If Jesus Passed a Note in Church, What Would It Say? (Part 6 of 7)
(Series of sermon content original to W. Herschel Ford)
To the Church of Brotherly Love
Rev. 3:7-13
Nov. 12, 2006 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction:
A Jesus points no fingers at Philadelphia (one of two churches: Smyrna)
1 Not a perfect church...faired well in comparison to Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, & Sardis)
a Never been a perfect church, because it’s made up of imperfect people.
b If the church didn’t have Christ as its head it would have disappeared into oblivion centuries ago!
2 The church stands on the rock that is Christ Jesus!
a He’s the reason that she stands today!
b He’s the reason that the gates of hell can never prevail against her.
B Philadelphia (Greek for brotherly love or brother lover)
1 25 miles southeast of Sardis, on a main highway that connected Smyrna to Northwest Asia (modern-day Alasehir).
a Big Jewish community
b Earthquakes were common (in 17BC destroyed with 10 other cities, including Sardis). Alasehir suffered a major earthquake on 3/28/69 which killed 41 people & destroyed 3, 700 homes; from 1974-1994 region around the city has suffered 7 more earthquakes that caused extensive property damage (turkishnewsdaily.com).
c Name changed several times (Neocaesarea, Neokoros, etc.)
d Remained Christian until the 14th century
2 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 8 ’I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 ’Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 10 ’Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 ’I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 ’He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; 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 My new name. 13 ’He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Rev 3:7-13 (NASB)
C Jesus promised to keep from harm those who kept His word (essence of the text in a sentence).
1 Keeping God’s word brings incredible blessing for the believer (essence of the sermon in a sentence).
2 I pray you’ll decide to keep God’s word by committing to reading Scripture everyday for the rest of November (objective).
a How many reasons do you need to keep God’s word? (Probing question)
b Let’s look at two reasons why the church at Philadelphia was different from the other churches of Revelation (transitional sentence).
3 Pray
I The first reason the church at Philadelphia was different than the other churches in Revelation was because...they faithfully kept His Word. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 8 ’I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 ’Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
A Jesus had opened the door for the small Philadelphian congregation because they kept His Word.
1 The "open door" is the point of debate among scholars.
a Open door may be an opportunity to engage in missions, evangelize, witness.
b Open door may be His Kingdom (salvation) to all those who love Him-reinforces v. 7
2 That "open door" caused some other doors to close.
a "Synagogue of Satan" (v. 9) opposed the congregation of Philadelphia (Jews who hated/rejected Jesus & persecuted His followers).
b Relatives, friends, coworkers, heritage...but they "kept My word & have not denied My name."
B Faithfulness to Jesus often means we’re going to have an enemy...or two.
1 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. John 15:18 (NASB)
2 Jesus doesn’t reward/bless us for our greatness, size, budget, annual church profile...but by His grace, according to our faithfulness.
a Faithful to His word
b Faithful to honor Jesus’ name
3 If you stick with God’s word, you’re going to honor Jesus (hand-in-hand).
C (IL) Malaysian girl with suitcase at her baptism.
Because the Philadelphian congregation kept His word, Jesus promised to keep them (transitional sentence).
II The second reason the church at Philadelphia was different from the other churches of Revelation was because...they believed Jesus would keep His word. ’Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 ’I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 ’He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; 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 My new name.
A Jesus promised to "even the score" between the church at Philly & Satan. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
1 The Jews rejecting Jesus believed that all non-Jews (church of Jesus Christ) would one day bow in submission at their feet. "The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; and they will call you the city of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 60:14 (NASB)
a God reverses these roles: His followers are those who acknowledge God through His Son, Jesus!
b The church of the true people of God, loved by Christ, & in some real sense inheritors of the covenant promise of the Old Testament made to Israel (v. 9b)
2 ...so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:10-11 (NASB)
a Some will do it joyfully-some remorsefully
b One day God will even the score!
B Jesus promised to "keep them from great trouble" v. 10
1 Where’s the great trouble coming from?
a Cruel persecutions coming from Roman emperors; or the tribulation that comes after Jesus takes His people in the Rapture-I don’t know.
b The promise, "You’ve been true to me, when it all hits the fan, I’ll protect you." (Removal-preservation)
2 The promise to them applies to us: God rewards/keeps all who are faithful to Him.
C Jesus promised to make them a "pillar in His temple" v. 12
1 When earthquakes threatened a city, often the only things left standing were the huge stone temple pillars (Philly lived in constant fear of earthquakes).
a Ancient cities honored great people by putting their names on pillars.
b God’s pillars aren’t made of stone because there is no temple in heaven. (I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. Rev 21:22 (NASB)). His pillars are faithful people.
2 The name on us is "Jesus"
a What made the church at Philly different from those around them?
b What makes you different from those around you? Jesus within you!
Conclusion
A Jesus promised to keep from harm those who kept His word (essence of the text in a sentence).
1 Keeping God’s word brings incredible blessing for the believer (essence of the sermon in a sentence).
2 We’ve looked at two reasons why the church at Philadelphia was different than the other churches in Revelation.
a They faithfully kept His word
b They believed Jesus would keep His word
3 I pray you’ll decide to keep God’s word by committing to reading Scripture everyday for the rest of November (objective).
B How many reasons do you need to keep God’s word? (Probing question)
1 (IL) In a very real sense, the church today is like the Philadelphian church, for God has set before us many doors of opportunity. If He opens the doors, we must work; if He shuts the doors, we must wait. Above all, we must be faithful to Him & see the opportunities, not the obstacles. If we miss our opportunities, we lose our rewards (crowns), and this means being ashamed before Him when He comes (Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary-New Testament Vol.2, 2001, Victor).
2 How many reasons do you need to keep God’s word? (Probing question)
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