AMERICAN IDOLS: LOOKING AT OURSELVES AND OUR LOYALTIES THROUGH THE EYES OF JESUS
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE NEW YEAR
THE IDOL OF STOICISM: PHILADELPHIA
REVELATION 3:7-13
Sermon Objective: The Church has two options: it can be proactive and walk through the doors that are opened to it or it can wait passively and watch opportunities to come and go.
SERIES INTRO
Happy New Year! How appropriate that we are looking at the church in Philadelphia today. You’ll understand that more fully a bit later.
We are nearing the end of our series called “American Idols: Looking at Ourselves and Our Loyalties Through the Eyes of Jesus”
There are two categories of idols:
{1} an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
{2} any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.
Our concern is with the latter. There are a myriad of “things” which could be classified as an idol … they are limited only by the passions of the individual in question. But there are certain dispositions or demeanors that our culture serves and pursues as an end in themselves … they have become idolatrous.
What we discover in “The Revelation” is that they are not just limited to our culture but that others have also pursued these with blind devotion. They include:
• Superiority (pride) – The Church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) • Laissez Faire – The Church in Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) • Tolerance – The Church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) • Leisure – The Church in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) • Stoicism – The Church in Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) • Independence – The Church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)
Today we will look at the church in Philadelphia and Stoicism. It is found in Rev. 3:7-13.
SERMON INTRO:
The Asian city of Philadelphia (now known as Alasehir, Turkey) has quite a history.
It was located about 25 miles southeast of Sardis. It was destroyed by an earthquake during the time of Christ and was rebuilt by Tiberius Caesar. One reason for the rebuilding was its significant location … a “door” if you please to the central regions of Asia.
You see, Philadelphia was the keeper of the gateway to Asia. It was founded in its geographical location for that reason. It was a “missionary city.” Its purpose was to consolidate and educate the central regions of Asia. Its specific mission was to bring Hellenism—or Greek culture—to the recently annexed Asian regions of Lydia and Phrygia; and it was highly successful. Before AD 19 the Lydian tongue had ceased to be spoken in Lydia, and Greek was the only language of the country.
Being a “door” to Asia brought a natural devotion and dedication to the Roman god Janus, the two-faced Roman god of doors and openings that guarded the gates since it could see both ways. It was also a very important god at the New Year since Janus could simultaneously face the year past and the year to come. For this reason the first month of the New Year was named after it … January. As I said, it is appropriate that we are looking at the city of Philadelphia on this first Lord’s Day of the New Year.
JANUS WAS BLASPHEMOUS TO CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS. IT WAS WORSHIPPED BY ROME AS THE GRAND MEDIATOR. WHATEVER IMPORTANT BUSINESS WAS IN HAND, WHATEVER DEITY WAS TO BE INVOKED, AN INVOCATION FIRST OF ALL MUST BE ADDRESSED TO JANUS, WHO WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE 'GOD OF GODS,' IN WHOSE MYSTERIOUS DIVINITY THE CHARACTERS OF FATHER AND SON WERE COMBINED, AND WITHOUT THAT NO PRAYER COULD BE HEARD--THE 'DOOR OF HEAVEN' COULD NOT BE OPENED. (The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop)
IT IS THIS GOD THAT JESUS IS TACITLY REBUKING WHEN THE CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA IS ADDRESSED. VERSE 7 SAYS; “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.”
Jesus is directly challenging the divinity and dignity of the local patron … the local idol. Jesus is asserting His sovereignty. You see, to this Janus – the Mediator – which was worshipped throughout the Roman empire, belonged the government of the world; and, “all power in heaven, in earth, and the sea,” according to Pagan ideas, was vested in him. In this character he was said to have the “power of turning the hinge”--of opening the doors of heaven, or of opening or shutting the gates of peace or war upon earth." (The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop)
As is true in other messages to other churches, we see something of the character of the city found in the church. In most cases it was troubling but here … the resilient missionary spirit of the city served the church well. Let’s read the whole message to the church.
PHILADELPHIA
REVELATION 3:7-13
7"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
I have asked you on other occasions as we have looked at these churches which church we should most admire and wish to be like.
• Some like the strengths of Ephesus.
• Others gravitate to the personality of Pergamum.
• Smyrna’s strengths are justifiably admired too.
But the one that the Jesus seemed to love (v. 9) was none other than this one … Philadelphia.
However, this church wasn’t called the one he loved because it was perfect and running smooth. Quite the contrary.
PHILADELPHIA HAD THREE MAJOR PROBLEMS.
