Category Archives: Assurance/Faith

“Lukewarm Yet Not Without Hope: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Laodicea” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re back in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming, where we’re taking a verse-by-verse approach to see what the book truly reveals—Jesus Christ Himself. As always, I’m joined by Jamie Harrison, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk through this study together. Today, we’ll be looking at the last of Jesus’s letters to the churches, this time turning to the church in Laodicea. This week’s passage is Revelation 3:14-22:

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”[1]

Keith Harris:     
Welcome to this week’s Refresh & Restore Bible study. We are in our The King Is Coming study of the book of Revelation, and today we’re closing out the section on Jesus’s letters to the churches with what’s probably the best known of those — Jesus’s letter to the church in Laodicea.

Today, just as we have been recently, we are here with Jamie Harrison. Hey, Jamie.

Jamie Harrison:
Hey Keith. Good to be here with you today doing this Bible study. I feel as though we’ve never left.

Keith:                  
Well, sometimes it can just feel like we’ve recorded two or three of these right in a row.

Jamie:                 
Again, it can feel just like that.

Keith:                  
Sometimes it is that. Before we get into too much banter, let’s dive into the letter to Laodicea. What have you got for us today?        

Jamie:                 
Hopefully the Bible has stuff for us and not me.

Keith:                  
Amen. Amen.

Jamie:                 
So the letter to Laodicea — Laodicea, Laodicea — yes, yes — is the toughest letter of all the seven letters to the churches. With Sardis, which was a tough letter — you have Him saying, you know, Jesus says that you’re dead, right? You’re living on a reputation, but you’re dead. But He even gives them a little bit of praise where He says, “Hey, you’ve got some who are still keeping My word.” But with this letter to Laodicea, there is none of that right there. There is no praise at all.

Keith:                  
There’s opportunity, that’s right — but no praise. And for context — we talked about this a little while ago — for context, the church in Laodicea and the church of the Colossians, thirty years prior to this, twenty years prior to this, Paul talked about them in unison. That, you know, you read this person’s letter, y’all read this one. He talked about them well. But here we are a generation or so later, and Jesus says a lot of tough stuff to them.

Jamie:                 
And so, of course, the letter starts off just as the other ones have — with that salutation of “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea,” which again, the angel — the pastor. And then He gives attributes of Himself. “Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation.” So you get the idea here. The Amen is certainty. Veracity. Christ has the final word, so to speak. The faithful and true witness — He is completely trustworthy. He’s a perfectly accurate witness to the truth of God, so to speak. And the originator of God’s creation — so there’s this heresy that was going on in Laodicea and Colossae that Christ was a created being. And you can look back at Colossians 1:15–19 for that.

Keith:                  
And heresy — that’s a word that means it has been clearly established and understood to be not biblical. And it’s really and truthfully meant to be not biblical — to throw people off, right? And so I just wanted to clarify that. It’s not a word we hear often, because we live in a very permissive society where some people — even pastors — will have sort of a laissez-faire, hands-off, anything-goes attitude. Jesus especially didn’t when He came to the church at Colossae, because He corrected that, like Jamie’s about to do here.

Jamie:                 
And so the originator of God’s creation is — I’ve been here since the beginning. I’m not a created being. I was here at the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And even back in Genesis — it’s “Let us make man.” It’s plural. We were here from the beginning. We created the heavens and the earth. We did those things. And so Jesus corrects this: I’ve been here from the beginning, and what I’m about to say is truth — and has always been — and it is the final word. So He jumps right into it and He says: “I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.” So in all these letters, you’ll notice that Jesus is personal with these churches. He points out different things that would have been personal to them. Last week we talked about the church in Philadelphia and the earthquakes they had — and being called pillars, something that would not fall apart when the earthquake hits. So it’s very personal to them. And here He gets personal right off the bat. He says, “I know that you’re neither cold nor hot.” What you need to know about Laodicea is that they didn’t have a water source there. They had all of their water piped in through underground aqueducts. And as you can imagine, by the time the water got to them, it was very lukewarm. It wasn’t cold, it wasn’t hot — but in fact, it was dirty and lukewarm.

Keith:                  
In lots of places at the time — if you think about it in the context of the era in which this was written, where this church existed — if they had hot springs, they were renowned for that. People would come to those hot springs. If they had cool, clear water, people would come from miles around to get some of this cool, clear water. But by the time it got to them, it wasn’t either of the valuable water sources, right?

Jamie:                 
Meaning it wasn’t useful, right? And so, of course, the people that live there — you know, you get used to it after a while. I guess your stomach builds up a tolerance to it, whatever the case may be. I don’t know how that works. I’m not a doctor or scientist by any stretch of the imagination or anything like that. But what we do know is that especially with visitors — when they would come to the city — if they would take a drink of the water, they would immediately puke it out. Because of the lukewarmness, because of the dirt and stuff that was in it, it would cause an immediate reaction from the body to puke. Or throw up. Or spit out. Whatever you want to say. And so don’t get lost in the fact that Jesus is being very personal with this church. “Hey, you guys are like this water. You’re not useful.” And because you’re not useful, He goes on in verse 16: “Because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I am going to vomit you — or spit you — or puke you — whatever you want to call it — out of My mouth.” So again — very, very personal. You guys are not useful to Me. You are something that needs to be thrown up and gotten rid of.

Keith:                  
And the tense of that word in Greek is almost like a snapshot — like a Polaroid. He’s wanting them to get this picture, get this image, and realize — you know, sometimes when we see a spit take or something like that, we might find it humorous in today’s time. But if you’re the one who’s taking something into your mouth that is not what you wanted, not what you were going for — it’s not a pleasant experience. You want to expel it. You don’t want to deal with it. It’s an instantaneous reaction. And Jesus is saying, the way y’all are right now — this is what it will be if it continues. That’s a big deal.

Jamie:                 
And again, He identified Himself as the originator of God’s creation. So this is the Creator of the world saying to you —

Keith:                  
“You’re useless.”             

Jamie:                 
Right. And so as we move forward here — a couple more things about Laodicea that will help us put this in context and make sense. They were a very, very wealthy city. They trusted in themselves a lot because of this wealth — as oftentimes happens. And they had three main industries. One of those industries was banking. One of those industries was wool. And one of those industries was medicine. Specifically salve for eyes. Very specifically, they had created this tablet and they would crush it up and put it on the eyes and supposedly it would help you with stuff. And I’m sure it did. I don’t know. I didn’t live back then. But I’m sure it worked to some extent.

Keith:                  
I mean, if you’re famous for something — it’s not like they could go to a market and buy it back then. If people are coming to buy it —

Jamie:                 
Must have worked, right? And so with the wool — obviously you think garments. Banking — you think money. And so again, Jesus being very, very personal with this church, as He goes forward He says in verse 17: “For you say, ‘I am rich. I have become wealthy and need nothing.’” So He gives one side of the coin. You’re rich. I need nothing. I’ve got everything I need. here’s your banking industry. And then He turns around and gives the spiritual counterpart to that. He says, “But you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.” So He’s going to hit every single industry on this one. You’re poor. You’re blind. And you’re naked.

Keith:                  
And rather than being respected, people are going to pity you. And you just can’t see it.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. And so He goes forward to say: “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich.” And I think back to 1 Peter 1:5–7 there, that tells us that fire proves the purity of gold. We know that. But what Peter tells us there in chapter 1 is that it proves the character of our faith. So what is Jesus saying here? “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich.” In other words — you live for Me. You have a relationship with Me. You do the things that I’ve called you to do and asked you to do. And when you’re put through the fire of testing, through the fire of trials, through the fire of persecution — you’ll come out on the other side and be with Me for eternity.

Keith:                  
Versus thinking you’re fine by yourself.

Jamie:                 
That’s right.

Keith:                  
And I mean, that’s the case. You think about it — pure gold. He’s giving something of higher value. If you’re in a banking industry, that’s something you’re going to understand. Hey, you’ve got gold — sure. But this is pure, refined gold. This is a higher carat weight, so to speak. So He’s basically saying, “You think you’ve got all this — but I’ve got the real thing.”

Jamie:                 
And think about right now — the time that we live in. January of 2025. Think about the inflation that’s been going on the last few years and how much everything costs. You know how much it’s worth, right? So I think of — just say me personally — financially, every month my wife and I get a check from the school where we work. We know how much we’re going to get paid. We have a budget. We pay the bills. We have X amount for food and things like that. When this inflation hit — it wasn’t the case anymore. All of a sudden, I talked to a lot of people during these last couple of years who have been like, “Man, with the interest rates going up, with the food prices going up, the gas prices going up — I just don’t know what to do. I can’t afford to live anymore. What am I supposed to do?” And it reminds me of this letter. You get to the point where you’re comfortable and you depend on yourself to pay the bills, to get the food that you need — instead of, even when times are good, knowing where it comes from.

Keith:                  
“I am rich. I have prospered. I need nothing.” You get a shift in verb tenses there. “I am currently rich because I have prospered in the past.” And essentially when we get to that point — and it’s much more difficult to seek Christ when things are going well, because you forget how needy you are. And they did.

