The Church of the Open Door
Sermon 6 in the Series “You’ve Got Mail”
Chuck Sligh
August 21, 2011
For the PowerPoint for the sermon, write me at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 3.
INTRODUCTION
OPENER: Here’s a little two-question trivia quiz for you:
* First question: How many doors are in this sanctuary? – Now don’t turn around and count; just take a guess at how many doors are in this sanctuary?
* Second, how many doors are in this entire church?
1) Okay, let’s see how you did:
* How many doors in this sanctuary?—Answer: 3
Now how did you know that? Well, I’m told that people who are bored with the sermons will count just about anything: doors, chairs, light fixtures, tile squares—whatever.
Now that one was easy, so let’s try the second question:
* How many doors are in this entire church building? Answer: 29
Did anybody get that? All right: that was worth coming to church for, wasn’t it?
Did you know that doors are often used as a metaphor for important truths in the Bible?
For instance, one type of door mentioned in scripture is the door of SALVATION.
In John 10:9, Jesus said: “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Jesus was teaching that He is the only way to salvation and the only way to security and everything we need to find joy and satisfaction in life.
Another type of door in the Bible is the door of INTIMACY WITH CHRIST.
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” We often we use this verse in evangelism as a metaphor of letting Jesus come into your life, but actually it was written to a church of believers to illustrate Christ’s willingness to pursue believers who have grown cold in their relationship with Him.
There’s a third type of door mentioned in scripture—the door of OPPORTUNITY. Paul speaks of such a door in Colossians 4:3: “…praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.” Throughout history, believers have found that God has a unique way of opening doors for fruitful service, and preparing hearts to accept the Gospel.
That’s what God does for the church in Philadelphia, the sixth of seven churches of Asia. Notice with me five brief points about God’s message to this church in Revelation 3:7-13:
I. FIRST, WE SEE A DESCRIPTION OF DEITY. – Verse 7 – “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.”
As we’ve pointed out before, the message to each of these churches begins with a vision of Jesus meant to emphasize something about His character. The main point of the particulars in the picture in verse 7 is to reinforce Christ’s deity:
* He is described as “He who is holy.” This term refers to God, who alone possesses absolute holiness; who alone is completely and utterly perfect and separate from sin. Calling Jesus “He who is holy” is a way of saying, “He who is God.”
* Second, He is called, “he who is true” Truth is used in combination with holiness to describe the Father in Revelation 6:10; 15:3; 16:7; and 19:2 and 11, so the link to deity here is unmistakable. By the way, the Greek word used for “true” here describes something that is genuine, authentic, and real. In the midst of all the falsehood and error that abounds in this fallen world, Jesus says in John 14:6 that “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
* Third, John describes Jesus as being the one who has “the key of David.” A key in the Bible represents authority, and “the key of David” was a messianic title from the Old Testament. So Jesus having the “key of David” is meant to tell us that He is the promised Messiah who, as God, has complete authority in the universe. If He opens a door, NO ONE can shut it and NO ONE CAN open any door the Messiah-God shuts.
II. NEXT WE SEE A NEW DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY – Verse 8 – “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”
Illus. – There’s a story about a guy who happened to be visiting a friend who took him to an old one-room church building in the backwoods of Arkansas. He didn’t realize what kind of church it was until the minister started pulling rattlesnakes out of a burlap bag and passing them out.
The man had never seen anything like this before, and he wasn’t about to stick around and watch either! Frantically, he turned one way and then another looking for a way out, but the only exit he could see was up where the preacher was passing out the snakes.
He asked guy next to him, “Where’s the back door? I’ve got to get out of here!” He answered, “We ain’t got one.”
“Alright then,” the visitor said. “Where would you like one?”
That man was willing to open a whole NEW DOOR for that church. That’s what Jesus is telling the church at Philadelphia.
He’s saying, “Because you’ve been faithful in good works, and in the word and in perseverance, I’m going to open an awesome door of increased ministry for you that no one can shut.”
He notes three realities about their situation:
* First, they had “little strength.”
In other words, they were a small church with few resources.
Its members were from the lower classes of society.
Yet, despite its condition from a human point of view, power flowed from the church in Philadelphia, and God was about to open an unprecedented door of opportunity for them.
* Second, the Philadelphians were obedient disciples, for we read that they had “kept His Word.” – That is, they obeyed in every area of their lives.
* Third, they had not denied Jesus’s name. History tells us that like several of these churches, there were martyrs from Philadelphia, and those not martyred were maligned and marginalized. Yet they did not deny the name of Jesus.
So it was for this godliness and steadfastness and their good works that Jesus promises them this incredible open door of opportunity.
What was this door of opportunity?—No one knows for sure. In fact, we don’t know for sure that they walked through the door God opened for them, for just because we have an opportunity does not guarantee we take advantage of it. The only thing we know for sure is that the church of Philadelphia outlived all the other six churches in Revelation 2-3, continuing even past the time of the Muslim occupation of that region in the 7th century into the 14th century when its light was finally extinguished.
III. THIRD, NOTICE WITH ME DELIVERANCE PROMISED – Verses 9-10 – 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 thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. – Because of their steadfastness and faithfulness to do good works, Jesus promises them deliverance in two ways:
* First, He promised them deliverance and vindication from the non-believing Jews.
We saw in our study of the Smyrna church in chapter 2 that “the synagogue of Satan” refers to Jews who were quite religious in their synagogue, when all the while they were working with the authorities to help oppress Christians. Jesus says something quite startling: He says that many of these people would “come and worship before thy feet and know that I have loved thee.” Most commentators say He means that there would be a great harvest of these same Jewish persecutors in Philadelphia who would come to Christ and worship Jesus. Maybe this great harvest of Jews to Christ was the great open door Jesus promised. We don’t know for sure, but wouldn’t you have loved to be there during that great ingathering of Jews to Christ?
* Jesus also promised the Philadelphians that they would not go through the “hour of temptation” that would come upon the whole world. This can only mean the Great Tribulation described in most of the rest of Revelation. The Bible says that some day Jesus will come to rapture all believers in Him to heaven, leaving this world to go through the most tumultuous time in history. The Antichrist will arise from the ashes of a collapse of the world economy. At first, he’ll seem to be a savior, but he’ll actually be the greatest deceiver in history who along with another man called the False Prophet will unite the world under one false religion, and eventually plunge the world and its inhabitants into a seven-year period of catastrophe on a scale never seen on earth before.
Woe to you if you had the opportunity to trust in Christ and refused to be saved. Paul teaches in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 that when this wicked one is revealed, the Lord will send “a strong delusion that they should believe the lie.” If you’re buying into Satan’s lies to not be saved now when God’s Word flows freely, what makes you think you’ll resist the strong delusion of this greatest and most cunning of all charlatans in history about whom Paul says two verses before “whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders”? (2 Thessalonians 2:9) Some interpreters disagree, but if I’m understanding this properly, if you’re in this situation on that frightening day, I believe you’ll be DOOMED for all eternity, never again even having any desire to turn to Christ and be saved. I believe you’ll buy into the Antichrist and His false prophet and follow him like a pied piper to destruction.
I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t wait around to find out. If you’re not saved, be saved TODAY, for the Bible says Jesus will come as a thief in the night, unexpectedly—and then it will be forever too late!
But if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ today, there are many scriptures that assure you that when Jesus comes again, all believers will be raptured and none will be left behind to go through this Great Tribulation. This promise of deliverance was given specifically to the church in Philadelphia, but it’s a promise every believer in Jesus this morning can claim.
IV. FOURTH, WE SEE A DANGER TO LOOK OUT FOR – verse 11 – “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
Here again, as all throughout the Bible, we see an emphasis on rewards for the faithful. Some have taught that God would be unjust to let us earn a reward and later lose it. But here we see two clear propositions:
The Philadelphia church had ALREADY earned this reward by virtue of their faithfulness and steadfastness to God, or else, how could someone take something away if they had not already earned it, as implied at the end of the verse?
Second, they COULD lose their reward by not holding fast—that is, being faithful and steadfast, or else the phrase, “that no man take thy crown” is meaningless.
How does this verse say Christians can avoid losing a reward for service?—By not continuing in faithful and steadfast service to God. When a believer fails to serve God with His whole heart, he will not—indeed he CANNOT—lose the salvation granted to him by grace through faith at salvation. But he can most assuredly lose his reward.
May God help us to continue steadfastly for our Lord, for Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 15:58 – “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
So continue steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and when you get to heaven, you’ll see that your labor was NOT in vain in the Lord.
V. FINALLY, WE SEE THE DESTINY OF PHILADELPHIAN OVERCOMERS – Verse 12 – “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” – Besides not losing their rewards, Jesus promises two things to overcomers; those who continue in steadfast faith and service:
* First, Jesus says He promised overcomers that they would be a pillar in the temple of God, and they would never leave it. Philadelphia was in a volcanic area and experienced many terrible earthquakes. Often, the only parts of the city left standing after a severe quake were the huge stone columns of some of their grandest buildings, particularly their temples. And when an earthquake hit, people ran away from the city to safety, and some remained outside the city for months on end when there was frequent seismic activity for fear of being killed in the city.
Most commentators point out Jesus’s words this would have been a promise of safety and permanence to the Philadelphians they would have readily understood. Add the fact that their persecutors could at any time rob them of their safety and take away their homes, and you can see what a bright promise this was to them.
* Second, Jesus promised that He would write upon the overcomer three names: God’s name, the name of the New Jerusalem, the city of God, and Jesus’s name. Don’t think of a literal writing with a quill pen on their forehead here. All this is symbolic language to teach deeper truths. It’s hard to know the exact significance of this particular promise.
The commentaries offer various explanations, but I think it’s this: The names of God and even the names of sacred places in the Bible carried special spiritual significance, telling us something about God’s character. I think that Jesus writing these names on the overcomer is symbolic of making God’s character somehow especially identifiable with the overcomer so that those who meet an him or her will say to others in hushed, awed whispers, “There goes one of the special overcomers who would not deny Jesus’s name in persecution and trial, who was faithful and steadfast in good works to the end.”
CONCLUSION
As I wrap up this sermon, there are two big applications that stick with me.
* The first is that if you do not know that you are saved and going to heaven, it is a foolish and dangerous thing to wait. Jesus is coming again and when He does, literally all hell will break loose on this earth! The worst part is that you will almost certainly believe the lie of the Antichrist.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 says, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.”
But you do not have to be in that number.
You can turn to Christ and be saved today.
* My second application is, if you’re already a Christian, are you taking advantage of the doors God opens for you?
For instance, God opens doors for us all the time to share our faith with others. I must admit, I sometimes fail to seize the opportunities the Lord opens up for me to share the Gospel or spiritual things with others. We need to pray for each other that we would be bold enough to take the opportunities God gives us. This is part of what it means to be faithful and steadfast in good works. The reason Christians fail in this area is due to fear and often believers will go to extremes to avoid seizing the opportunities God gives them.
Illus. – I read a funny story of a guy who prayed, “Lord, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is.” Later he was on a bus when a big, burly man sat next to him. The bus was nearly empty but this guy sat right next to our praying friend. He anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus, but before the bus got there, the big guy burst into tears and began to weep. Then he cried out loudly, “I need to be SAVED. I’m a lost sinner and I need the Lord. Won’t SOMEBODY tell me how to be saved?”
He turned to the Christian and said, “Can you show me how to be saved?” The believer quickly bowed his head and prayed, “Lord, is this a sign?”
Come on believer, you don’t need a sign from God to start witnessing! All you need is the Great Commission, an open door and boldness to just speak up. Don’t worry, God will fill your mouth with the words to say.
* But there are other open doors God wants us to go through. Often there are open doors of ministry that God wants you to go through. A position is open, or a class is without a teacher, or someone who is sick needs a meal fixed, and THERE’S your door, wide open for you to go through to service. When God opens those doors, He wants you to go through them, and when you do, the Lord will bless you.
But if you don’t go through the door, someone else will. I wonder if that’s why Jesus says in verse 11 “…hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Jesus didn’t say GOD would take away your crown; He says a MAN, which is the generic term for “a person.” Another person can seize the reward that could have been yours. Don’t let that happen. Walk through the door of service and secure your reward!
