:24:41.099 --> 00:24:42.460 and He knows 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:43.420 the deepest part 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:44.160 of their souls. 00:24:45.019 --> 00:24:45.400 And His feet 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:46.579 like burnished bronze 00:24:46.579 --> 00:24:48.759 are not gentle. 00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:49.839 They're not feet 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:50.480 for massaging. 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:53.539 These are crushing feet 00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:54.759 and they're shining 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:55.460 and reflecting. 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:56.420 It's not enough 00:24:56.420 --> 00:24:57.379 that God sees our sin. 00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:58.339 He wants to show it 00:24:58.339 --> 00:24:59.279 to us. 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:02.000 Of the letters 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:02.700 that we see so far, 00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:03.640 the language of judgment 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:04.680 isn't as strong 00:25:04.680 --> 00:25:05.680 as we see here 00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:06.240 in Thyatira. 00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:07.879 Unlike others, 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:08.740 there's no ifs. 00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:10.299 Or, you know, 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:11.680 maybes or warnings 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:12.819 or if you repent. 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:14.140 He says that 00:25:14.140 --> 00:25:15.220 I gave Jezebel time 00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:15.559 to repent 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:16.279 but she refuses 00:25:16.279 --> 00:25:16.940 and behold, 00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:18.799 watch what I'm going to do. 00:25:19.220 --> 00:25:20.079 I will throw her 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:20.960 onto a sickbed. 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:22.480 What was once 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:23.220 her den of pleasure 00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:24.519 is going to become 00:25:24.519 --> 00:25:25.119 a morgue. 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:26.200 I'm going to kill 00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:26.660 her children. 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:28.299 I'm going to punish 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:29.180 those who follow her. 00:25:31.059 --> 00:25:31.680 Jezebel's judgment 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:32.379 is not optional. 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:34.180 She had a chance 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:34.619 to repent. 00:25:35.259 --> 00:25:35.680 That judgment 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:36.279 is coming. 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:38.899 And Jesus is coming 00:25:38.899 --> 00:25:40.579 with His fiery eyes 00:25:40.579 --> 00:25:41.519 and His bronze boots. 00:25:43.059 --> 00:25:43.940 But it's not all trouble. 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:45.059 He tells others that, 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:45.799 you know, 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:46.960 if you do not repent, 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:47.980 I'll throw you in tribulation. 00:25:47.980 --> 00:25:50.640 So if you do repent, 00:25:51.420 --> 00:25:52.640 that won't happen to you. 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:54.160 There's still a chance 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:54.720 to return 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:56.019 to Jesus. 