[1] THEY HAD BEEN SHUT OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE FOR WORSHIP
[i] Christians rightly understood themselves as the “real Israel.” They considered themselves the heirs to God promises (and not Israel any longer) since they embraced the messiah.
[ii] Many Christians were also gentiles who did not observe the Jewish rituals like covenantal circumcision and dietary restrictions.
[iii] This caused a significant ruckus in the Jewish community which still saw itself as the inheritors of David’s throne and keys.
[2] THERE WAS SUBSEQUENT PERSECUTION BECAUSE THEY WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE SYNAGOGUE
• Judaism was the only religion exempt from emperor worship. To be out of the synagogue made life harder (and dangerous) from a civic and secular perspective
[3] THEY HAD LITTLE POWER
• This probably meant they were poor in resources and influence.
NOW THESE PROBLEMS WOULD BE ENOUGH TO STOP MANY PEOPLE AND MANY CHURCHES FROM CARRYING OUT ITS MISSION. IN FACT, IN SOME CASES IT WOULD TAKE FAR LESS TO DISCOURAGE THE WORK.
We rationalize it by saying things like “If God wanted this to happen then …” and often our caveat, though logical to us, is faulty and nothing more than an excuse to quit (or never begin).
I shudder to think about how many churches and Christians will one day see the opportunities they missed because of their unwillingness to step out on faith.
I shudder to think about how many people are suffering and dying a Christ-less death because we fail to walk through the open doors.
BUT THE PHILADELPHIANS TURNED OBSTACLES INTO OPPORTUNITIES
Jesus set an “open door” before the church in Philadelphia. Neither the god Janus nor the Jews would be able to shut this door.
This term, “open door” was one familiar to the apostles and the early church. There is precedent for this term in the New Testament and it relates to mission and missions.
• Acts 14:27 “On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”
• 1 Corinthians 16:9 “because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me”
• 2 Corinthians 2:12 “Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me”
• Colossians 4:3 “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.”
MY POINT IS STRAIGHTFORWARD … GOD GIVES US OPEN DOORS TOO. He makes holes so big we could drive a Mack truck through them … and to think that churches and believers miss them or refuse to walk through them is flabbergasting!
God makes his opportunities for ministry very very obvious. If we will walk through them we will be amazed at His blessing and power. Or we can stay in our small cloistered worlds where we think we have some control.
We want to be like the Philadelphians who overcame intimidation and fear like none of the other six cities are cited as doing. The struggles that many in their area lived in gave them a great opportunity to share about real security.
He makes his callings obvious and big and yet it takes sooooo little for us to neglect them.
That is the danger of stoicism you see. Stoicism is, Emotionless Determinism – Fatalism – It was described by a Greek philosopher as being “like a dog tied to a cart, and compelled to go wherever it goes." A Stoic adapts to the world and remains, in the words of Epictetus, "sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy."
In other words – Whatever will happen will happen and rather than fight it I just need to find a way to coexist and be happy in the midst of it.
DOES THAT SOUND LIKE THE GOSPEL’S CALL TO THE CHURCH TO YOU!? DOES ALLOWING THE PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT SURROUNDING US TO DICTATE OUR MISSION AND PASSION SOUND SPIRIT-FILLED TO YOU?
No!
Jesus said to storm the gates of Hell! Jesus said we have all authority … that means we are to be the aggressors … on the offense … combating that which destroys humanity and living/offering the Kingdom here and now.
WRAP-UP
Let me ask you … "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" (Mark 12:28).
You know … 29"The most important one … is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31).
Those are not the words of a one who adopts an idolatrous, lazy, excuse-laden lifestyle … love is active not passive.
Long after the city of Philadelphia fell into the hands of the Turks the church there remained. For another 1,300 years, a free Christian church remained in the midst of Turkish land. To this day there is still a Bishop in Philadelphia and at least 1,000 Christians.
That is because it walked through the open doors. It is a pillar of God’s faithfulness in the midst of fear and change.
The danger with stoicism is that we just left life happen. Some people are very prone to it and it becomes paralyzing. They will end life with a calling on them that they never pursued or that they quit on. They will never know the joy and the euphoria of walking in faith … of risking for the Kingdom.
THROUGH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT WE MUST WALK THROUGH DOORS IN HIS NAME.
SO ASK YOURSELF TODAY … WHAT OPEN DOORS ARE YOU/WE NEGLECTING?
I can almost assure you the Spirit is calling us collectively and you individually to an open door … will you walk through it?
But all God can do is open the door for us.
We decide whether or not we will follow the good model we have in the Philadelphia church.
He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