Jamie:                 
And I think back to — you know — whoever the richest person in the world is right now. I don’t know who it is today. It seems to change from day to day.

Keith:                  
Not us. 

Jamie:                 
Definitely not us. But the fact is — according to the Word — you can be the richest man in the world and have nothing if you don’t have Jesus. I think of that song: “I’d rather have Jesus than anything.” You know, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold.” That’s it. And so that’s the idea that Jesus is getting at here. And so He goes on to say, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed.” Now He’s hitting that second industry — that wool industry. Those garments. They had very nice clothes. Because of the wool they produced, the dark wool, the dyed garments. So they thought, “Look at how clothed I am. Look at how nice I look. Look at me. Look at me.” You watch some of those award shows — I don’t think anybody watches anymore — and they come in with their dresses and suits. “Who are you wearing?”

Keith:                  
Walmart.            

Jamie:                 
That’s right. Walmart. Whichever one’s on sale. Amazon. China. We don’t care. Just something cheap. But their idea was: “Look at me.” And Jesus says, “But you need to ask Me for white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed.” In other words — you don’t even realize you’re naked. I think back to Adam and Eve in Genesis. They didn’t realize they were naked. They were clothed with God’s righteousness in the beginning. They were pure. Without sin. That’s that idea of white. Then in Genesis 3 they sin, and the shame forces them to go get itchy, scratchy leaves and put them on to cover themselves up because their nakedness has been exposed. It’s the exact same idea. Isaiah 20:1–4 gives that same idea of shame for nakedness. Ezekiel 23:29 — two immoral sisters. Revelation 16:15 — another example you can look at.

Keith:                  
There’s something John and I were talking about a couple of weeks ago. It kind of reminds me of Hebrews 4:12–13. You know, a lot of times we talk about the Word of God being living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing even soul and spirit, joints and marrow, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. A lot of times we talk about that as being the written Word of God. But we were looking at it the other day — in the direct context of Hebrews 4, it’s not talking about the written word. It’s talking about Jesus — the Word. And so He’s already told them in this letter — and again, I never put it together like this — He is the beginning of God’s creation, the originator of it. He’s the Word that was spoken in which everything is made. Everything is held together by the word of His power. And now the church at Laodicea is laid before Him — their sin being naked and exposed, like Hebrews 4:13. He knows the thoughts and intentions of their heart. They need to listen to Him. Because they’re in danger.

Jamie:                 
Yeah. That’s right. And so He tells them — you need these white clothes that come from Me. In Revelation 19:8 it says — this is talking about the church, the bride of Christ: “She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure, for the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.” These believers — the church — the bride of Christ — will be dressed with God’s grace, with God’s righteousness when we get to heaven and spend eternity with Him. So what do they need? They need His grace. And what do we need now? His grace. And so He goes from there and He’s going to hit that third industry. He says not only do you need white garments, but you need ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. So He’s hitting this church hard. You guys sell all this stuff. You think it’s awesome because it fixes your eyes and you’re not blind anymore and you can see better. But no — you’re blind. Even with yourself. You’re blind. He says you need ointment that can only come from Me. In 2 Peter 1:5–9 it says: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and short-sighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.” So you talk about a direct correlation here. The Word literally says that if you don’t have these things, you’re blind and short-sighted and you’ve forgotten that you’ve been cleansed from your sins.

Keith:                  
Twenty, thirty years ago everything was fine. But now things were fine for so long they forgot. They needed the Lord.

Jamie:                 
And so then He doubles down here — I don’t know if “doubles down” is the right word — but in verse 19 He says: “As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline.” Okay, so in other words — look guys, I know I’m coming down hard on you. I’m speaking the truth to you. But it’s because I love you. It’s because I love you. Now hear that. Because some people will listen to this and say, “Look, there’s God. He’s such a dictator. All He does is bash people.” And I’ve told on this podcast before — my vision of God when I was growing up was a dude sitting on a throne with a pitchfork waiting to throw me into hell the first time I messed up. And then if I got saved and messed up, I had to get saved again and again and again and again and again and again and again — because He was going to throw me into hell every time that I sinned. And He was waiting for it. Like He was literally sitting — you know how you picture a guy crouched down in a video game and he’s waiting on you to come around the corner and then he pounces on you? That’s how I pictured God.

Keith:                  
Like He’s trying to keep you from some fulfillment you were going to get.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. And instead it says: Look — as bad as you guys are — I want to puke you out of My mouth. But in verse 19: “As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline.” So He doubles down on the rebuke. He doubles down on the discipline. But He explains why. It’s because I love you. It’s because I care about you. It’s because I want you to spend eternity with Me. And then He tells them what to do: “So be zealous and repent.” So if you notice, that repent word keeps coming up over and over and over and over in this study.

Keith:                  
The whole Bible, really.

Jamie:                 
And so I think before we move on, it’s imperative to say here — Look guys. And I heard a guy say this one time and it freaked me out when he said it, but now I understand it. He said, “It doesn’t matter what you do. God loves you.” And I was like, whoa. Hold on just a minute. That’s not true. But here’s what he meant. No matter what we’ve done — if we repent, confess Jesus as Lord, believe in our heart beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was raised from the dead — then we’ll be saved. No matter what we’ve done. No matter how bad it is. There’s not much that shocks me anymore being a middle school principal. I hear lots and lots of stories and things that have happened to kids — and things that just make you stare at the wall at night. Keep you up. But all of that stuff I’ve heard that’s been done — if those people ask for forgiveness, Jesus will forgive them.

Keith:                  
And just as it was with the church at Laodicea — He knows the heart. It’s more than words. It’s more than religion. This is genuinely looking at the love God has. And even when it seems like He’s excitable here in His wrath and judgment — He wants to puke them from His mouth — He’s tempered by His love. And they need to get excitable. They need to warm up. They need to be heated — heated to repentance. He’s not saying this trying to scare people into some words. He’s not trying to get an emotional response. He’s trying to remind people that the God who loves them has made a way for them in Jesus. And that if they don’t respond in faith, they’re going to get what He’s promised. It’s not a threat. It’s a reality. He is the way.

Jamie:                 
And that brings the question up that a lot of people ask: “If God is so loving, then why do people go to hell?” If God is so loving — all these things. Here’s the fact: If God didn’t love us, He would not be as patient as He is with us. Everything we’re about to read for the rest of this book of Revelation could happen real quick and in a hurry. Why hasn’t it happened yet? Because He’s still giving us a chance to repent. Right? And so to go along with verse 19 there — “be zealous and repent” — Hebrews 12:5–6 says: “My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by Him, for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives.” In other words, the Lord is going to discipline us to get us where we need to be. Sometimes we will go through times of trial. We will go through things in our lives where you go, “Lord, where are You in all this?” But we’re going to grow through it if we remain faithful to Him. We’re going to draw closer to Him through it if we remain faithful. And so the idea there is — repent.

Keith:                  
Sounds kind of silly in the context, but I watched a clip yesterday from an old video where Mr. Rogers — sweater, cardigan, PBS Mr. Rogers — was sitting and listening and talking to a group of parents way back when. Had to be at least the ’80s. As they’re sitting there talking, he’s asking these parents, you know, “Are there some times when you’re raising your kids that you disciplined in a way that you wish you hadn’t?” And these parents are sharing with Mr. Rogers. And you’re expecting him — because he’s always this chill, calm, caring presence — I mean, he epitomizes care in my mind. But he described a time when his boys were young — one who was very boisterous — and there’d be times when he would be so angry at the kid because of something he had done or was doing. But rather than responding in kind in his discipline, he just wrapped his arms around the kid and hugged him up. And I remember sitting there thinking — first off, I can’t imagine Mr. Rogers getting angry in the first place. He literally said he was furious. So I’m like, wow. That’s kind of scary. I think I would be frightened by angry Mr. Rogers. But what he said — just as Jamie was talking about the love and the discipline that comes with the love of God — he said he wrapped his arms around his son because his son’s arms weren’t enough. And so we can’t course-correct on our own. We’re not going to repent if left to our own devices. Left to our own — period. God wraps us up in His love. And sometimes that love He wraps us up in is discipline. But it’s because our arms aren’t enough. His are. And so when you look at this — again, like Jamie said — we get the image of God as this dictator who’s trying to keep us from the fun we want to have or the life we think would be fulfilling. He didn’t have to tell them they were lukewarm. He didn’t have to tell them He wanted to puke them from His mouth. He didn’t have to make Adam and Eve better clothing to cover their shame. He didn’t have to expel them from the garden and let them live. But in love — He did. It’s so important to see there that yes, He’s telling you to repent. Yes, that means you’ve done wrong. He’s telling you out of a heart of love. Because He knows what works best. And He’s trying to keep you from hurting yourself — and others.

