A Faithful Church

Revelation 3:7–13 NKJV

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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 I will write on him My new name. 13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’

The Revelation of Jesus Christ The Letter to Philadelphia: The Church Faithful to Christ (3:7-13)

The message to the church at Philadelphia is in some respects one of the most interesting of all the messages to the churches. Here is a church which was faithful to Christ and the Word of God. The city of Philadelphia itself, known in modern times as Alasehir, is located in Lydia some twenty-eight miles southeast of Sardis and was named after a king of Pergamos, Attalus Philadelphus, who built the city. The word Philadelphia, meaning “brotherly love,” is found six other times in the New Testament (Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Peter 1:7a, b). Here the word occurs for the seventh and final time, but only here is it used of the city bearing this name.

The city of Philadelphia had a long history and several times was almost completely destroyed by earthquakes. The most recent rebuilding was in a.d. 17. The land area around Philadelphia was rich in agricultural value, but had noticeable tokens of previous volcanic action. Grapes were one of the principal crops, and, in keeping with this, Dionysus was one of the chief objects of pagan worship. Through the centuries, a nominal Christian testimony continued in this city of Philadelphia and prospered even under Turkish rule. But all nominal Christians left the city for Greece after World War I.

What does it take to be faithful?

Revelation 3:8 NKJV

8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

I. Having a little strength.

I was surprised to find some theologians who believe that “little strength” was rather derogatory and implying that Christ was chastising this church!

I don’t see this at all! because the Lord uses a specific Greek word for little, which is to be distinguished from the word used by Jesus when He said “you of little faith” in (Matt.16:8).

Matthew 16:8 NKJV

8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?

In Matthew 16:8, little is used in conjunction with faith in a negative way, and it is a totally different word.

In Rev. it is used in relation to power and in a positive way.

In fact Louw-Nida Greek English Lexicon says, “it is probably better understood as indicating the extent of a state of being powerful.”

Look at some of the ways this word is used in the gospels:

Matthew 11:11 NKJV

11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Matthew 13:32 NKJV

32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Matthew 18:12–14 NKJV

12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

We can clearly see that the use of the Greek MICRON in these verses is used to describe potential and favor.

So as we can see, having little faith is not the same as having a little strength.

It probably takes greater faith to have even a little strength.

II. Keeping His word.

John 14:23 NKJV

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

Perhaps this is repetitive of me, but, I don’t think it can be overstated:

We keep His word because we love Him, not because keeping His word buys us any favor or grace with God.

The confessor of Christ who has no desire to keep His word, may need to do some soul searching, to see whether they are in fact in the faith.

Those that belong to Christ, are in a love relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and have a deep desire to know Him better and do the things that demonstrate their love for Him.

Thus, they keep His Word!

But, what exactly does Jesus mean when He says, “you have kept my word”?

Many today are confused about whether or not what they do has any bearing upon their salvation.

It is clear that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8)

It is also clear that we are created in Christ for the purpose of bringing forth good works (Eph 2:10), or as John 15 states, fruit.

This concept of works and fruit is only found in keeping His word.

A. It is obedience to the word of God, not perfection.

The idea of obedience is a non-essential word in the millennial Christian movement.

People like Matthew vines Author of “God and the Gay christian”, and Jonathan Merritt, A Gay Christian Journalist and son of former SBC President James Merritt are rewriting theology to allow a place for sin to exist within the gospel.

Their books and videos with many other defectors of the Christian faith, are infiltrating the sanctity of Orthodox Christianity and turning multitudes away from the plain teaching of the Bible.

If Jesus, the God man, paid for all our sins, and we discount those sins, than are we not saying that He died for nothing?

We must not cheapen the cross of Christ, by cultural relativism!

The Bible is the inerrant word of God.

God is unchangeable according to His word.

God’s word supersedes all culture, times, and events.

So then, what it said in 1000 B.C. is still good in the 21st century.

If we are to keep His word, we must obey it!

Every word!

Every command!

To the best of our ability!

Because it says in Psalm 119:89 “That forever O LORD, Your word is settled in Heaven”.

B. It is bringing our lives into conformity with what it says.

In simple terms, when I am confronted with something God’s word says that may be contrary to how I’m living or acting, I can either ignore it or change my life or action to adopt to it.

If I ignore it, i will not be keeping His word.

If I conform to it, then I am keeping His word.

Rosaria Butterfield Christian Author and Ex professor of Literary studies for LGBTQ at Syracuse University says it this way -

Conversion to Christ did not initially change my sexual attraction for women.  What conversion did change immediately was my heart and mind.  My mind was on fire for the Bible and I could not read enough of it or enough about it.  The gospel gave me a light that was ruinous.  It ruined me for the life I had loved.  The Lord’s light illumined my sin through the law and illumined my hope through Jesus and the gospel.  The gospel destroyed me before the Lord built me back up.  In saying “yes” to Jesus and “no” to the desires of my flesh, I learned that the only way to peace with my God was through the Cross—the one that Jesus died on and the one that I was called, with the help of Jesus, to carry.

III. Not denying His name.

We know that Peter denied Jesus!

Matthew 26:34 NKJV

34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

The tense of both verbs Kept and denied, are in the form of the aorist. It may be as Henry Alford says, that it points to some trial in the past where they were tempted to deny Him, but did not.

This tense of the verbs also conveys a finality to the action.

In other words, they did not once for all deny His name!

Peter denied Jesus three times, but it was not the end of the story!

I read this article years ago about a pastor of the underground church, who upon being arrested was tortured and coerced into recanting his faith. Satisfying his captors he was released. The shame of his folding under pressure plagued him despite the churches attempts to assuage his conscience. Determined to make it right, he began to publicly proclaim Christ more forcefully. When he was re-arrested, he determined that no matter what, he would not recant his faith. He was eventually executed.

Conclusion:

My brothers and sisters, God desires us to be faithful!

He shows us clearly in this Place in Revelation in His letter to the church at Philadelphia, what is required of those that would follow Him in faithful commitment:

To have a little strength

To keep His word

To not deny His name

I think today we have a better idea of what He meant.

And how can we not do these things?

May we walk in this light!