00:25:57.860 --> 00:25:58.759 It says at the end 00:25:58.759 --> 00:25:59.339 of the letter that 00:25:59.339 --> 00:26:00.940 a holy and righteous one, 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:01.400 Jesus, 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:02.279 is going to be given 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:03.480 a bronze rod 00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:04.579 and He will rule 00:26:04.579 --> 00:26:05.279 with that rod. 00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:06.519 The word rule here 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:07.460 is a lot like shepherding, 00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:08.039 but instead of 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:08.880 a wooden staff, 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:10.400 it's an iron rod 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:10.900 and what's left 00:26:10.900 --> 00:26:11.500 in its wake 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:13.420 is broken pots. 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:16.220 What about those 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:16.759 who stay away? 00:26:17.620 --> 00:26:18.099 What about those 00:26:18.099 --> 00:26:18.579 who have kept 00:26:18.579 --> 00:26:19.160 themselves pure? 00:26:21.059 --> 00:26:21.740 Jesus says 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:22.680 that I don't lay on you 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:23.759 any other burden. 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:26.140 I do not lay on you 00:26:26.140 --> 00:26:27.539 any other burden, 00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:28.180 which makes me wonder 00:26:28.180 --> 00:26:29.480 what is the burden 00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:30.240 they already have? 00:26:31.319 --> 00:26:32.160 The burden of living 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:32.779 in a church 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:34.420 that is being rotten 00:26:34.420 --> 00:26:35.279 from the inside 00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:36.180 by sexual immorality, 00:26:36.320 --> 00:26:37.540 the burden of watching 00:26:37.540 --> 00:26:38.500 those that they love 00:26:38.500 --> 00:26:39.820 punished 00:26:39.820 --> 00:26:42.180 for their sinfulness. 00:26:43.460 --> 00:26:44.519 The challenge seems clear 00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:45.960 that God is calling them 00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:48.600 to call their friends, 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:49.560 to call their members, 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:50.800 their family in the church 00:26:50.800 --> 00:26:51.380 to repentance. 00:26:55.040 --> 00:26:55.860 Is that you? 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:56.160 I mean, 00:26:56.259 --> 00:26:57.720 I wonder if, 00:26:58.240 --> 00:26:59.420 and I struggle with this, 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:00.860 but asking 00:27:00.859 --> 00:27:02.559 and calling people 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:03.559 to repentance. 00:27:05.219 --> 00:27:05.899 It's not easy 00:27:05.899 --> 00:27:06.599 to go to your friends 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:07.099 and say, 00:27:07.539 --> 00:27:07.899 dude, 00:27:08.259 --> 00:27:09.219 that's messed up. 00:27:10.359 --> 00:27:10.619 You know, 00:27:10.659 --> 00:27:11.740 you need to get right 00:27:11.740 --> 00:27:12.099 with God. 00:27:12.159 --> 00:27:12.859 That is going to destroy 00:27:12.859 --> 00:27:13.399 your life. 00:27:14.139 --> 00:27:14.719 But I wonder if, 00:27:14.879 --> 00:27:15.259 as a church, 00:27:15.299 --> 00:27:15.979 are we doing that 00:27:15.979 --> 00:27:17.740 in our community groups, 00:27:18.599 --> 00:27:20.059 with our friends? 00:27:22.740 --> 00:27:23.979 He who has an ear, 00:27:24.159 --> 00:27:24.759 let him hear 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:26.439 what the Spirit says 00:27:26.439 --> 00:27:27.039 to the churches. 00:27:27.919 --> 00:27:28.839 That's verse 29. 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:31.480 It's not long 00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:32.159 after this letter, 00:27:33.199 --> 00:27:33.500 actually, 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:34.519 less than 100 years 00:27:34.519 --> 00:27:34.980 after this letter 00:27:34.980 --> 00:27:35.359 was written, 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:37.740 that there was no sign 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:38.259 of a church 00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:39.179 ever having existed 00:27:39.179 --> 00:27:39.799 in Thyatira. 