Jamie:                 
So the end of this letter here — verse 20 — says: “See, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.” And I don’t think there’s much more intimate of a setting than to eat with somebody. It’s a pretty cool thought. You think of the marriage supper of the Lamb and that we’ll all be sitting with Jesus eating that meal together. So that’s the idea. He is standing at the door of this church — which is us believers. He’s knocking. He’s not banging. He’s not forcing the door open. He’s just knocking. And if we’ll open that door, then He’ll come in and we can have a relationship with Him. And guys — that’s powerful. It’s very, very powerful. And again He goes to: “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne.” In other words — we’ll spend eternity with Him if we conquer. 1 John 5:4–5 — we keep going back to that — who is the one who conquers? It’s the one who is saved. The one who has a relationship with Him. And of course the letter ends the same way the rest have: “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” And I think what the Spirit seems to be saying to the churches is: One — if you don’t know Me, it’s time. Two — if you do know Me but you’ve become spiritually lukewarm, spiritually cold, spiritually distant — then it’s time to get right. It’s time to respond. Big John preached again last Sunday — January 5, 2025 — if you want to go back and look at that. His point was every member of the body has a function. Even the appendix has a function — because if it bursts, the whole body goes away. So whether you think you’re the appendix or the kidney — we all have to be doing our job as Christ has called us to do. The idea I get through these seven letters is this: What I think being a Christian is, and what Jesus says being a Christian is, might be two different things. So I need to step back and reflect. What has Jesus called me to do? What am I missing because I’m not listening? And again — if I don’t know Jesus — that’s where we have to start.

Keith:                  
Yeah. And the idea here — and we’re not trying to be cheesy.

Jamie:                 
I’m not a big cheese guy anyway.

Keith:                  
Not trying to do some invitation where music’s playing softly and somebody’s saying—

Jamie:                 
“I surrender all…”

Keith:                  
Definitely not that. But here’s the deal. We’ve got to be clear on the invitation. And I think, you know, out of all the letters to the churches, the church at Ephesus was meant to be written first. The church at Laodicea was meant to be written last. The idea is — He has offered this invitation. He wants to eat with you. He wants to dwell with you. He wants you to confess Him as Lord. It is His desire that all people be saved — but not at the expense of His holiness. He says it’s His desire that all should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. He is the faithful and true witness. He is God. And as He offers this — He’s knocking. Not forcing Himself upon you. As one of my FCA kiddos said a while back — “Jesus is a gentleman.” He’s not forcing Himself on anybody. As He stands there at the door and knocks and you hear His voice — understand this: Nothing Jamie and I say in teaching has any lasting power. It’s the Bible that we point you to. If you’ve heard the Bible read here today — If you read it written — You’ve heard His voice. Are you going to open to Him?

And ultimately, as we go through the rest of this book, you can get caught up in end-times stuff. You can seek to have your questions answered. Know who the 144,000 are. When the millennium is. When this is. When that is. But ultimately — if you look for the Revelation and you miss Jesus — Then you had an ear. You had the opportunity to hear. And you left the door closed.

Sojourner — it’s up to you. Jesus is knocking. Are you going to open?

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Re 3:14–22.

“Kept Through the Trial: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Philadelphia” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re back in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming, where we’re taking a verse-by-verse approach to see what the book truly reveals—Jesus Christ Himself. As always, I’m joined by Jamie Harrison, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk through this study together. Today, we’ll be looking at another of Jesus’s letters to the churches, this time turning to the church in Philadelphia. This week’s passage is Revelation 3:7–13:

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.8 “ ‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’[1]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3jmFoqZKEX3Uxr90Bd1q8T?si=c6iEuIjESoqS7zdb3Eyjfw

Keith Harris:     
Greetings, Sojourners,
We’re excited to dive into this letter today. How excited are we?

Jamie Harrison:
I am almost as excited as you are. Almost. Almost.

Keith:                  
Too many cups of coffee.

Jamie:                 
Too many cups of coffee — and that’s T-W-O, actually number three. I had one before I got here. This is not good.

Keith:                  
Well, I’m glad you’re excited. Since you’re excited, why don’t you filter that excitement into Revelation 3 — the letter to Philadelphia.            

Jamie:                 
This letter — this letter is… it’s a little deep. It’s a little controversial. There’s one particular verse in here that’s the only one I ever hear quoted when people say Jesus is going to come back before the tribulation. It’s always this one.

But I want to say up front — Keith and I have made very clear from the get-go that these kinds of controversial things are not our focus. Our focus is: What does the Bible say about Jesus?

Keith:                  
And we’ve said this at least once every episode. We don’t have the answers to all the popular questions. We’re not seeking to. What we try to do is what I would call good, practical, healthy Bible interpretation — where the clear things are important and the important things are clear. And that which is less clear? That’s above our pay grade. So we’re going to tell you — to the best of our ability — what the Bible says, and do what Nehemiah 8:8 says:

“They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”

That’s what we’re going for — to point people to Jesus. And if something cannot be known, we’ll tell you that. And then we’ll move on.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. Amen. Let’s go.

So as we get started here, remember the letters are all set up kind of in the same order, for the most part. And here we start off again with our salutation: “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia…” — referring to the pastor of said church. And then Jesus is going to jump straight in and give some attributes about Himself. And He says: “The words of the Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens.” (CSB) So He gives quite a few things about Himself here. And just to briefly dive into each one a little bit: First off, He describes Himself as the Holy One. Please understand — this is Jesus declaring that He is God. Don’t ever be confused about that. Some people will say, “Well, Jesus never said He was God.” Well, first off — He did. And second — here’s one example. When He says He is the Holy One, He is declaring that He has full authority as a member of the Godhead. He is God — and that is exponentially important to understand. Jesus has the same authority that God the Father and God the Holy Spirit do.

Keith:                  
Because we’re not talking about three gods. We’re talking about three persons of the One God. Because it says the Holy One, the True One, clarifying that while Jesus is a member of the Trinity — which is just a word we use to describe this multifaceted God — He is one God, and His name is Jesus.   

Jamie:                 
And so He goes from there — He says the Holy One, the True One, like Keith said. Now, the city of Philadelphia — not Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, because that didn’t exist yet.

Keith:                  
That’s accurate.

Jamie:                 
Coincidentally, this city was actually destroyed [once] by an earthquake — but we digress. Philadelphia was called “the Gateway to the East.” They were situated on a main route of the imperial post from Rome to the East. So it was a very important city in terms of traffic — people passing through, mail being delivered — things like that. But along this route, because there were so many travelers, there were also many, many temples to other gods.

Keith:                  
Which was very common — not just in the Roman Empire, but especially in the Roman Empire. They wanted to keep people happy, keep people placated. And one way to do that — especially if you’re trying to gather a lot of people together — is to make it easy for them. So you think about cities today that have mosques and temples and synagogues and churches and this and that. It’s along the same vein — gather the people in, get them for your purpose. And, I mean, that’s what gathers them.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. And so Jesus here — when He says the True One — understand: He’s not fake. He’s not man-made. He’s not a copy. He is God. He’s saying, “I’m not like all these other false gods and temples you see along the way. I am God.” Revelation 6:10 refers to Jesus as the One who is holy and true.
In other words — again — He is God. So He is making an emphasis here, so that the church in Philadelphia understands: this is who is speaking.

Keith:                  
And I think it’s 1 John 5:20 that says — specifically about Jesus —

“He is the true God, and eternal life.” (ESV)

So this is consistent — same author as Revelation, by the way. The same John who wrote Revelation also wrote 1 John. So the message is consistent: Jesus is God.

Jamie:                 
So then the third attribute He gives here is: “The One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens.” (CSB) I just want to briefly hit on this. If you look back at Isaiah 22:15–25, you’ll see kind of where this idea — the “key of David” — comes from. And the story that happens in Isaiah 22 is this: Assyria invades Judah, and the Jewish leaders — instead of calling on God to defend them — they call on Egypt to defend them. And one of those leaders was named Shebna… Shebna? Shebna? However you want to say it.

Keith:                  
Just say it fast.

Jamie:                 
Say it fast. Nobody knows.

Keith:                  
Confidence. That’s the key.

Jamie:                 
That’s right — confidence.

So Shebna used his office for personal gain, and so God removes him and puts Eliakim in his place. And gives him the keys of authority — these “keys of David.” Whoever this steward is has control over the distribution of resources. So again, Shebna uses it for personal gain. Eliakim comes in — he’s a very good man, according to the Bible. But even though he’s a good man, we’re told in the story that he will give way — that his shelf will be removed, so to speak — because he’s still just a man, and he’s not able. He’s not able to do what Jesus can.

So when he’s removed, the keys are going to be given to Jesus. Only Jesus can be trusted with our lives. He is the heir to the throne of David. So when He says, “The One who has the key of David,” that’s what He’s referring to. He is, so to speak, over the house. He is the treasurer. He’s in charge of the distribution of resources. In other words — He’s the man, okay? I think that’s the best way to say it. He has the key.

So if you ever hear anybody else say that they have the key of David — they are a liar.

Keith:                  
And in a very real sense — an antichrist. Not the Antichrist, but an antichrist. If the Bible says this is what Jesus has — and they’re not Jesus, or Eliakim from centuries ago — then they’re lying. And they’re dangerous.

