Philadelphia: The Faithful Church

Church. And we're in Revelation 3 and we're going to look at verses 7 through 13. Now remember we usually do this, we do the destination of the letter the description of Christ and then we do the diagnosis or the denunciation. But let me say before we begin, what you going to notice, when we read these verses is Christ, says nothing bad about this church. There's not a single thing bad about this church. There was one other church that he didn't say anything bad about in that was Smyrna and they were the suffering Church. And so they were suffering real bad. He had nothing bad to say to them will Philadelphia is another church that he has nothing bad to say. So as we read this letter and as we study today, let's see what we at new Grace can take from this church at Philadelphia. And do maybe some of the things or have some of the attitude or character or characteristics that they have. So let's start in verse 7 of chapter 3 and we're going to read down through verse 30 and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, right? These things says, he who is Holy, he who is true and watch this phrase. He who has the Key of David wonder what that he who opens, and no one shots and shuts and no one opens. Then he says in verse 8, I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door and no one shut. Can shut it for you have a little strength and you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Indeed, I will make those are 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 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. If I was you I would underline that whole phrase right there. He says, I'm going to keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. I wonder what he's talkin about the hour of trial that's coming out in the whole world. What's what's going to happen in the seven years of what tribulation? He's talkin about the tribulation. The hour of trial? He says I will keep you from, he's talkin to a church. How you going to keep a church from the our trial? By the rapture. by taking the church off the Earth, so you won't have to go through the Great Tribulation Alright, verse 11 behold, I am coming quickly, holdfast what you have that no one may take your crown where you don't want anybody to take your crown but he's not talkin about losing your salvation there, but we'll, we'll cover that when we get to he who overcomes, I will make him a pillar and the Temple of my God and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of my God one day, the name of the city of my God to names and nude Rose always comes down out of Heaven, from my God and I will ride on him. My new name. He's going to give us three names. Three names he's going to give us and we'll talk more about that at the end. Well if I could pick one of the seven churches that I want to be a member of, as I read these about these churches, it would be the church at Philadelphia. The only one, like I said beside Smyrna that nothing is negative. It said about But what I want us to do is to look at why the Lord commended this church and such an encouraging manner. So, let's start as we do every week the destination of the letter, you see it versus 7 to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. Like I said, it's the modern city of Eliezer in Turkey. He will know who Philadelphia is named after that's not Rocky, it's not Sylvester Stallone not that a Dallas Philadelphia. Has he was the king of pergamon And he founded this city and it was named after him. Now we have a city today in our country Philadelphia and this known as the city of what brotherly love and that's what the original Greek. Meaning meant brotherly love it occur. Several times in the New Testament and always refers to the love and affection between Christians is what it refers to. But from a prophetic perspective, the church in Philadelphia represents the universal church that began. Say at the beginning of the nineteenth century and it goes up until the Rapture of the church. So you could say, well we're living in that time now. We are and it overlaps with the church at laodicea that we'll talk about next week. so, if you want to look at it and in this way, Philadelphia represents The Modern Age of the spread of the Gospel like in the 18th 19th century, the great Awakenings and things like that, when the gospel just spread throughout Europe and came over here to America, this is what Philadelphia represent. So that's the destination of the letter. Now let's look at the designation number to declination of the Lord or the description of Christ. Let's look at this. As he did, in all previous letters Christ, begins to characterize his own self. And I look what he says here in the second part of her seven. These things says, he who is Holy One, he who is true too, and he who has the Key of David who opens, and no one shuts and shuts, and no one opens. So that's three things. He says about himself. Let's look at all of them. Briefly number one, we we need to understand that Jesus is Holy, what does the word? Holy mean in Scripture me set apart, set apart for a unique use to be set apart by God. God the Father set, Jesus apart to do what to come to this earth and due in to die for the sins of the world and he lived a perfect life to do that. So he was wholly, he was, he was pure. He's the only begotten Son of God and Peter tells us He who