Introduction

Revelation 2:18-29 ESV  “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.  (19)  “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.  (20)  But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.  (21)  I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.  (22)  Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,  (23)  and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.  (24)  But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.  (25)  Only hold fast what you have until I come.  (26)  The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,  (27)  and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.  (28)  And I will give him the morning star.  (29)  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Revelation 2:19 ESV  “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 

• So if you were with us last week you know we are focusing on these four works mentioned in  verse 19.
  • The works of Love, Faith, Service, and Patient Endurance.
  • Now last week we went over the works of love and faith… and we made sure to drive the home point that love is more than just a feeling, but love is action.
    • Love is giving. Love is sacrificing for others.
    • And we defined the works of love as such: The work of Love is giving or sacrificing for the good of someone else and not yourself.
      • The works of love are not self serving, but serve others… in fact, often times, they cost you something and you do it not for gain, but for the benefit of someone else.
        • For God so loved the world that he GAVE His only son.
  • We also talked about the works of faith. We talked about how faith is not some invisible feeling or belief, but that faith is substantial and evidential. We have faith because of real physical things that God has done and is doing.
    • So then what are the works of faith? The works of faith can be described as us proving our faith by acting on our faith.
      • And we used the example of an airplane… it takes a lot of faith to get on an airplane… you have to trust the pilots, and the ground crew, and the air traffic controllers and the weather forecasters and the engineers.
      • But you have faith that planes work because you can watch them take of and land, you can see the people in the airport arriving safely,  you can read the reports and statistics showing that planes are the safest form of travel.
        • But it still takes faith. And the work of faith, in that scenario, is the action you take to prove your faith… in otherwords… You have to actually get on the plane.
        • You can say you have faith in the plane all you want, but eventually you got to get on the plane.
    • So it is with God, we can say we have faith in God all we want, but if we refuse to trust what He says and prove that trust by DOING what He tells us, do we really have faith?
      • Therefore, the works of faith are the acts of obedience we perform to God in whom we have faith in.
• Now we get to the next to points on this list of works, the works of Service and the works of patient endurance.

• So let’s talk about the first of the two works we are going to go over this morning… the works of service.

Point One – The Works of Service

Revelation 2:19 ESV  “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.

• Now unlike love, or even faith, it should be clear that service is a work…
  • But just to be safe, let me be clear, service is not an emotion, or a feeling, or some kind of invisible thing… SERVICE IS A WORK.
    • Ok good, got that out of the way, let’s see what Scripture has to say about service:

1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV  As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:  (11)  whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

• I love these two verses of scripture because it starts with “As each of you have received a gift”.
  • Y’all I believe that we are a gifted church, amen?!
  • And I believe each and every one of you have been given a gifting from God.
    • Maybe your gift is something spiritual like prophecy or healing or preaching or teaching.
    • Maybe your gift is something more tangible, like maybe you are a gifted gardener, or organizer, or carpenter.
    • Maybe you are gifted with wealth and good financial decisions.
    • Maybe you are gifted with hospitality and you just have the ability to love on others in a way that they receive as from the lord.
    • Others might be gifted with technology.
    • Others still might be gifted with being able to connect with children and speak their language and teach and raise them in an excellent manner.
  • Whatever your gifting, and I do believe that you have a gifting an area of expertise… because the Bible says “As each”, meaning, every believer has a gift!
    • So whatever your gifting is, are you using it to serve God?
    • One of the best things about a church as an organization is that it provides a real place for you to serve God with your gifts.
      • Yes you can and SHOULD use your giftings to serve God every where all the time… but the church is an easy place to serve in.
      • Gifted with kids? Serve in the children’s ministry.
      • Gifted with computers? Serve on AV!
      • Gifted with finances? Give sacrificially to the church.
      • Gifted with gardening? Help our landscaping team beautify the house of God.
    • And some people get all strange and odd when it comes to serving in the church:
      • Well that greedy ol’ church only wants my free labor. I don’t need them to serve God.
      • LISTEN! God is worshiped here. The Gospel is preached here.
      • People are saved, healed, and delivered here.
      • WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF ALL OF THAT?!
      • Even if your gifting is cleaning… I want you to think about this…
        • I chose gas stations to stop at based on how clean their bathrooms are.
        • The gas stations with the cleanest bathrooms get my business… and many people think that way.
          • So when you serve by cleaning the church bathrooms you are literally helping draw in people to hear the gospel, to worship God, to be saved and healed and delivered.

1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV  As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:  (11)  whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

• In everything! Someone say “In everything”!
  • IN EVERYTHING.
    • Yes I want you to serve God excellently in your home, because I want you to be able to invite people over so you can minister to them.
    • And yes I want you to serve God excellently in your school or workplace, because I want people to know that you serve a higher power and I want conversations to be opened up that lead people to Christ.
    • AND YES I want you to serve God excellently in the church because I want people to come here to get saved healed and delivered and discipled! And I want God to be glorified by people of all tribes and all tounges.
  • IN EVERYTHING serve the Lord, amen?!

Galatians 5:13 ESV  For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

• If you are born again, YOU ARE FREE! Free from the bondage of sin and death. Free to live life in the grace of God.
  • So then use that freedom for the glory of God.
    • No longer do you have to go the bar on Friday nights and get plastered in order to find some speck of joy.
    • No longer do you need to chase after sexual relationships in order to find some sense of companionship.
    • No longer do you need to worry about material living in order to find worth.
      • YOU ARE FREE FROM THAT NONSENSE.
      • USE THAT FREEDOM FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!
• And if serving seems below you, then you must think of yourself as higher than Christ, because Christ was the greatest servant of them all.