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:41.659 We don't know 00:27:41.659 --> 00:27:41.959 what happened 00:27:41.959 --> 00:27:42.519 to the church. 00:27:43.779 --> 00:27:44.379 I have nothing to say 00:27:44.379 --> 00:27:45.159 how they met their end, 00:27:45.279 --> 00:27:47.240 but if Jezebel's story 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:48.139 is anything to go by, 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:50.579 that wasn't a pretty ending. 00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:52.839 And I imagine 00:27:52.839 --> 00:27:53.740 a conversation happening 00:27:53.740 --> 00:27:54.500 in a nearby town. 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:57.059 Hey, 00:27:57.460 --> 00:27:57.880 do you remember 00:27:57.880 --> 00:27:58.500 Lydia's church? 00:27:59.819 --> 00:28:00.099 Lydia? 00:28:00.759 --> 00:28:01.220 Yeah, yeah, 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:01.460 you know, 00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:01.980 the rich lady 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:02.619 from Thyatira. 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:04.339 Yeah, yeah, yeah, 00:28:04.339 --> 00:28:04.940 I remember her. 00:28:06.859 --> 00:28:07.559 Whatever happened 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:08.160 to that church? 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:09.960 Whatever happened 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:10.559 to those people? 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:11.400 Because, you know, 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:11.779 those guys, 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:12.619 they knew how to love. 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:13.920 They knew what 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:14.779 faithfulness was about. 00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:17.559 Yeah, but, you know, 00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:18.799 I always felt something off 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:20.000 whenever I hung out 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:20.359 with them. 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:23.000 I wonder if God 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:23.539 saw that too. 00:28:23.539 --> 00:28:26.420 In verse 23, 00:28:26.539 --> 00:28:26.799 it says, 00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:27.720 all the churches 00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:28.039 will know 00:28:28.039 --> 00:28:28.799 that I am He 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:30.139 who searches minds 00:28:30.139 --> 00:28:31.019 and hearts. 00:28:31.619 --> 00:28:32.240 It's not enough 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:32.619 that they had 00:28:32.619 --> 00:28:33.220 these good things, 00:28:33.259 --> 00:28:33.960 that they had love 00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:35.019 and faithfulness, 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:36.359 that they persevered, 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:38.639 because God is looking 00:28:38.639 --> 00:28:39.440 at their hearts. 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:41.119 He's looking at your hearts, 00:28:42.059 --> 00:28:43.259 because out of the heart, 00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:44.480 because the heart 00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:45.539 is a seat for the soul. 00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:47.240 It's where worship 00:28:47.240 --> 00:28:47.879 comes from. 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:49.559 It's where sin 00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:50.599 comes from. 00:28:52.059 --> 00:28:52.740 And what God wants 00:28:52.740 --> 00:28:53.880 to see out of our hearts 00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:54.859 is repentance. 