"Philadelphia Church - Faith Always Win!!"

Philadelphia Church – Faith Always Win!!

This morning we are going to look at the sixth of the seven letters to the churches and this letter is the one that gives hope as we look at the church and as we look toward the future. No church is perfect, but it is a spiritual hospital for those who know they are sick and need help. The church in Philadelphia understood this. They are an example to us today of a church that was faithful, despite their weaknesses. They brought glory and honor to Jesus Christ by their faithful walk with Him and by their obedience to His Word. This is only the second letter out of the seven that receives no condemnation, only commendation.

Revelation 3:7-13 (NASB95)

“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 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.”

THE AUTHOR, THE CHURCH, THE CITY (Revelation 3:7)

Again, as each of the five previous letters, the author begins by naming the church, the city and finally giving a description of Himself that identifies Him as Jesus Christ. So far, most of these descriptions have come from John’s vision of Jesus Christ in chapter one. But in our letter this morning, the description of Him is unique and not drawn from John’s vision. In fact, it has clearly Old Testament features. Let’s begin with the author and then we will look at the church and the city where it is located.
The author begins by describing Himself as “He who is holy…”

This phrase refers to God, who alone possesses absolute holiness. Throughout the Old Testament we find God described as the “Holy One.” When we describe God as holy, we are saying that He is completely separate from sin. He is pure and absolutely flawless. The title “Holy One” is used as a messianic title in the New Testament. Peter uses this title in John 6:69 when he says,

John 6:69 (NASB95)

“We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

By declaring Himself to be holy, Jesus Christ makes a clear and direct claim that He is God. Because Jesus Christ is holy, His church must also be holy. Peter declared in 1 Peter 1:15,

1 Peter 1:15 (NASB95)

“but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;”

The Lord Jesus Christ goes on to describe Himself as “He…who is true.”

The Greek word that is translated as “true” is a word that describes something or someone that is genuine, authentic, the real thing or person. Jesus is saying, I am the real God, I am the one and only true God, there is no other. This was important in the Greek and Roman world that had multiple gods and goddesses. Jesus says that He is the real one out of all those false ones. Even today in our world filled with falsehood and error, Jesus Christ is the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ goes on to describe Himself as the One who has the key of David. David was the king who God promised that his throne would last forever. That he would always have a descendant to sit upon his throne. When Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to give birth He said in Luke 1:31-33,

Luke 1:31-33 (NASB95)

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Jesus Christ is the promised heir to the throne of David and a “key” in Scripture represents authority. The one who possesses the key has control. Jesus Christ has the sole authority to determine who enters His kingdom. In Revelation 1:18, we learned that Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades. Here, He is shown with the keys to salvation and blessing.

Jesus goes on describing Himself as the One who opens, and no one can shut and the One who shuts and no one can open. This describes for us that Jesus Christ is the ultimate and final authority, and it stresses His awesome power. No one can shut the doors to the kingdom or to blessing if Jesus Christ opens them, and no one can open them if He shuts them. We will also see that this opening and shutting also refers to opportunities for service. Jesus Christ presents Himself to this church as the holy and true God, who is the ultimate and final authority.

We know very little about this church, like many of the churches in this book. Again, it was probably founded during Paul ministry in Ephesus. Church history tells us that some Christians from Philadelphia were martyred with Polycarp in Smyrna. This church lasted for centuries, even after the region was overrun by the Muslims. They remained a witness for Christ. Finally, the church disappeared during the fourteenth century.
The primary purpose for the founding of Philadelphia (brotherly love) was that it would be a center of Greek culture and language. The chief god of the city was Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. Philadelphia was destroyed by a powerful earthquake and experienced aftershocks for several years. Philadelphia still exists today as the city of Alaşehir in modern Turkey and has a population of more than 41,000 people.

THE COMMENDATION (Revelation 3:8-11a)
After introducing Himself to the church Jesus Christ immediately begins to commend the church and this takes up the bulk of this passage. As I said earlier, this church receives no condemnation, but instead Christ outlines four realities that characterize this church.
First, He says that He knows their deeds… and that they have a little power. This is not a negative comment to say that they are weak, but rather He is commending them for their strength. This church was a small church in numbers, but it was having a powerful impact on the city. Where Sardis lacked faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, this church fully relied on the Holy Spirit for power, and it was evident.
Second, Jesus says that the believers of Philadelphia were obedient. Jesus said, “you have kept my word.” These believers not only knew what God’s Word said, they believed it and obeyed its teachings. They did not deviate from the truths of the church, but they walked faithfully in them proving the authenticity of their faith and their love for Jesus Christ.
Third, Jesus said, “you have not denied My name.” In spite of pressures that they faced in the city, they remained loyal no matter the cost. They would gladly give their lives rather than deny the One who had died for them.
Fourth, Jesus says they had kept “the word of My perseverance.” I think the New International version clarifies for us what Christ means, it says, “… you have kept my command to endure patiently…”

In the midst of all their difficulties, the Christians in Philadelphia had persevered, and they had patiently endured. They had held up under the pressure without wavering, without giving in or giving up.