has called us is called holy, he said, so should we be wholly? So what Jesus is doing, because Christ is wholly, he has a right to call his church to be holy as well. So that's what he says here. He says, he who is Holy but then look at secondly, he says he who is true that word true their means genuine. So it's a reference to Christ genuineness, he was not only holy set apart without sin to God. He was also true and genuine and full of Integrity. I remember Jesus saying in John chapter 14, IM the way, and what truth. So right here says he, who is true. I am the way, the truth and the life. When I was thinking about that this week, I think, have y'all already started seeing the political commercials on TV, don't you just hate them? Ladies Ron all the time and I was thinking myself, Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life Jesus doesn't spend his words like politicians, but when he says something, it is the truth. When Jesus says, yes, he means. Yes, when he says no, he means, no, that's who Jesus is, he doesn't spend things. Nice of the you don't blow smoke. That's exactly right now. Look, thirdly what? It says, he who has the Key of David, who opens, and no one shots and shuts. And no one opened this is talking about Christ sovereignty. Jesus is sovereign. The Key of David. Now, what in the world is that? Well, it refers to a man in the Old Testament, his name was a like him. And the Bible says, and Isaiah 22, I believe it's verse 22. That a lock him. He carried the key of the House of David. Now, what does that mean? Well, in other words, he had the authority over all the Treasures of the king. He was only one had a key. If he wanted someone to see the treasures of David, a like him, had the key. He could open it up. So this reference in the Old Testament is describing Christ Authority. This is Sovereign Authority. And power that Christ is communicating to the church. He's the one that has the power to open doors and shut doors. Amen. He's the one that does that. We can't do that here at work. We are doing a healthy Church initiative and we want to reach our community, but it would be a terrible thing. If we tried to open doors, That were shocked. We need to walk through open doors, the doors that Christ open. And if a church is faithful to Christ, he will always have open doors available for that church, that he will. So that's one thing I want you to take from this today. He's the one that open Christ is the one that grows our church Christ is the one. He's the one who grows us in the village individually through the power of the Holy Spirit. He's the one who opens doors and shuts doors. And so we need to remember that. So the destination of course, Philadelphia description of Christ. Holy he's genuine and he saw her number three and this is what we want to get to the diagnosis of The church, the diagnosis of the church. Any modern church can benefit by studying this and he lives here for ways Christ. Commended this church and let's look at it and verse 8. He says, 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. I have kept my word and have not denied my name. All right. Number one. And this is the same thing from you Grace, They had an Open Door. But that's what he says, he says, remember the Christ words here of introduction, remember what he said about himself? He says, I've got the Key of David and I'm the one who opens and shuts doors and then all of a sudden in verse 8, he says, I know you worked, I have set before you and open door, so they have an open door. Now what does that mean? Well this this phrase Open Door up here. Several times in the New Testament. Paul talks about a door from Ministry that was open for him in Ephesus. He talked about an open door that the lord gave him in the city of Troy as In Colossians. He talked about praying that God would use his word and open a door to speak the mystery of Christ. So, Paul kept saying, use in this phrase, an open door here for Open. Door, is it represents an opportunity for ministry? That's what an Open Door is at new Grace Church Christ will give us an open door, he will open a door and opportunity for Ministry sometimes doors open. Sometimes they're not. But this metaphor here of an Open Door, really has particular relevance. I think to the church at Philadelphia because you see when you left Philadelphia You had four roads that you could take and all four roads lead to other cities in that area. In other words, Philadelphia was a Gateway City. If you wanted to go anywhere, you can start at Philadelphia and you could get anywhere. It was a Gateway City and a large region that included other cities. Guess what? Christ was reminding this church that you're in a strategic location for Ministry, because exactly where I have put you, I have open doors, you can go down this road and go over here. You go down this road and go over here. You can do that. Look where our church is sitting right here. We're right here in the Triangle Raleigh-Durham. A growing area where he has an open door for us. He has an open door and I want to read you something about Open doors and shut doors. That John Stott. He he's he's passed away now but I like to read a lot of his writings and listen to what he says about the notion of open doors in Ministry we have to be careful not to listen to this Christ has the keys and he opens the doors then let us not lie barge our way