00:28:57.420 --> 00:28:58.359 I think for us today, 00:28:58.420 --> 00:28:58.980 we can fall into 00:28:58.980 --> 00:28:59.839 one of four categories. 00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:03.579 Either we're outside 00:29:03.579 --> 00:29:04.059 the church. 00:29:04.819 --> 00:29:05.720 We're not part of this 00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:06.460 fellowship of believers. 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:09.880 Or we could be 00:29:09.880 --> 00:29:10.480 the Jezebel 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:11.599 in the church, 00:29:13.059 --> 00:29:13.900 tearing people away 00:29:13.900 --> 00:29:15.180 from God's law, 00:29:16.120 --> 00:29:16.680 lying to them 00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:17.380 and saying that 00:29:17.380 --> 00:29:19.440 God has no authority 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:20.019 to speak into 00:29:20.019 --> 00:29:20.920 these areas of our lives. 00:29:22.539 --> 00:29:22.960 Third, 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:24.500 we could be the people 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:25.200 who are deceived, 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:27.500 who forget what 00:29:27.500 --> 00:29:28.120 they've been taught 00:29:28.120 --> 00:29:29.640 and follow this new teaching, 00:29:29.740 --> 00:29:30.500 mixing our faith 00:29:30.500 --> 00:29:31.539 with faith in something else, 00:29:31.640 --> 00:29:32.299 worshiping God, 00:29:32.779 --> 00:29:33.759 but mostly trusting 00:29:33.759 --> 00:29:34.500 in something else. 00:29:35.900 --> 00:29:36.340 Or, 00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:37.640 we could be the innocent ones. 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:39.779 We don't have idolatry 00:29:39.779 --> 00:29:40.299 in our hearts, 00:29:41.299 --> 00:29:42.680 but we tolerate 00:29:42.680 --> 00:29:43.440 the intolerable 00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:44.120 in others. 00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:46.559 and we avoid sin, 00:29:47.679 --> 00:29:49.000 but by tolerating 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:49.739 the sin in others, 00:29:50.459 --> 00:29:51.479 are also guilty. 00:29:52.679 --> 00:29:53.579 The truth is about 00:29:53.579 --> 00:29:54.039 these people 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:54.919 and about us 00:29:54.919 --> 00:29:55.919 is that no one 00:29:55.919 --> 00:29:56.379 is righteous, 00:29:56.500 --> 00:29:57.759 that we are all guilty, 00:29:58.759 --> 00:29:59.379 that we can't keep 00:29:59.379 --> 00:29:59.799 his works, 00:29:59.879 --> 00:30:00.579 that we all deserve 00:30:00.579 --> 00:30:01.079 judgment, 00:30:02.199 --> 00:30:03.379 that we deserve 00:30:03.379 --> 00:30:03.959 the sickbed, 00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:05.779 the iron rod. 00:30:06.619 --> 00:30:08.019 We deserve to be smashed 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:09.159 like that broken pottery. 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:15.359 Who can stand 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:15.979 before God? 00:30:18.179 --> 00:30:19.379 Who can save us? 00:30:21.719 --> 00:30:22.799 The passage says 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:23.459 that we are judged 00:30:23.459 --> 00:30:24.439 according to our actions. 00:30:27.139 --> 00:30:28.099 Well, clearly, 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:29.899 love and faith 00:30:29.899 --> 00:30:30.539 and perseverance 00:30:30.539 --> 00:30:31.599 aren't the actions 00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:33.659 that will judge us. 00:30:35.259 --> 00:30:35.979 I think what God 00:30:35.979 --> 00:30:36.519 is looking for 00:30:36.519 --> 00:30:37.039 is repentance. 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:39.559 The only way 00:30:39.559 --> 00:30:40.299 that we can be saved 00:30:40.299 --> 00:30:40.879 is through Jesus 00:30:40.879 --> 00:30:41.799 and the only way 00:30:41.799 --> 00:30:43.119 that we see Jesus 00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:44.139 is by repenting, 00:30:44.180 --> 00:30:45.019 by turning away 00:30:45.019 --> 00:30:46.319 from our sin, 00:30:47.420 --> 00:30:48.180 from our faith 00:30:48.180 --> 00:30:49.059 in other things, 00:30:49.319 --> 00:30:50.379 from our sexual immorality 00:30:50.379 --> 00:30:51.539 and turning 00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:52.519 to Jesus. 