The Faithful Church of Philadelphia - 12

I want to read from again. Revelation chapter 3 considering the faithful church church in Philadelphia's Revelation chapter 3, beginning at verse seven and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write these things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David. He who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it for you.

Have a little strength, have kept my word and have not denied my name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not lie. Indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you, because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.

Behold I am coming quickly.

Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown heal over.

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of my God, in the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God and I will write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Will this is the sixth of the seven letters recorded herein. Revelation of Christ words to his churches. This is the church in Philadelphia. One of two churches that there is no word of condemnation. No word of rebuke only words of instruction only words of commendation, so it's an encouragement to consider tonight with you, the faithful church of Philadelphia and as we do. I want to make reference to the song we sang this morning in prayer Spiegel Lord in the last stands in particular Spiegel Lord and renew our mind, help us grasp the heights of your plans for us. Truth is unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through eternity and by grace will stand on your promises, and by faith will walk as you walk with us and in this last phrase speak, oh Lord, till your church is built and the earth is filled is a wonderful prayer Spiegel Lord till your church is built and the earth is filled with your glory and it will be those two things. I believe happening happening simultaneously, that God's glory will cover the the earth as the waters cover the sea and his church is built so as we begin this evening. I want you to see number one, a self disclosing description of Christ, a self disclosing description of Christ in verse seven there are four things mentioned says and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write. Let me just say what I've said in the past. Last week have people that are tuning in for the first time will be thrown off by that reference to Angel.

I do not believe that that is a reference to an angelic being the Greek word there is the root word.

The basic word for messenger and I I am of the opinion that this letter is written to the, the elder, the pastor, the shepherd whoever is leading that particular church.

And it is written to that messenger to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write. Here's this fourfold self disclosing description of Christ, the head of his church.

These things says he who is number one holy, who is number two. True number three has the key of David, number four, who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens these things says he who his holy now that is the chief attribute of God.

He's holy in all of his attributes. He set apart his transcendent pace, separate from sinners and we typically refer to God the father in this regard that it is God the father whose holy, but we are quick to mention the fact that God in the Trinity was being his holy God the father's holy God the son is holy and the Holy Spirit is holy in his nature as well. But the reason I'm mentioning this is this morning service was concluded with this benediction from second Timothy chapter 6 now unto him who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light home.

No man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting powering men since one thing for us to acknowledge that God who lives in unapproachable light, no one has seen or can see is holy other thing for us to think about fact that Jesus Christ himself is holy, that is part of his Constitution. Recall the disciples set in the Gospel of John as they were confessing Christ, we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one, of God. They declared and I think that helps us move away from the abstract get her mind around holiness when we think of Christ being holy. The Christ was holy in his nature. Christ was holy and all of his dealings when he was on this earth in his attitudes and his interactions in his dealing with temptation and God commands us to be holy is pursuing a holy people pursuing a process to make us whole.

So I think it's critical and important for us to recognize what holiness looks like holiness looks like the Lord Jesus Christ who lived in the May lieu of life he lived in the mundane. He lived like you and I live 24 hour days, day after day after day for three and half years and he lived out his life on this earth in perfect holiness. Now it's challenging for us to live in a broken fallen, decaying world and maintain a holiness defilement is easy to become a part of our lives simply because of the air we breathe and the people we live around and company we keep and so on and so forth. But Jesus did not separate himself from people the idea that the only way you could live holy and in a world like we live is to remove yourself from every evil influence to live in a monastery will that's a fools errand, because we wrestle against the world. The devil, and the flesh, and sometimes those who pursue a separate lifestyle and extreme lot as an extreme separation lifestyle. Forget that one of the enemies we have is our own flesh. We can't run from it because it follows us everywhere we go. So were told that the head of the church the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is number one holy. He set apart from sinners, and the challenges for us to live an engaging lifestyle and maintain our holiness.

We were not to so remove ourselves from every sinful person out of fear of contamination know we are to go with the gospel. We are to be emissaries of the gospel.

We are to be messengers of reconciliation. We are to be befriending people for the purpose of gospel engagement and the challenges doing that and maintaining our footing, maintaining our commitment to holy living an old man invited somebody from our church to go with him to men's Bible study and this man said well I'm I'm happy where I'm at a church unmanaged in change in churches will come just come and where you may well they met at a at a restaurant that serves alcoholic beverages. So here men gathered with Bible and beer Bible in one hand and a beer in another hand out of that. I'm not sure how that strikes you, but that doesn't strike me well that somehow that is a compromise that that is stepping over the line.

If you understand what I'm saying no, we are to pursue holy living holy lives were to be like our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not selling you are saying to you that there's anything innately sinful about alcohol.

