How U Do In Series

Revelation 3: 7 – 13

How U Do In

7 “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”: 8 “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. 9 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, and to know that I have loved you. 10 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. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 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 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. 13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’

Greetings from the city of ‘Brotherly Love’! Are you kidding me? It should be called rather - the city of ‘Brotherly Hate’ or the city of ‘Brotherly Shove.’ I should know because I am from Philly. We are the ones who greet you by say in, ‘how u do in?’ but we really do not care how you are doing. We are the ones who love cheese steaks wit or wit out cheese wiz.

We like to say in the Philadelphia police department that we have a good night when the murder numbers are in the single digits. Our sports fans are so crazy that the city installed a court room at the various sport facilities. This way the people can be arrested and immediately be thrown in jail. We are the ones known for snowballing Santa at a half time football game. We are the town that is known as ‘The Broad Street Bullies.’ Our motto is ‘If you can’t beat them, then beat them.’

Why do I stay here, you may ask, ‘I love the people.’ Hey, can you say that you live in a city which is in the bible. Well, we are not really in the bible for the Philadelphia that we are going to look at was in present day Turkey. But it’s nice to say that our Precious Holy Spirit is talking about us. So, in a way He Is because this church represents Christians then and now and I hope that we are the ones who our Great and Holy God Is pleased with. So, let’s see what He has to say about us.

The real Philadelphia was started by a king who built the city for his brother. We derive the name from two words Philos which means ‘loving’ and ‘Adelphos’ which means ‘brother’

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 none shall shut, who shuts and none opens.’

Our God is Holy - ‘He Who Is Holy.’ The ‘Holy One’ is a title of God, and He Is regularly called ‘the Holy One of Israel’ like we read in the book of Isaiah chapter 12 verse 6. It refers to His unique distinctiveness, His ‘otherness’, distinctive in essence and in total purity. He dwells in total light in complete holiness and greatness. No one can compare to our God.

And you know what else - ‘He Is true.’ In 1 John 5.20 God is called ‘Him who is true’, and here the description is applied to Christ Jesus, The Messiah. In Revelation 6.10 our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Is called ‘the holy and true’ as here. The sense of ‘true’ is that He is real and reliable and the source of truth. Everything He has said and done is true. You can bet the farm on it.

‘He who has the key of David, he who opens and none shall shut, who shuts and none shall open.’ This picture is taken from Isaiah 22.20-25. There in the days of Hezekiah the key of David is to be given to Eliakim, who will replace the false chief steward of the royal palace, the treasurer over the king’s treasury. ‘And he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah, and the key of the house of David will I lay on his shoulder, and he shall open and none shall shut, and he shall shut and none shall open’. Eliakim was a faithful steward who managed His stewardship well and was seen as a father to the people.