Postcards from Patmos: Dear Philadelphia

Transcript

JRS 9
August 21, 2022
Postcards from Patmos: Dear Philadelphia
Revelation 3:7-13
Jesse Randolph

There’s a famous old story about the way in which Groucho Marx, the vaudeville performer, actor and comedian cancelled his membership in the Friars’ Club in 1949. As the story goes, he did so in a letter, and in that letter, the ever-quirky Marx wrote these words. “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.” Think about it. Well, whether he knew it or not, Groucho’s humorous withdrawal from the Friars’ Club in 1949, actually bore some resemblance to what Charles Spurgeon said in a sermon he preached on April 5, 1891. A sermon that was titled “The Best Donation,” in which the Prince of Preachers said this, “If I had never joined a Church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all! And the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect Church after I had become a member of it.” Groucho Marx, a profound dispenser of worldly wisdom, knew that there was no such thing as a perfect club or a perfect association. Charles Spurgeon, a God-fearing preacher, knew that there was no such thing as a perfect church. And of course, both men were right. There is no such thing as a perfect association. Or a perfect club. Or a perfect assembly. Or a perfect church. And that’s because each of those organizations are collections of people as full of imperfect people.

You know, zeroing in on the church world, there is, has not been, and never will be a perfect gathering of God’s people. Because the reality is that though we have trusted in Christ, though we are God’s people, though we have been saved, even though we have been purchased, and though we have been redeemed and we are now justified in our God’s sight -- the reality is, we are still sinners. We still sin. We still fight sin. We still battle sin. We still fall short of the glory of God. We still fall short of God’s perfect and holy and righteous standards for how He expects us to live.
There is no perfect church. There is no perfect denomination. There is no perfect theological perspective. There are no perfect pastors. There are no perfect ministries. And there are no perfect church members.

Now, I’m afraid, in response to me bringing that fairly obvious truth out, that there might be a temptation for us as individuals and us as a church body, to swing our collective pendulums radically in one direction or the other. The first direction would be to swing the pendulum in the direction of settling upon our own imperfection, as though our imperfection is somehow virtuous. With our heads hung low, and our frames slouched, and us faceplanting into the same patterns of sin, that we’ve always been faceplanting into, with no remorse and with no repentance. We misapply Paul’s statement in Romans 5:20, where he says, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” This would be the “I’m resigned to the fact that I’m imperfect, and so I’m not motivated to pursue holiness” crowd.

The second direction that the pendulum may swing, in response to the statements I’ve been making so far, would be in the direction of extra-biblical, puritanical, legalistic perfectionism. And over here on this side would be those that have their heads held high, and their noses in the air, who are confusing their obedience to what God has laid out clearly in His word with obedience to their own man-made expectations or preferences. With moral compasses that are not completely in sync with God’s word, this crowd would start openly criticizing, and silently judging other believers who don’t otherwise live out a sincerely held faith in Jesus the way that they do. They send their kids to public school? They don’t read the King James Version only? They don’t do weekly date nights? I wonder if they’re even saved?
In both cases, whichever way the pendulum swings, we have imperfect people, who are wildly over-correcting their imperfection. In the former case, the over-correction is in the direction of being libertine. In the latter case, the over-correction is in the direction of being legalistic. And in both cases, there’s a complete missing of the mark in terms of what the Lord Jesus Christ wants from His churches, and from the Christians who make up those churches. See, what the Lord wants from His followers, what the Lord wants from His churches, is faithfulness. Faithfulness, obedience. He wants holiness. And He wants diligence.

As we’re about to see, the church at Philadelphia, was a church that modeled each of those characteristics. It was an imperfect church, just as any church is. But it was a faithful church, an obedient church, and a diligent church. And in the letter the Lord writes them, is a letter in which He commends them for each of those traits. Giving us much to learn, and much to heed, and much to follow.

With that, let’s open our bibles to Revelation 3. If you’re not there already, we’re going to look through verses 7-13 today. And we’re going to encounter and unpack what the Lord has to say to this faithful, obedient, holy and diligent church there, in Philadelphia. Revelation 3: 7-13, God’s word reads as follows, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie – I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; 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 out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

As you know, this is the sixth now of the seven letters that the Lord Jesus Christ wrote to these seven ancient churches in Asia Minor. And in case you’ve missed any of them or you’re new to the church, by way of review, in the first letter, to Ephesus, the Lord commended that church for its doctrinal fidelity and its theological orthodoxy, but at the same time criticized that church for losing its first love, namely for Him. In the second letter, to Smyrna, the Lord commended that church for its perseverance and its faithfulness to Him in the midst of real suffering. In the third letter, to Pergamum, the Lord criticized that church for compromising by allowing false teachers, specifically the Balaamites and the Nicolaitans, to creep into their midst. In the fourth letter, to Thyatira, the Lord called out that church for tolerating, allowing false teaching, namely that of that woman Jezebel, to remain in its midst. In the fifth letter, to Sardis, which we looked at last week, we saw the dead church to which the Lord had nothing good to say.

