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The Seven Churches: Philadelphia
As we continue through the letters of our Lord to the seven churches of Revelation, we've covered five churches thus far. Soon we'll move beyond these letters into the main parts of the book of Revelation. I think the foundation of what Jesus is telling these seven churches—along with our Romans 8 series and some of the other stuff we've been doing in the last 12 months—is trying to lay a good foundation for us as a collective. This way, we can in our corporate worship time together really look at the end times, the last days type of stuff in an honest way.
That means we're always going back to growing in the Lord. You follow? That's always going back to our sanctification process in the Lord. Why? Because so much of the last days type of teaching that's out there is either surface stuff or it's designed to scare people into some sort of behavior modification. And many times that results in increased numbers for the teacher that has "cracked the code" of the last days or whatever. What am I talking about when I say increased numbers for the teacher? I'm talking about clicks, money, followers. The point isn't to educate and edify the saints to be looking for Jesus. The point is to promote themselves as the ones who have it all figured out.
See, when you really let scripture interpret scripture and you do sound exegesis, you will find that Revelation and Daniel and all the rest really should give you confidence in the Lord and give you peace because you know how this all ends. When taken in context with honesty, what happens? Well, maturity and stability result, not the panic or the fear-mongering that causes anxiety.
So the seven churches are the foundation of what is to come in the incredible book of Revelation. It would do our souls good to look into what the king actually says to them and why. What is being said here in chapters 2 and 3 that can be so important for us in the times we live in? Ask that question and then just look for the obvious answers.
Let me just remind you again these letters can be viewed from three different perspectives:
- Practically - These letters were written to real churches functioning in that day—that matters.
- Prophetically - I'm telling you right now that if you study the seven churches out there in multimedia land, 85-90% are going to fall into this prophetic view where they just slot the seven churches into church history. It's not bad, but that's not the steak. It's the potato. The potato's still legitimate on the plate, right? But it's not the steak.Prophetically, each church represents a different period of church history from Pentecost to the end of days. This particular church, Philadelphia, represents the period of 1700 AD to 1900 AD. During this period, the true Christian churches—weak numerically and financially—began the modern missions movement. This was also the period that saw the great awakenings and the revivals in America and in Europe.
- Personally - And this is kind of key—these churches can speak to us personally. These churches have something to say to every individual believer wanting to walk with Jesus Christ. And they speak to every church in existence since Pentecost to today.
So today we're going to look at Philadelphia, the church in Philadelphia. Oh, thank God we're here finally. We're here with the open door. Nothing in our text today is about what is wrong, what has been, what needs to be fixed, what is causing people to reject authentic salvation. Today, it's the open door and what Jesus has planned for those of us who will do all we can to keep his word. Even if we are weak, we will remain faithful.
Background on Philadelphia
Let's get the background on this city that this church is located in. Philadelphia was the youngest and smallest of all the cities addressed in these letters. The city was located on a narrow pass between two mountain ranges. It stood as a literal doorway between Asia and Asia Minor. Because of its strategic location, it was used as a military buffer city. Enemy armies passing through the narrow pass could be delayed by a small force at Philadelphia.
The city is named for King Attalus II. How do you get to that? Well, King Attalus II was the king of Pergamum and he was renowned for the love of his brother Eumenes. He had his heart, man. So he actually became known by a phrase called "Philadelphius." Philadelphius literally is a word that means "one who loves his brother." Thus, Philadelphia became known as the city of brotherly love. Or if you've ever gone to a professional sports event in America's Philadelphia, you know that it's really the city of brotherly shove. That's a whole other story.
Philadelphia was built on a geological fault and as a result, the city was plagued with frequent earthquakes and tremors. In fact, there are even ancient reports about citizens being forced to flee the city to avoid injury by falling buildings because of how often tremors hit there. Philadelphia was also home to numerous temples to the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece.
And Philadelphia—this is so key—was the last of the seven cities that Jesus wrote to in Revelation 2 and 3 to lose its Christian testimony. There was actually a thriving Christian community there as late as 1,000 AD when the city was captured by the Muslim armies of the Middle East.
It is to this church in Philadelphia that Jesus speaks these verses. As I said, this is awesome. He comes with no words of complaint. He comes to them with words of praise and words of promise. And I think the Lord's words to this weak but faithful church have much to say to our own hearts today. And if we are going to model ourselves after any of these seven churches, it would be this one.
