Jesus’ Will for His Churches

Introduction

· Gospel presentation

Scripture

Father God, we thank You for Who You are. A great Big God who sees each and every one of us here and cares deeply about us. We ask this day, as we are continuing in this time of worship to You, reading Your Word and hearing Your Word, that You refine us with it. Mold us, make us, shape us, rearrange us so that we can more like You, and more made into the image of Christ. Help us be a people who love You and love others so much, that we are moved into action by whatever it is You are going to show us about Yourself today and what that means in our lives. Help us do this, because all to often our selfish and sinless flesh war against our will to follow Yours. As we are doing this, and as we are coming into Your Word today, we ask that You take away any distraction that we may have, and make it go as far away as it possible can, because we want to see and we want to know You better. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.

7 “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: 8 I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.

12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. 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 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. [1]

Context

Continuing on through our sermon series through the Revelation of Jesus to the churches, we find ourselves nearing the end of the seven letters, as we turn our attention to the church at Philadelphia, the church of the city of brotherly love. Notice through the text, that Jesus had nothing against this church. In fact, this is the final of the two churches (the other being Smyrna), that Jesus did not have anything against. So, this church serves as a shining example of what Jesus’ will is, what He desires for His churches, for His bride.

Just like we said last week and every other week, these churches and the last one (next week) we will look at are representatives of all churches everywhere, they represent the individual expressions of the church (ie, the local church, like us) and give real life warnings, commendations, punishments, and rewards from Christ Himself. We have much to learn from these letters to the churches from Christ. We have a lot to learn from the heart and mind of Christ, what He loves and what He desires for each and every one of His churches. So, as He is sending this out, we must do what the end of each of these letters end with, that we are to hear what The Spirit says to the churches.

There are a few things to know about this church and this city. This city itself, Philadelphia, was once a prosperous town. Now, it had fallen on many hard times. You see, this was an agricultural town, putting all of it’s eggs in one basket, that basket being grapes. You can only imagine, that this made the area do well for many many years, because of the popularity and necessity of wine in the ancient world. So, things were good for some time, until one day, disaster struck and continued to strike often for quite some time. You see, not far away, a volcano erupted and not only destroyed from it’s own raw destructive power, but it also had lasting effects. One effect, is that volcanic ash was everywhere, and quite a while down the road this would be positive for the farmers and people (as it enrichens the soil), but for some time it was a burden and in the way. Even greater still, for years later, as an after shock effect of the eruption, this region would have frequent and strong earthquakes. So, after periods of rebuilding, everything that was built only got destroyed again. So, it came to a point where their was no sense in rebuilding, so they stopped and as a consequence, the damaged city went into a slow decay.

Unlike Sardis that we read about last week, the church in Philadelphia did not let their past selves distract themselves from where they were right now. Instead, they kept their eyes, hearts, minds, everything about them on mission. They were loving God, they were loving people, they were making disciples and they didn’t worry about the cost both personally and as a collective (as many of the other churches we went through did). They did not worry about “surviving” as Sardis did, instead they found themselves (despite being a small church in a small and dying town) thriving in the eyes of the savior. In fact, they went down in history through this letter as one of the great churches in History, despite as Jesus said “having only a little power.” This was a church that was on track and totally within Jesus’ will, despite even enduring persecution. So, let’s dive in and look at them and what it means to us even more. So, if you don’t have your bible open already, go ahead and open it and this week, From the text, I want you to see these traits that Jesus commends as Jesus reveals His will for His Churches.

Message

Devotion to the Holy One

7 “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: 8 I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

If you will recall, from each of the other churches opening address from Jesus, He addressed them and describes Himself in a way that the church would understand and be able to apply. Before Jesus described Himself like fine bronze (to a town that had many metal smiths or as having a sharp sword (to a town that had endured persecution under the sword of Roman rule) now, notice how Jesus describes Himself here, He describes Himself as: the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: 8 Wow, notice here that Jesus REALLY describes Himself and His attributes as God, using words like Holy, True, having the key and His authority to open and close which no one can overcome. What does this say about this church? It says that they have an extremely good understanding of God, who He is, what He does, and that they understand He is more important than anything else. They didn’t have distractions or other wants, they only wanted God, to please Him and bring Him glory! Jesus tells them, I know your works, I know your heart! I know what it is you desire, and you are to be commended. In response to your unwavering devotion and patient endurance in your faith and love of Me, I have placed an open door before you, that cannot and will not be closed.

Has anyone been in a really old home? You know, the kind where the doors never quite shut or open right, in fact during certain times of the year, certain doors may not be able to open or close. But, you know that if you wait a few months and the temperature changes, it will be opened or closeable. Even though those doors are stuck shut or open for a time, you can easily know that with a little time (and maybe with a little bit of “putting your shoulder in it”), the door will open or close. That kind of door is NOT what Jesus is talking about, he is saying, WHATEVER I DO TO THIS DOOR, CANNOT BE CHANGED, your faith has made you worthy, I say you are worthy and I am in charge, you will know the eternal delight of your God and Savior.

So, brothers and sisters, we need to ask ourselves individually and collectively, do we have, do you have Devotion to the Holy One? Do you understand Him? Let me just give you a clue, if you do; then you will always be seeking new and more ways to understand Him more like: knew ways or methods of studying your bible, daily and frequent prayer, exposing yourself to good worship music (both new and old) and even old ones you know but in a new way. Are you choosing God and serving Him and His kingdom over serving yourself? Are you doing your part to not only make new believers (through evangelism) but also encouraging or teaching the younger or new believers? Those are some things that are key indicators that you are devoted to the Holy One. Do you do those things? If not, why not? And if not, are you ready to repent of whatever personal want to desire that have that is keeping you from doing so? Because God is calling all believers always to a wholehearted devotion to the Holy One.

The next trait that Jesus commends is: Endurance to get you home

9 Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.

It seems that also here, as in several of the other towns, the church in Philadelphia was enduring some kind of persecution and slander from the Jewish synagogue. Jesus says, those false worshipers of Me, who think they are so high and mighty, will be made low and bow down not just before My feet, but before your feet as well; because I have loved you and you have loved Me. Your endurance in your faith to me is strong, and as such, when the time of testing comes (that the whole world will endure), I will keep you from it. I am coming, I am coming soon, you do not know when, but it will happen (this day we are anxiously awaiting for ourselves today). In the meantime, hold on to what you have, keep doing what you have (which includes growing in your love, faith, devotion, and works). You have a crown, don’t make yourself unworthy of it. Don’t just plateau. I am very proud and pleased with you, keep it up!

I can only imagine that when the church heard this news, when they received this letter, that their must have been much rejoicing. Not only did we receive a letter from the beloved John, but this letter is from Jesus Himself and He is giving us two thumbs up with a smile and so much more! Christ saw their endurance, He saw that they didn’t give up on Him, He saw that they kept their eyes on the cross and in their eyes nothing else was worth looking at and Christ is saying, well done keep going until you come home.

Beloved brothers and sisters, where is home? We have all heard the old saying, “Home is where the heart is.” So, where is your heart? What is it seeking? What are you seeking? Is it treasures on earth? Or is it treasure in heaven? Even better yet, are you keeping your eyes on the ultimate treasure, God? Are you keeping your eyes on what your God, your master is pleased with? Or, are you seeking something else, or even something that on the surface is a good thing, but has some kind of lack of faith behind it? Do you have this kind of endurance? To keep your eyes on the prize, keep your eyes on the ball, keep your eyes on Christ? Instead of on other wants of the heart and mind. Here the words of this Psalm, Psalm 73,

Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength[i] of my heart, my portion forever. 27 Those far from you will certainly perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do.

Make these words your heart cry on this journey of endurance to get you home.

Another trait that Jesus commends is: Strong faith like a pillar

12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. 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 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

Christ brings His address to the church to a close. Once again, He is telling the conquerors, who appear to be almost everyone if not everyone in the church of Philadelphia, that their rewards for coming to Him and lasting in Him will be great. Notice what He says, He says that they will be a pillar that will never go out in the temple of God. Now, let me ask you something. Have you ever seen an ancient ruin before? I bet what comes to mind when you think of an ancient ruin is the pillars, something like this *show picture. Have you ever noticed that, that at these ancient ruins, what seems to last isn’t the roof or even the floor, but the pillars, what everything else is built around and upon. So, it is clear that great care is put into the pillars. You might even say they are the strongest part of the structure, that last even for thousands of years. Christ says, these pillars, these pillars that are the faith in God of these conquerors, will never go out, that they raise up, they elevate, they point towards the greatness of God. What else does He say? He says that Christ the name of God and of the New Jerusalem, the city of God and His own new name are on them forever.

So, they are His, and no one will ever be able to dispute or contend with that. Christ is ultimately saying to this church, you have made your faith in me strong. You have made it so strong that I can only say of it, that it is like the strongest things you encounter. You have made this strong faith the base, the raising point, what everything about you in your mind, deeds, and actions are all about your faith. You have not only said outloud what is important, but you have shown what is important time and time again and through every trail you endured. Good job. That is exactly what I want for each and every one of you, that is exactly what I want for each and every one of my churches, strong faith like a pillar.

Conclusion

Beloved, do you see it? Do you know what Jesus’ will is for His churches? It would be that they are strong pillars of faith, faith that is seen, grown, increases, and plays itself out no matter the situation. See these points that Jesus is commending in this church, their Devotion to the Holy One, their Endurance to get home, and their Strong faith like a pillar. See them, and listen to this hymn, one that you know, believe it and apply it everywhere in your life:

Verse 1 Have faith in God when your pathway is lonely, He sees and knows all the way you have trod; Never alone are the least of His children; Have faith in God, have faith in God.

Chorus Have faith in God, He’s on His throne; Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own; He cannot fail, He must prevail; Have faith in God, have faith in God.

Verse 2 Have faith in God when your prayers are unanswered, Your earnest plea He will never forget; Wait on the Lord, trust His Word and be patient, Have faith in God, He’ll answer yet.

Verse 3 Have faith in God in your pain and your sorrow, His heart is touched with your grief and despair; Cast all your cares and your burdens upon Him, And leave them there, oh, leave them there.

Verse 4 Have faith in God though all else fail about you; Have faith in God, He provides for His own; He cannot fail though all kingdoms shall perish, He rules, He reigns upon His throne.

As we contemplate this, I want to invite you; if you have not yet filled out your worksheet, the answers will be on the screen. Take a few moments to fill it out, consider it and the implications it has on us. Then, take a few moments in personal prayer about it. While you do this, the alter will be open and anyone who needs can come forward. Also, as you go through the week, continue to pray as we have done today, and if anything comes to mind, write it down on your worksheet. After this few moments Then, I will lead us in a prayer to God that He will strengthen us, and give us all knowledge and wisdom as we seek His will for us.

· Give 4-5 minutes to fill out worksheet and for prayer.

· Lead a prayer

[1] Christian Standard Bible. Holman Bible Publishers, 2020, p. Re 3:7–13.