Which brings us to today, to our study of the church at Philadelphia, letter number six.
What does the Lord have to say to this church at Philadelphia? Before we answer that question though, as we do each week, we need to cover some of the background, of what was happening in this city and in this church, at this time. Because doing so, adds significant and important color and texture to what the words on the page say.

Geographically speaking, the city of Philadelphia, laid about 30 miles southeast of Sardis, the city we looked at last week. So, again if we were to put this in our greater Lincoln context, if Ephesus would have been like Crete. And Smyrna would have been like Seward. And Pergamum would have been like Raymond. And Thyatira would have been like Waverly. And Sardis would have been like Eagle. Philadelphia would have been like Syracuse over by the Pietzyk’s. I don’t see them here. I can’t see that in the blinding light. But you know the Pietzyk’s out there by Syracuse. That’s where Philadelphia would have been. A major trade route ran through this city of Philadelphia. So, what happened was, goods would be shipped in from the coastal cities like Ephesus and like Smyrna. And they would make their way by this main road through Philadelphia, and into the inland regions of the Republic. So, actually, Philadelphia was known as the “Gateway to the East.”

In terms of its history, Philadelphia was founded sometime around the year 189 B.C. Close to two hundred years before the birth of our Lord, which actually makes it one of the youngest cities to which Christ writes. The city was founded by a king of Pergamum named Attalus II Philadelphos. And he was given that second name, Philadelphos, as you might understand, because of a deep love he had for his brother. Now, that’s what Philadelphos means, “brotherly love.” The city in the east coast, the “city of brotherly love.”

In terms of its religious outlook, at the time that Christ wrote this letter, obviously there was a church there in Philadelphia. And we know very simply that this church would have been founded whenever the gospel went out to Asia Minor, as is recorded in Acts 19. We know a few other stray pieces of data about this church. For instance, we know that Ignatius, the church father, passed through this city, sometime around the second century on the way to his martyrdom in Rome. We know that Ignatius, that same Ignatius in fact, wrote a letter to the Philadelphians. It was his own epistle, though not canonical, not in the canon of scripture. We know that the church at Philadelphia would have been a small church and a weakened church. And we also know that this church faced significant Jewish opposition and even persecution by the Jewish element there in that city of Philadelphia.
And we know one other thing about this church, one very important thing. And its what we learned from the Lord Jesus Christ, in His postcard to this church. And I’ve already mentioned it a couple of times. This was a good church. This was a faithful church. This was an obedient church. This was a diligent church. This was a church that had a deep and profound sense of obligation to the God-Man who had died for them. And this was reflected in how they lived their lives, fully and devotedly, for Him.

With that as our background, let’s dive back into our text. Starting with the familiar line there in verse seven, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:” The Lord Jesus is here saying to this angelo, to this messenger, to this pastor, take this down. This letter was dictated by the Son of God, to the apostle John, to give to this local pastor. Whose life undoubtedly would have been a life whose life and comportment reflected those whom he was charged to shepherd. Meaning, he would have been tried and tested, battered and bruised in his own right, but faithful. Willing to walk away from whatever the world offered. So, that He could pursue what the Lord Jesus offered, eternal life and life abundant. That of course, infinitely superior to whatever this world can offer.

And then, after addressing this messenger, this pastor, Jesus identifies Himself there at the second part of verse 7. It says, “He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this.” So, right out of the gate, the Lord is telling this church four things about Himself. He’s holy, He’s true, He has the key of David, and He opens and shuts doors at His discretion. Let’s take some time to work through each of these.

First, starting with Jesus here, referring to Himself as holy, “He who is holy.” Now, this of course, is not the only time in the New Testament that we see the Lord referred to as holy. In Mark 1:24, He’s referred to as, “the Holy One of God.” In Luke 1:35, the birth account, He’s referred to as the “holy Child.” In Acts 3:14 He’s called “the Holy and Righteous One.” And what each of these titles signifies, is that just as God the Father is holy, God the Son is holy. He is perfect. He is pure. He is set apart. He is transcendent. He is in a class all by Himself. He is three-times-holy. The God of very God.