Jamie:                 
Very, very dangerous. And I do encourage — as we go through this study — look in the Word. Don’t take our word for it. We’re big on that when we’re teaching or preaching in church. Our pastor, Big John, is always like, “Man, go back to the Word. Don’t just take my word for it — go to the Word.” So again, that was Isaiah 22:15–25 — check it out, read it for yourself.

Keith:                  
Specifically verse 22 is where that key reference is — that Jesus is pretty much quoting word for word.

Jamie:                 
Absolutely.

So what does Jesus do with these keys of David? Well, it tells us: “The One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens.” (CSB) Well, what is He opening and closing? You can look straight to the Bible on this — because again, the Bible is going to tell us what the Bible means. And if you look in Acts 14:27, 1 Corinthians 16:9, 2 Corinthians 2:12, Colossians 4:3–4 — and there are others — but if you look at those, all of them refer to a door being opened for ministry, for the gospel to be spread. So Jesus has the authority — as a full member of the Godhead — to close and open doors. And what doors is He closing and opening? They’re doors to ministry, the spread of the gospel, for you to go and do the works you’ve been placed here to do. Paul talks about this in a couple of his letters — Keith, help me with the exact one — but he wanted to go to a particular country to the East and wasn’t allowed to go.

Keith:                  
Yeah, and at one point in time, he was planning on going to Spain — and we know he didn’t make it there.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. Wanted to go to Rome, but wasn’t allowed to go at that time because the Holy Spirit closed that door. And so that’s the idea we’re looking at here.

So Jesus, once again, is explaining — in three different ways — “I’m part of the Godhead, and I’ve got all authority.” And then He goes on from there and says: “I know your works. Look, I’ve placed before you an open door that no one can close, because you have but little power, yet you’ve kept My Word and have not denied My name.” (CSB) So — you have but little power. He’s opening these doors not because they have wealth, not because they’re a large congregation, not because they have some qualification like X, Y, Z — He opens the door of ministry because of their faith.

Keith:                  
It’s a clear contrast here to [Jesus’s last] letter. If you look back at Matthew 7, Jesus says, “You said you did this in My name, and that in My name — we raised the dead, we prophesied…” And Jesus says, “But I don’t know who you are.” Here, Jesus is saying, “I do know who you are. And I’ve picked you — not because you’re strong in and of yourself — but because I’ve given you a ministry that no one is going to be able to stop.” The contrast is the strength of Jesus that He gives to those He has saved — those He has made alive. That’s what it takes for ministry. It’s not based on your gifting or your ability or your works — because the world will tell you (and a lot of times, even religion will tell you): “Do this, and you earn that.” But Jesus is saying: “You get this because I am this. I used My key. I unlocked the door. They can’t shut it.”

Jamie:                 
That’s right. That’s a huge deal. Very much so.

So He says: “You’ve kept My Word, you’ve not denied My name. Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.” (CSB) So first — you’ve kept My Word and not denied My name. In other words, they’ve survived persecution. They’ve survived trials. These people are stepping out in faith. They’re doing the things the Lord told them to do. They’ve kept His Word. They’ve survived persecution. They’ve survived trials.

Keith:                  
Which, in contrast, obviously means there are some who — because of the persecution and the trials — denied His name. They just walked away from Him. That was a common practice — not just back in ancient times, but even now. If you’re living in a country that is hostile to the gospel, they will absolutely give you the opportunity to renounce that belief — to say, “No, just kidding. Jesus isn’t my Lord. Allah is,” or “Caesar is,” or whoever. And these people — in the midst of that, having the opportunity — said: “No. Jesus. Period.”

Jamie:                 
That’s right. Period. So with this next verse — verse 9 — talking about the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — you can jump back to Revelation 2:9–10 and you get the same kind of idea. They are Jews outwardly, but not inwardly, so to speak. In other words, they’re not who Jesus would want them to be — who God would want them to be. They’re being led by Satan to persecute these believers. Now, if you’re a Jew reading this letter back during this time, you might say, “Are you trying to say I’m part of the synagogue of Satan?” Well — if you’re doing Satan’s work, then that’s what you are.

Keith:                  
It says what it says.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. And He says: “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.” (CSB) You can also look at Philippians 2:5–11 and Revelation 5:11–13 for similar language.

And then He says: “Because you have kept My command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world, to test those who live on the earth.” (CSB) Then verse 11: “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.” (CSB) And here’s that verse I mentioned earlier — the one that some people quote when they say Jesus is going to come back before the tribulation. It’s this phrase: “I will keep you from the hour of testing…” Now — when you read that, you might assume that it means He’s going to remove you from the trial, that He’ll take you off the face of the earth and move you to heaven before the trial starts. So I think we have to look at that word “keep.” What does it mean? Is Jesus saying, “I’ll take you out of the Great Tribulation”?

Now, mind you — He’s just commended them. There’s no admonition in this letter, no rebuke. It’s all praise. He just told them, “Great job working through persecution. Great job working through trials.” In other words, as Christians — we’re going to go through these things. The Bible’s clear about that. So again, what does the word “keep” mean? This particular Greek word — and Keith, you can pronounce it better than I can…

Keith:                  
I believe it’s tēreō.

Jamie:                 
Sounds great. We’ll go with that. It means: “To cause to continue, to guard, to watch over, to protect.”

So let’s read that verse with each of those meanings plugged in. “I will also cause you to continue from the hour of testing.” “I will guard you from the hour of testing.” “I will watch over you from the hour of testing.” “I will protect you from the hour of testing.” So when you read it that way, it doesn’t sound like you’re being removed. It sounds like you’re being protected through the hour of testing.

So let’s look back at a couple of places where that same word — keep — is used. First, let’s go to John 15:20–21. This is where Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He says: “Remember the word I spoke to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.” (CSB) There’s that same word — keep. Verse 21: “But they will do all these things to you on account of My name, because they don’t know the One who sent Me.” (CSB) So these two verses say that we’re going to go through persecution — it’s going to happen.

Now jump to John 17:6–19. This is where Jesus is praying for His disciples. And I think it’s important to read this whole section: “I have revealed Your name to the people You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything You have given Me is from You, because I have given them the words You gave Me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I’m not praying for the world but for those You have given Me, because they are Yours. Everything I have is Yours, and everything You have is Mine, and I am glorified in them. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one. While I was with them, I was protecting them by Your name that You have given Me. I guarded them, and not one of them is lost except the son of destruction…” (CSB)

Keith:                  
— referring to Judas.

Jamie:                 
Right — “so that the Scripture may be fulfilled.” Then He says: “Now I am coming to You, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have My joy completed in them. I have given them Your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not praying that You take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one.” (CSB)

Keith:                  
That word protect — same word again: tēreō. That’s the word we’re looking at.

Jamie:                 
Exactly. He says: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify Myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” (CSB) Now, one of the keys to studying the Bible is knowing that the Bible is going to confirm what the Bible says. And if it doesn’t, then it’s probably one of those things that we’re not supposed to know about.

Keith:                  
And when something is only mentioned vaguely, or only mentioned in one place — it depends on how it’s used, whether or not we can be clear about it.

Jamie:                 
Right. So here in Revelation, Jesus says He will “keep” them from the hour of testing. And in John 17, He uses the same word — and He literally says: “I’m not praying that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.” In other words, while they’re going through the tribulation of the world — the persecution — He is protecting them through it, not removing them from it.

Keith:                  
And we’ve been looking at that word keep as a verb — but the noun form of it literally means something like a warden or a guard. It’s related to how we use the phrase “keep an eye on.” And “keep an eye on” doesn’t necessarily mean you rescue someone from everything — it means you make sure they can make it through. If you’re keeping an eye on your kids, you don’t necessarily mow everything down in front of them — even if you want to.

Part of that is them learning how to navigate things, knowing you’re there. As kids grow into adulthood, they’ve got to be able to do things on their own. So, like, if I’m keeping an eye on my kids while they’re cooking, I can’t run over every time they touch the stove knob and slap their hand away. They know I’ve got them — but they’re still learning. And that’s the idea behind this word keep.

Jamie:                 
So I think to kind of finish this out — if you’re still with us (and hopefully you didn’t click off because you disagree with what we just said) — I want to say this: Is Jesus coming back before the Tribulation? Is He coming back halfway through? Is He coming at the end? The answer is: I don’t know. I’m not Him. And He told us that no one knows — only the Father.

Keith:                  
One thing we can definitively say is that He’s not coming back before any tribulation — because we know from the book of Acts, the church has already been going through tribulation. And I think about 1 Peter 5:8–9 — where Peter’s writing to believers who are going through trials and tribulations. He talks about their adversary, the devil, prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour and destroy. And he says: “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (ESV)

I hear people in the church today talk about, “Well, what are we going to do when persecution sets in?” If you’re living a godly life in the middle of a secular world, you’ve probably experienced it on some level. But all around the world today — and for the last 2,000 years — there are Christians who’ve faced the choice: “Will you renounce Christ and live, or remain faithful and die?” So we can definitively say — whether or not He comes back before the Great Tribulation — there’s already great tribulation happening in a lot of places.