00:30:54.899 --> 00:30:55.759 I think repentance 00:30:55.759 --> 00:30:56.200 is key 00:30:56.200 --> 00:30:56.639 because it says 00:30:56.639 --> 00:30:57.119 that Jezebel 00:30:57.119 --> 00:30:57.680 was given time 00:30:57.680 --> 00:30:58.019 to repent, 00:30:58.139 --> 00:30:58.779 but she didn't. 00:31:00.859 --> 00:31:01.539 I think that 00:31:01.539 --> 00:31:02.240 every moment 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:04.159 that we are alive 00:31:04.159 --> 00:31:05.619 is a moment 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:06.180 of grace. 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:07.839 It's a moment 00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:08.779 that God has given us 00:31:08.779 --> 00:31:09.420 to repent. 00:31:11.740 --> 00:31:12.899 And every moment 00:31:12.899 --> 00:31:13.779 we have 00:31:13.779 --> 00:31:15.420 is a moment 00:31:15.420 --> 00:31:15.899 of grace 00:31:15.899 --> 00:31:16.879 that God gives us 00:31:16.879 --> 00:31:18.059 to repent. 00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:20.339 In Isaiah chapter 30, 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:21.619 we see a picture 00:31:21.619 --> 00:31:22.299 of this repentance, 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:23.200 of God's desire 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:23.899 for our repentance. 00:31:24.519 --> 00:31:25.240 That's where the imagery 00:31:25.240 --> 00:31:26.940 of these broken pots 00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:27.539 comes from. 00:31:28.819 --> 00:31:29.599 We see people 00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:30.220 who have turned away 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:30.619 from God 00:31:30.619 --> 00:31:31.299 and God is saying 00:31:31.299 --> 00:31:32.960 that they're preaching 00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:33.680 illusions 00:31:33.680 --> 00:31:34.879 as prophecy 00:31:34.879 --> 00:31:35.379 and he says 00:31:35.379 --> 00:31:35.779 that because 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:36.940 of their perverseness 00:31:36.940 --> 00:31:38.519 that God's judgment 00:31:38.519 --> 00:31:39.380 is coming. 00:31:40.299 --> 00:31:41.240 It says in the passage 00:31:41.240 --> 00:31:42.080 that these pots, 00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:44.299 these clay pots 00:31:44.299 --> 00:31:45.019 will be smashed 00:31:45.019 --> 00:31:45.740 and broken. 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:48.279 They'll be smashed 00:31:48.279 --> 00:31:48.640 and broken 00:31:48.640 --> 00:31:49.279 to the point 00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:50.660 where not a single piece 00:31:50.660 --> 00:31:51.400 can carry a drop 00:31:51.400 --> 00:31:51.820 of water. 00:31:54.080 --> 00:31:54.920 And he calls him 00:31:54.920 --> 00:31:55.460 to repent 00:31:55.460 --> 00:31:55.960 and he says, 00:31:56.100 --> 00:31:56.759 I long 00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:57.799 to be gracious 00:31:57.799 --> 00:31:58.140 to you. 00:31:58.220 --> 00:31:59.180 I want to show you 00:31:59.180 --> 00:31:59.740 my mercy. 00:32:01.940 --> 00:32:02.860 I'm pulling you. 00:32:02.940 --> 00:32:03.580 I want your heart 00:32:03.580 --> 00:32:04.240 to turn away 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:05.019 from your sin, 00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:05.980 from your desires 00:32:05.980 --> 00:32:07.440 and to face me, 00:32:07.859 --> 00:32:09.519 to look at me. 00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:13.140 I think 00:32:13.140 --> 00:32:15.579 repentance 00:32:15.579 --> 00:32:16.240 isn't easy. 00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:19.279 I've been reading 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:20.140 the Bible in French 00:32:20.140 --> 00:32:22.480 so I grew up 00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:23.220 speaking French 00:32:23.220 --> 00:32:23.759 in a French school 00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:24.240 but I thought 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:24.980 if I read it in French 00:32:24.980 --> 00:32:26.140 then I wouldn't skip 00:32:26.140 --> 00:32:26.680 over the passages 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:27.460 that I thought I knew. 00:32:27.940 --> 00:32:28.819 And as I was reading Mark 00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:30.779 where we'd see repentance 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:31.480 it says 00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:32.279 changement radical. 