Turn with me to Revelation 3
REVELATION 3:7-13
Out of all seven of these churches we’ve been looking at in Revelation 1-3, there were only two that were getting it right. There were only two that faithfully looked to Jesus as their Head in all things. They were the persecuted church of Smyrna and the church of Philadelphia that we’re looking at this morning. As Jesus walks in our midst this morning, how does He find us? Do we give Him preeminence in all we do here at Brushfork? Do you give Jesus preeminence in all you do as an individual? Are we part of the majority of churches that don’t? Or will we be part of the minority? It’s tough being in the minority. It was certainly tough on Smyrna and Philadelphia.
The city of Philadelphia was the newest city of these seven cities in Asia Minor. It’s interesting how the city got its name. The name Philadelphia literally means “brother love”. It got that name because the king who founded the city had an unusually close relationship with his brother. Philadelphia was almost a missionary outpost for the Greek language and way of life. And it had been very successful in accomplishing its mission. During the time of this letter, Greek was almost a universal language throughout the western world. Another interesting thing about Philadelphia is that it was located right next to a volcanic region. That meant they were very susceptible to earthquakes. About 70 years before the time of this letter, there was a tremendously destructive earthquake that hit the area. The physical destruction was bad enough. But even worse was having to deal with the psychological devastation. You see, for decades after the great earthquake, Philadelphia would experience aftershocks. And every aftershock would send the people into an emotional tizzy. Up until the time of this letter, the people lived in almost constant fear of cataclysmic destruction of their beloved city. It was in this environment that the Lord placed the church at Philadelphia.
When people ask you about your church, how do you describe it? Do you tell them about the people or the programs or the preacher? Well, listen to how Jesus described the church at Philadelphia in verse 8. He said, “You have a little strength. You have kept my Word. And you have not denied My name.” What a beautiful picture Jesus painted. What a wonderful description. When Jesus said that the church at Philadelphia had a little strength, it’s easy to misunderstand what He was saying. We tend to look at that and think Jesus was looking on them with pity. We think He was talking about how, in their feeble weakness, they were able to muster up a little bit of strength. Well, Jesus isn’t interested in the little bit of strength we can muster up. He’s interested in the strength He gives through us. He’s interested in the kind of strength He gave to Zerubbabel back in the days of the remnant when He told him in Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Jesus isn’t looking for the strength we can gin up in ourselves. He’s looking for us to be conduits of His strength and His might and His power. And that’s exactly what the church at Philadelphia was doing. When verse 8 says that they have a little strength, the way the sentence is structured in the original places the emphasis on strength. What it’s saying is that Jesus is commending them for the way they have shown such strength from such a small package. They were like dynamite. They had a real big bang from such a little package. But Jesus also said that they had kept His Word. Like all of the other churches we’ve looked at, they knew the right things to do. They had God’s Word. Once this letter that we call the Book of Revelation arrived in their churches, they had access to the exact same Bible that we have access to. The Revelation was the last of the Biblical books written, so when they received it, their Bibles were complete. They had the gospels. They had Paul’s letters. On top of that they had heard eyewitness testimony and had directly received Paul’s teaching at one time in their past. There is no doubt that they knew the Word. The problem was that most of the churches didn’t do what they knew to do. But not Philadelphia. They heard the Word and they did the Word. They were living examples of all of Psalm 119. God’s Word was a lamp to their feet and a light to their path. They lived out the words of the Psalmist when he said, “I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” And later on when he said, “Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.” And again when he said, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments. My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.” They not only knew the Word, they loved the Word. And because they knew and loved the Word, they kept the Word. They were able to stand with the Psalmist and say, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Jesus commended the church at Philadelphia because even though they were small, they faithfully displayed His power. And He commended them because they knew His Word, they loved His Word and they did His Word. Verse 8 also tells us that He commended them because they were faithful to His name. Isn’t that redundant? Doesn’t that mean the same thing as keeping God’s Word? Well, it’s close. And if you’re faithful to keep God’s Word, that will automatically keep you from denying Jesus’ name. But Jesus separated it and singled this point out for recognition. He did, because the church at Philadelphia never did anything to bring a reproach on the name of Jesus. I want you to think about all the things that churches do to bring reproach on the name of Jesus. You can’t go very far in talking to people before you come across someone who will tell you that the reason they don’t go to church is because the church is full of hypocrites. You know what? They’re right. As Christians, we do more damage to the name of Jesus than atheists can ever do. When we wear Jesus clothes and carry Jesus bumper stickers on our cars and cut people off and are rude to people in the store, what kind of witness is that? Very few things annoy me more than to see people at a Christian event being rude and unfriendly to the people who are working there. How do you bring reproach on the name of Jesus? When your Monday through Saturday life doesn’t match your Sunday life. The church at Philadelphia walked what they talked. When Jesus told them to love their neighbor, they did. When Jesus told them to love their enemies, they did. When Jesus told them to preach the gospel with both their lives and their mouths, they did. And by doing so, they were faithful to the name that they carried. Since they carried the name of Christ as Christians, they lived like Christ. And Jesus commended them for that. They were a faithful church. They faithfully displayed the power of Christ. They faithfully devoured the Word of Christ. And they faithfully demonstrated the name of Christ. Do we do that as a church? Do you do that as an individual? Are we a Philadelphian church? Are you a Philadelphian believer? Do you faithfully display the power of Christ in your life? Do you live a “not my will but Thy will” lifestyle? Does you allow the power of God to show through in your weakness? Or are you constantly trying to do it on your own? Do you only seek the power of God when you’re at your wit’s end or in trouble or in need? Do you faithfully devour the Word of Christ in your life? Do you consistently read and meditate on the Bible in your personal and family devotions? Do you hunger and thirst for good Biblical exposition and teaching? Or do you only look for a devotional word to temporarily motivate or inspire you? Do you only look for teaching and preaching that will tickle your ears and make you feel good in your sin? Do you faithfully demonstrate the name of Christ in your life? Can you say with Paul in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15, are you, “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you”? Or are you happy to claim the name of Jesus as some sort of get out of Hell free card without claiming His name any other time? Jesus commended the Philadelphian church for their faithfulness. Is He commending us for our faithfulness as a church? Or is He condemning our unfaithfulness? If He’s commending us, then He has the same three promises for us that He did for the Philadelphian church. And the wonderful thing about those promises is that they are rooted in who He is. They’re not rooted in our ability. They are three promises that make a dynamite church. The first promise is that Jesus has set.
