癤?011 June 26th
Sunday Sermon at Yoido Full Gospel Church ??Seoul, Korea
Speaker: Senior Pastor Rev. Younghoon LEE
Hold On
(Rev 2:24-29)

When our faith is easily shaken, God cannot bless us. We must have firm faith that does not waver. Today we will see the will of God for us through the Thyatira Church which received the promise of the Lord by repenting after they were tempted by the world for some time and by holding on to faith to the end

1. A church that serves abundantly
The Thyatira Church was affluent in everything. They evangelized, did great mission outreach and were abundant in love for God and their neighbors. The church depended on the Lord with firm faith that was not shaken. Furthermore, they served God and their neighbors with all their might. And when they faced trials, they overcame with strong perseverance. Above all, they served the Lord more faithfully later than they did at the beginning. The bigger the church grew, the harder they worked for the Lord. The Lord praised the church that worked for Him so abundantly and grew day by day. We have to be an abundant church in everything like the Thyatira Church.

2. A church that has lost its spiritual purity
The Thyatira Church was rebuked by the Lord since it tolerated a woman named Jezebel, who called herself a prophetess. In the Old Testament, Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab and a wicked woman who spread the idols of Baal and Asherah throughout the country. There were lots of small merchants in Thyatira and they were united by a union of similar business interests. However, since they gathered at the temple, whenever they got together they ate offerings and committed adultery according to the ritual of the temple. Because of this problem, the saints in Thyatira often did not attend the meetings, but Jezebel came in and taught them that they should compromise with the people of the world. Then some of the saints began to compromise with sin, making excuses because of their businesses. Unless a person repents quickly when he commits sin, he will be judged severely. Nothing but the cross must be our boasting and interest in this world. Although we live in this world of sin, we must apply the blood of Jesus on ourselves so that sin cannot attack us.

3. A faith that lasts until the end
The Lord told the shaken Thyatira Church that they should hold on to faith until He returned. He said that they should abundantly practice faith, hope, love, perseverance and serving as they did while advancing with the cross. The Lord has promised to give authority over all nations to those who overcome and hold on to His works to the end. It says that He will make them over all people in this world. This is the promise given not only to the Thyatira Church but also to us when we hold on to faith to the end.

I pray that you will hold on to faith and serve abundantly like the Thyatira Church and enjoy the promise of the Lord.