The Church and Her King
Let's examine our Lord's words and find out why I would say that. Point number one today is the church and her king. Verses seven and the first part of verse 8. I want you to notice how King Jesus comes to this church and he identifies himself in two very powerful ways.
First, He Comes as the Sinless One
Don't miss this. The sinless one. The word "holy" tells us that Jesus is sinless and pure. Do you really understand how important that fact is? Let the word of God show you some things today.
The sinless one, the holy one. That is the Bible's testimony to Jesus. A couple scriptures to back that up:
- 1 Peter 2:22, "He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth."
- Hebrews 7:25 says, "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost, those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." That's good news.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 says this, "For our sake, for our sake, made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
I always say the good news is that God's going to stand us, Jesus is going to stand us up before God as if we're holy and perfect and never sin. Why? Because it's his righteousness that gets applied to us. Why? Because we went to the cross and we accepted his substitute. He took our punishment that we deserved on himself. That's the good news.
Do you know that the sinless holy one is also hell's testimony about Jesus? Look at what the demons actually said in Mark 1:24. It says, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."
That's heaven's testimony about Jesus as well. Luke 1:35 says, "And the angel answered her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the son of God."
This little run, how about we end with Jesus's testimony about himself? John 8:46 says, "Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?" Do you know that in scripture that question was never answered? FYI.
See, Jesus is speaking to a church that is striving to be holy in the midst of a corrupt and sinful world. And he comes to say to them, listen now, if it is possible to live for God, it is because of me. He's saying, look, you can do it. It is possible to live for God. You need me because I am holy and I'm the one who can help you become holy, too. That's a word of encouragement we all need from time to time. Look, the world is against us. Satan and sin is pressing in on us on every side. All you got to do is open your phone for 10 seconds. Jesus has the power to help us live holy lives. And he desires us to live those holy lives. And you say, "Well, I can't." And I say I can't stay with me.
He Comes in Sincerity
He's sincerely telling us this. The word "true" here means that which is genuine. What we know is that his word is true. Now he tells his people that he is the real savior. He is the only genuine lord. These early believers were surrounded daily by which was false. False gods, false worship abounded in that day. Jesus wants them to know that he's the real deal. They're not wasting their time serving him. You ever feel that way sometimes?
Jesus is saying, "You did not make a mistake when you turned your back on the idols and the pagan gods." That's what he's saying to Philadelphia. That's what he's saying to us today. They came to Jesus Christ and they came to the only savior.
Acts 4:12 says this. Really pay attention to this. "And there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Salvation is through nobody else. There's no other name. That's why Satan has so many counterfeits. That's why Christians have been persecuted since the first century.
John 14:6 says, "And Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me."
We live in an age when many things are mere imitations. We have sugar substitutes, salt substitutes, meat substitutes, fake fur, fake leather. We have virtual reality. We are surrounded by that which is fake and pretend. It is a comfort to be reminded that at least one thing is real. Jesus is the real deal.
When you trusted Jesus Christ, you got in on something that is real. Salvation is real. Prayer is real. Grace is real. Heaven is real. His presence is real. The word of God, the Bible, is real. His power is real. I'm just saying Jesus is the real deal.
As the Real Deal, He Has Authority
Jesus identifies himself as the one who is in control. Our scripture tells us today that he has the keys and he opens and closes the doors. Jesus says he has the key of David. What does that mean?
Let's just take a sidebar look at Isaiah 22:20-23. Let me just read that passage to you. Stay with me now.
"In that day, I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe and will bind your sash on him and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open and none shall shut. He shall shut and none shall open. I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place. And he will become a throne of honor to his father's house."
This passage speaks of a man named Eliakim. Two things. Great authority was given to Eliakim under King Hezekiah because he was known for one thing above everything else. You know what that one thing was? Faithfulness. He is also in the genealogical line of Jesus. That's of course, right? I mean that's how God works.
See this is an Old Testament prophecy that the glory of God, the power of God, the authority of God will rest on his shoulders. Then we are told that he'll be set as a peg in a sure place and he'll be cut off after a while. The ancient parallel in prophecy is stone cold. You can't deny it. It's straight up a picture of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. God placed his kingdom and his government directly on his son.
Isaiah 9:6 tells us, "For unto us a child is born, a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
He set him as a peg in a secure place, but after a time, he was cut off. That's a clear picture of the cross of our Lord. We are told that he'll have the key of David. What does that mean? Well, what are keys for? Keys grant you access. They grant you authority. They grant you availability. Jesus comes to this ancient church and says, "I have the keys."