I believe Christian has liberty but somehow to associate that with the Bible study that has the, the Association of church is problematic to me these things says he who is holy, he never will set number two who was true the speaks of the veracity of Christ.

He's true he's trustworthy he's truthful.

He is the truth. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. Truth is epitomized in the Lord Jesus Christ. All questions have their answer in him. He is the great I am not a single word, not a single promise, not a single threat that he ever made failed to come true because he is true and just as we who are called out ones who are have been made holy by the work of grace in our lives and who are to be pursuing lives of holiness. Our lives also ought to be marked by truthfulness that we are men and women who live in truth speak truth promote truth, admonish others in truth, that there is no falsehood. There is no or at what I say. No falsehood. We that we ought to be engaged in mortifying the deeds and the sins of falsehood and deception.

Too often people become very clever in in justifying what they want to do with careful wording in and in it when you look at it objectively, it becomes deceitful now that you've been exposed. Now we know what you did in where you were your you're telling me that what you just say up front I was going to go. I'm doing this. No, it wasn't exactly a commendable activity so I had to, shaded not really tell the no we are not to be men and women who live our lives that way. The self-description of Christ is holy, number two.

True. And he has the key of David. He has the key of David, Christ is the legitimate heir and son of David, but that Christ is the sovereign Lord over David and his house since the very beginning Christ placed David on the throne.

Christ gave David the kingdom and the incarnate Christ became little the legitimate and only air to inherit the throne of David is both David's son and David's Lord that's who he is and then we have this disclosure. He who has the key of David, and he who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens there's a statement that speaks of Christ's exclusive lordship and authority. It speaks of his omnipotence, all things have their opening and shutting their limits and their boundaries.

The beginnings and their closings in the decrees and government of Christ the Lord Jesus determines the opening and the duration and the shutting of every activity in action that takes place in his domain. It is his decree. It is his will is his purpose that determines when everything begins how long it continues and when it ends up in benefiting from the devotional commentary by Don Johnson on the book of the Revelation and he says this about this section. He says Christ's authority is a great encouragement to the church is poor feeble week, persecuted, slandered and mocked as the church may be, and as zealous as Satan may be to destroy the church's witness and ministry the eternal work of the kingdom cannot be silenced or stopped. Men may try to close what Christ is opened, such as the witness of men like John Bunyan or the spread of the gospel in China, but unless God closes the door. The door will remain open and the gospel will continue to go forward to conquer the souls of men folks here is motivation for prayer. We asked the Lord to open what we cannot open and close what we cannot close. We asked the Lord to open the hearts of those who are dead in your trespasses and sins. We asked the Lord, open the hearts of our children, and opened her blinded eyes. Well it's good to be praying and asking him to do that because he is the one who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens. We asked the Lord to shut the devil's work of robbing and stealing and lying in the close the mouth of those who accuse the saints in a not to be a great encouragement to us tonight that God is not limited by the things that were limited by I walk up to a door and if I don't have the key.

I don't care how bad I want to get in. I can't get in the Christ, has no such limitations. There is no one who can block him from entering your heart and your life.

He has access anytime he what he wants to such is our God. Such is the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to note that before we move on here that each one of these letters begins with a self-description of him who is the head of the church and that is not by accident before he says a word of commendation before he says a word of condemnation before he gives a word of admonition and instruction to his church. He declares that he is head of the church and the description that is given each of the churches is related to the church in particular and what is going on in that particular church and it tells us that when we begin to think about the church and its place in the world and its effectiveness that the church's ability to be the church is God is designed is dependent on the church having a vertical orientation having a God focus being reminded that Christ is the head of his church and therefore we must look to him. We must depend upon him. We must receive instruction from him. That seems so obvious to us, but in our day. What seems so obvious to us is very difficult to see by others so this is a critically important truth, and then he says this I know your works.

I know your works. Verse eight. Each one of the letters have the same reference I know your works. I know your works, and the church lives under the gaze of Almighty God. The head of the church. He sees everything all of its activity all of its work, all of its doings.

I see your works.

You say will I I am. I'm struggling a little bit with injecting works into the picture here and let me clarify. Were not saved by works were saved by grace, but wherever saving grace is actually true and there will be works that accommodate and will accompany that profession.

So works have a place we will be evaluated by our works in the end zone.

Do not buy into the deception and the lie that works do not matter works very much matter. Christ knows thy works, he says of the church in Smyrna. As he says to all the other churches so after we've considered the self disclosing statement of Christ.

I want you to see words of commendation, words of commendation to this church and what's interesting here is there are no words of condemnation. No word of rebuke, nothing that Christ has against the church. So that's why there's nothing there we move straight to words of commendation and are a number things that Christ draws our attention to. I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door. No one can shut for you. Have a little strength, have kept my word and have not denied my name.