00:32:32.679 --> 00:32:33.339 It says that 00:32:33.339 --> 00:32:34.000 there's going to be 00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:35.299 a radical change. 00:32:36.179 --> 00:32:36.879 When Jesus is preaching 00:32:36.879 --> 00:32:37.319 he says 00:32:37.319 --> 00:32:38.740 change radically 00:32:38.740 --> 00:32:40.019 because the kingdom 00:32:40.019 --> 00:32:40.759 of God is coming. 00:32:42.139 --> 00:32:43.099 It's not a course adjustment. 00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:44.439 It's not tuning a strain 00:32:44.439 --> 00:32:45.279 that's a little bit off. 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:47.059 It's standing up 00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:47.720 and turning 00:32:47.720 --> 00:32:49.220 away completely. 00:32:51.059 --> 00:32:51.279 You know, 00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:51.599 for me 00:32:51.599 --> 00:32:52.240 it wasn't enough 00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:53.240 to put away 00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:54.019 the emotional abuse 00:32:54.019 --> 00:32:54.859 from our relationships 00:32:54.859 --> 00:32:56.500 and think, 00:32:56.619 --> 00:32:56.759 okay, 00:32:56.859 --> 00:32:57.679 that's just a little bit 00:32:57.679 --> 00:32:58.059 of adjustment. 00:32:58.819 --> 00:32:59.179 No. 00:32:59.700 --> 00:33:00.379 It meant changing 00:33:00.379 --> 00:33:01.319 radically the way 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:02.359 I engaged 00:33:02.359 --> 00:33:03.179 my relationships 00:33:03.179 --> 00:33:04.079 and what I did 00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:04.639 with my body 00:33:04.639 --> 00:33:05.359 with my heart. 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:08.659 One of the things 00:33:08.659 --> 00:33:09.480 I've been convicted of 00:33:09.480 --> 00:33:10.159 is that I'm slow 00:33:10.159 --> 00:33:10.700 to repent. 00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:13.599 That I would rather 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:14.379 wallow in my sin 00:33:14.379 --> 00:33:15.259 because I'm too proud 00:33:15.259 --> 00:33:16.399 to say that I'm a sinner. 00:33:17.279 --> 00:33:17.859 That I'm too proud 00:33:17.859 --> 00:33:18.960 to say that I need Jesus. 00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:20.839 Because repentance 00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:21.559 is costly. 00:33:23.179 --> 00:33:23.839 It may cost us 00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:24.339 embarrassment. 00:33:25.460 --> 00:33:25.859 It may hurt 00:33:25.859 --> 00:33:27.659 relationships around us. 00:33:29.139 --> 00:33:29.779 Turning away 00:33:29.779 --> 00:33:30.279 from our sin 00:33:30.279 --> 00:33:31.079 and turning to God 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:31.859 could cost us 00:33:31.859 --> 00:33:32.960 our homes, 00:33:33.179 --> 00:33:33.720 our jobs, 00:33:34.179 --> 00:33:35.159 our families. 00:33:36.359 --> 00:33:37.019 But I think 00:33:37.019 --> 00:33:37.539 it's worth it. 00:33:38.439 --> 00:33:39.279 I think it's worth it 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:40.000 because Jesus died 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:41.240 on the cross. 00:33:41.919 --> 00:33:43.099 Because in repentance 00:33:43.099 --> 00:33:44.220 and turning to Christ 00:33:44.220 --> 00:33:45.679 and turning to his cross, 00:33:46.460 --> 00:33:47.939 we win Jesus. 00:33:49.139 --> 00:33:50.039 We win his righteousness. 00:33:50.039 --> 00:33:53.000 We put our faith 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:54.200 in one that will never fail. 00:33:54.720 --> 00:33:55.659 Not in a pig, 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:56.940 not in humans, 00:33:57.740 --> 00:33:59.059 not in a book 00:33:59.059 --> 00:34:00.059 of the future. 