Mark 10:45 ESV  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

• Y’all if you are not serving God in your life, make a change. Begin to start your day with the prayer “Lord led me to places where I can serve you today. Help me serve you at work today. Help me serve you in my family today. Show me the opportunities and give me the boldness and strength to take those opportunities and use them for Your glory.
  • And if you are not serving in the church, take a moment today to talk to Pastor Elizabeth and tell here “Here is where I think I am really gifted, but I will serve however you want me to”
    • And then when pastor Elizabeth Schedules you to serve,  show up and serve with excellence.
    • Y’all we need all hands on deck for this church move, but the end result is GOD GET’S THE GLORY! Amen?!
• That brings us to point two, the works of patient Endurance.

Point Two – The Works of Patient Endurance

Revelation 2:19 ESV  “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.

• Good works are good… obviously… but they are not a temporary calling y’all.
  • There is no retirement plan in the ministry.
  • You don’t get to serve God for just a certain amount of days… and then the rest you just get to kick back in a hammock on a beach.
  • No we serve God until He comes back or takes us home.
    • We endure until Christ returns or until we die and enter into our rest.
      • The goal line is heaven.
      • The goal line is not a new church building, or a new job, or a new degree.
      • The goal line is not 50 or 60 or 70 years of service.
        • NO.
      • The goal line is heaven. THAT IS WHEN WE GET TO ENTER INTO OUR REST.
        • But listen, don’t let this news grieve you… because God supplies our strength, that’s what we read in 1 Peter 4:11…

(Please embolden what I have put in bold)

1 Peter 4:11 ESV  whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

• When we serve God it is He who provides our strength.
  • Retirement from the Lord’s army won’t give you strength.
    • Your Temprapedic mattress isn’t what gives you strength.
    • Vacations to beaches and forests and other nations… they won’t give you strength…
      • At least not the kind of strength God provides.
• I am not saying don’t retire from your job, please do! But then use your freedom for good works in the Kingdom of God.
  • I am not saying don’t get a good rest, please do… and use that energy to serve.
  • I am not saying “Don’t go on vacation” but instead “Serve God even when you are vacation” and God will give you the strength you need.

Hebrews 10:36 ESV  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

• I want you to look closely at this verse… it says “when you have done the will of God you will receive what is promised” in other words “When you have completed what God has called you to, you will receive the promised reward”.
  • That gives us a clear timeline… we do the work of God until the time comes to receive the reward… but when does the reward come? It comes when we die!

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

• You will receive your reward or your punishment when you are before the judgment seat of Christ… therefore, if we take that information and pair it with Hebrews 10:36 we get a clear timeline:

Hebrews 10:36 ESV  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

• The work of the Lord, then, should be done until we die or until Jesus comes back…
  • But here is the kicker with Hebrews 10:36… it is not just talking about enduring through a long period of time… but it is talking about enduring through persecution.

Hebrews 10:32-38 ESV  But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,  (33)  sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.  (34)  For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.  (35)  Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  (36)  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.  (37)  For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;  (38)  but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

• Let me put this in perspective for you dear saints…
  • What this is saying is: You could serve the Lord at work and end up getting mocked because of it… demoted because of it… fired because of it…
    • None the less, endure.
  • You could serve the Lord at school and lose all your friends like I did when I was saved… and have the teachers mock you and give you bad grades because of it, like happened to me in college…
    • None the less, endure.
  • You could serve the Lord by giving sacrificially to the building fund, helping move, helping garden, helping maintain…
    • And the government could come and arrest us and shut us down in that new place…
      • None the less, endure.
• No matter what happens, endure…. Because dear saints, one day Jesus is going to come in all His glory… you are going to look up and see him on that white horse coming from the clouds and the trumpet will sound…
  • And on that day you will either be found serving Him or serving yourself…
    • OH LORD LET US BE FOUND TO BE SERVING YOU! GRANT US THE WORKS OF PATIENT ENDURANCE.

Conclusion – Our Latter Works Must Exceed our Former Works.

• That brings us to our conclusion… our latter works must exceed our former works.

Revelation 2:19 ESV  “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.

• Y’all, we are in a church that serves, amen?
  • We serve God both in the church and in our lives…
    • But we need to make sure our latter works are greater… that we serve more this year than we did last year.
    • And that we serve more next year than we did this year.
      • We need our latter works to be greater… that means that we don’t turn down…
      • Ok?
      • The only thing we turn down are our collars!
      • Everything else, we go 100% and trust God to supply our strength.
        • I have always like these two sayings:
        • If you are not going uphill, then you are going downhill…
        • And…
        • If your journey has gotten easier then you are probably going downhill.
      • And maybe that is not the encouragement you need, but Gods strength in your life should be encouragement enough. And God’s promise of an eternal Rest with Him should be promise enough.
  • Therefore, let our PATIENT ENDURANCE exceed what we had before.
    • We made it through 2020, we patiently endured…
      • But let us not be fooled into thinking things will get better.
      • Who knows what tomorrow will bring… let us endure all the more.
      • And if they fire us… let us endure all the more.
      • And if they fine us… let us endure all the more.
      • And if they jail us… let us endure all the more.
      • And if they kill us… let us endure all the more.
      • Let our latter works of patient endurance exceed our first, amen?!
• Gospel Call