You have a little strength or your translation may say a little power. Commentators believe that this is a reference to the church and its size that it was a small church that it was relatively insignificant in that particular city that there were bigger edifices, bigger churches that this was a small church.

It was is it says here a little strength, better to confess weakness than presume upon strength. Too often we become confident in the flesh will we've done this when a how to do this we know how to conduct worship service so on and so forth. We know what were doing no better, to acknowledge weakness because God's grace is made perfect in its so this is a strength of the church that is an acknowledgment of that it is of little strength, number two, the believers of Philadelphia were marked by obedience. Obedience, he says not only you have a little strength. You have kept my word, you have kept my word, I think of all the things we could point to that are a litmus litmus test of true, genuine, spiritual life. This, in my opinion is the most significant obedience. Obedience not just filling our heads with truth and being able to the safe and memorize Scripture. But is there an obedient life behind Jesus that I know my sheep. They hear my voice, and they do what they follow me. That's the mark of one of Christ. She obedience and they are commended for this. He says you have kept my word, thus proving their genuineness and their love for Christ.

What else does he commend them for you have not denied my name.

You've not denied my name and the fact that that is singled out and commended about them tells me and tells us that there was pressure there was pressure there. The temptation was real to deny Christ for the sake of life and avoidance of harsh treatment. Despite the pressure they faced. They were loyal regardless of what it cost, what else down verse 10 is 1/4 thing they were commended for because you have kept my command to persevere, they had persevered. It'd been heart maintaining a testimony for Christ in that community in that city was not easy, but they had persevered. They stood up against the pressure perseverance again is a mark of genuine faith and they are commended for so those four things. Words of commendation and then Christ makes promises Christ makes promises to this church.

What is the first promise he makes. Notice what he says in verse eight I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it. I've set before you an open door and that seems a little difficult to get her mind around what exactly is being referred to here, but commentators say that what's being referred to here is opportunities serve I've given you an open door. I have door of opportunity for you and is one thing for the opportunity to be given to you in the door of opportunity. Be open to you it's it's another thing for you to take advantage of that and engage yourself in it, and currently they have elsewhere in Scripture and open-door depicts freedom to proclaim the gospel. Paul made appeals to churches, said to the church of Colossae devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in unit with an attitude of thanksgiving. Praying at the same time for us as well that God will open up to us a door for the word door of opportunity so promises made by Christ. He's going to give them an open door is going to give them opportunities for service, serving him and we have come through pandemic and it is caused a rebooting and I will and one cents was only think a couple of months that we were holding any kind of services people present preaching lifestream little by little.

What is happened in the passing of a year and 1/2 is a rebooting. What I mean by that is a changing of the guard. In another sense, folks who have served a long time in various areas of ministry some 2025 year have taken opportunity to step back and look around for other opportunities and reengage souls open the door of opportunity for others to step in and God is open the door of opportunity for a good many new people and as I prayed and sought to engage people to serve in those areas. I've been encouraged to find willing people, this is not me coming to you and asking you will you be willing to serve Christ and his church in this area. We need to look beyond the appeal that I making and realize Christ has opened the door of opportunity to your serving Christ. But when you get that in your head, regardless of whether it's the nursery or the toddlers or children's church. Whatever wherever your serving.

It becomes a big a big issue for me say this in the past but I like saying this little thing is a little thing like faithfulness in a little thing. Faith seem a minimum only serving in the nursery only doing this. It may be a little thing in your mind, but if you're faithful in that little thing it's a big thing because Jesus said that on that day. A cup of cold water given in his name will receive promises made by Christ. The second promise is a promise of vindication to show that to you. He says in verse nine. Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. Indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet into no that I have loved you, there were those in the Jewish synagogue who are making life difficult for the Christians for the believers in the church of Philadelphia. They were boasting that they were children of Abraham. Well, they were children of Abraham by birth that they were not children of Abraham by faith. Paul tells us what makes a person a Jew. In Romans chapter 2, he says, for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly and here were people who were Jewish in nature by descendent by birth but they were not. They were not children of God, and they were making life very, very difficult for the church for believers in the church but God is making a promise that he is going to so work in some of their lives that he's going to vindicate them in that day notice again what he says I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. Indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

I think he saying that there is going to be a work of grace in the hearts and lives of some of those Jews who had made life difficult for the church and they were going to come and they that these believers will be vindicated in that day when these Jews come and worship as I was studying this I thought about the church in Zimbabwe and that season that the war veterans were ringing threats and difficulty upon the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and how members of the church and the elders of the church that reached out to these war veterans and God saved some of those war veterans and they came to Baal and worship with those of the church.