Jamie:                 
A lot of places. Here in America, we’re kind of shielded from that — or spoiled. That’s a better word.

Keith:                  
Spoiled. Good word.

Jamie:                 
So again — the answer is: We don’t know. Sure, I’m rooting for a pre-tribulation return…, but I also have to look at it objectively and say: If believers at the beginning of the church suffered immense persecution… We could talk all day about the torture techniques used on them. Some of it would blow your mind — might even make you puke. The early church suffered.

Keith:                  
And I love how Shane Viner put it when we discussed this a while back. He said, “I want more than anything for the pre-trib view to be right… but it sure is good news to know that if it’s not — He’s got us.” That’s it. That’s such a beautiful sentiment. Do we want Jesus to come and rescue us beforehand? Absolutely. But we can also look at those who are suffering now around the world and say — “He’s still got them. And He’ll still have us — no matter what the world throws our way.” I’ve heard someone say, “The world’s greatest threat — death — brings the Christian’s greatest reward.”

Jamie:                 
So Jesus goes on from there and says again: “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown. The one who conquers, I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God — the New Jerusalem — which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” (CSB) So here we go — “the one who conquers.” Again, 1 John 5:4–5 tells us the one who conquers is the one who is saved. He says, “I’ll make him a pillar in the temple of My God.” Now, I think it’s interesting — in Philadelphia, they were constantly scared of earthquakes. They were constantly having to evacuate the city. And we mentioned at the beginning that it was actually destroyed by an earthquake in 17 BC. So this language would’ve hit home — when Jesus talks about a pillar. A pillar holds a building up. They had seen buildings collapse — often. So this is personal.

Keith:                  
And ideally, the pillar stays.        

Jamie:                 
That’s right. So here Jesus says: “I’ll make you a pillar in the temple of My God.” In other words — this temple will never be destroyed. You will be there forever. And of course, we know this temple isn’t a literal building. Revelation 21:22 tells us that there is no temple in heaven — because Jesus Himself is the temple. We also know that the believers bear His name (Galatians 2:9). He says: “I’ll give you the name of My God, the name of the city of My God — the New Jerusalem — and My new name.” (CSB) Ezekiel 48:35 says the New Jerusalem means: “The LORD is there.” And that’s exactly what we have here in Revelation. The Lord is there. There’s no sun, because He is the light. There’s no temple, because He is the temple. And we will be there forever with Him. Now as far as where it says He’ll write on us His name and His new name — Some people say, “Well, what is that name?” I don’t know. Because He didn’t tell us.

Keith:                  
And if He doesn’t tell us, we’re not supposed to know.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. I can give you a few other verses in Revelation that mention His new name — that’s Revelation 2:17, 3:12, 19:12, and 22:4. Check those out. But again — it doesn’t say what the name is. Who knows? But I know it’s going to be pretty cool — because it comes from Him.

Keith:                  
It’s one of those things like — have you ever tried to explain something to someone, and finally just said, “You had to be there”? Well, this is going to be one of those things. You have to be there — with Him — to know. And that’s good. Because again — we’re talking about a Savior who keeps us through persecution, who gives us perseverance. If we are His, we will be with Him forever. So we don’t have to know everything right now. We can have assurance in this: We know Him. And He knows us.

Jamie:                 
And of course, the last verse: “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” (CSB) Or maybe it says, “has ears.” I don’t know. That’s horrible. There’s some guy in the world without ears right now who’s reading the transcript going, “I don’t think that’s very funny.” Yeah, I apologize to you, sir.

Keith:                  
Most of what comes out in these podcasts starts as writing, but this — oddly enough — is meant to be heard. These conversations — while we joke — the idea here is: Don’t just hear what we said. Hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Not just these churches in Revelation — but to your church as well. If you’re saved, you should be part of a local church. And this letter is written to yours, too. Are you going to be like the churches that Jesus rebuked for their works? Or like the ones who had no works at all?
Or are you going to be like this church — where Jesus says: “I know that you have little power — but I’ve given you work to do, and you’ve done it.” This letter is meant to apply to your life. Before Jesus gave any of the future stuff in Revelation, He gave these letters — to deal with the now. So… are you part of the synagogue of Satan? Are you claiming to be part of God’s people, but lying? Or are you bowing at His feet, knowing full well that He loves you — and because He loved you, you love Him? With this letter to the church at Philadelphia — dear Sojourner, this is our plea: Seek to apply this. Do you belong to God?

Has He saved you? Have you confessed Him as Lord, and believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? Because if you haven’t — You’ve got nothing to hold fast to. If you haven’t — There’s no amount of works, no amount of Bible reading, no obsession with prophecy that can save you. Jesus is the True One. And if He has opened the door to you — no one can shut it. That’s good news.

Alright. We have thoroughly enjoyed this. Jamie, thank you for being here.

Jamie:                 
Oh, thank you.

Keith:                  
We’ll see y’all next week with the last of the letters — the letter to the church in Laodicea.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Re 3:7–13.

Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of HOPE — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah…. 16 …and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. [1]

Matthew 1:1-6, 16

Merry Christmas, Sojourners!

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is crisp and cool (or cold, depending on the Mississippi weather). Lights and decorations abound. There’s more than enough to do – following our kiddos around, gathering for extra worship times, a few opportunities to pause and reflect on a year spent, and finding that people are more willing to listen or even talk about Jesus than in other seasons.

Over the past few years at Christ Community, I’ve begun to think of this more in terms of Advent than just the Christmas season – not out of some sense of religious tradition or necessity but out of a sense of expectation and hope. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival”. It, of course, represents Jesus’s first coming (hence the Christmas aspect) and His arrival as God made flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:1, 14), but it also reminds us that He is coming again and that arrival in the clouds is on the horizon (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), maybe even in our lifetime. Advent trains our hearts to wait with hope (Romans 8:23-25, Titus 2:11-13).

Now, this isn’t the sort of hope that we’re used to – some sort of vague wish that we want to come about. That sort of hope leads to disappointment and anxiety. For example, I hear my school kiddos say things like, “I hope I do good on this test.” While there’s a certain anxiety that all too often accompanies the tests, the hope can be more sure than wishful thinking. I remind my students in those moments of all they’ve studied and all they’ve learned. My class is the culmination of all of the English classes they have taken since third grade. Getting to my class means they’ve successfully made it from third grade all the way to ninth or tenth grade. Most of my tenth grade students had me for ninth, so I can remind them also of what they’ve learned, studied, and succeeded at in order to get to the end of the class. Their anxiety flowed from feelings of inadequacy and felt thin because it had nothing solid beneath it.

Biblical hope is different. It isn’t rooted in our effort, our performance, or our feelings. It has substance. It is established on something solid – the promises of God (2 Corinthians 1:20).

The hope Jesus offers – the hope we are reminded of through Advent leading up to Christmas – is based in a more substantial substance than our mere life experience and accomplishments; it’s based out of Jesus’s life and His accomplishments on the cross and through the empty tomb. We can “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” because “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). He has a flawless record of keeping His promises – promises no human could make and see fulfilled much less fulfill them alone (see “Appendix: OT Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled Through JESUS in the Gospels”). And we can find hope in His faithfulness because He is the One who promised to come and did (Galatians 4:4-5), so when He promises to return, we can rest in the hope that He will (Revelation 22:12, 20).

Hopefully you took the time to look at the OT Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled Through JESUS in the Gospels appendix, taking a look at the fifty-five examples offered there. Today, though, we’re going to find hope not only in prophecy but in how God worked in the real, messy lives of real, sinful people. We will see that He who promised to redeem and save those who call on Him – confess Him as Lord and believe He raised from the dead (Romans 10:9, 13) – is faithful to do that. Their stories show that the God who speaks His promises is the God who brings those promises to fruition through ordinary sinners like us (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

So, where do we find these people? We find them – these four women – in Jesus’s genealogy in Matthew 1.

Before we look at any of their stories, it’s worth noting something remarkable: women weren’t usually included in genealogies in the ancient world. Genealogies traced the line through the fathers, generation to generation, name to name. Yet Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, intentionally highlights four women – and not women we might expect. Their stories are messy. Their pasts are complicated. Their situations were soaked in sin, sorrow, scandal, and suffering. And still the Holy Spirit saw fit to weave their names into the family line of Jesus. Why? Because the gospel isn’t a story for the polished but for the broken (Mark 2:17). Their presence in Jesus’s genealogy serves as the Spirit’s way of holding up the gift of hope – hope that God’s grace reaches further than our failures, hope that His mercy is deeper than our mess, and hope that the promised King truly came to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

These women point us forward to the One who would come from their line – Jesus the Christ, Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) – the Savior who brings hope to people just like them…and just like us.

Tamar – Hope in God’s Faithfulness
Despite Human Sin (v. 3, Genesis 38)

The first woman is Tamar (v. 3), and her story is found in Genesis 38.

