The Church at Philadelphia: A Committed Church - Revelation 3:7-13 - 2/14/10
Turn with me this morning to the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation, chapter 3. We want to continue on today, looking at the question, “What does God think of His church?” Here in Revelation 1, we find the disciple John, living on an island off the coast of Turkey, writing about 95 AD, some 65 years after Jesus has died and resurrected. He is given a vision of Christ, and Jesus gives John a message in chapters 2 & 3 for 7 churches in Asia Minor, the area we know today as Turkey. Jesus has words of encouragement and words of rebuke for these churches. And we want to look at these churches to see what message God might have for us as well.
First we looked at the church of Ephesus. It was a CARELESS church. This was a large church, an active, working church, a well-taught church, a weathered church, they hard faced trials -- yet it was a church that faced a rebuke. We often look at large, active churches as healthy churches, but often they are not. Jesus told the church at Ephesus they had lost their passionate love for God. And we want to make sure that we are always more concerned about who we ARE, in our hearts, than just being concerned about what we DO.
Then, we looked at the church at Smyrna. It was a CRUSHED church and a CROWNED church. They faced pressure and poverty and putdowns, but they faithfully endured, and so they received commendation from the Lord. The Lord tells them that persecution will come, but to continue to live faithfully and He would reward them greatly. We want to be faithful, even when life gets difficult.
Then we looked at the church at Pergamum. It was a COMPROMISING church. It was a city where Satan had set up camp; but the church had tolerated Satan’s presence. We want to make sure that we do not compromise and tolerate evil.
Then we looked at the church at Thyatira. It was a CORRUPT church. The people had followed a self-proclaimed prophetess who taught them to deny the truth, and the people accepted the teaching. We learn the lesson that we cannot allow ourselves to follow any false teaching that would lead us to embrace sin, but rather we need to lead holy lives, in the world, but not of the world. Instead, we live as a witness to the world.
Then we looked at the church at Sardis. It was a CRIPPLED church. This was a church that looked good from the outside, in fact it had a good reputation, but Jesus saw them as they really were, dying and almost dead.
Today we want to look at one of the best of the seven churches, the church at Philadelphia. It was a COMMITTED church. Let’s look at Christ’s message to this church in Revelation 3:1-6.
READ TEXT - PRAY.
As we think about a messenger continuing on from church to church, delivering these letters of John, he would have next traveled about 28 miles southeast of Sardis to come to the city of Philadelphia. The city was about 75 miles from the coast on a great highway linking routes to the east and west. It stood on the border of Lydia, Phrygia, and Pisidia. It was founded about 140 BC, and so was one of the youngest of the 7 cities in these two chapters.
Philadelphia was named after Attalus II, the king of Pergamum. He had a great love for his brother Eumenes, and the name Philadelphia means “brother lover” or “brotherly love.” But it is important to understand the purpose of this city. Attalus founded this city in this spot to be a missionary outpost to the uncivilized regions beyond Lydia, to show them the splendor and glory of Greece. And the city succeeded so well that by AD 19 the Lydian tongue, native to that region, had been replaced by the widespread usage of the Greek language.
God’s desire for His people has always been for us to be a witness, a city on a hill, a people uniquely loved by God. God led Abraham to the land of Israel - yes, a dry, arid land -- but a land that was at the crossroads of the world. Because God’s plan was for all nations on earth to be blessed through the Jews. And for us in the church today, we realize that God’s missionary plan remains the same. 1 Peter tells us, But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Far too many Christians think that God’s plan is to bless them so they are happy and well off and successful. That is what they often pray for. The Prayer of Jabez was a big fad a few years ago - the idea of praying of Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. Most Christians are good at that type of praying - we love to pray for blessing and freedom from pain.
But how many of us are willing to pray for God to use us, no matter the cost?
The city of Philadelphia had succeeded in it’s missionary endeavors to convert a Lydian culture to adopting the Greek lifestyle. But God comes to this missionary city and calls the church there to do the same: to be a missionary people, who model to their community the love of God in such a way that others are drawn to believe the gospel and turn their lives over to following the one true God.
As Jesus comes to these Christians, we see how He presents himself in verse 7: 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. To these early Christians they would have identified only one person as holy and true: their God. As Jesus speaks to this church, He again reminds them of His deity. Isaiah 43 states this truth: For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Jesus gives His message as the supreme authority in their lives. He writes as the one who holds the key of David. The reference to David reminds these Christians of the Messiah, the righteous branch who springs from David’s line. Jesus is the king of the Jews.
In Isaiah 22 we find the story of a corrupt leader of the Jews being replaced by an honorable man named Eliakim. It says in that passage: I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no-one can shut, and what he shuts no-one can open. So the idea of the key of David is tied to the idea of opening and closing doors. Jesus comes as the one who is supremely in charge of opening and closing. And so we continue on to see what Jesus says. Verse 8 - I 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.
Think of some of the great heartaches in life: a couple who has a great amount of love to share struggles with the pain of childlessness. Think about an athlete striving to qualify for the Olympic team, only to be disqualified by a technicality. Consider the feelings of rejection after being passed over for promotion. Think about the pain of those who are not hired because they are “too qualified.” These are some of the closed doors of our lives. But if we truly believe that God is in control, we will believe that He has the power to open and close doors of opportunity for us. As Christ speaks to the church at Philadelphia, He reminds them He is the one who opens and closes doors.
Whether these are open doors for salvation and receiving salvation, or open doors of ministry, or open doors of service, one thing is clear. God is the God who places opportunities in our path. In the Greek the term an open door really should be translated a door having been opened. The fact is that God has already created the open door for us. But we so often fail to see it.
We go to the store, and we are in such a hurry that we fail to notice the troubled look of hurt on the face of the cashier. We want to get to our car quickly, so we briskly rush past the widow struggling to carry her bag of groceries to her car. A friend calls up with a burden, but we are so busy that we put them off with some pat answers so we can get back to work, or often, so we can get back to watching the TV show we are in the middle of. We value our pleasure and comfort above the needs of others. And as a result, we never see the open doors that God has given us.
Jesus tells them they have an open door -- no one can close that door of opportunity. And then Jesus says,
I know that you have little strength. Apparently the church at Philadelphia was not a big church, they didn’t have a lot of resources, there probably weren’t a lot of wealthy patrons giving large amounts to the church. They only had little strength. But Jesus does not rebuke them for being small.
Jesus told the church in Ephesus that He knew their works, to the church in Smyrna that He knew their worries, and He tells the church in Pergamum that He knows their whereabouts, He knows where they live. He told the church at Thyatira that He knows the woman in their midst. He knows her whoring. He told the church at Sardis that He knows their withering. He told the church at Philadelphia that He knows their weakness. But even though they were small, they were FAITHFUL!
There’s no shortage of open doors, but there is a shortage of Christians that will enter them. In Luke 10:2 Jesus says, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. The church at Philadelphia was small, but they were doing what they could for the Lord.
The reality is that Bethel is a small church. We have little strength. We can’t put on big theatrical productions like South Church or Trinity in Lansing. We don’t have a big bus ministry, or a deaf ministry, or a big counseling ministry. There are MANY things we CAN’T do; but let’s never forget that there ARE many things we CAN do. God has opened a door for us. Will we step through that open door?
Far too often we focus on the things we can’t do, and we use that as an excuse to do nothing. A man was out on the beach one day, picking up stranded starfish that had washed up on the beach. Someone came along and said, Why are you wasting your time. There are thousands of starfish on the beach. You can’t throw them all back in. What you are doing doesn’t really matter. The man reached down, picked up a starfish, threw it back into the waves, and said, It matters to that one!
Maybe you can’t reach everyone, but there IS someone that you can reach for Christ. But we often allow ourselves to think that somebody else will reach them.
Fred Somebody, Thomas Everybody, Susan Anybody, and Joe Nobody were neighbors, but they were not like you and me. They were odd people and most difficult to understand. The way they lived was a shame.
All four belonged to the same church, but you would not have enjoyed worshipping with them. EVERYBODY went fishing on Sunday or stayed home to visit with friends. ANYBODY wanted to worship but was afraid SOMEBODY wouldn’t speak to him. So guess who went to church - NOBODY.
Really, NOBODY was the only decent one of the four. NOBODY did the visitation. NOBODY worked on the church building. Once they needed a Sunday school teacher. EVERYBODY thought ANYBODY would do it, and ANYBODY thought SOMEBODY would do it. And you know who did it? That’s exactly right . . . NOBODY!
It happened that a fifth neighbor (an unbeliever) moved into the area. EVERYBODY thought SOMEBODY should try to win him for Christ. ANYBODY could have made an effort. You probably know who won him: NOBODY!
This little parable brings to focus again the fact that each of us is personally responsible for God’s work. If we leave it for somebody or everybody or anybody, nobody will end up doing it.
The church at Philadelphia had little strength, but they did what they could. They were committed. They did what they could. And they worked faithfully. Jesus said, I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. In the day when other churches, many of them larger and more active, were compromising with the world, trying to justify sacrificing to Caesar and saying Caesar is Lord - these Christians at Philadelphia stayed true to the word of God. They did not try to fit in and blend with their surroundings. Instead they were willing to be identified by the name of Jesus Christ.
Think about how easy it is to hide your identity. At work, when someone is telling a story filled with sexual innuendo, you just smile and say nothing. When the boss wants you to do a little extra work, you give out a few choice expletives. When a co-worker of the opposite sex is near you, you let them know you are attracted, but you try not to be too obvious. And the result is that those we work with have NO CLUE that we are Christian. Because they see nothing different about our lives! We are just like them!
But these Christians at Philadelphia had a faithful testimony. They followed the word of God.
I know of a church in Ft. Wayne with this motto: His Word, Our Walk. We live according to what the Word of God says.
But the passage here is clear that these Christians did not have it easy. Verse 9 tells us they faced opposition: I 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. The church at Philadelphia faced opposition from the Jews. Just like the church at Smyrna. Some scholars think that the church started out meeting in the Jewish synagogue, and then the Jews locked the doors on them - keeping them from meeting there. That may be why Jesus refers to giving them an open door that no one can shut.
Often it is those in religious circles who offer some of the greatest attacks. Just this week I received an email from a lady accusing me of spreading division in the body of Christ. She offered no explanation, just an accusation. As I replied to her, she brought up a meeting that she was not even present at. I offered explanation to her, but she had chosen to act on the basis of gossip rather than deal with the truth. I encouraged her that Matthew 18 calls for us to confront a brother or sister one on one when we see them in sin; not to spread slander and gossip on to others. Far too often Christians are attacked by those in the church.
The Jews were those who adhered strictly to a code of rules and regulations. Think about the Pharisees in the gospels. In our day today we don’t have many Jews attacking us, but we do have many legalistic Christians who feel it their God-given duty to make everyone live life just the way they do. I believe that in the truths of scripture we need unity. But when it comes to lifestyle issues not addressed by scripture, we need liberty.
There are some in town that would say you are sinning if you go to the movies, or if you go dancing, or if you play cards, or any of a number of other issues. They tell you which Bible version you need to use. They tell you how long your skirt should be or how short your hair needs to be. But these are all things that God has given us liberty in Christ to decide. We don’t need to attack other Christians over these issues.
The church at Philadelphia was faithful, and so Jesus told them He would give them three things.
• Recognition - he would make the Jews admit that the church was loved by God. We don’t know what all transpired in that church, but we remember the truth of Proverbs 16:7 - When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. Then God promises
• Relief - Verse 10 - Since 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. This may be a deliverance from a trial the church faced in the first few centuries. There were many earthquakes in Philadelphia, and possible this was a short term deliverance. It may have to do with the lifespan of the church. Of all the 7 churches, the church at Philadelphia lasted the longest. The church had such an impact in Philadelphia that long after the rest of Asia had fallen to the Muslims, Philadelphia remained a Free Christian City amidst a sea of pagan people. Philadelphia was the last bastion of Asian Christianity, standing firm throughout the Moslem invasion, until the city fell to the Turks in 1392 AD, long after the surrounding area had succumbed to the militant forces of Islam. It is one of only two cities that still remains today, and here we can see ruins that date back to when this letter was written along side of relatively modern apartment buildings.
But the most likely interpretation of this, consistent with many other passages of scripture, is that this trial coming upon the whole world is a future time of tribulation, a time of the outpouring of the wrath of God upon the world in the days when the antichrist rules on the earth. What is God’s promise? He will keep the church FROM the hour - these Christians will not go through the tribulation. This is a picture of the rapture of the church - God taking the Christians out of this earth before He pours out His wrath. We may talk about that some more in the weeks ahead. But God promises recognition, relief, and
• Reward - Look at verse 11 - I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no-one will take your crown. Him 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.
Jesus says faithful Christians will be like pillars in His temple. When the earthquakes hit the city, often the only thing standing were the pillars of the different temples. Jesus promises security to these faithful believers. But even more than this, in the first century when a prominent citizen did something noteworthy and worth memorializing, they would inscribe this on a pillar in one of their temples. Jesus says HE will take note, He will make these faithful Christians pillars. Jesus said in Mark, If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I assure you, that person will be rewarded. Jesus assures us that He will reward us for our faithful service.
Why aren’t we active in serving the Lord? Because we really don’t believe that our God is a generous rewarder. We have to take it on faith. Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. If I said, I’ll give you $500 if you call an unsaved relative and share the gospel today - probably everyone here would do it. But if I said, If you call an unsaved relative and share the gospel today, God will reward you - we probably wouldn’t do it - because we don’t really believe God is faithful to reward us.
But notice one last thing about our reward. Jesus says 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. To those Christians who are not ashamed to identify with Jesus, Jesus is not ashamed to identify with them. He places his seal, His stamp, His mark of identification on them. Everyone will see that we belong to Jesus.
Today, it is easy to say I don’t have a lot of gifts; I can’t preach; I’m not good at sharing the gospel; Our church is small. But let’s learn a lesson from the church at Philadelphia. Even though we have little strength, when we use the little that God has placed into our hands, He is pleased.
Shamgar had an oxgoad, David had a sling,
Dorcas had a needle, Rahab had a string,
Samson had a jawbone, Aaron had a rod,
Mary had some ointment, but they all were used for God.
Today, make a commitment that you will look for the open doors that God has given you, and that you will use what God has given you faithfully for His glory. Let’s pray.