And note, this holy God of the heavens and the earth, is also the Lord of the church. And as we’ve seen throughout this series, He’s pictured here as walking in the midst of His churches, scanning them and searching them. And ensuring that in those churches, there is an ongoing desire to purge sin and unholiness and unrighteousness from their midst. See, because Christ is holy, He cannot tolerate sin. He is a holy God who cannot look upon iniquity. He is a holy God who cannot put up with evil. He is a holy God who cannot and will not countenance wickedness.

Now, to be reminded of Christ’s holiness, and His reign over the church, and His concern for the church, is always a good thing for churches like ours to be reminded of. To make sure that our lives are living up to His standards. That we are, as 1 Peter 1:14-16 says, not being conformed to the former lusts which were ours in ignorance, but like the Holy One who called us, being holy ourselves in all our behavior, “because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am Holy.’ ”

If you’re sitting here this morning, and you have no hunger for holiness, if you have no zeal for godliness, if you aren’t by the power of the Spirit who lives in you (if He lives in you) actively striving to purge the sin that remains in your life -- you really need to question whether God’s Spirit lives in you. You really need to question whether you do or do not belong to Christ. You really need to think about and pray about whether you are truly saved. Because the mark of somebody who is born from above and has the power of the Spirit living in them, rescued and redeemed, is that they will seek to live out, seek to pursue holiness in the way that the One who is holy, has saved them. For the church at Philadelphia, as we’re about to see, they were faithful. They were zealous in their pursuit of holiness. So, Christ’s reminder here, that He is holy, would not have actually been a rebuke to them. It would have actually been an encouraging reminder.

Next, the Lord says that He is “true.” He’s not only holy, He’s true. Meaning that He is the One that is genuine and authentic. He’s the real thing. There will be many who are false who seek to infiltrate the church, false teachers and false prophets and false Messiahs. But the Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who can rightly be described as both holy and true. Of Israel’s promised Messiah, Isaiah 53:9, it was said, that there was no “deceit in His mouth.” And of course, our Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, certainly fulfilled that prophecy. He is the way, He is the truth, John 14:6, He is the life. He is the truth and He is true. He is a holy Savior, who cannot and will not tolerate sin. But He’s also a true Savior, who cannot and will not tolerate falsehood.

Next, we see in verse 7 that the One who addresses this church, is not only holy, and not only true, He “has the key of David.”
Now, keys in scripture typically represent power and authority and control. In fact, we know from Revelation 1:18, which we would have looked at a few weeks ago, that Christ there, it says, has “the keys of death and of Hades.” Meaning, He has power and authority and control over who will live and who will die, who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. And we know from this morning’s passage also, that He has “the key of David.” That’s symbolic language, borrowed from Isaiah 22. In fact, why don’t we flip over to Isaiah 22, to see where John, directed by the Spirit here, is getting that reference. Isaiah 22. As you’re flipping there, I’ll give you a little bit of the context in Isaiah 22. We’re going to pick it up around verse 15. And the scene here, pages are still turning, I’ll give it a minute. The scene here in Isaiah 22:15, is that “the Lord God of hosts”, you see that there in verse 15, is telling His prophet, Isaiah, to tell Shebna, also in verse 15, “who is in charge of the royal household” it says. Shebna, would have been essentially the prime minister to the king. Isaiah’s telling Shebna, by way of God, the Lord of hosts, he’s telling Shebna that he’s being deposed. He’s being relieved of his responsibilities. He’s being pink slipped, is what you could say. And he’s about to be replaced with Eliakim.

Look at verses 20 and 21. It says, “Then it will come about in that day,” I’m in verse 20 of Isaiah 22, “that I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your tunic and tie your sash securely about him. I will entrust him with your authority, and he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” And now look at verse 22. It says, “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.” So, in this original context of Isaiah 22, Eliakim, the new prime minister to Israel’s king, was given a key which provided access to the king. Bringing it back over to Revelation 3:7, Jesus, the promised Davidic heir, the Messiah of Israel, holds the key which provides access to the ultimate King, God the Father.