00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:02.759 And we place ourselves 00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:03.559 in front of someone 00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:05.059 who will satisfy 00:34:05.059 --> 00:34:07.019 us completely. 00:34:07.899 --> 00:34:08.699 That will satisfy us 00:34:08.699 --> 00:34:09.300 more than money 00:34:09.300 --> 00:34:10.759 or sex, 00:34:12.139 --> 00:34:13.500 more than family 00:34:13.500 --> 00:34:13.980 or work 00:34:13.980 --> 00:34:14.699 or good grades. 00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:15.699 repentance. 00:34:16.159 --> 00:34:16.639 Repentance 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:17.359 turns us 00:34:17.359 --> 00:34:17.799 and puts us 00:34:17.799 --> 00:34:18.500 before one 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:20.099 who has the power 00:34:20.099 --> 00:34:21.000 to forgive sins. 00:34:22.219 --> 00:34:23.059 One has the power 00:34:23.059 --> 00:34:24.339 to secure our eternity 00:34:24.339 --> 00:34:25.899 with God 00:34:25.899 --> 00:34:27.039 by defeating death 00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:28.619 and defeating Satan. 00:34:29.659 --> 00:34:30.619 I think repentance 00:34:30.619 --> 00:34:31.480 is good news 00:34:31.480 --> 00:34:33.419 because repentance 00:34:33.419 --> 00:34:35.259 is not baseless 00:34:35.259 --> 00:34:36.059 but it's in a gospel 00:34:36.059 --> 00:34:37.099 that's already complete. 00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:38.779 The gospel says 00:34:38.779 --> 00:34:39.579 that like the church 00:34:39.579 --> 00:34:40.239 in Thyatira, 00:34:40.779 --> 00:34:41.679 that we are broken 00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:42.179 and rotten. 00:34:42.179 --> 00:34:42.679 In fact, 00:34:43.359 --> 00:34:44.359 we're more sinful 00:34:44.359 --> 00:34:45.480 than we probably 00:34:45.480 --> 00:34:46.059 think we are. 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:47.759 The gospel says 00:34:47.759 --> 00:34:48.319 that there's judgment 00:34:48.319 --> 00:34:48.719 coming, 00:34:49.779 --> 00:34:51.239 that we can't escape. 00:34:52.819 --> 00:34:53.799 The gospel says 00:34:53.799 --> 00:34:54.500 that when we repent 00:34:54.500 --> 00:34:55.980 that Jesus forgives us. 00:34:58.159 --> 00:34:59.379 Or the gospel also says 00:34:59.379 --> 00:35:01.199 that forgiveness 00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:01.839 isn't free. 00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:04.440 It isn't cheap. 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:05.419 It's not a pat on the back 00:35:05.419 --> 00:35:06.839 and away you go. 00:35:07.559 --> 00:35:08.639 There's still an iron rod. 00:35:09.899 --> 00:35:10.779 There's still pots 00:35:10.780 --> 00:35:12.600 to be smashed. 00:35:14.260 --> 00:35:15.100 And that's what we see 00:35:15.100 --> 00:35:15.700 on the cross. 00:35:17.800 --> 00:35:18.800 We see the punishment 00:35:18.800 --> 00:35:19.540 for our rebellion 00:35:19.540 --> 00:35:20.300 against God. 00:35:22.040 --> 00:35:23.300 For tolerating sin. 00:35:24.240 --> 00:35:25.280 For preaching on truth. 00:35:26.600 --> 00:35:27.740 For trusting idols 00:35:27.740 --> 00:35:28.400 instead of Him. 00:35:29.900 --> 00:35:31.080 Because Jesus takes that 00:35:31.080 --> 00:35:31.980 on the cross for us. 00:35:33.680 --> 00:35:34.900 Jesus is a shepherd 00:35:34.900 --> 00:35:36.460 with the iron staff. 00:35:36.460 --> 00:35:40.099 But Jesus, 00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:41.360 for those who believe, 00:35:41.940 --> 00:35:43.300 is also the broken pottery. 00:35:45.780 --> 00:35:47.119 He was apathitira 00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:47.820 for us, 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:49.519 for our community groups, 00:35:50.300 --> 00:35:50.740 for me. 00:35:52.740 --> 00:35:53.280 Jesus, 00:35:53.800 --> 00:35:54.159 the shepherd 00:35:54.159 --> 00:35:55.119 with the iron staff, 00:35:55.679 --> 00:35:57.199 is also 00:35:57.199 --> 00:35:58.920 the broken pottery. 00:35:58.920 --> 00:35:58.980 Let's pray. 00:36:01.500 --> 00:36:02.139 Let's pray. 00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:06.940 Father God, 00:36:06.980 --> 00:36:07.579 I confess 00:36:07.579 --> 00:36:09.680 that 00:36:09.680 --> 00:36:12.380 we love sin 00:36:12.380 --> 00:36:13.300 more than we love you. 00:36:14.360 --> 00:36:15.119 That our hearts 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:16.599 are rebellious. 