So then there's a Dr. Obvious question that comes up, right? What kind of keys does Jesus actually have? I'm going to tell you a few. And this is so important. Please pay attention to this.
The Keys Jesus Holds
- He has the keys of life and death. Life and death are on the line. Revelation 1:18 tells us, "And the living one, I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades."What does this mean? This means that Jesus alone is the master of death. You can't even die until he opens that door. And you can't stay dead if you know him.John 11:25-26 says this. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." Then he asked four words. He has four words in the form of a question which is everything. Do you believe this? John 11's the Lazarus raising from the dead chapter. Do you believe this?
- He has the keys of suffering. He has the keys of suffering. Only he can open heaven and shut hell. Jesus is the key to suffering. Jesus is the key to both heaven and hell. You want to get away from suffering, you want to go to heaven, Jesus has the key.
- He has the keys of salvation. He has the keys of our salvation. I read to you John 14:6 earlier. I'm going to do it again just for doubling down. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one." What does no one mean? No one comes to the father except through me.John 10:9 says, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." Only he can open the door into eternal life for those who will come to him.
- He has the keys to service. So we come to Jesus and what do we want to do? We want to serve. Guess what? He has the keys to service. He also has the keys to our service. 1 Corinthians 16:9 says, "For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries."Do you see it? Jesus decides when we serve, where we serve, and how long we serve.
- He has the keys of safety. We want to minimize risk in everything we do as Americans. We want everything to be safe. You know, I look back at those of us who were raised in the 60s and 70s. I can't believe we're even alive. No bike helmets, drinking straight from the hose. How are we still here?Colossians 3:3 says, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." You have died. No one can touch those who are locked away within Jesus Christ. Why? Because if you really belong to him, you're already dead.
He Controls the Doors
Jesus is in the business of opening and closing doors in the lives of his people. Opening and closing the doors in the lives of his people. Did you hear it? Did you catch it? I said his people. Don't miss that part. A lot of people miss that part.
When God opens a door of opportunity in your life, run through it as fast as you can. And it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. How tragic will it be to get to heaven and see what we could have done if we'd only trusted the Lord and stepped through the open door he gave us.
Now, by the same token when he closes a door, don't try to force it open. You don't want to be where God doesn't want you to be. The path to blessing is to be where the Lord wants us to be when he wants us to be there. Trusting him and staying close, that's the key. And guess what? He will make your path straight.
Look, there have been places we wanted to leave, but God kept us there longer than we wanted. And there have been places we wanted to stay longer, but God so obviously closed the door. When you are dead to self and just following him, you know what happens? You get in the way less and less and less because we do. We get in the way. And then you see doors opening and you see doors closing. And many times you just have to simply say, "Not my will, Lord, but yours."
And I think there's a similar takeaway here for the church. There will be times along the way when God lines things up for his church. He may give an open door to ministry and he may close some doors. When that open door comes, it is not a time for delay. It is a time for faith and action. And when the door closes, it is not a time to beat on that door or kick at it. Accept the sovereignty of the Lord over the situation. When we see a door open, we must go through it regardless of the cost and trust him.
We need to pray that God will give us special wisdom to see when the doors are open and when the doors he has closed to us. So, what's one way to tell? What's one way to know and have peace in the decision? Whether that's an open door we have to go through or a closed door we're not going to kick at. How do you know?
See, in our lives and as a church and for some of you in your jobs and your businesses and what you do, this can get real serious real quick, can't it? So, here's what I believe. I believe it's the ones being held responsible for the decision that they are unified in the choice to go through an apparent open door and they are unified in the decision not to fight against a closed door. That's one way.
As he does with other churches, Jesus reminds Philadelphia that he knows everything about them. He sees their works. He sees their motives that drive their work. And just a reminder, he knows us, too. When he looks at our lives, what does Jesus see in, around, and about us?
The Church and Her Ministry
This is the second half of verse 8 going through verse 11. See, Philadelphia was kind of a small church with tremendous potential for the glory of God. These verses tell us something about their ministry.
In verse 8, we see that there were open door opportunities in his sovereignty. The Lord had given this church a powerful open door ministry. Jesus says, "You have a little strength." This may mean that they were small in number, lacking in political and financial influences. They were weak. But the Lord was using them in a mighty fashion.