Do you see what’s happening? Isaiah 22, the key that’s being spoken of, it’s given to the one who gives access to the king over Israel. But here in Revelation 3:7, the key is being given to the one who has access to the king over all, the king over heaven and earth. Ultimately, this is referring to the Lord, God’s promised Messiah from the line of David, holding the keys to eternal life. Jesus holds the authority. He holds the power. He holds the keys, which helps us understand better what comes next in this verse. Because as the one who holds the keys, it says here, He is the One: “who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens.” He is saying to a church in a city, remind you, called the “Gateway of the East”, key holder. He’s saying, I’m the gatekeeper. I, and only I, have authority to let people in or keep people out. Sure, you might have this hostile Jewish population in your midst, who, because of your allegiance to Me, may no longer let you in their synagogues. But I, the Lord Jesus Christ, am the One who can let you through the only door that matters. In fact, I am the door. I hold the keys.” And as we see Him say in Matthew 28:18, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
See, a lot of people have authority in this world, but the reality is, there’s only one who has any true authority, the Lord Jesus Christ. He “opens and no one will shut,” He “shuts and no one opens.”

With that, He launches right into His commendation, His words of praise for this church in verse 8. He says, “I know your deeds.” Here, He’s expressing that He has the same comprehensive knowledge of this church as He does of each of the other churches. But in the case of this church at Philadelphia, unlike the churches at Ephesus and Pergamum and Thyatira and Sardis, those words, “I know you deeds”, would actually have brought them great joy. Because they were pursuing holiness. And they were practicing righteousness.

And our Lord goes on to say in verse 8: “Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut.” It’s a parenthetical word of encouragement from the Lord, which He places right before what He says next, where He says, “Because you have a little power.” “You have a little ‘dunamis.’ ” This isn’t necessarily, by the way, saying this was a feeble church or a weak church. Rather, what it’s emphasizing is that this was a comparatively small church. They were few, and because they were few, they were limited in power, more limited than let’s say a larger body of believers, or any other large non-believing organization.

And when you think about it, this church’s stature would be consistent with the way God typically works! The church today, the church at large, the global church, and individual churches, could be said, as being entities that have “little power.” Especially when you measure against the perceived powers of the world, like the government, and the educational system, and Hollywood, and you name it, it goes on and on and on. No, as the Lord fulfills His perfect and foreordained plans, He has allowed His church and His churches over the centuries, to be weak. To be led by weak and imperfect men. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, “there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.” God has used weak and imperfect men. He’s also used weak saints, who count it a privilege to suffer for His glory. Philippians 1:29, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”

See, the faithful church isn’t fighting to be defined positively by the world. The faithful church isn’t looking for respect, or accolades, or attaboys, or pats on the shoulder from the world. All the faithful church wants is to be viewed positively by God. All the faithful church wants is to please Christ.
Knowing that in our weakness His strength is magnified. And in our total dependence upon Him, His name, not ours, is greatly glorified.

The church at Philadelphia was a small church, and in certain earthly ways it was struggling. But it was committed to remaining faithful, and it needed encouragement. And Jesus gives them that encouragement by reminding them, here in verse 8, that He’s put before them, “an open door which no one can shut.” If I can paraphrase, the Lord is communicating here, that “No matter what happens, the door to eternal life, the door to His coming kingdom, has already been swung open to this dear body of believers.” Sure, they may face persecution and trials and even death in this life. They may struggle and battle and toil. But the war has already been won. They are victors through Him. They are conquerors in Christ. And it doesn’t ultimately matter that they have “little power” in the world. Because it’s ultimately, it’s His power who determines who gets in and who stays out. Remembering that He holds the keys. He is the door.

Unlike many of the other letters that we’ve looked at and will look at next week, the Lord here is not criticizing this church. This is a letter of unreserved encouragement. And again, He’s blessing them because they pursue faithfulness, obedience, holiness and diligence. We see that picked up in the rest of verse 8 where it says, “because you have little power,” and then note the next part, “and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

Let’s start with those words, “you have kept [My] the word.” This is, friends, the true measuring stick of success in a church. This is how a “good church” is actually determined. It’s not about size. It’s not about influence. It’s not about breadth of influence. It’s not about fame of leadership. It’s not about political activism. It’s not about business acumen. It’s not about social awareness or acceptability. None of those things, ultimately factor in to whether a church is good. Rather, you can tell whether a church is good based on its consistent acceptance of the reality that Jesus Christ is Master. That we are His slaves. And that it is not only our duty, but our joy to obey Him. That’s what marks a good church.

And note, Jesus doesn’t say here, that the church at Philadelphia, when He talks about them keeping His word He’s not merely saying that they read His word, He’s not merely saying that they knew His word, or that they studied His word. He says they kept His word. This was a “church of the book.” But they weren’t only a church of the book in the sense that their doctrine was right, though it was. This was also a church of the book, in a sense that they were serious about their relationship with the God who was revealed in this book. Meaning, they were serious about sin and holiness and righteousness. They were serious about rooting out the sin in their lives that remained. They were serious about obeying the whole counsel of God, whether it was in their marriage, or their parenting, or their personal life, or their business dealings, or any other aspect of life. He commends them.

And He commends them also, see the last few words of verse 8, because they “have not denied My name.” Denying Christ’s name here, would mean attempting to shake off the yoke that He has placed on us, as His children, as His”doulos,” bondservants, slaves. This church had not denied Christ’s name by the way that they lived. Which, frankly, is often one of the easiest and saddest ways to deny His name, without even being consciously aware of it. This would be the person who claims the name of Christ but goes ahead and lives like the world. And in doing so, actually denies the name of Christ. The church at Philadelphia did not deny Christ’s name through an inconsistent witness. They were consistently true to Him. He commends them. He’s affirming them.

I pray daily that this church, our church, Indian Hills Community Church, would be that type of church. A church with an uncommon preoccupation with holiness. A church that is undaunted in its pursuit of truth, as it’s revealed in the Word. A church that is uncompromising in its submission to the authority of God’s word. A church that is unflinching in its commitment to faithfully following Jesus in every area of life, every day of the week, every hour of the day. This church has known much of the blessing of God, especially in the last 53 years. Can you imagine if we as a body of believers here today, double down in our resolve to seek the truth of God’s word, to submit to the authority of God’s word. Could you imagine if we as a church, were to humbly prostrate ourselves before the living God in prayer, and say all the time, Lord, I need You? Can you imagine what God might do here in this locality, in this facility, in this community? In this facility with its history? And among this body?

I have big dreams about what the Lord might do in Lincoln, over the next several decades, through the ministry of Indian Hills. Maybe you do, too. But frankly, those dreams are just fanciful visions, with no substance, and no hope, if we aren’t willing to submit each one of those requests to God through prayer. If we aren’t willing to submit each one of those thoughts or dreams or hopes to the timeless wisdom that He’s given us in His word. Because the moment that I think, or you think, or we all think, that we can pull off anything here, without appealing to God, and relying upon God, we’re going to fall flat on our face. Right? If we think that we can finance all that we think God wants to do here, based on principles of money management from the world, we’re going to fall on our face. If we think we can storm Lincoln for the cause of Christ, storm the Big Red Welcome for the cause of Christ, without realizing that the Spirit of God needs to go with us, we’re going to fall on our face. Until we are willing to recognize that we are weak, and we don’t have this whole thing wired and figured out, but that we instead desperately need God’s power and God’s strength, we’re going to fall on our face. We will only know the full blessing of God, here at Indian Hills, in the season ahead, when we become more and more like this church at Philadelphia. Willing to learn, willing to grow, humble and dependent, and understanding what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10, that when we are weak, He is strong.

Moving on to verse 9: He says “Behold…” this is the Lord, not only affirming this church, but vindicating them, He says, “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie – I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.” So apparently, there was this group in Philadelphia, that was trying to stamp out the advance of the gospel. And this group claimed to be the true children of God. But clearly, they were not. You know, these individuals, they had been born into Jewish families. But they had rejected the Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, Yahweh in the flesh. And because of that, they did not have a true relationship with the God that they believed that they were worshiping. And in that sense, they were not true Jews. They did not have circumcised hearts. Rather, theirs was a man-made religion rooted in tradition and form and custom. As Paul says in Romans 2:28-29, “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.”
See, this Jewish sect there in Philadelphia was not of God. They did not have the faith required to be of God. Rather, they are pegged here as being of the “synagogue of Satan.” As Jesus Himself said during His earthly ministry, they were of their father, the devil.