unceremonious Lee through doors Which are still closed. We must wait for him to make opening for us. Damage is continually being done to the cause of Christ by rude or blatant testimony. It is indeed right to seek the win, for Christ, our friends and relatives at home and it work. But we are sometimes in a greater hurry, then God is he talkin about the church, he said be patient. Pray hard, love much in weight. Expectantly for the opportunity of witness the same applies to our future. More mistakes are probably made by speed than by sloth God's purpose is often ripen slowly and if the door is shut, don't put your shoulder to it. Wait till Christ takes out the key and opens it up. So you know sometimes church or just lazy and they don't want to do anything in Christ to open the door. They just won't walk through it. But there's other times when we can be too panicky and we try to open our own doors and we can do more harm than good. So we have to understand and be Discerning. When Christ has opened a door for us or the church in Philadelphia is reminded that price is one who opens doors for Ministry and no one can close. And the same is true for every church today. The Philadelphia age of the church is the age of the open door. So he says, you have an open door be This is strange. They have a little strength. I think it. Look what he. I look how he says here. In verse 8. I have set before an open door that no one can, shut it. And for you have a little strength, you have a little strength. Well, that seems kind of strange to me. What did he mean by that? Well, literally, it says you have but little strength, so it's like Crisis saying here. Here's your Open Door. Here's your big opportunity. But the problem is you have little strength, but that's not what he's saying. The obvious implication is. It's not their strength. That's important is Christ stream and he says the same thing to us today that matter how many members we have no matter if we don't have a 5. If not the part of how strong we are, how big we are, how much money we have, how many people we have? Church growth, healthy churches will it's because of the strength that Christ infuses into the church. Not us. We have to rely on his strength. That brings to mind. What Christ said to Paul my strength is made perfect in your weakness. He said my strength is made perfect in your weakness. Paul learn to end his weakness, Christ's strength was more than sufficient if you ever learned that in your life, no matter how weak you are Christ your lord, his strength is sufficient and see what we do in our own strength. Has no staying power but what Christ will last for eternity and that's the strength that we have to rely on. So don't think because they had just a little strength that that's a bad thing. No that's a good thing in the Bible when I am weak then I am strong because you were lying on Christ. So that is a good thing. So they had an open-door, they had a little strength. See they had kept the word of God. Look how he says it, and you have kept my word.

What's the one thing responsible for the biblical A rosian in America? Today with somebody asked me that it would be very easy for me to answer. It is the removal of the word of God from pulpits in churches. That's that's the problem right there. It's the removal of the word of God and when Christians don't know what God desires or what his standards are, how can they keep them if they don't know it? How can they keep from being conformed to this world when this world does nothing but violate God's standard? If you don't come to church and I've heard Christians tell me before where I'm saved, I'm a Christian. But Christian, you don't have to go to church. When I know you don't have to go, but you tell me this, if you don't go to church and hear God's word and know what his standards are for your life, how can you live a Biblical Christian Life? When all your hearing is, what the world is pumping into you every day off the internet and TV and radio and everything else. There's just no way you would ever know his standard. This church was blessed by God, because they were faithful to his word. We need to be faithful to God's work, they had kept the word of God. That's number 32 has little strength. That would be and they had to open door ad. They not denied the Lord, they were faithful. Not only to the word of the Lord, but they were faithful to the Lord himself. They would not participate in the Caesar worship or Emperor worship. Like everyone else in the face of persecution, they did not deny the name of Christ and friends if we want to be commended by Christ, like the Church of Philadelphia We going to have to walk through the open doors that he opens for us. We're going to have to depend on his strength and we're going to have to be true to him and his word and healed. That's all we have to do right there. Don't knock doors down, just walk through doors, that he opens depend on his strength and not your own, and be true to him and his word. That's all we need. And he will bless our church number for Declaration of Christ to the church. He makes three declarations and look what he promises to do. He promises to humiliate their enemies. Look at it and verse 9. He says indeed I will make those are the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and or not, but lie and then I will make them come and worship before your feet to know that. I have loved you the same group that had attacked, Smyrna. Remember he talked about the synagogue of Satan in Smyrna, was attacking the church in Philadelphia Jews, who claimed to be Jews. But we're not, they were actually what I would call wolves in sheep's clothing. Is what they what they were the synagogue. But Christ says I will humiliate them. Just like he humiliated Paul on the road to Damascus. He's going to humiliate those attacking the church. Well, it's it's good to know that we don't have to fight her own spiritual battles. When we are attacked for following Christ, he will defend Us in his strength, will be sufficient. Be He promises to keep them from the hour of trial and I told you to underline that because I think this is one of the most important verses in the New Testament. So let me say it like this without getting into a lot of detail. When you read the book of Revelation, It's all about the church. In chapters 1 through 4. About to church. I mean we got letters to seven churches here in chapters 2 and 3. but after chapter 4, you never hear about the church again on Earth. Ever, you go all the way through the Judgment, the bowl judgment, the trumpet judgment, all of that, never mentions the church that, you know, if the church is going to go through all that terrible things, that somewhere in the Bible, John would have mentioned will. What's this is what the church supposed to do during the great trip never mentioned again, after chapter four. Now, why is that? Well, look at verse 10 of our chapter today because you have kept my command to persevere. I also will keep you keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole earth. He's talkin about the tribulation. The trial, they will avoid is going to come upon the whole world, the whole earth. It is a universal time of testing with the Philadelphia church will be spared from in which all, I believe all Christians will be spared from and I think what he's talkin about is the reference to the seven-year tribulation that will precede price. Second, that church is going to be taking off this earth. Like all Christians will be at the Rapture. Not a reason I say that cuz there's a lot of people, a lot of good Christians who believe that the church will go through the tribulation but will come out. Okay.

The reason I don't believe that is because he says here, I also will keep you from the hour of trial. He didn't say I'll keep you through the our trial. He says I will keep you from it. Which tells me that we will not go through that. So the Rapture of the church is the means by which God will keep Christians and the church from the hour of trial. And this is what he says here. He says, I will protect you from the hour of trial and then see he says I'm going to come quickly. I look how he says, in verse 11 behold. I am coming quickly, hold fast, what you have that? No one may take your crown, you say, well, he wrote that about 2,000 years ago and he still hadn't come. That's not quickly. That's been over two thousand years. Well, quickly doesn't mean immediately as we think of time, Quickly does not refer to when he will come quickly, refers to how he will come. How's it going to come in the twinkling of a w in a twinkling of an eye quickly? That's what he's talking about. He's not talking about, okay, in a few days, I'm going to come back, he's not talkin about the wind. He's talkin about the how he will come in a moment in a twinkling of the eye at the last. Trump that only takes a split second so. And then he says in verse 11 holdfast, what you have that, no one may take your crown. And I've heard people say what that means that they could lose their salvation know the word Crown. There does not mean losing salvation to work Crown. There you could substitute the word reward.

When we stand before the Judgment seat of Christ, we going to be he's going to give us rewards. He's going to give us crowns that we can cast At His Feet. You see Satan cannot steal your salvation but he can steal your rewards cuz I've talked to people for they say well I'm saying I know I'm going to have it. I live the way I want to where you can if you want to but if you just live like the world, you're going to lose every reward that you could hide. You're not going to lose your salvation if you're truly say but you can lose your reward. We know that. And that's what he's talkin about here. He's not talkin about salvation. Well, let's go to the last point. What does all this mean for us new Grace Church or and you know, the church in the 21st century here, let me give you four things. Number one, the direction for us a big potential of the local Church Philadelphia had an opportunity and every local church in the world has an opportunity. If Christ is with a present and the church is committed to him, he will put before that church an open door. Now, are you committed? Are we committed to Christ here? Yes. Or we committed to his work? Yes, we are. Do we want to reach out Community? Yes. Then that means he will put before us an open door. He will give us an opportunity for Ministry. Therefore, as you pray this week. You're 90 Day prayer challenge. Lord! Give me your heart for the loss. Give me your eyes for the Lost less. Add something to it. Lorde. Open up a door for new Grace Church to minister an opportunity to minister to our community, start praying for open doors. That's what we need breakfast. Don't pray that we'll figure out something. We'll do it. That's our own door know. He has the key, he's the one who opens and shuts, let's pray that he would open a door of opportunity for us had that 290 Day prayer challenge. As we pray churches, too, often focus on their limitations and problems. What they? Perceived as closed doors. We can do the same thing. Here we said yeah, but we have a little bit. We can you have Sunday School classes? We don't have enough room here for all the classes. We don't have that many people wear, an older congregation there's just so much going against us. A lot of churches can do that, but instead churches should assume that God has called them to a place that he will give us the resources and that we will walk through the open doors that he opens. That's exactly what We need to do every church is open doors, will be different, but every church will have an open door so that the potential of the local church. Potential of our church be The people of the local church, sometimes we consider the weakness of the local church, too. Few people not enough money, not enough gifts, not enough opportunities. But what does Christ say that ass? He said he sees that as a strength. We look at it and see it as a weakness. He sees it as a strength, remember, when we are weak and little Christ is strong and big. That's just the way it is. He strong and big when we were small and he commended them for having just a little strength and it meant the church would have to depend on him being spiritually, weak or low in numbers, is not something to be despised. Because building the church is not up to us, it's up to him cuz he's the head of the church. We are his body, we need his strength, and he will give it to us, e. The principles of the local church. Well, in verse 8, he gives us these three open doors for Ministry. Depending on the price for strength and keeping the word of God. The greatest wonder is keeping the word of God, because the greatest tragedy and modern church is the fares to Faithfully teach the whole Council of God, the way he wants us to do in the local church. So, that's the principal. And then, lastly, the priorities. Our church is his church. and we must, Identify with Christ. Regardless of the cost, the Bible is Christ book. Jesus was faithful to the Bible. He expects us to be faithful to the Bible as well. So in the world ass us they do you believe Christ is God. Do you worship Christ and none? Other, are you willing to die for your faith? If the answer to those questions is, yes, then we're not denying his name, he's home Philadelphia. You have not denied my name and the top priority of every church that calls itself, Christian is to lift up and exalt the name of Christ. Why? Because his name is an a above all names. That's why that's what we are to do. Now, look what he says in verse 12, when we going to close He says he overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go out no more. Now, let me tell you why, he says that he should go out no more. And this area of the world in the first century, it was prone to earthquakes. In Philadelphia had over three earthquakes where the entire city was almost destroyed. And the people would have to go out somewhere else and live and then come back and rebuild. He knew that and he says here, I will make him a pillar in the temple, my God and he shall go out no more. That's what he's told me. He talked about how the earthquakes used to come in the people that have to go in and out. He said, he have to go out no more. And I will ride on him, the name of my God, the name of the city of my God, New Jerusalem, and I will ride on him, my new name. So we're going to have three names for our identification. So here's the question, here is how to answer it, who is, who is my God, where is my home? And who is my Lord, I belong to. The father Heaven is my home and Jesus Is My Lord. That's our, that's our identification, right there. And this is how he gives it. My safety is in his Sovereign, to. My security is in his love, and my satisfaction is in his presence. Amen. That is a faithful Church. Let's pray. Father, we thank you and praise you today. Lord, for your word. Lord. We thank you for this letter to Philadelphia Lord. You have nothing negative to say about this church and the reason is because that they walk through the doors that you opened that they were faithful to you and to your word. They did not deny your name. Lord. How simple that would be if every Church would strive to do that? Lord, help us here. Knew Grace to be faithful. Lord help us to love your word. Help us to love. The lost people in this community Lord we pray that you would give us your heart for the laws. We pray that you would open up doors of opportunity that we would have the fake, the walk-through, or thank you for everything that you've done for us and what you going to do. We look forward to great days ahead for us. In Christ name, I do pray. Amen. All right. Well thank you all for being here today, John. I'm going to ask you if you don't mind to go and play and we're going to have our offering. So if the ushers would come 4th we'll have our offering and John can play. As we do that, we don't have a song for later. Do we get in? Okay, so we'll be dismissed after

after offering. Brother, David, I asked you, if you could close this, there were offertory prayer,