Oh, they were weak, but they were making a tremendous impact on their city. Why? Two things:
- They had kept his word
- They had not denied his name
They had kept his word. This means that even though they were weak in many ways, they were pure and strong in doctrine. And they did not deny his name. They were not ashamed of Jesus or their relationship with him. I think this means that they were not keeping the gospel to themselves. They were actively spreading the word of God to a lost and dying world.
God had given them an open door of ministry there in Philadelphia and they'd stepped through it and they were doing what they could where they could because they were faithful to him and he was blessing them. They were preaching and exalting Jesus and the enemies of the cross were powerless to stop them. That was the power of God that was in their midst.
I think the same principles apply today. Strong Bible-believing churches are in the minority in our world. I don't know if you've been paying attention, but if we honor God's word and keep Jesus at the center of all we do, the Lord will honor that by giving us open doors of ministry in this world. But we have to do what he says here. We must keep his word. That means we are to hear it. We are to love it. We're to do it. We're to share it. And we must not deny his name. That is, we must not minimize Jesus to draw a crowd. But we must make him the centerpiece of our church and our worship.
Look at verse 9. See that they still had opposition. The phrase "synagogue of Satan" probably refers to the local Jews who were persecuting them. This church is suffering at the hands of people who claim to love God, but they're liars. They're lying. And we see that all around us. We live in a culture where we're not supposed to call them liars. I don't get that.
Jesus tells them that he is aware of their mistreatment, but he wants them to know that the day is coming when they will see those who oppose them bowing before them. What is he referring to here? Possibly Philippians chapter 2. He's possibly referring to that day mentioned in Philippians 2:10-11. It says this: "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
One day their enemies will experience total defeat. Whatever the Lord is speaking about here, he wants them to know that he is in control of their critics as well.
We might as well face the facts together as a collective. Bible trusting churches are just not as popular as they used to be. There was a day when many churches were good churches. They preached the word. They lived right. They evangelized the lost. Exalted the Lord. In America, that day is long gone. Just because a church has a right name on it does not mean you're going to find the right church behind the doors.
I've had an opportunity to speak in over 200 churches across this country in 37 different states. Every denomination you can think of, we've been there. We've been in a denomination and they're on fire for the Lord. And then 6 months later, we're in the same denomination again in a different city and these people don't even know what they're doing as far as Jesus is concerned in salvation. They're just playing games. I call it a spiritual odor. When you're in tune with God and you walk into a place, you can almost smell whether Jesus is there or not. I know that might not be the best analogy to use. I don't know what else to call it because it's a sense that is real.
And in our day, true Bible churches are going to be ridiculed, maligned, and persecuted. And remember that there is a day coming when God will have the last word. Vengeance is his jurisdiction. Simple obedience is ours. I'm going to be straight up with you. I don't like that. I want to take a shot. Give me a moment. You know, let me take somebody out in the alley just for 10 minutes. You know what I mean? I mean, that's what we feel like. But when we're walking with God and we're walking in our substitutionary death on earth where we have died and "not my will but your will, Lord," that melts away. Vengeance has no place in the heart of the born-again believer. Our obedience is what God is asking of us.
Always remember the world and all that are joined to it hate the truth and they hate any church that preaches the truth.
In verse 11, the believers of Philadelphia are told to be on the lookout for two things:
- They are to be watching for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- They were to watch their walk.
Jesus is coming and his people need to be ready to meet him. That means we are to live as if he might come at any minute. And we are to work like our time is short. But as we watch and as we work, we are to be careful for how we live our lives. We must not allow ourselves to become like the world around us. We are to live for Jesus, love Jesus, look for Jesus, guarding everything he has given us so that we can be confident when he comes.
And a lot of times that gets spun into behavior modification. We're just going to be good little boys and girls. This person's not behaving right. No. The love and grace of God comes and when we stumble, we get back up again. Why? Why do we want to live for Jesus, pursue holiness, and have grace for ourselves and others around us? Why? Because nobody gets out alive. Nobody. We will all face the Lord someday at the judgment seat of Christ. And that day can be a day of reward or it can be a day of loss, which depends on how we live now.
But Chris, I'm saved by grace, not by works, lest any man should boast. Let's be real. Everyone has works. Everyone. And they're going to be judged. Grace is not a license for idleness. So we are going to be doing stuff. All of us are going to be doing stuff. The question is why do we do what we do? See the why here also depends on your motives for what you do and how you do it.