The Lord is drawing a thick and bright line here. Not only to this group of Jews in Philadelphia, but to any religious group in this world, which claims to have a corner on truth. Jesus here is saying we’re either of God and for God, or we’re of Satan and for Satan. It’s one or the other. It’s black and white. There’s nothing in between. You’re either with Christ, trusting in His finished work on the cross. Acknowledging His exclusivity as the one and only Savior, and following Him faithfully as His slave. Or you’re against Christ. Meaning, you’re in opposition to Him. Whether you’re open about you opposition to Him, or you’re deceived about your commitment to Him. Whether you’re Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist, or Mormon or a Jehovah’s Witness or an atheist. But also, whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool lifetime Christian church attender, who never got real about your own lack of faith, and you never truly repented of your sins and put your trust in Him. You’re either, through faith in Christ, a part of the church of God. 1 Timothy 3:15, the church is “the pillar and support of the truth.” Or, because of your lack of true saving faith, you’re a member of the synagogue of Satan, circling the drain, and on your way to the blistering fires of a real and eternal hell. Bringing it back to Philadelphia, what Jesus is saying here, is that this was a town that was full of false religion, specifically, Jewish believers who comprised this, what He calls synagogue of Satan

Now, about this synagogue of Satan, Jesus, in verse 9 says, “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.” Meaning, that He is at work even in this community of those who are opposing the advance of His gospel in this city. Meaning, He’s sovereign even over the false teachers and the false teaching. He is going to make them bow down.

And He says, He’s going to make them bow down in a specific way. First, it says, “bow down at your feet.” Apparently, this faithful little church in Philadelphia, would one day be rewarded for their faithfulness, by seeing the salvation of some of those same Jews in that city that had been persecuting them.

Second, He says that He’ll “make them know that I have loved you.” See, there would have been many in this city who would have been convicted as they watched the lifestyle of this early Philadelphian church. As they advance and they shared the gospel with the lost in this city, as seeds of truth were being planted in these unbelieving hearts, eventually some would come to faith in Jesus Christ. And guess where those earliest Jewish converts would have gone, once the scales fell off, and they became true believers? Where did you go when you first came to saving faith? I know where I went. Right back to the first person who shared the gospel with me, to say, praise the Lord, I was blind, but now I see. That’s what would have happened here. There would have been many in this city that would have ultimately come to know Christ through the gospel of grace, all because someone in this church had shared that message with them. And now, with these new eyes of faith, these new converts, to use the words of Christ here, would come to know “that I have loved you.” Come to know that He loves the believers in that city.

What an amazing encouragement that is even for us here this morning! To keep knocking on those doors. To keep sharing those church invites with young men that are bagging your groceries. To go to Big Red Welcome and share the gospel out there. To be a fool for Christ as you proclaim Christ and Him crucified and press on in doing so.

Well, bringing it back to Philadelphia, there was this very interesting and worldview-shifting thing that was happening in this city. Because we know from the earlier biblical prophets, that God had promised His original people, the Israelites, that the Gentiles would be the ones eventually bowing down to them, the Israelites. Here’s a few references: Isaiah 45:14, Isaiah 49:23, Isaiah 60:14. Each of those speak to the Gentiles one day bowing down to the Israelites. But here in Revelation 3: 9, it’s the Jews who are being portrayed as, along with unbelieving Gentiles, bowing down before Christians. In other words, the roles have completely reversed. Because this church was faithful in preaching the gospel. And God was gracious in saving their persecutors.

Now, there is, of course, this futuristic sense in which we could take this passage, when it speaks to Jews bowing down. We know that at the end of the age, once “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in”, Romans 11[verses 25-26], that “all Israel will be saved.” And so, there is a sense that that phase of history, that at the end of that age, the Jews that come to know the Lord will come to know that He has loved the Gentile church. The language that we see here in verse 9. But I do believe that a clearer referent, the most clear referent in view here in this passage, is that Jesus is speaking specifically to the Jews in Philadelphia, in this context, who would be saved. Who would come to become beloved saints. And who would come to know that God had loved the very Gentiles that had been sharing the gospel with them.

But, there is a very much futuristic aspect of this letter that we’re going to see now, as we move into verse 10. This takes us, and transports us from Philadelphia to what we as a church all have to look forward to, and what we’re actually going to be spared. Verse 10, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

I’ll get into the meat of this passage in just a second, but first I want to note those opening words: “Because you kept the word of My perseverance.” Christ is commending this church again for not giving in. And showing, ultimately, the same perseverance that He modeled during His earthly ministry.
Hebrews 12:2, He’s the one “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has [now] sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Christ here, in a way, is saying, “you haven’t compromised, Philadelphia. Unlike Pergamum, you haven’t compromised. You haven’t tolerated, like Thyatira. You’re not on the verge of dying, like Sardis. You’re not a lost love church, like Ephesus. No, you’re a steadfast church, a faithful church.” 2 Thessalonians 3:5 -- this was the type of church that Philadelphia was. “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.” This was a church that endured. This was a church whose endurance really was a hallmark of their true saving faith.