Because of their faithfulness and perseverance, the Lord Jesus made some amazing promises to this church. First, He put “an open door which no one can shut” before them.
Their salvation was secure. Their entrance into the blessings of salvation by grace and into Christ’s future kingdom was guaranteed. That door was open before them. This open door given by the Lord Jesus also symbolizes His giving this faithful church opportunities for service. An open door in Scripture often depicts freedom to share the Gospel. Just as this city was built as a center for the spread of the Greek language and culture, it was also a strategic location for the spread of the Gospel.

In verse 9 we read of the second promise Christ made to this church, “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”

Just like in Smyrna, the Christians in Philadelphia faced persecution and hostility from unbelieving Jews. Because these Jews had rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah, they were not a synagogue of God, but a synagogue of Satan. They were Jews physically, but not spiritually so Jesus says their claim to be Jews was a lie. They were circumcised outwardly, but not circumcised in the heart. This is the distinction that Paul made between true Jews and false Jews in Romans 2:28-29.

Romans 2:28-29 (NASB95)

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.

Jesus promises that some of these Jews who were persecuting the church would come and bow down before these Christians showing their total submission to them and acknowledge that these Christians were loved by God. This may be a yet future experience, but I like to think that this indicates that some of those that were hostile toward the church came to salvation through the testimony of these faithful Christians even in the face of persecution.

The final promise is in the end of verse 10 which says, “‘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.”

Because the Christians in the church of Philadelphia had remained faithful and had patiently endured through many tests, Jesus promises to keep them from the ultimate test.
This promise is not just for the church of Philadelphia but includes all faithful churches throughout all history. This verse promises that the church will be delivered from the tribulation.

Let’s take a moment to look at several details of this wonderful promise to the church: First, the testing is still future. Second, the testing is for a limited time. Jesus calls it “the hour of testing.” Third, this test will expose people for what they really are. Fourth, the test has a world-wide scope. Jesus said this test will “come upon the whole world.” Fifth, Jesus says the purpose of this testing is to test those who dwell upon the earth. A phrase that is used to describe unbelievers in the book of Revelation. The hour of testing is also called Daniel’s Seventieth Week, the time of Jacob’s trouble, the seven-year tribulation period. The Lord Jesus Christ promises to keep His church out of this future time of testing that is to come upon the earth. There will be unbelievers on the earth at this time that will repent and be saved, but others will refuse to repent.

Jesus ends this promise by saying that He is coming quickly. This word translated “quickly” should be understood as something which is “sudden” or “unexpected.” It speaks of the fact that it could be at any time, and we need to be ready.
This coming of Christ is different from His coming in local judgment promised to the other churches, the coming that Jesus speaks of here is to deliver them from the hour of testing which will end when Christ returns in His second coming to the earth. When He returns for the church, we will meet Him in the air. When He comes at the second coming, He will come to the earth.

THE COMMAND (Revelation 3:11b)
In the end of verse 11, Jesus commands the faithful believers in Philadelphia to hold fast to what they have so that no one can take their crown. Jesus exhorts the church to continue doing what they have been doing, to continue to be faithful and to patiently endure until He returns to take them to be with Him. Jesus says that if they do this then no one can take their crown. The word “crown” translated is the word that refers to the victor’s wreath. If you are faithful to death, it will be proof of your salvation and no one can take that from you, no one can take the reward of your victor’s wreath. More important than this reward is the eternal life in the presence of God that belongs to those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection.

THE PROMISE AND THE COUNSEL (Revelation 3:12-13)
In the final two verses Jesus again leaves the one who overcomes a promise and a word of counsel to those who read or hear this book read. Jesus promises four eternal blessings to the one who overcomes.
First, Jesus promises that the one who overcomes will be made “a pillar in the temple of My God and he will not go out from it anymore.” This is a figure of speech, you will not actually be made a stone pillar. A pillar speaks of stability and permanence.
Jesus said for His second promise, “I will write the name of My God” on the one who overcomes. This promise depicts ownership. It means that as a Christian, you belong to God. His name on you identifies you with God. It says that you will have an intimate, personal relationship with Him forever.
Third, Jesus promises to write on believers “the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God. We, as overcomers will be identified as eternal citizens in heaven’s capital city. This is yet another promise of security, safety, and glory.
Jesus ends by promising to write on those who overcome “His new name.” Jesus is Christ’s earthly name that told us He was our Savior. Christ is the name that tells us that He is the anointed One of God, the Messiah. We are promised that when we see Him in heaven, we will see Him just as He is and whatever we may have known of Him will not compare with the reality in which we will then see Him. His new name, which He will write upon us, and we will be privileged to call Him, will reflect the glorious revelation of His Person. By writing His new name on us, He is claiming that we forever belong to Him. His name identifies us with the risen and exalted Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity.
Close
This letter to Philadelphia, the church that was faithful, shows us that the holy and true God pours out His blessings on churches, on individuals that are faithful to Him in all circumstances. As we have studied these churches, I have asked myself which of these churches are we most like and I believe it is this one. That does not mean we are perfect, but instead that we are aware of our weaknesses and flaws and that we are each redeemed sinners at different stages of growth and spiritual maturity. I see in you that desire to remain faithful to God’s Word and to obey it and to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ.