The Greek word Philadelphia means = “brotherly love” which occurs seven times in the Bible and the Greek word for Laodicea means = “lukewarm.” So our message goes from brotherly love to lukewarm.
The message this morning is a two part message “From Brotherly Love to Lukewarm.”
Part one of the message is this morning as we focus on “Brotherly Love” and this evening we will focus on “Lukewarm.”
Scripture
7And 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;
8I 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.
9Behold, 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.
10Because 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.
11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
12Him 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.
13He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3:7-13 (KJV)
Prayer
Brotherly Love
A Christian community was established at Philadelphia by the late first century. According to Revelation 3:8, the Christians did not have much influence, but showed loyalty to the faith despite local opposition.
Of the seven churches of Asia minor the church at Philadelphia was the only one that Christ had no complain about.
Even in the midst of an ungodly community they showed brotherly love.
However as time went on the climate changed an in about AD 155, eleven Christians from Philadelphia were martyred along with Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; Romans 12:10
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 1 Thessalonians 4:9
Let brotherly love continue. Hebrews 13:1
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 1 Peter 1:22
to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 2 Peter 1:7
7And 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; Revelation 3:7
When William Penn, a member of the Religious Society of Friends or Quakers, made a treaty with the Indians tribe the Delaware of North America, and purchased from them a large woody tract of land named it by using his last name Penn and Sylvania a Latin word for woods hence the name Pennsylvania. he built a city on it, and peopled it with Christians of his own denomination, and called the city Philadelphia.
The "Peace Treaty" between William Penn and the Native Americans was reported to have ended with these words of the Native Americans as quoted by Governor Gordon at the Council at Conestoga, May 26, 1728:
We will be brethren, my people and your people, as the children of one father. All the paths shall be open to the Christian and the Indian. The doors of the Christian shall be open to the Indian and the wigwam of the Indian shall be open to the Christian.
The Christian shall believe no false stories, the Indian shall believe no false stories, they shall first come together as brethren and inquire of each other; when they hear such false stories they shall bury them in the bottomless pit.
The Christian hearing news that may hurt the Indian, or the Indian hearing news that may hurt the Christian, shall make it known the one to the other, as speedily as possible, as true friends and brethren.
The Indian shall not harm the Christian, nor his friend; the Christian shall not harm the Indian, nor his friend; but they shall live together as brethren. As there are wicked people in all Nations; if the Indian or the Christian shall harm the one or the other, complaint shall be made by the sufferer, that right may be done; and when right is done, the wrong shall be forgotten, and buried in the bottomless pit.
The Indian shall help the Christian, and the Christian shall help the Indian, against all evil men, who would molest them.
We will transmit this League between us to our children. It shall be made stronger and stronger, and be kept bright and clean without rust or spot, between our children and our children’s children, while the creeks and rivers run, and while the sun, moon, and stars endure.
Is this not we are to do is show brotherly love, even in the midst of turmoil?
The Key of David
"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": Revelation 3:7 (Ref. Isaiah 22:22)
Philadelphia is the faithful Church in the last days.
Christ describes himself as "He who has the key of David.
Christ is also described as the one who holds the “keys of Hades and of Death.”
I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Revelation 1:18
It seems to me that if Christ holds the “key of David” and keys of Hades and of Death then he holds to keys to everything.
This means he is the owner of all things.
He governs the events of history on earth.
What he opens no one can shut and what he shuts, no one can open.
No human power can disregard what he determines.
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. Revelation 3:8
To a church like the church at Philadelphia the lord says he will open doors of ministry and service, and no one can shut them.
The apostle Paul understood this very well.
The door was closed and it prevented Paul from going into Bithynia, but when he came to Troas, the door was opened and all of History was changed when he entered into Ephesus as recorded in 1 Corinthians 16:9. “for there is a wide-open door for a great work here, and many people are responding. But there are many who oppose me.”
To a church that is responsive and ready to be used, the Lord will use his power to "open and shut" to make their enemies respect them and openly acknowledge God's blessing upon them.
He the Lord uses the phrase, "the synagogue of Satan," this phrase was also used also in the letter to the persecuted church at Smyrna.
It referred to certain Jews in that city who claimed to be spiritual descendants of Abraham but in actuality they were only his physical descendants; their attitude toward the truth of God was far removed from Abraham's faith.
In the Book of John we find that the Lord himself continually confronted the Pharisees who claimed to be Abraham's descendants, but Jesus said to them, "You are of your father the devil," (John 8:44)
So here in the city of Philadelphia Jesus refers to this Jewish opposition as "the synagogue of Satan."
But something amazing happens.
What causes them to come at last and bow before the church and acknowledge God's blessing upon them?
It is because the church responds to the opposition and hostility with love and with obvious knowledge of God, which these Jews do not possess, even though they have the Scriptures.
As a result, they come at last and acknowledge God's blessing on the church at Philadelphia.
You see “brotherly love” can do more to build the “Kingdom of God” than condemning.
The messages to the seven churches was given to us to prepare us for the End Times
Events Leading up to the Catching Away (Rapture)
February 16
• Hezbollah warns Israel not to attack Lebanon
• Russia recovers after a meteorite slams into Russia over 1,200 injured.
• 6.2 magnitude earthquake rattles southern Philippine Island
• 6.o magnitude earthquake strikes off New Zealand’s North Island.
• Mexico: Bird flu outbreak hits 582,000 chickens.
February 15
• Two tons of Explosives seized in Egypt on its way to Sinai.
• 150 activists killed in a clash at Syria airport.
• 5.7 magnitude earthquake rattles the Tonga Islands.
• France moves closer to legalize euthanasia.
• These are just a few of the events that have happened in the past two days that warns us of the end times.
Christ tells us of a parable of 10 virgins waiting for the return of their groom. When the time came 5 were ready and 5 were not.
The groom represents Christ and the virgins represent the church.
Look at what all ten had in common.
• They all knew Christ
• They all attended church
• They all dressed the part
• They all carried lamps
• They all believed he would come back
• They all had their bags packed
So why did 5 get left behind?
• They procrastinated in their service for the Lord. (We can get ready later(
• They did not allow the Holy Spirit to be part of their lives. (They had no oil in their lamps)
• They did not prepare themselves everyday with the Word of God. (Their wicks trimmed)
• They were not a witness for Christ. (They did not let their lamps shine)
You see you can have the appearance of brotherly love and still miss the boat.
The Catching Away
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. Revelation 3:10
I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come
This is a clear reference to what our Lord himself calls in Matthew 24 "the great tribulation" -- a time of distress that will come upon the whole world, the like of which has never been known before in human history, no, nor ever will be again.
We see the promise to the church is specifically that it is to be delivered from the hour of trial.
Actually, the word is not "from," but "out of" -- to be delivered out of -- not just the trial but out of the very time of the trial!
This is one of the clearest promises in the Bible of the catching away of the church before the great tribulation begins.
It is a promise of the departure of the church, which Paul describes so vividly in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God;
and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Make sure you’re not one of those 5 foolish virgins.
Coming Quickly
Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. Revelation 3:11
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And 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. Revelation 3:12
Here we have a promise from the Lord Behold, I am coming quickly! Revelation 3:11a
There are many that would say when they read this verse, how can this be, this letter was written almost 2,000 years ago and the church has been expecting him to come for almost 2,000 years and he still has not come.
Why did he promise the church of Philadelphia that he was coming soon?
The answer is to see this promise in relationship to the context.
He has just been describing a time when the greatest trial that the earth has ever known will come, the terrible great tribulation.
He has described that very clearly in Matthew 24.
There we have a terrible picture of the sun being darkened, the moon not giving its light, stars falling from heaven, and men's hearts failing as they look in fear on the things coming to pass upon the earth.
It is in relationship to that event that Jesus says he is coming soon.
As the world nears that final, climactic upheaval, we should hear again his promise that he is coming soon.
He himself said, "When you see these things beginning to come to pass, lift up your head and rejoice, for your redemption is drawing near," Luke 21:28.
He reminds us to, "Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown." Revelation 3:11
As the times get harder and it is even more difficult to be a Christian, as hostility increases and the world becomes more and more secular and casts aside the precepts of Christianity that it had formerly practiced, then we must be careful that we do not give up and go along with worldly attitudes and worldly pursuits.
We must not allow a desire for status, prestige, fame, a beautiful home and the things the world lusts for, to become central in our thinking. "Hold on to what you have," says Jesus, because there is danger that someone may take your crown.
That is not a reference to the possible loss of salvation.
What it is speaking of is your opportunity for service in the eternal ages.
That is the reward, which is offered, the opportunity for even greater service.
Conclusion/Invitation
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3:13
Stop!
Look!
Listen!
Hear the Spirit!
Think through these letters.
Pay attention to them, because they are spelling out your future destiny.
The King of Kings, Creator of all things is coming again.