And because they had persevered, look at what Christ promises them here in verse 10, He says, I will also “keep you from the hour of the testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Now, you might recall from the letter to Smyrna, that Christ encouraged that church not to fear the period of being tested or tribulation, that period of ten days that they would be imprisoned, that they were about to experience. And in that context, the letter to Smyrna, He was clear that the Smyrnan church’s tribulation or testing would be intense, but it would be localized. It would be limited to them, in that timeframe. Something very different is being described in Christ’s postcard to Philadelphia. See, here in Revelation 3:10, Christ is making a statement about an event that is not limited to the city of Philadelphia or the church at Philadelphia. Rather, He’s referring to a much broader event, a much more cataclysmic event. This event is in the future. According to the text, it is an “hour which is about to come.” This event will be for a limited time. It’s called an “hour of testing.” This event will be global. It says it will “come upon the whole world.” And the impact of this event will be felt most greatly by those who reject Christ. “Those”, it says “who dwell on the earth.” Which, whenever you see that term used in Revelation, its always a reference to unbelievers. So, what is it that the Lord is describing here? He’s referring to that time that the bible speaks of as the time of Jacob’s trouble, the time of great distress, Daniel’s seventieth week. What we know as The Great Tribulation. The Lord here, is promising here, to keep His church -- whether in Philadelphia, in 95 A.D. or Philadelphia, PA in 2022, or from anywhere else in the world, and over the centuries -- out of the future time of testing that will come on unbelievers. As Christians, we will be spared from the suffering that is going to fall on the rest of the world. No bowls, no seals, no trumpets for us. By the time that this terrifying time comes, whether we’re dead or whether we’re alive, we will already have been raptured, snatched away, taken out of the world, in the way that 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and other passages describe.

Surely, as believers, we will face tribulations, lower case t, as in trials in this world. But we will not face the ultimate day of Tribulation, capitol T, that is coming on the world. That’s what Jesus here is saying in verse 10. Because this church had pursued Christ’s truth, because they had submitted to His authority, because they had not denied His name, because they had kept His word, because they had recognized that they were weak but needed to be made strong by Him -- He makes them a promise. They will be spared the tribulation that will one day come upon this world. And if that’s you, this morning… if you trusted in Christ, if you put your faith in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ (and that will produce a fruitfulness in your life, you will find yourself abiding in Him) -- you have this same promise. The promise being made here, that you will not face or suffer that great day of Tribulation, that’s coming on the world.

Could it get any better for the church at Philadelphia? Actually, it does. Look at verses 11-13. He says, “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; 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 out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

He starts by saying there in verse 11, “I am coming quickly.” He’s coming for the church, and He’s coming quickly. Now, for the other churches that we’ve looked at, those references… there are these parallel references in Revelation 2 and 3, that Jesus is coming to those churches as well. But when He’s coming for those other disobedient churches, what He’s speaking to, what we’ve seen already, is the temporal judgment that He’s going to bring on those sinning congregations. Similar to what we see happening to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. Or the one who eats from the bread and drinks of the cup in an unworthy manner, in 1 Corinthians 11:28-30. But in this letter to this church at Philadelphia, when the Lord says, “I am coming quickly”, He’s referring to this hour of testing, this hour of Tribulation. He’s telling this church in Philadelphia, this faithful and persevering church, “I’m coming, not to condemn you. Rather, I’m coming to deliver you.” We have to remember the context in which this is said.
And then, look at the next part of the verse in 11. He says, “hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” They’ve been faithful. And now the Lord is encouraging them to remain faithful. to “hold fast.” And that is such an important reminder for us this morning. Because none of us, not one of us, in this auditorium will ever reach “peak” faithfulness in these bodies of flesh! Not one of us has graduated or will graduate from needing to be reminded that we must remain faithful.

Next, He says, verse 11, “so that no one will take your crown.” He’s not saying “to hold onto the crown” here, in the sense of fearing to lose one’s salvation. No one’s going to lose their salvation if they’ve truly trusted in Christ. Look at John 10:29-30 later today. No, all He’s saying here, is hold on to the truth you’ve got, the truth you’ve received, and the truth you’re now living out. He’s saying, just because you’ve been obedient for the last week, or the last day, or the last month, does not mean you’ll be tomorrow. So, hold fast. He’s encouraging them to persevere, to pursue Him, to obey Him daily in everything.

