Hold On
Notes
Transcript
Revelation 3:7-13
Revelation 3:7-13
In one of the hardest seasons of my life, I learned that holding on means standing firm in faith, even when life feels like a storm. Revelation 3:11 reminds us of the urgency to persevere. Imagine a sailor gripping the mast in a fierce gale, knowing their life depends on it. Just as that sailor holds fast, so must we hold fast to God—our anchor—trusting His promises and finding strength in His presence, especially when fear threatens to overtake us.
We are now at the sixth church, Philadelphia. Philadelphia means “brotherly love” in Greek. Not what we think of when we think of Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia lay about twenty-five miles southeast of Sardis along the Hermus River Valley. It was considered the gateway to the East. Philadelphia was established by the Pergamenian king Attalus II, who had been given the epithet “Philadelphia” because of his love for his brother.
The Lord opens His letter to Philadelphia by declaring His attributes. First, He is holy; “Holy One” is used in the New Testament as a messianic title for the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:24). This is a direct reference to His Deity. The Lord Jesus Christ possesses, in undiminished, unaltered essence, the holy and sinless nature of God. Because Christ is holy, His church must be as well. Second, He is true. Truth is used in combination with holiness to describe God (Rev. 19:2). Alethinos (true) denotes that which is genuine, authentic, and real. Amidst a world of falsehood, perversion, and error, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Truth (John 14:6). Third, Jesus describes Himself as the One who has the key of David. David symbolizes the messianic office. This term also appears in Isaiah 22:22. Lastly, Jesus identifies Himself as the One who opens and now will shut, and who shuts and no one opens. Who can reverse what He does? Isaiah 43:13!
saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
“Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.
“Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
Jesus knows the deed of Philadelphia, that they have little strength. But He does not condemn them for that little strength; He is about to reward them. What they are doing is pleasing to the Lord. The Lord is glorified in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). Listen to Charles Spurgeon’s words, “My own weakness makes me shrink, but God’s promise makes me brave.” Saint Augustine of Hippo encourages us with these words, “The strength of Christ created you; the weakness of Christ created you anew. The strength of Christ caused that to be which was not; the weakness of Christ caused what was not to perish. He fashioned us by His strength; He sought us by His weakness.” For them in Philadelphia and for us now, if we will Hold On, Christ promises five rewards He will give. The first promise in holding on is that He will make our enemies fall at our feet. The second promise in holding on is that He will keep us from the hour of trial. The third promise in holding on is that He will make them and us a pillar in the temple of God. The fourth promise in holding on is that He will write the name of the new Jerusalem on us. The last promise in holding on is that He will write a new name on us.
ENEMY FALL; PROTECTED; PILLAR; NEW JERUSALEM; NEW NAME
ENEMY FALL; PROTECTED; PILLAR; NEW JERUSALEM; NEW NAME
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Enemy Fall:
Enemy Fall:
Even though this was not a large or strong church, it was a faithful one. It is not size or strength that determines its ministry, but faith in the call and command of the Lord. God’s commandments are God’s enablements. If Jesus gives an open door, He will see to it that they and we can walk through it. The second obstacle Philadelphia encountered, and we too, is Satan. He will use people who say they are of us but are not. Remember what Paul told the church in Ephesus? Ephesians 6:12: Who do we battle? These people may have been Jews by birth, but they were not “true Israel” in the New Testament sense (Rom. 2:28-29). Opposition comes from within more than from without. But those enemies will fall at their feet and know that Jesus loved them. It is during the time of tribulation that we will be protected because of His love for us.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Protected:
Protected:
The word for keep is “tereo”; it means to guard, protect, and watch over something closely. Christ keeps us; only by His blood will we enter His presence. But once that Blood—oh, that Precious Blood—is poured on us, nothing will separate us from His protection. I want you to think about what could separate us from our children. Is there anything in this world that would cause us to turn our backs on them? And how much more does He love us? We are protected children of the Almighty because of His Son’s blood.
In John 10:28, Jesus says, 'I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.' Picture a mother eagle soaring through the sky, her eaglets nestled safely in her wings. No storm can shake her grip; she fiercely protects her young. This image captures the essence of Jesus' promise to us. Just as that eagle keeps her eaglets safe, Jesus assures us that He will never let us fall away or be taken from Him, embracing us with His never-ending love. Because He will protect us, He will make us a pillar.
and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
Pillar:
Pillar:
Philadelphia would clearly understand what Christ meant. Since Philadelphia was earthquake-prone, this reference strengthened them. During that time, the Greeks and Romans built elaborate temples with huge pillars to uphold and strengthen them. These pillars still stand today. Over two thousand years old, the building has crumbled, but these pillars have not. Philadelphia had been told they would be pillars in the Temple of God. Moreover, what the NIV renders as “never again will they leave it” says literally—and forcefully for the Philadelphians—“and outside they will never go out.” Thus, for those who have had to abandon their town once and again, and for the many who had chosen to live outside the town in any case, this promise had a very direct bearing. God told Jeremiah about pillars (Jer. 1:18). Paul talked about the pillars (Gal. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:15).
“Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land.
and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
We know that the temple will never crumble! They would also have written on them the new name of the new Jerusalem.
New Jerusalem:
New Jerusalem:
We know that later in Revelation we read that the beast requires his own name to be written on the forehead and the right hand. But in (Rev. 20:4), those who do not have his name written on the forehead, and thus are assumed to have God’s name written there, are given the privilege of enjoying the millennial reign with Christ. For earthquake-prone Philadelphia, they would inherit a city that will endure-and will exist without tremors!
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Imagine receiving a beautifully crafted piece of jewelry with your name engraved on it. It signifies that you are cherished and set apart. When Scripture says Jesus will write the New Jerusalem on us, it’s like receiving a personalized reminder of belonging. In Christ, we are made new, marked by His love and grace, and destined for a heavenly kingdom where we find our true identity. New Jerusalem and a New Name are given to them and to us.
New Name:
New Name:
Remember Christ’s promise to Pergamum? Rev. 2:17 says they would receive a new name if they overcome. With Christ’s new name written on them, they belonged to Him. I like how Gordon Fee explains the new name:
‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’
First, writing Christ’s name on their foreheads is the ultimate sign of ownership, not of enslavement but of ultimate and glorious freedom. Second, the “new name” is almost certainly an intentional foreshadowing of the vision in 19:11–21, where Christ, the heavenly warrior, defeats and destroys the beast. There, Christ’s “new name” is “King of kings and Lord of lords”; now, in anticipation of that scene, the victors in Philadelphia are promised that the same name will be written on them as well (though the location is unmentioned, since it is a name of divine ownership, not of personal gain).
It was common practice to inscribe the names of benefactors or of the gods they dedicated on pillars in Greek and Roman temples, but the promise to write the name on them is not so much John mixing his metaphors as coining another metaphor. Writing a name generally suggests ownership or allegiance, and as Revelation unfolds, humanity is divided between those inscribed with the name of the beast (encoded in his number, Rev.13:18) and those inscribed with the name of Jesus and the Father (Rev.14:1; 20:4).
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
We have a new name because of Yahweh! If we hold on to Christ and place our hope in His work rather than our own, He will strengthen us, make us a pillar in His temple in His presence, give us the New Jerusalem, make our enemies fall at His feet, and cause them to see that He loved us! AMEN!!!!
