“He was christened Giovanni, the Italian name for John. His mother named him after John the Baptist in hopes that he would be devoted to Jesus. But Giovanni was hardly devout. As the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, the boy was a spoiled rich kid.
One day a beggar in the marketplace asked Giovanni for a handout. Giovanni remembered a line he heard at Sunday Mass: “When you feed the hungry, you minister to Christ.” He grabbed hold of the beggar, gave him everything in his pockets, and kissed him full on his lips.
That evening he informed his family that he wanted to give everything away to the poor. His enraged father forced Giovanni to enlist in the army, and he was sent off to war. After he was captured, he said that Christ visited him in his prison. When he returned home, he no longer wanted to party with his friends. He moved into a charity hospital where he fed and bathed the sick. On winter nights he climbed into bed with lepers, wrapping them in his arms to keep them warm.
With the pope’s blessing, he gathered disciples who gave away all their possessions to follow Jesus. They crisscrossed Europe, ministering to the poor, comforting the sick, and evangelizing the forgotten.
While still in his early forties, Giovanni caught a fatal disease from a sick wretch that he had held in his arms. In October of 1226 he died, gasped his final words to his brothers: “I have done my part. May Jesus teach you to do yours.” You remember Giovanni by the name Saint Francis of Assisi. His last words challenge each of us. As Saint Francis said: “To give largely, liberally, and cheerfully requires a new heart.” -James Petterson (abridged)
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. -Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
Today I think we’ll see that for the church in Philadelphia, they proved they had entirely new hearts. What did Jesus say to them? he said this:
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. -Revelation 3:7-13
The city of Philadelphia, in Turkey, gateway to the east, it was the furthest east city of Greek culture and philosophy, and it was considered a gateway, an entry point into the eastern world.
Greek culture had been successfully spread along the coastal regions of Asia minor, but, as they went further and further inland they encountered resistance to these new ways of Greek culture.
The city of Philadelphia was known for it’s production of wine and vineyards. The ground was very fertile, but it was in a region known for earthquakes, so often buildings would topple in these quakes and have to be rebuilt.
So the area became known for very nice architecture, it was even called a “little Athens” because it had such beautiful structures. I suppose you get good at building when you keep having to rebuild.
In any case, in 17 AD the city of Philadelphia was devastated by an earthquake so severe that Rome actually didn’t charge them tribute for five years so they would have time to rebuild.
But later, the roman empire would betray Philadelphia, because of the beautiful vineyards and wine coming from the city, it was beginning to overshadow even the vineyards of Rome, and so an order went out and all the vineyards in Philadelphia were burned.
The Greek god Dionysus was worshiped in this city, not surprising Dionysus was the Greek god of wine.
The city had numerous different names as well, for a while it was called Flavia, Neo-Caesarea, and of course Philadelphia, which means the city of brotherly love. Which is why the city in the United States was named Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. And the Philadelphia in the USA was known as the gateway to the west, while the Philadelphia in Turkey was known as the gateway to the east.
Now the church in this city of Philadelphia apparently didn’t have a lot of influence in the city. They weren’t a big church like Ephesus, they didn’t have key figures attending. They didn’t have a great deal of power over much of anything. Yet Jesus is very pleased with this church. Every church in the letters of Revelation receives a correction, do better, aside from Smyrna and Philadelphia.
Sometime as a follower of Christ, I’ll stop, and take an inventory, examine myself, to see if I’m in the faith, that’s biblical…
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” -2nd Cor 13:5
And I’ll pray, and seek the Lord, and examine myself, and almost always God through the Holy Spirit will say, all is well, you’re in the faith, you’re of Christ.
There are times as well, when the Lord, through the Holy Spirit will rebuke me, and indicate that I need to repent of something I had done that day, or something recently, then I get on my knees and ask God’s forgiveness, repent, and keep going. And God will quickly affirm that once again I’m in a proper standing with Him.
For this church in Philadelphia as they saw the letters to the other churches in Asia Minor, I’m sure they were wondering, what is he going to say to us?
And Jesus tells them essentially, all is well, and I’m very pleased with you.
He says this, “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open.” –Revelation 3:7
Without understanding the context of Philadelphia being the gateway, we might be confused, but, instead we see Jesus is speaking to them, I’m holy and true, He says. He has the key to the true gateway. Jesus is the door. What he opens, is open. What he closes, no one can open. He is the final authority. If Jesus says, you’re going to heaven, then it is so. If he says, you’re going to hell, it is also so.
He has the keys to life and death. Jesus is the King of the Universe. His command is eternal. He is the gateway.
Jesus says: “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” –Revelation 3:8
This church has stood the test. Like all the other churches, I’m sure they were discriminated against. They were left out of activities. They were ignored. They were rejected. They were even persecuted and imprisoned. But they didn’t compromise. They didn’t change to fit in with the city. They didn’t compromise and take part in other religions.
They don’t have a lot of strength or influence. They are weak. Maybe it’s a small church, not too many members. But they have kept their witness to Christ. They haven’t denied Him.
“Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.”
–Revelation 3:9
Next Jesus gives the body of believers in this city a beautiful encouragement, it reminds us of Psalm 23 when the Lord says “I will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies.”
Apparently, this little church in Philadelphia was being persecuted by the local synagogue. Once when Jesus was talking to a crowd of people in Israel who were arguing with Him and harassing Him, he looked into their hearts and then cried out, “You are not children of Abraham, you are children of your father the Devil.”
Similarly, this synagogue is called a synagogue of Satan. The synagogue was the Jewish temple in the city.
Jesus tells them, don’t hate them, don’t let it bother you how they harass you, instead, know, that one day I will pay them back, and they’ll have to acknowledge that I’ve loved you and not them.
What is the synagogue of Satan in your life today? Are there people who persecute you? Family? An organization? Even people in the body of Christ in this area? Don’t hate them. Forgive them. Pray for their welfare. And then know that God will deal with them.
Jesus continues in verses 10 and 11 like this:
“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.” –Revelation 3:10-11
Honestly, my first reaction whenever I read this scripture is to think of the rapture, the time when Jesus returns just before the great tribulation to take the saints out of the world. The NLT renders it as “protect you from.” The NASB more properly renders it “keep you from.” Take you away from it.
For the Christians in Philadelphia, we don’t really know what that may have been referencing, perhaps it was the waves of persecution that would come between 40 AD and 313 AD when the worst persecutions happened against Christians in the roman empire. But we don’t really know how they might’ve been protected from all that.
In any case, in our situation as the end times church, I think this is a good reminder for us, that if we hold true to Christ, we will be kept from enduring the wrath of God in the great tribulation.
They’ve obeyed Jesus’ command to persevere. To endure. To not give up. That’s my next point today, persevere in difficult times.
It’s a good tweak in the mind, an adjustment, to see perseverance as something good to do, but then to see it as a command. Persevere. Keep going. Honestly, that’s been hard for me lately. I’ve struggled to persevere. I’ve wanted to give up from time to time. Ministry is very difficult. And you have such high hopes, to see great things happen, and when you don’t see massive revival, it’s very disappointing, and you can become bitter and angry, and want to give up. I’m sure that was the case for these Christians who were being persecuted and excluded. But they didn’t give up. They kept the command to persevere. That’s my call to us today, keep the command to persevere. Find a way to keep going. We can do that in Christ.
He also says “hold on to what you have.” But Christ is holding on to me so I don’t have to hold on to Him. Yes, Christ holds on to us. We also hold on to Him. It’s a two sided relationship. Any relationship is. He holds on to us. We hold on to Him. Hold on tight, and don’t let go. Some of you need to be reminded to keep praying, keep reading your Bible, and don’t get lazy. Everyday is a new day. It starts over everyday. Keep living it. Keep praying. Keep reading the word.
Lastly, the Lord says…
“All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” –Revelation 3:12-13
Jesus says I will write on them the name of my God. The name of Yehovah, a permanent name. Forever citizens, of a new city, a permanent city. And Jesus’ new name for them, written on them. A city whose name had changed several times, a new name, but this one permanent, and forever.
In this city there were many earthquakes, and the pillars of the Greek buildings would often fall, tumble over, and need to be put back up. But Christ reminds these Christians, if you overcome, if you’re victorious, you will become a permanent pillar in the temple of God, which is the New Jerusalem. The door was open for them. The door was closed for others. Eventually the door would close on Earth, and will close one day forever. But, if we walk through it and stay in it, we become a permanent fixture, an eternal member of the city of God, the New Jerusalem. The streets of gold. The massive city on a new planet Earth. And it’s perfect.
If you’re searching for utopia, perfection, unity in diversity, there it is, eternal life, no more sin, no more death, on God’s terms, it’s perfect. And in a human utopia, it will never be perfect, and death and sin will always rule and reign in it. We’ve tried to build it here on Earth, from the tower of babel, to the roman empire, to the modern Babylon of the USA, and every time we try, it becomes infested with evil, sin and death, and hell, and become a nightmare society slowly over time. Whether it's babies being offered as sacrifices at the pagan temple, or at the abortion clinic to selfishness, it’s murder and death, whether it’s sleeping with temple prostitutes as worship to Greek gods, or roaming the streets of las vegas, it’s sin and destruction, orgies at the public house or orgies in silicon valley, corruption in Rome, or corruption in Washington DC, no utopia on Earth can be found, only God’s utopia, the new Jerusalem, is a true and perfect paradise. But only after we’ve gone through the tests of this life, and shown ourselves as overcomers, as those who persevere, as those who never give up our witness to Christ, and never deny His name. A New Jerusalem. A New City of God. A new citizenship. A new permanent home, fit with a new name. Forever. Amen.
All that’s left of the city of Philadelphia today in Turkey, the only ruins left, are the pillars of the church, with Christian paintings on the pillars. This church stood strong. And their memory lives on. Even today, there is an orthodox Christian church in Turkey in that area, where this church once stood. The pillars remain. They stood firm. They persevered. They never gave up. And they received the crown of life. Amen.