Tamar was Judah’s – as in lion of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:8-10), the original – daughter-in-law. She was originally married to Judah’s oldest son Er until “the Lord put him to death” because Er was “wicked in the sight of the Lord” (Genesis 38:7). In those days[2], when the elder son died, it was the role of his younger brother to take his place and father children in his name. This fell to second-born, Onan, but Onan was more sinful and selfish than his big brother, doing what was “wicked in the sight of the Lord” and being “put…to death, also” (Genesis 38:10).

Poor Tamar. Her only hope at bearing children would fall on Judah’s youngest, and last remaining son, Shelah. But Judah lied and had no intention of taking care of or continuing with Tamar. What did she do? She decided to be wicked herself. She tricked Judah and tempted him. How did he respond? He decided to be wicked himself. Judah and Tamar committed sin together, her posing as a prostitute and him partaking in sin with her – honestly sinning against her similarly to his late-son Onan.

Scripture doesn’t hide this, and because of that, we begin to see hope shining through the darkness.

Paul reminds us that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20), and Tamar’s story is living proof of that. Despite Judah’s sin, despite Tamar’s sin, despite a situation that looked like a generational dead end, God preserved the family line through which the Messiah would come (Genesis 38:27-30). And when faced with evidence of his sin, Judah himself would later confess that Tamar was “more righteous” than him (Genesis 38:26), not because she was righteous in herself, but because God used a broken situation to move His promise and purpose forward.

Tamar’s presence in Jesus’s genealogy shows us that the promised King comes through broken, sinful people to give hope to broken, sinful people.

Rahab – Hope for Outsiders, Sinners,
and the Unlikely (v. 5; Joshua 2, 6:17, 22-25)

The second woman is Rahab (v. 5), and her story is found throughout the Bible in Joshua 2, 6:17, 6:22-25 as well as in the New Testament in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25.

Rahab wasn’t an Israelite, so she wasn’t one of God’s chosen people ethnically, and before the Hebrew spies came to her house in Jericho, she was known for her sinful profession as a prostitute, except unlike Tamar, she was not merely posing as one. Yet she exhibited faith in the God of Israel because she had heard of the mighty work He had done with and for His people (Joshua 2:9-11). She chose to side with God’s people rather than her own and hid the Hebrews spies to keep them safe.

And this is what Scripture emphasizes – not the sinfulness of her past but the sincerity of her faith. We see in the book of Hebrews that “by faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish” (Hebrews 11:31), and James says her works proved her faith (James 2:25). Despite her people[3], her background, and her own history, God rescued her by letting her put a scarlet cord in her window to mark her safe when Jericho fell under His judgment (Joshua 2:18-21).

Why a scarlet cord? Some scholarly preacher folks see in it the foreshadowing of the blood of Jesus – God marking the saved safe through a covering only He can provide. For Rahab, it just represented the promise of the mighty God she had begun serving.

What about the fact that she was a prostitute? Why would someone like her be included in Jesus’s official lineage – in the Bible no less? Because Jesus came to save sinners, outsiders, and the unlikeliest of folks – people like Rahab, people like me and you (Luke 5:31-32). Her inclusion in Jesus’s family tree declares that the hope of the promised King is for all nations and all sinners who take refuge in Him (Psalm 2:12).

Ruth – Hope for the Hopeless
and the Gentile (v. 5; the book of Ruth)

The third woman is actually related to Rahab by marriage as she ended up marrying Rahab’s son Boaz. Her name is Ruth (v. 5), and her story is told in the book of the Bible bearing her name.

Like her mother-in-law, Ruth wasn’t one of God’s chosen people. She was from the land of Moab (a people group started out of a sinful union and messy situation way back in Genesis 19:30-37). Her husband Mahlon came to Moab with his family while trying to escape the Lord’s judgment through a famine, seeking help and relief from their own strength and ingenuity rather than from the Lord (Ruth 1:1-2).

While they were in Moab, her father-in-law, husband, and brother-in-law all died. She could have gone back to her father’s house and been right and righteous in doing so, but she decided to accompany her mother-in-law Naomi back to Israel (Ruth 1:16-17). God blessed that decision and relationship and took care of Ruth and Naomi. Part of the way God took care of them was through Rahab’s son Boaz, first providing food and grain for them and ultimately through him taking on the role of kinsman-redeemer[4], marrying Ruth.

This is the beauty of Ruth’s story because providing a redeemer for them was more than just a husband; being called a kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 2:20, 3:9, 4:14-15) is a picture pointing forward to Jesus Himself. Ruth, the foreigner and outsider, the one with no earthly hope, found refuge “under the wings of the Lord” (Ruth 2:12). Her story that began with such sorrow and grief had a happy ending, especially considering Ruth would be King David’s great-grandmother (Ruth 4:17), but doesn’t Jesus deserve a more presentable bloodline?

No, God delighted in bringing hope out of hopelessness and writing His redemption story through those the world would overlook so that those who are overlooked could find hope in Him (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Ruth’s inclusion in Jesus’s lineage shows that the Messiah is the Redeemer of all who take refuge in Him.

“The Wife of Uriah” – Hope through God’s Mercy
to the Deeply Fallen (v. 6, 2 Samuel 11-12)

The fourth woman isn’t even listed in the genealogy by her name, but how she is listed tells the sadness and sin surrounding her: “And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah” (v. 6). This is not a slight to her but recognition of King David’s sin with her. Yes, David, the king who is most often heralded as a hero and worshiper of the Lord is also a sinner.

The man who slew Goliath and wrote a big chunk of the Bible’s songbook committed particularly heinous sins: murder and adultery (2 Samuel 11:1-5). David stayed behind when he was supposed to be with his troops and gazed upon the “wife of Uriah” from his roof as she took a bath. He, even though he was married to multiple women already and she was married to one of his mighty men, decided that he wanted to make her his. The resulting union led to a child between them. Rather than owning up and confessing his sin – to the Lord, to his wives, to Uriah, to Israel, David undertook a massive cover-up that ended in his arranging Uriah’s murder (2 Samuel 11:14-17). He stole this man’s wife. He took his life.

It looks good to have a giant-killing worshiper of the Lord in your lineage, but why associate Jesus instead with David’s sin and wickedness (and the same or worse from many of the kings listed after him in the family tree)? Because this gets to the very heart of the gospel.

Bathsheba’s story contains much sin and sorrow, but it doesn’t end that way. God confronted David through the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12:1-3). Their baby died (2 Samuel 12:15-18). David repented (Psalm 51). And God, in astonishing mercy, allowed David and Bathsheba to become the parents of another child, Solomon – the next link in the chain leading to Christ (2 Samuel 12:24-25).

Where sin is great, God’s grace is greater still (Romans 5:20). Bathsheba – the wife of Uriah – being included in this genealogy reminds us that the promised King didn’t come to hide human sin but to seek and save sinners (Luke 19:10).

Wrapping Up

Each section walking us through these women’s stories included rhetorical questions meant to make us meditate on what God was doing in and through them: why include these women and take honest looks at their stories?

In short, there really are answers to those questions. Why would the Bible recognize and record those sins and sinners in Jesus’s lineage? Why would the Holy Spirit shine a spotlight on the stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba? Because they all really happened. Sin happens. Every one of them was a real person with a real story marked by real brokenness. And the truth is that all people “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). None of us – not a single person in the history of the world other than Jesus – deserve to be anywhere near His lineage. But faith in God – trusting in His work, His steadfast love, His kindness, His promises, and in Him – is woven through that lineage like a scarlet cord of grace, like that cord hanging from Rahab’s window, marking those who He saves as safe (Ephesians 2:8-9).

When we look at the mixture of their sin and God’s faithfulness, their failures and His mercy, their weakness and His strength, we are reminded that none of us are worthy of salvation. But that is exactly why He came. Jesus Himself said that He came to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). That coming to seek and save is remembered in Christmas – the incarnation – God coming, taking on flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14). Hope came as God Himself entered the world with a real genealogy filled with real sinners so He could redeem real sinners like us (Philippians 2:5-8).

The stories of these four women aren’t in Matthew 1 to embarrass them or Jesus. They’re there to announce Him! They testify that the promised King comes through stories soaked in sin, sorrow, scandal, and suffering so that He can bring hope where hope seems impossible. Their lives preach to us that no one is too far gone, no past is too messy, no family tree too twisted, no heart too broken or sin too deep for the Redeemer who came from their line (Hebrews 7:25).

So, as you gather with family and friends this Christmas – and maybe as you glance around at some rough-looking fruit on your own family tree – or whether the roughest branch you see is staring back to you in the mirror of God’s Word, remember this: Jesus is more than the reason for the season. He is the gift of hope for sinners. He came through a broken lineage to step into our brokenness. He came to seek and save people like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and David – people like you and people like me (Romans 5:8).

If you haven’t before, won’t you ask Him to save you?

Call on Him. Trust Him. Let the promised King fill your heart with the gift of hope – real hope, lasting hope, the hope that only Jesus can give (1 Peter 1:3-5). If Jesus has saved you, take heart in this beautiful truth: the same King who came to seek and save you is the One who holds you fast. Your hope still isn’t in your performance but in Him and in His promises. And “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). He has redeemed you (Ephesians 1:7), He is with you (Matthew 28:20), and He will come again for you (John 14:3). So fix your eyes on Him this Christmas. Rest in what He’s done. Rejoice in what He’s doing. And let the hope of our Promised King steady your heart now and in every season to come.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 1:1–16.