00:36:17.840 --> 00:36:18.260 Father, 00:36:18.360 --> 00:36:18.940 forgive us. 00:36:20.659 --> 00:36:21.400 Protect us 00:36:21.400 --> 00:36:22.039 from the lies 00:36:22.039 --> 00:36:22.680 that pull us 00:36:22.680 --> 00:36:23.320 away from you. 00:36:24.659 --> 00:36:25.420 Show us 00:36:25.420 --> 00:36:26.599 where we need 00:36:26.599 --> 00:36:27.039 to repent. 00:36:27.039 --> 00:36:30.420 show us 00:36:30.420 --> 00:36:31.099 the people 00:36:31.099 --> 00:36:31.519 that we should 00:36:31.519 --> 00:36:32.380 call out for 00:36:32.380 --> 00:36:33.119 and call them 00:36:33.119 --> 00:36:33.599 to repentance 00:36:33.599 --> 00:36:34.139 and their brothers 00:36:34.139 --> 00:36:34.579 and sisters 00:36:34.579 --> 00:36:35.179 in the church. 00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:38.779 Show us 00:36:38.779 --> 00:36:39.420 the cross. 00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:41.800 Show us 00:36:41.800 --> 00:36:42.779 how you are 00:36:42.779 --> 00:36:43.239 the God 00:36:43.239 --> 00:36:44.400 that took 00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:44.960 our punishment 00:36:44.960 --> 00:36:45.699 for us. 00:36:49.019 --> 00:36:49.679 That you are 00:36:49.679 --> 00:36:50.420 the broken pot. 00:36:53.320 --> 00:36:53.739 Father, 00:36:53.860 --> 00:36:54.279 show us 00:36:54.279 --> 00:36:54.539 that 00:36:54.539 --> 00:36:56.940 help us 00:36:56.940 --> 00:36:57.559 to believe 00:36:57.559 --> 00:36:58.000 that your 00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:59.000 holy love 00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:01.639 is big enough. 00:37:05.760 --> 00:37:06.519 That your 00:37:06.519 --> 00:37:06.920 holiness, 00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:07.780 your holy 00:37:07.780 --> 00:37:08.240 wrath 00:37:08.240 --> 00:37:09.380 against our 00:37:09.380 --> 00:37:09.700 sin 00:37:09.700 --> 00:37:10.920 is taken 00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:11.579 by Christ. 00:37:13.900 --> 00:37:14.480 Father, 00:37:14.599 --> 00:37:14.960 help us 00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:15.480 to be people 00:37:15.480 --> 00:37:15.980 who are more 00:37:15.980 --> 00:37:16.559 aware of our 00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:16.840 sin 00:37:16.840 --> 00:37:19.000 and see 00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:19.599 how beautiful 00:37:19.599 --> 00:37:20.300 you are. 00:37:21.679 --> 00:37:21.980 Lord, 00:37:22.059 --> 00:37:22.360 help us 00:37:22.360 --> 00:37:22.980 to repent 00:37:22.980 --> 00:37:23.840 and to turn 00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:24.539 away from 00:37:24.539 --> 00:37:25.059 the desires 00:37:25.059 --> 00:37:25.400 of our 00:37:25.400 --> 00:37:25.820 hearts 00:37:25.820 --> 00:37:26.820 and the 00:37:26.820 --> 00:37:27.119 lies 00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:27.360 of the 00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:27.719 world 00:37:27.719 --> 00:37:28.539 into you. 00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:31.039 Father, 00:37:31.119 --> 00:37:31.779 I thank you 00:37:31.779 --> 00:37:32.039 and I 00:37:32.039 --> 00:37:32.719 rejoice 00:37:32.719 --> 00:37:34.639 that you 00:37:34.639 --> 00:37:35.019 have saved 00:37:35.019 --> 00:37:35.279 me, 00:37:36.179 --> 00:37:36.400 that you 00:37:36.400 --> 00:37:36.820 have saved 00:37:36.820 --> 00:37:37.199 us, 00:37:38.039 --> 00:37:39.159 that we 00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:39.679 have today 00:37:39.679 --> 00:37:40.360 people who 00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:41.099 have done 00:37:41.099 --> 00:37:41.480 that and we 00:37:41.480 --> 00:37:41.820 get to see 00:37:41.820 --> 00:37:42.400 their baptism, 00:37:43.980 --> 00:37:44.440 seeing them 00:37:44.440 --> 00:37:45.239 dying to sin 00:37:45.239 --> 00:37:46.980 and coming 00:37:46.980 --> 00:37:47.719 alive in you. 00:37:47.719 --> 00:37:50.000 Jesus, 00:37:50.159 --> 00:37:50.639 we love you 00:37:50.639 --> 00:37:50.899 and it's 00:37:50.899 --> 00:37:51.459 your holy 00:37:51.459 --> 00:37:52.519 and precious 00:37:52.519 --> 00:37:52.959 name that 00:37:52.959 --> 00:37:53.379 we pray. 00:37:54.480 --> 00:37:54.919 Amen.