They were vindicated. So again looking at promises made by Christ and open-door vindication number three. He talks in verse 10 of keeping grace because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. They'd seen difficulty they'd seen tribulation. They'd seen testing but there was more trials to come and of a more severe nature and God promises that he will keep them because you have My command to persevere, I also will keep. I will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole earth, to test those who dwell on the earth is in a good to know that God is invested in awful lot to redeem us and he's not gonna let go of us.

He is going to see to it. He's going to keep us in the hour of testing, that's the promise he makes to the church of Philadelphia then 1/4 promise, and that is the promise of his coming. Verse 11 behold I am coming and I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have, that no one take your crown. The promise of his coming and I other times in the other letters, there is the promise and the threat of his coming and I think that was a threat of him coming in judgment upon the but it seems to me the language here is this is referring to his second coming, I'm coming, I'm coming quickly, and we believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ that he is coming back to this earth, and he could come at any time and we need to be ready for that and we every Christian ought to say, even so, the promise of his coming, but other promises. Does he make. Here's a promise of honor, honor. He says in verse 12 he who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go out no more in the Greek temples that surrounded the church of Philadelphia. The likeness of important persons as well as deities were carved into the pillars of the temple itself and for this language to you overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God speaks of the idea that faithful souls will know and experience a monumental place of honor and glory and the new realm that God's purpose for us honor amazing the Godwin's to solo to redeem us and then give us a place of honor, but that's what he promises here and then God promises a threefold declaration of ownership were thinking again of the promises that Christ makes to the church of Philadelphia and what again are the number one open-door opportunities for service number two vindication before their enemies. Number three keeping grace number for the promise of his coming.

Number five, a designation of honor.

And then lastly, God's special threefold declaration of ownership. What I mean by that.

Notice what he says he who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God and he should go out no more will be permanents there no going in and out no fear of being banned from God's paradise. No Angel regarding know will be able to live in perpetual continual fellowship.

He says he shall go out no more than he says. 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 I will write on him my new name. I'm not sure. Well I don't fully understand what is being communicated in that threefold declaration of ownership but I do know that when I write my name on something you write your name on something that is you are declaring this particular item. Whatever it is, belongs to me. It's a declaration of ownership, God says Jesus says here, I will write on him three threefold. I will write on him the name of my God. The name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God and I will write on him my new name. I don't know how that strikes you, but it's thrilling to me that the Lord Jesus will is making the statement or something. He's going to do this going to make a declaration of ownership. I own him. He belongs to me.

I've redeem him.

I purchased him.

He is mine that he says it three different ways. Here now. Whether that's three different realms. Three different dust is destiny designations. I'm not sure how to to differentiate between those three things, but here is God's special threefold declaration of ownership a wonderful these three names indicate that we belong to God and are part of his true church and we will forever belong to the Lord as his prized possession and treasure and then again the letter closes in a similar fashion. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who has an ear again. The language seems to suggest that not everyone gathered in the church will have any but let him who does have an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches so that ought to be of special delight to us to have a sense that when were sitting under the preached word and were sitting under the ministry of the word that the spirit of God has come to us and ran to us the spirit of illumination that is illuminated our minds that we might understand the scriptures that is not a foreign language to us that it's not something that has no interest to us that we are very interested in the word of God were very interested in what Jesus has to say to the church.

What Jesus has to say about his investment in the church. What Jesus has to say about us in his ownership of us. So thank you for your interest tonight.

May God help us to persevere and God help help us to take advantage of the doors of opportunity opens to us. May God grant to us a new delight in the fact that despite life being difficult and the despite the prediction, the life will get more difficult that he will keep us by his grace we will persevere unto the end that is the mark of genuine Christianity and that God has a way of honoring those who belong to him in his own way and in his own time. I'm thrilled about the emphasis of what he says here he who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one open boy that speaks so much to us about so many areas of our lives, the salvation of our children.

The opportunities for evangelism.

The opportunities for mission's opportunities are before us.

And if God says you know what that's a door of opportunity him and opened it to you. Some of us know there's there's no way I would've gotten that whatever it is job or place. If God hadn't opened the door and we acknowledge God and we give good thanks and glory for that. But there are other things that God is going to say you know what that is a closed door and if I close it all your effort all your temps are not open the door. No power can overcome God's of diffidence fee closes the door. The doors closed and we can rejoice in a God whose use who is of that nature. So again, thank you for your interest tonight in the word of God. It's bound, pray father, we thank you tonight for being our God, thank you for the word of God, we thank you that it is indeed profitable unto us for instruction, for correction, for rebuke that we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Thank you for the doors of opportunity that you've open to us. Thank you for setting Christ before us in such wonderful ways over his church what he is to the church of Philadelphia. He is to his true church wherever it's found wherever it is, wherever it exists to strengthen your church make us steadfast, unmovable, abounding in the things of the Lord. Now onto him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings increased to his God and father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen