The Faithful Church

The Letters to the Churches - Philadelphia A Faithful Church - Revelation 3:7-13 July 20, 2025 I'm sure we've all met couples who have been married for several decades. Often, they are asked how they managed to be together for so long. Many times, they will tell you "don't go to bed angry," "it's a partnership," of course communication is key, not criticizing one another, spending time together, date nights, and so forth. We can go on and on. One man, who was on the TV game show "Family Feud" shared that he and his wife had been married for 49 years. He noted that they liked to travel and take trips. He said that for their 25th anniversary, he took her to China, and for their 50th anniversary, he was planning on picking her up. I'm not too sure that's a good example of loyalty or faithfulness to your spouse. Good news is that in Jesus' letter to Philadelphia (not Pennsylvania) this morning, we'll see what true faithfulness looks like. Let's read Revelation 3:7-13 this morning: 7 "AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA WRITE: 'THE WORDS OF THE HOLY ONE, THE TRUE ONE, WHO HAS THE KEY OF DAVID, WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, WHO SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS. 8 " 'I KNOW YOUR WORKS. BEHOLD, I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU AN OPEN DOOR, WHICH NO ONE IS ABLE TO SHUT. I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BUT LITTLE POWER, AND YET YOU HAVE KEPT MY WORD AND HAVE NOT DENIED MY NAME. 9 BEHOLD, I WILL MAKE THOSE OF THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN WHO SAY THAT THEY ARE JEWS AND ARE NOT, BUT LIE-BEHOLD, I WILL MAKE THEM COME AND BOW DOWN BEFORE YOUR FEET, AND THEY WILL LEARN THAT I HAVE LOVED YOU. 10 BECAUSE YOU HAVE KEPT MY WORD ABOUT PATIENT ENDURANCE, I WILL KEEP YOU FROM THE HOUR OF TRIAL THAT IS COMING ON THE WHOLE WORLD, TO TRY THOSE WHO DWELL ON THE EARTH. 11 I AM COMING SOON. HOLD FAST WHAT YOU HAVE, SO THAT NO ONE MAY SEIZE YOUR CROWN. 12 THE ONE WHO CONQUERS, I WILL MAKE HIM A PILLAR IN THE TEMPLE OF MY GOD. NEVER SHALL HE GO OUT OF IT, 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 FROM MY GOD OUT OF HEAVEN, AND MY OWN NEW NAME. 13 HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES.' We're actually coming close to the end of these letters, Philadelphia being the sixth of seven of these letters. Of course, we've been following the natural structure of each of these letters and today will be no different. However, what we will see is that this letter is largely positive, so we will not get a rebuke or condemnation for this church, nor a direct counsel or command for correction. So, let's briefly talk about Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love. I want to share just three facts about this city that will assist us in understanding the content of this letter. * If you were here last week, I shared about a church that had a whiskey and poker ministry, today, we're talking about the wine ministry. Okay. Not really. But this city was known for its commercial and agricultural contributions, including its vast grape crops. Which is likely why the deity in the city was Dionysus, the god of wine. * Another thing that this city was known for were its earthquakes. Ever been in an earthquake? I have, and they are very unsettling. My first one was the well-known Northridge quake in 1994. I had stuff falling off my walls over my bed, the ground felt like it was moving back and forth. Again, unsettling. I can vividly remember my leg shaking out of fear. Similarly, in this city, many left the because of the earthquakes. And, not too many came settled there because of these earthquakes. So, the population of this city was small. * Finally, a third fact about this city that I believe is important is that it was well known as a "gateway city." Through Philadelphia, people can access the east, and therefore it was known as a sending city (and church) - both in the Greek culture and in their Christian faith. There's more about this city, but these facts show the connection between the city and the content of the letter. In the second part of verse 7, we see again Jesus describing Himself in a way that was most relevant for the church He was addressing. Here, He characterizes Himself in four ways. First, * Jesus is the Holy One o Once again, Jesus reveals to the reader that He is God. o Later in Revelation 15:4, we read that only God is holy. o So, is Jesus the Holy One, or is God the Holy One? * Yes. o Jesus, once again, is affirming His deity and His identity as God the Son o This description, and the ones that follow, are His identity, His very being. o They remind us that Jesus is the One and Only. o Next ... * Jesus is the True One o This is used as a direct counter to any false god worship. o Jesus, as the True One, is authentic and genuine. o He is stating that He is not manufactured, like these false gods and idols. o He is proclaiming that there is no other, He is the "original copy" o Next, * Jesus holds the Key of David o Jesus seems to be referring to Isaiah 22, where the holder of the key is the one who has the right to rule. o So, this emphasizes His authority and kingship. o The sense here is that He alone has access, and that He is the only one that can grant access o Generally, the "David" qualifier is connected with Jesus as the Messiah. Once again, affirming that He is the Way. There is no other. o And - sorry to break this to you - this means that Peter is not the key holder, that belongs to Jesus. o Related to this, we see that ... * Jesus is the doorkeeper o Once again, it is Jesus who opens and closes the door. * Broadly speaking, this "door" is the door to His kingdom. o This may also be related to opportunity, freedom, and control - all at the same time. o Again, emphasizing His power and authority over all things. o This is what Paul talks about in Colossians 1:16-20, when he says: 16 FOR BY HIM ALL THINGS WERE CREATED, IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE, WHETHER THRONES OR DOMINIONS OR RULERS OR AUTHORITIES-ALL THINGS WERE CREATED THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIM. 17 AND HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS, AND IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER. 18 AND HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH. HE IS THE BEGINNING, THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD, THAT IN EVERYTHING HE MIGHT BE PREEMINENT. 