The Letter To The Church At Philadelphia Series

THE LETTER TO THE CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA

Revelation 3:7-13

Dwight L. Moody once said:

“Show me a church where there is love, and I will show you a church that is a power in the community. In Chicago a few years ago a little boy attended a Sunday school I know of. When his parents moved to another part of the city the little fellow still attended the same Sunday school, although it meant a long, tiresome walk each way. A friend asked him why he went so far, and told him that there were plenty of others just as good nearer his home. ‘They may be as good for others, but not for me,’ was his reply. ‘Why not?’ she asked. ‘Because they love a fellow over there,’ he replied.”

- Moody went on to say:

“If only we could make the world believe that we loved them there would be fewer empty churches, and a smaller proportion of our population who never darken a church door. Let love replace duty in our church relations, and the world will soon be evangelized.” (Moody’s Anecdotes, pp. 71-72)

Many years ago there was one such church located in Asia Minor, its name was “Philadelphia, which means “brotherly love”. That is the church that we will learn about today. As we continue our study of The Letters To The Seven Churches, I would like to examine “The Letter To The Church At Philadelphia.”

- I would like to start by considering:

THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS LETTER

v7a “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,

Philadelphia was a city was located on a hillside about 30 miles southeast of Sardis. It was founded by a King of Pergamos named Attalus II. As a result of the king’s devotion to his brother, the city was named “brotherly love”. Philadelphia’s residents kept barbarians out of the region and brought in Greek culture and language. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17, and the ensuing aftershocks worried the people so much that many of them moved outside of the city limits.

There was a remarkable church that met in Philadelphia, of the seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor, only Philadelphia and Smyrna did not receive a rebuke from the Lord. In just a few moments we will see the praise that Jesus had for this devoted assembly of Believers.

- This leads us to:

THE AUTHOR OF THIS LETTER

'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":

Jesus is “holy” and “true”. Christ shares the holy, sinless and righteous nature of His Father. He goes on to say that He is the one “who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens". This speaks to Jesus’ sovereign authority; He is the one who controls entrance into the Kingdom. He has administrative power and uncontestable control. In Chapter 1:18 Jesus is described as the one who holds the “keys of hell and death”; Here He is seen as the one who has the keys to salvation and blessing. Christ’s is the rightful “Son of David”, therefore He is the only one qualified to open and shut the door in the Davidic kingdom. The Jewish enemies of the church and the pagan cults did not have the power to shut the open door that Jesus had opened. This “open door” refers to the opportunity to preach Christ to all who will hear.

It is a comforting thing to know that we belong to the One who is in complete control of the universe! We serve the one who possesses all authority. This was certainly a great comfort to the Christians in Philadelphia, and it should bring us comfort as well.

- Now that Jesus has identified Himself, He begins to praise His faithful followers in Philadelphia. Let’s consider:

THE PRAISE IN THIS LETTER

v8 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

As I mentioned earlier, the Church at Philadelphia only received words of praise from the Lord; there is not even a hint of rebuke in this letter. This is because these Christians had been zealous for the Lord; they were faithful and persistent in their trust of Him. In the midst of pagan influence, Jewish opposition and the worship of the Roman Caesar, these Christians refused to deny Christ. They believed God’s word and their faith in Him resulted in good works. Because of their devotion to Him, Jesus said, “I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it”. This open door likely is a reference to their admission into His Kingdom, or it may refer to the opportunity for them to serve Him.