So I want to look at another little chunk of scripture here. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15:
"According to the grace of God given to me. Like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. Now, if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, hay, wood, straw, each one's work will become manifest. You know what that means, right? It's all going to be tried. Said manifest for the day will disclose it because it'll be revealed by fire and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. Whatever we do is going to be tried by fire. And in verse 14 here in just a second, you're going to see it's going to be purified like gold and silver or it's going to burn up like wood, hay, and stubble. Verse 14, if the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. But if anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, although he himself will be saved, but only as though through fire."
In other words, you're going to get into heaven, but you're going to have the smell of smoke on you. See, 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us that we're all going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. This is why we want to make sure our rewards are in heaven. We want to strive to make sure we're faithful.
I had a line I used to tell people when we were broke missionaries. My reward is in heaven, sure, but my mortgage is here on earth. You find that balance, right? You find that balance. Romans 14:12 says, "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." It's worth playing for, worth doing things that just honor him and don't give you anything but just the idea that you're being faithful to the one who saved you. More than anything else, I check my motives. I check my motives.
I believe that it's likely we don't know the extent of our outreach and the strength of our influence in this world. We may never know until we get to heaven, but I'm confident that God is using us in ways we can't even begin to comprehend. He would tell us to watch, wait, and work. And he would also tell us to be on guard so that we can meet him with joy on that day.
The Church and Her Hope
Jesus closes his letter to the church by giving them a message of hope for the future. This message is just as valid for us today as it was for the people in Philadelphia. There is hope found in stability.
Jesus tells believers that he will set them as a pillar in God's temple and they will go out no more. What does that mean? Well, see, in that city, the highest honor that could be bestowed upon a citizen would be that their name would be written on one of the pagan temples' pillars, and there'd be a little inscription there as to why they were being honored. That was the highest honor they could get in that day in that city.
And Jesus is saying to these saints, you might not be well known and honored down here, but things are different in heaven. You might be a nobody today on earth, but you are a somebody in heaven. It's the same for us. The world hates us. The devil hates us. And each day sees the church become the focus of increasing attacks and hatred. But in heaven, we are somebodies. We are the redeemed children of God. We are the spotless chaste bride of the lamb of God. Our names are known there. And one day we'll enter that city and be firmly fixed there forever. If that's not worth praising Jesus's name, I don't know what is.
Also see that God puts his name on them to establish ownership. He has redeemed them and they are his forever. He writes a new name for Jesus on them because they are special to him. The name of Christ represents the fullness of his person. And in heaven they will see Christ in all of his fullness. What does fullness mean? Well, in the Old Testament his name was Jehovah. In the New Testament his name is Jesus. In heaven, he's going to have a new name.
The people in the church of Philadelphia had no security in the city where they lived, but they had eternal security in their relationship with Jesus Christ and in his kingdom. These verses remind us of the wonderful security all of us have as redeemed children in Jesus.
Think about it now. We've been saved. We've been given everlasting life. We cannot lose anything we have been given in Jesus. We are sure for heaven as if we were already there because in God's mind we are already there. Ephesians chapter 2. God has claimed us as his children. He has addressed us for special delivery to our new home in glory. And he has placed us in the body of his son. We are secure as we can be. And that's a reason to be jacked for whatever is next, whatever may come.
Conclusion
I'm grateful that I get to pastor what I consider is a Philadelphian kind of church. We are blessed and we should never take for granted what we've been given. The Lord has given us much and there are more opportunities awaiting us down the road. Now, do we wobble at times? Of course. But we have never stepped away from the word of God being our final authority in all our efforts. As weak as they have been at times, we've had some weak moments here. I'm not saying that it's strength every Sunday and every week, but as weak as we have been, it's always been done with clean hands and full hearts. Wanting the truth of salvation found in Jesus to be the main thing.
So, here's the invitation. If you are lost and you would like to turn from your sins and accept Jesus as the substitute of the punishment that you deserve. Yeah, you deserve it. I deserve mine, too. I'm not going to have mine because Jesus took mine.
If you are saved, you keep watching. You keep praying for this body of believers. And for heaven's sake, stay engaged with what we're doing around here. And if you're convicted to get involved, please take some next steps to do so. Whatever we do here, we will do as a united, sold-out group.
These precious words from our Lord today should motivate us to serve him faithfully until he returns for us, which could be any day. We don't know.
So, we drive on and we drive on together.