[2] This was known as a levirate marriage. The Lexham Cultural Ontology Glossary defines levirate marriage as:

“A law and custom in ancient Israel that if a man died without sons his brother would take the widow for a wife in order to provide male offspring for his dead brother. The children then would be heirs of their dead father’s land and possessions and the family line would not be broken.”

[3] For clarification, saying “her people” here is not referencing her ethnicity but the fact that God commanded Jericho marked for destruction as punishment for sin.

[4] The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament defines kinsman redeemer thusly:

“The kinsman-redeemer’s role was to help recover the tribes losses, whether those loses were human (in which case he hunted down the killer), judicial (in which case he assisted in lawsuits) or economic (in which case he recovered the property of a family member). Since Yahweh had granted the land to the Israelites as tenants, they could not sell it…. In this way the land remained with extended family as a sign of its membership in the covenantal community.”

This describes the way Boaz married Ruth so that Naomi would have access and provision from the land of her husband and family. There was a more closely related person who could have done this, but Boaz chose to take up the mantle of Ruth’s husband in order to give them the care they needed.

#RomansChallenge | July 31 – 16:17-27

Click here for Romans 16:17-27 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

As Paul closes his letter, he gives a sobering warning to watch out for those who cause division and promote teachings that go against sound doctrine (v. 17). These individuals, driven by selfish appetites, use smooth talk and flattery to deceive the naive (v. 18). But Paul urges the church to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil, confident that God will soon crush Satan under their feet (vv. 19–20; cf. Gen. 3:15).

A brief set of greetings from Paul’s companions (vv. 21–23), including Timothy and Tertius (Paul’s scribe), reminds us that Paul ministered within a community of believers. Finally, Paul ends with a beautiful doxology, praising the God who strengthens His people through the gospel, the mystery once hidden but now revealed to the nations through Scripture to bring about the obedience of faith (vv. 25–26). All glory belongs to the only wise God, forever through Jesus Christ (v. 27).

🎯 Theme: Be alert to division and deception, cling to the gospel, and glorify the God who saves through Christ.

🌀 Reflection: The gospel that began with God’s promise in Genesis ends here with a shout of praise. Are your eyes open to falsehood, and is your heart anchored in the glory of Christ?

💬 Mission Challenge: Ask God to show you someone who may be spiritually naive or wavering, and gently guide them back to the truth of the gospel (v. 18; Gal. 6:1). Boldly declare Romans 16:27 in your own words to someone today.

#RomansChallenge | July 30 – 16:1-16

Click here for Romans 16:1-16 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul ends his letter by commending and greeting a diverse group of believers who have labored faithfully for the gospel. He introduces Phoebe, a servant of the church and a generous supporter of many, likely the one delivering this letter (vv. 1–2). He honors Priscilla and Aquila, who risked their lives for him, and acknowledges house churches, early converts like Epaenetus, hard workers like Mary and Persis, and fellow prisoners Andronicus and Junia, who were in Christ before Paul (vv. 3–13).

Many names reflect a wide range of backgrounds—men and women, Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free—showcasing the unity of the church in Christ. Paul’s repeated affirmations (“beloved,” “fellow worker,” “approved in Christ”) highlight how gospel faithfulness is measured not by status but by service (vv. 8–12). He ends with a call to greet one another with a holy kiss and reminds them of the love of the wider church (vv. 16).🎯 Theme: Christian fellowship crosses every barrier—social, ethnic, and geographic. Gospel relationships are not merely friendships but partnerships in the mission of Christ.

🎯 Theme: Christian fellowship crosses every barrier—social, ethnic, and geographic. Gospel relationships are not merely friendships but partnerships in the mission of Christ.

🌀 Reflection: How are you investing in gospel friendships? Who in your life could you thank or encourage today for their partnership in the Lord?

💬 Mission Challenge: Choose one person from your church or community who has been faithfully serving behind the scenes. Write them a note of thanks for their service in Christ—and include a gospel tract or invite them to join you in reaching others with the good news.

#RomansChallenge | July 29 – 15:14-33

Click here for Romans 15:14-33 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul closes the main body of his letter by affirming the Roman believers’ spiritual maturity—commending their goodness, knowledge, and ability to instruct one another (v. 14). Still, he reminds them boldly of their shared calling, especially his own unique role as a minister to the Gentiles (vv. 15–16). Describing his ministry in priestly terms, Paul presents the Gentiles as an offering made holy by the Spirit (v. 16). He boasts only in what Christ has accomplished through him—by word, deed, miraculous signs, and the Spirit’s power—as he preached from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum (vv. 18–19).

Paul’s aim has always been to preach the gospel where Christ is not yet known (v. 20; cf. Isa. 52:15), which explains why he had not yet visited Rome (v. 22). Now, with his work in the east complete, he hopes to visit them on his way to Spain (vv. 23–24, 28). But first, he must carry a financial gift from the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia to the poor believers in Jerusalem—an offering of unity and gratitude (vv. 25–27). Paul asks for prayer: for protection from hostile unbelievers, for the offering to be received well, and for the joy of finally visiting the Romans in the blessing of Christ (vv. 30–32). He ends with a word of peace (v. 33).

🎯 Theme: Gospel ministry requires partnership, boldness, and sacrifice—and the unity of believers across cultural and geographic lines is part of God’s plan for His glory.

🌀 Reflection: How might God use your life as an offering for His glory—set apart and sanctified for gospel purposes? What are you holding back that might be used for His mission?

💬 Mission Challenge: Identify a missionary or church planter who is actively reaching unreached people. This week, write them a note of encouragement, pray fervently for their work, and consider giving to support the advance of the gospel.

#RomansChallenge | July 28 – 15:1-13

Click here for Romans 15:1-13 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul calls on the “strong” to bear with the “weak” (v. 1), urging believers to imitate Christ, who did not please Himself but bore our reproach for the glory of God (v. 3). Rather than demanding our own way, we are called to build up others (v. 2), to live in harmony (v. 5), and to welcome one another as Christ welcomed us (v. 7). The Scriptures were given to instruct us, and through them God brings endurance, encouragement, and hope (v. 4).

Christ came as a servant to the Jews to fulfill God’s promises and to bring salvation to the Gentiles, so that all people might glorify God (vv. 8–9). Paul strings together Old Testament passages (vv. 9–12) showing that this inclusion was always God’s plan. He ends with a prayer: that the God of hope would fill believers with joy, peace, and overflowing hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (v. 13).

🎯 Theme: Christ’s example calls us to selfless unity, mutual encouragement, and a shared hope in God.

🌀 Reflection: If Jesus bore reproach for us and welcomed us into God’s family, how can we withhold love or unity from fellow believers? True Christian strength shows itself in humility and a desire to build others up.

💬 Mission Challenge: Reach out this week to someone outside your cultural, racial, or generational circle—share a meal, a prayer, or your testimony—and demonstrate the unifying hope of the gospel.

Songs for Sunday, July 27, 2025 @ Christ Community Church

Sunday’s coming, and I’m excited!

It’s been a month since I’ve been able to write one of these, and my heart is full looking forward to gathering with my faith family this Sunday. The Scriptures we will read and the songs we will sing declare what the weary world — and our own weary hearts — need to hear: GOD is with us.

I know it’s not Christmas (and it’s hard to even think about it in the midst of a Mississippi summer), but I am reminded of what the prophet Isaiah said about Jesus’s coming — He would come and be the Light that would pierce the darkness:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…. For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given….” (Isaiah 9:2,6)

Jesus is that Son, the promised Emmanuel (which means God with us). He isn’t distant or disinterested. No, Jesus is the God who stepped into our world, entered our pain, and walked among sinners. He bore the weight of our sin and carried our sorrows. But even more than being with us, Jesus is also for us.

Look at 1 John 2:1-2:

“But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

That word advocate means someone who speaks on your behalf, who stands beside you when you have no defense of your own. One day, we’ll stand before the Holy God of the universe to answer for our works — for our sin. It’s hard to imagine the crushing weight of the volume of our sin or how we could ever bear it (Psalm 38:4, Romans 3:23). But before we can be under that crushing weight, our advocate steps up. When our Judge asks how we plead, our advocate speaks up, but He doesn’t just plead for us — He points to His own finished work on the cross (John 19:30, Hebrews 10:12-14) — to His blood that covers and blots out our sin (Isaiah 1:18, Colossians 2:13-14, Revelation 1:5). He doesn’t speak up to ask God to forgive or overlook; He says He’s already paid for our sin — paid in full (Romans 8:1, 33-34; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Those who are saved know that Jesus is our righteousness. He is our covering. And He is our confidence before the Father. As we’ll read in Colossians 2:13-15 this Sunday, we’ll find that the very same God who is our advocate and defends us is the same God who died for us.