In verse 8, Jesus said, “behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.” Jesus set an open door in front of the church at Philadelphia. In other words, Jesus had presented this church with a tremendous opportunity. Remember the history of the city of Philadelphia. They had experienced tragedy. They had experienced fear. They had experienced uncertainty. Every time the earth began to tremble with another aftershock, they thought their world was coming to an end. They lived with the constant threat of instant death hanging over their heads. What an opportunity for evangelism. Over and over and over again throughout Scripture, we see that people are more likely to turn back to God when they’re experiencing tragedy. It’s during the good times that people think they’re self-sufficient and don’t need God. But during the storms of life, people cry out to Him. Jesus had set a stormy sea before the people of Philadelphia. And He told His church there that it was their opportunity to be a dynamite church and evangelize the city. And here’s the wonderful thing about the door of revival and evangelism that Jesus opens. When He opens it, it works. No man can shut it. When you look at the true great historical revivals, they came on like a flood. Each of them was unstoppable. And each of them was God’s answer to the humble broken prayers of dynamite churches. Not dynamic churches—dynamite churches. Churches like Philadelphia. The first promise that makes a dynamite church is that Jesus has set. The second promise is that Jesus will make.
In verse 9, Jesus said, “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie—behold, I will make them to come and worship before they feet and to know that I have loved thee.” Because the church at Philadelphia was a dynamite church, they faced what every other dynamite church faces. They faced opposition. And here’s the thing about opposition—you’ve got two choices to make when it comes. Either give in to it or trust Jesus. If you give in to it, you’re not trusting Jesus the way you should. And if you trust Jesus the way you should, you will agree with Paul in Romans 8:31 when he said, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” That is a promise of God to a dynamite Christian. That is Jesus’ promise to a dynamite church. When you face opposition in living the Christian life, face it head on. Face it head on, knowing that God is bigger than any opposition that stands in your way. And know this—even if that opposition comes against you so strong that it kills you… know this—Jesus wins. That opposition will one day bow the knee before Jesus and declare His lordship. And when they bow in agony and defeat before the King of kings and Lord of lords, they will know that Jesus has loved His dynamite churches. Churches like Philadelphia. The promises that make a dynamite church are that Jesus has set and that Jesus will make. The final promise is that Jesus will keep.
Verse 10 says that because the dynamite church at Philadelphia has persevered in doing the Word of God, Jesus promised to keep them from the hour of temptation. There is coming a day when things on this earth will change drastically. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 talks about the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit in the presence of the church that will one day be removed from the earth. We refer to this time as the Rapture of the church. At that time all believers will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. This will unleash a time of terrible tribulation on the earth as God pours out His wrath on mankind. The promise here is that Jesus will save dynamite Christians in dynamite churches from that terrible time. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says that God has not appointed His children to have to endure His wrath. Jesus promises to keep and preserve and protect His children from that terrible day. He protected the church at Philadelphia and He will protect us from His wrath if we are a church like they were. The question is, how can we be? How can we be a dynamite church like Philadelphia was? It’s real simple. In verse 11, Jesus said, hold fast to what you have. Hold fast to truth. Hold fast to the Word of God. Hold fast to each other. Hold fast to Jesus. Hold fast and be faithful to God’s Word. When we see something in our life or in our church that is contrary to the clear teaching of God’s Word, we need to change it. We need to not only profess the Word of God with our lips. We need to practice the Word of God with our lives. Hold fast, be faithful to God’s Word, and be faithful to Jesus’ name. Remember that if you claim the name Christian, you’re carrying the name of Christ. That means that everything you are and everything you do should point people to Jesus. Remember this—everything you do either points people to Jesus or points them away from Him. There is no in between. Be faithful to the name of Jesus that you’re carrying. Hold fast, be faithful, and walk. Just like the church at Philadelphia, Jesus has set before us an open door. He expects us to walk through it. He has given us a neighborhood to evangelize. He has given us a town to evangelize. He has given us a county to evangelize. He has given us a state and a nation and a world to evangelize. But where does it start? It starts with you.
Are you holding fast to God’s truth? Are you learning and living the truths of God’s Word? Are you consistently growing in Him? Are you being faithful to God’s Word and to Jesus’ name? Are you calling yourself a Christian but living like the world? Can people tell the difference in the way you live and the way anyone else around you lives? Is Jesus honored and glorified in the way you live your life? Or are you dragging His name through the mud? Are you walking through the open doors He places before you on a daily basis? Are you a living testimony? Are you a witness to the nations? Or are you ashamed of the gospel? Jesus said in Luke 9:26, “Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s and of the holy angels.” Jesus is standing with the key in His hand that will unlock all these things. He is the One who is holy and true and in control. And He longs to make you His faithful child this morning. Will you let Him? Will you come and walk through the open door of salvation that He has waiting for you this morning? He won’t wait forever. He is still saying, “behold, I come quickly.” Don’t wait until it’s everlasting too late. Come today.