Verse 12, “He who overcomes.” That he puts some rewards out in front of those who overcome. And we’ve seen that “He who overcomes”, that’s a reference back to 1 John 5:5, he who overcomes is he who believes in Jesus as the Son of God. To such an overcomer, to such a conqueror, the Lord now in this verse, verse 12, promises five things.

First, He promises, “I will make Him a pillar in the temple of my God.” That’s a reference to the eternal abode of all true followers of Jesus Christ. That eternal abode is not heaven. Heaven is a halfway point. The eternal abode is the New Jerusalem. And the pillar that’s referenced here, it represents security and stability and permanence. So, the idea here in verse 12 is that of security and permanence in the presence of God for all eternity, never being evicted, never being forced out from God’s presence. Rather, we are these permanently placed pillars in the presence of God.

Next, He says, “he will not go out from it anymore.” “He” there, is the overcomer, the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. For such a person, they know that they will forever be in the presence of God, in the most blessed sense. They can echo the words of the Psalmist, in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

Third, in verse 12, He promises to “write on” them [the overcomer] “the name of my God.” To write on them, is to say that He owns them. The overcomer can be assured that His Identity is secure. Because when God puts His name on you, it means you’re His. What a great thought. To know that we who have trusted in Christ, have been branded by God, with His name for all eternity. We are secure possessions of God. Purchased by the blood of His own Son. With all rights and privileges that come with being a part of His family.

Fourth, He says He’ll “write” on the overcomer, “the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.” So, we’ll have stamped on us the name of God, signifying His ownership. But we’ll also have stamped on us the name of the city of our God, the New Jerusalem, our eternal place of residence, this city of God come down from heaven. This is speaking of our eternal citizenship. You know, on this earth, we’re mere sojourners and exiles. We’re just passing through this broken and sinful world. But, where we’re headed is this place, the New Jerusalem, the Eternal City.

Last, He says, “My new name.” We will receive, He promises the overcomer, “My new name.” As we knew Him in His humility, we will one day know Him in His glory. You know, we know that when He was crucified, the Father raised up the Son from the dead and gave Him a name above every name. And that name, in that context, is “Lord.” But whatever that name, that’s referred here in verse 12b, whether it’s Lord, or some other name that we’ve never heard, it’s going to be a name that encompasses the fullness of His eternal majesty. Beyond that, there’s not much more that we can speculate upon.

Last in verse 13, we come to this familiar statement. And He says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” And this is just a reminder, to us in this church, to heed what Christ is saying to us, not only in this letter, but in each of His letters. And what is more important to you? What could be more important to you? What Christ is saying here, or where you’re headed for lunch after service? I hear the stomachs growling. What’s more important to you? What He said to the churches and to our church in this letter? Or you’re “to do” list for tomorrow? What’s more important to you -- what He's saying in the timeless truths contained in here in His word, or the fact that Husker football starts in less than a week? “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Well, it’s interesting to note, that of the six churches that we’ve now looked at, the two churches that we’ve seen that received nothing but positive marks from the Lord were churches that were known for having traversed bumpy roads, the washboards out here on the gravel roads (that I now like to drive in my pickup truck). For the one church, Smyrna, the Lord said of them, in Revelation 2:9, He said, “I know your tribulation and your poverty.” It was a poor church, and a persecuted church. For the other church, the one that we’ve looked at this morning, Philadelphia, Jesus says of them, verse 8, “you have a little power.” See, neither of these churches would have been the churches that the church growth consultants and the ministry consultants of our day would have pointed at as being exemplary. But to the Lord, their work and their witness was exemplary. The Lord found this church, the church at Philadelphia, to be faithful, obedient, holy and diligent. And in the end, it’s His assessment and His assessment alone that matters. The church at Philadelphia is the kind of church I hope we will not only continue to be, but always be.

Let’s go to God in prayer and ask for His help in doing so. God, we thank You again, for the truth of Your word. For the timelessness and the profit that the words of these letters contain for us today. God, I pray that as we are studying these letters, as we’re nearing the end of this series, that this would cause great contemplation and reflection -- as we take our concerns to You in prayer, as we reflect on where we are as individual believers, and as a church. That we would take the things where You’ve commended churches for their faithfulness and strive to be like that. And that we repent of those matters where we have been unfaithful or compromised or tolerant or wayward. We desire, Lord God, to be a pure and holy bride. Would You do a work in this church, through the preaching of Your word, the fellowship of Your saints, the prayers that are offered, the songs that we sing, and all things that happen at this church. Would it all be a rich aroma to You, our Great and Mighty God. We love You and give You thanks. In Jesus’ name. Amen.