The One who stands in heaven interceding for us (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25) is the One who once hung on the cross we deserve, bearing our sin against the wrath of God, to save us (Isaiah 53:4-6, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24).

The cross is where our debt was cancelled (Colossians 2:13-14), and Jesus’s resurrection is where death was defeated (1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Romans 6:9).

That’s why we can sing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” — because we need Him and can know He’s returning just as He’s already come to us. We can sing “Great I Am” because Jesus is not merely the babe in the manger but God Almighty come to us. We can sing “Jesus Paid It All (O Praise the One)” because our sins, not in part but the whole, were nailed to the cross and the debt of our sin paid in full. And we can sing “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” because His blood wasn’t a mere payment for sin committed but the means by which we are brought near to God.

So, this Sunday come with hope. Come with need. Come with thanksgiving. And come ready to worship the One who is God with us, our Advocate, and our Savior. We will read from God’s Word together (1 Timothy 4:13) and lift our voices to proclaim the gospel to one another as we offer praise to God (Colossians 3:16). We will sit under the teaching of God’s Word as John points us to Jesus (John 20:31). We will have the opportunity for a few hours to get a brief glimpse into the glory that awaits when we find our faith becoming sight (1 Peter 1:8-9, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18) when we come at last to be with Jesus for eternity (Revelation 21:3-4).

Won’t you come and gather with us?

Here are our Scriptures and songs:

2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4For the yoke of His burden, and the staff for His shoulder, the rod of His oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.

“Hold Fast Until Jesus Comes: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Thyatira” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. Today, we will be diving into Jesus’s letter to the church at Pergamum. Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together. This week’s passage is Revelation 2:18-29:

18 “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.’[1]

Keith Harris:     
Greetings, Sojourners,
Welcome back to The King is Coming.[2] My name is Keith, and I’m joined once again by my friend and co-host, Jamie Harrison. Jamie, how’s it going, man?

Jamie Harrison:
It’s going great. I’m looking forward to walking through another letter to the churches in Revelation.

Keith:                  
Yeah, me too. We are now in the fourth of the seven churches, and this is the letter to Thyatira. This is the longest of the seven letters, even though Thyatira is probably the least-known of the seven cities. So, let’s jump in. This is the longest of the seven letters, and it starts with Jesus identifying Himself in a striking way: “The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” Jamie, what stands out to you in this introduction?

Jamie:                 
Man, I love how every letter begins with one of the descriptions of Jesus from chapter 1. And this one — “eyes like fire, feet like bronze” — it’s strong. It’s intense. His gaze pierces through everything. The eyes of fire speak to His ability to see right through hypocrisy. And the feet of bronze are strong, stable, pure — He’s coming with authority and judgment.      

Keith:                  
Yeah, and I think that’s really important for what He’s about to say to this church. Because on the one hand, He has some really good things to say. He says, “I know your works — your love, your faith, your service, your endurance.” And then He says, “Your later works exceed the first,” so they’re growing. But on the other hand, there’s this deep compromise going on.

Jamie:                 
Yeah, this is one of those churches where you see a really mixed picture. Like, they’ve got some great stuff going on. And it’s interesting that love is mentioned — because that wasn’t the case in Ephesus. In Ephesus, they had truth but no love. Here in Thyatira, they have love — but they’re lacking in truth.

Keith:                  
That’s a great observation. Jesus tells them, “I see your love and your faith and your service and your endurance.” Those are all things we’d celebrate in a church today. But then comes verse 20: “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel….”       

Jamie:                 
That’s a heavy name to drop.

Keith:                  
Yeah. Most scholars believe “Jezebel” isn’t her actual name — it’s a symbolic reference to the Old Testament queen Jezebel from 1 and 2 Kings, who led Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality. She influenced King Ahab and the people to turn away from God.  

Jamie:                 
So this person in Thyatira — whoever she really was — was doing something similar. Claiming to be a prophetess, teaching false doctrine, and leading people into sin under the guise of spiritual insight. That phrase, “the deep things of Satan,” shows just how off-track it had gotten.

Keith:                  
Exactly. And Jesus doesn’t just say she’s wrong — He says she’s dangerous. She’s seducing His servants. He says, “I gave her time to repent, but she refuses.” That’s both terrifying and gracious. Jesus gave her an opportunity to turn around. 

Jamie:                 
Right, and that’s important. He’s not quick to judge — He gives space for repentance. But when someone refuses, judgment is coming. And He says He’ll throw her on a sickbed, bring great tribulation on those who commit adultery with her, and even strike her children dead. That’s intense.

Keith:                  
It is. But that’s the seriousness of sin in the church — especially sin that’s being taught and normalized. Jesus says this judgment will serve as a warning: “All the churches will know that I am He who searches mind and heart.” He’s not just looking at outward appearances.

Jamie:                 
And that’s so needed in today’s world. We live in a time when churches are often pressured to tolerate sin in the name of love. But Jesus shows us here that real love doesn’t tolerate what’s destructive to His people. He calls His church to purity — not just kindness, but truth and holiness.

Keith:                  
Yes — love without truth leads to compromise. And truth without love leads to cold legalism. Jesus is calling Thyatira to hold both — to grow in love and to stand in truth. And for those who haven’t bought into this false teaching, He says: “I don’t lay on you any other burden — just hold fast to what you have until I come.”         

Jamie:                 
That’s such a gracious word from Jesus — “I don’t lay on you any other burden.” Just hold fast. That’s the call. Sometimes in the middle of confusion or pressure or even division in the church, the call is just to cling tightly to Jesus and remain faithful.

Keith:                  
Yeah, and I love that the letter ends with promises — not just warnings. He says: “The one who conquers and who keeps My works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” That’s a big promise.          

Jamie:                 
It is. And it’s drawn from Psalm 2 — that idea of ruling the nations with a rod of iron, breaking them like earthen pots. That’s messianic language, and Jesus is sharing that reign with His people. It’s a picture of participating in His authority, His victory, and His kingdom.

Keith:                  
Absolutely. It’s incredible that Jesus says those who stay faithful — who “conquer” by persevering in obedience — will reign with Him. And then He adds: “I will give him the morning star.” There’s a lot of debate about what exactly that means, but I think it points back to Jesus Himself.     

Jamie:                 
Yeah — Revelation 22:16 says Jesus is “the bright morning star.” So when He says, “I will give you the morning star,” He’s giving Himself. That’s the ultimate reward: not just reigning, not just escaping judgment, but having Jesus Himself.

Keith:                  
That’s such a good word. He’s not just promising relief from suffering or an escape from persecution. He’s promising Himself. And that makes sense with the tone of this whole letter. The people in Thyatira needed clarity — and Jesus gives them that. He says, “I see what’s good. I see what’s dangerous. And I’m calling you to stay faithful.” 

Jamie:                 
Yeah, and that ending refrain is still the same: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” That means this message isn’t just for Thyatira — it’s for us too.

Keith:                  
Exactly. Jesus wants His whole church to hear this. In a world where compromise is so easy — where it’s tempting to tolerate false teaching in the name of unity or kindness — Jesus reminds us that love and truth must go together. And that He’s coming. So hold fast.

Jamie:                 
That’s the key — hold fast to what we’ve been given, stay faithful to the truth, and trust that Jesus sees, Jesus judges rightly, and Jesus rewards those who overcome.

Keith:                  
Amen. That’s a good word. Anything else you’d want to say to listeners before we wrap this one up?      

Jamie:                 
Just that encouragement — don’t let the pressure to “go along” with something false wear you down. Jesus sees your faithfulness. He knows. Hold fast. He is worth it.

Keith:   
He is.

Thank you, Jamie. And thank you for listening to The King is Coming. We’ll be back next week as we move into the letter to the church in Sardis. Until then, hold fast — and keep your eyes on Jesus.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 2:18–29.

[2] We’re trying out something a little different and giving a condensed transcript to make it easier to read, but if you want the full Bible study, click the podcast link above or click here.

#RomansChallenge | July 27 – 14:14-23

Click here for Romans 14:14-23 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Paul affirms that nothing is unclean in itself (v. 14), but warns that if someone believes it to be unclean, they must not violate their conscience. Love is the greater priority, and if exercising your freedom in Christ causes distress or spiritual harm to another believer, you are no longer walking in love (v. 15). God’s kingdom is not about food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (v. 17).

We should aim for peace and mutual upbuilding rather than insisting on our own rights (v. 19). Though all things may be clean, it is wrong to cause someone else to stumble (v. 20). Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (v. 23)—so we are called to walk in love, governed not only by truth, but by the spiritual good of others.

🎯 Theme: Love limits liberty—Christians must not use their freedom in ways that harm the faith of others or dishonor the gospel.

🌀 Reflection: We live in a world obsessed with personal rights, but Christ calls us to prioritize the spiritual health of others over our preferences. Real love lays down liberty for the sake of a brother or sister in Christ (vv. 15, 20).

💬 Mission Challenge: Consider someone in your life who may be struggling in their faith. Look for a way this week to build them up with grace and encouragement (v. 19), even if it means giving up a freedom you enjoy to help them grow in Christ.