19 FOR IN HIM ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD WAS PLEASED TO DWELL, 20 AND THROUGH HIM TO RECONCILE TO HIMSELF ALL THINGS, WHETHER ON EARTH OR IN HEAVEN, MAKING PEACE BY THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS. This leads us to the commendation that Jesus has for the church. Let's set it up first through our main idea this morning: A faithful church is a free church. In verse 8, Jesus plays off the open-door phrasing. Remember what we talked about earlier about Philadelphia being a gateway city, and a sending city and church. Jesus, here, is commending Philadelphia for their faithfulness in reaching out to others. He is holding this door open, allowing them the freedom to go out, and the language here implies that they are free to do so, without interference. There is both a positive and a negative application of freedom. * Negatively, there's the example from Romans 1, where Paul says three times that God gave the sinners over to their sin. * Positively, there's the example of Jesus in Matthew 7:7-8, where He encourages His followers to seek, ask, and knock. o Each with a promise of fulfillment. o Or, there's the example in Psalm 37:4, which says: DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. Our hearts, when changed by Jesus, will be aligned with God's heart. And with that comes freedom to worship, freedom to share, and freedom to serve. This faithful church had the freedom to be that type of church for others. Philadelphia, of course, was not without her problems. In verse 9 we read of a group of people who claimed to be Jewish, who were not. This is why the second commendation of perseverance is referred to in verse 10. This church, even with opposition, continued to the be the church the God had called them to be. Not only did they have the obstacle of these so-called Jews, they also seemed to have the obstacle of being a small church. Well, that's encouraging, isn't it? You see, that word "little" in verse 8 may also be translated small, or "small in size," which seems to be consistent with a small population within this city. He is commending them for being small, but faithful to His Word and to His promises. With this, Jesus provides more promises for this faithful church. So, what are these PROMISES TO THE FAITHFUL Once again, we have four promises from Jesus. First, * Jesus vindicates the faithful (v.9) o The language here is quite interesting. o Jesus, just as He did in Revelation 2:9 references these "fake" Jews and this "synagogue of Satan" * This means that they were not true Jews in the sense that ... * One, they didn't do the works of Abraham (see John 8:39), which likely refers to faith in action (see Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3 and others). * Second, it may be alluding to what Paul talks about in Romans 2:28-29 when he speaks these words: 28 FOR NO ONE IS A JEW WHO IS MERELY ONE OUTWARDLY, NOR IS CIRCUMCISION OUTWARD AND PHYSICAL. 29 BUT A JEW IS ONE INWARDLY, AND CIRCUMCISION IS A MATTER OF THE HEART, BY THE SPIRIT, NOT BY THE LETTER. HIS PRAISE IS NOT FROM MAN BUT FROM GOD. o The reality was, that these people, who identified themselves as Jews, were against God, and therefore part of Satan's synagogue, not God's. o He then says that they will bow at the feet of these faithful saints. o The meaning here is not completely clear, as there does not seem to be a direct reference to this in the Scriptures. * Several passages in Isaiah allude to the general idea of one group bowing to another in an act of submission. * This could fit, as Jesus says they will do this as an acknowledgment of Jesus' love for them * Another possible solution is the understanding that all will one day bow before the Lord (as seen in Philippians 2:9-11), and according to Revelation 20:12-15, the saints who are already present with the Lord will witness this. o What is clear, though, is that these Jews were coming against these faithful believers, and Jesus promises that He will vindicate them. o That is a promise for us today as well. Namely that those who are evil will not prevail, only those who are victorious in Christ will prevail. o His next promise is found in verse 10, where we read that ... * Jesus will protect the faithful through tribulation (v.10) o Those who hold to the belief of a pre-tribulation rapture will likely take this to mean that these saints will be spared from the Great Tribulation because they'd be raptured before this occurs, and ... o Those who believe that the saints will endure all or part of the Great Tribulation will take this to mean that they will be protected and spared during that event. o It may actually refer to neither view. * First, in verse 11 when Jesus says He is coming soon, He is not talking about the Second Coming, once again, as we've seen from the other churches, He is speaking to judgement, and maybe even deliverance. * Secondly, there is no indication in these two chapters that Jesus is speaking about the rapture, His purpose was to commend and condemn these churches, while encouraging them to repent and follow Him. o The focus here is in God's promise to be with the believer in their struggle. o Once again, a promise we can hold on to today. o Jesus' next encouragement is a familiar one ... * Hold on and keep on (vv. 10-11) o Notice in verse 10, the reward is for those who keep God's Word o In verse 11, the reward is for those who have held on, continuing in their faith and in their good works. o And, finally, a promise for those who have not denied Jesus' name (verse 8) o So many promises to the faithful. o Next, * God will give me strength (v.12) o The pillars are a picture of strength and power. o In these earthquakes, they were likely the only structure to not topple o There seems to also be a connection to eternity with the mention of the New Jerusalem. o The message of this letter is largely positive. o Because of His strength, we have freedom to worship. Freedom to serve. And freedom to share. This is why we said earlier in our main idea that a faithful church is a free church. What an encouraging letter that Jesus wrote to this small church. What an encouraging letter for us, here at Thornydale Family Church, as well. All throughout the Scriptures, we're reminded of God's grace. He uses broken people, small churches, and Average Joe's to do His work. But, let's be honest, sometimes it is difficult, sometimes it is discouraging. But Jesus says to those who are struggling to hold on. To keep working. To keep praying. To keep sharing. To keep serving. In the end, we just need to leave the results to Him and continue on. Will you continue on? Will you trust Him with the results? Let's pray. 2