I happily invite you to now meet me in the Book of Revelation in
chapter 3 as we consider the letter to the church in
Philadelphia. And I want to tell you right
from the beginning why we should be ecstatic to be studying these
verses together this afternoon. Remember the ultimate purpose of
why we are taking our time in this section of the Book of
Revelation as the people of God who are joyfully committed to
this local body. We have been invited by the Lord
Jesus Christ himself to discover what he expects from us as His
church. And so far we have been
confronted by a handful of examples of what a church ought
not to be. And that's largely been our
experience as we've been looking at these historical assemblies,
which ultimately speak about the condition of the church
throughout history. But today is going to be an
encouraging time because now we come to a letter that describes
A congregation that Christ Holy commends.
That's right. There is not a trace of
correction. There is not anything of rebuke.
Everything that we find here is praise, which means at least two
things #1 like the church in Smyrna, the church in
Philadelphia serves as a wonderful wake up call.
A wake up call to what? That it is possible to be
consistently faithful to Jesus Christ?
Not to say that there is a perfect church, but that it is
achievable to be a faithful church, moving in the right
direction by the grace of God, repenting and forgiving, and
learning from glory to glory. It's possible, and we should
strive for that. And here's a second thought.
In this letter we will also be taught what it takes for a
church to be totally pleasing to Christ, and that should throw
any of us who long to be believers who want to bring
pleasure to the Lord. Believers, yes, walking with
Christ in a personal way, but also connected as members of one
body and desire to glorify the Lord in a corporate manner.
We're going to learn here what Christ looks for, what He
praises, what He desires, and how we can pursue that.
And in case we're inclined to think that the church in
Philadelphia was steady and strong because their
circumstances were calm and favorable, a plain reading of
this letter will show that such an assumption cannot be true.
In fact, the very introduction of this letter, if read in light
of the context, will show that this church had its troubles and
Christ wanted to assure them. He wanted to build them up to
remain faithful. Shall we begin?
Meet me in verse 7 of Revelation chapter 3.
And let's read the entirety of this brief report.
And to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right?
The words of the Holy One, the true One, who has the key of
David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one
opens. I know your works.
Behold, I've set before you an open door which no one is able
to shut. I know that you have but little
power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my
name. Behold, I will make those of the
synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not but
lie. Behold, I will make them come
and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have
loved you because you have kept my word about patient endurance.
I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the
whole world to try those who dwell on the earth.
I'm coming soon. Hold fast what you have so that
no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will
make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
Never shall he go out of it. 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 from my God out of heaven,
and my own new name. He has an ear.
Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Now, if you've been with us consistently, then you know that
when Christ introduces Himself to these different
congregations, He usually will go back to Revelation chapter 1.
And borrow some of the imagery of that manifestation of his
glory before his apostle. But this time he doesn't do
that. I mean, you can try to say,
yeah, this is parallel with what we see in chapter 1 here and
there. But what we actually see is that
Christ completely references the Old Testament, the Hebrew
Scriptures. And when learning this, you have
to ask the question why? And again, the answer is in the
letter, This particular church was experiencing hardship from a
particular group of people. And we read it, Jews, localized
Jews who are antagonists, who are harassing these people, who
are trying to discredit the legitimacy of their faith, try
to make them doubt and try to make them even believe that the
God that you claim loves you and died for you.
He doesn't. You're not truly in covenant
with him. And so it's as though right from
the beginning, Christ wants to let this church know who I am is
not a novel idea. I've been predicted from ancient
scripture. I've been foretold.
I've been written about. Moses spoke of me.
Abraham saw me and so right here we see that there is credibility
that he wants to offer to this church.
Who I am comes from the Scriptures.
The Christian movement isn't divorce from God's word from the
beginning, and this is what the are supposed to see.
This is what these believers are receiving right away.
Now there are three things that Christ says about himself that
we should consider carefully. What does he say?
The first thing that he mentions is that He is what?
The Holy One, the Holy I am the Holy One.
Now if you know your Old Testament, then you would agree
that this is far beyond just a claim to purity and
distinctiveness. This is a divine title.
The title Holy One appears many times in the Old Testament to
describe God in His Majesty and his brilliance, but it is a
favorite of Isaiah, the prophets.
No one ever speaks about the Holy One more than Him.
He regularly repeats that throughout his writings, which I
find interesting because throughout this letter to the
church in Philadelphia there will be direct and indirect
references to the book of Isaiah.
I am the Holy 1. And so we are supposed to see
this already as a claim to divinity.
But quickly he follows it up with what a second
characteristic. I am the true one.
As though to say, I am free from
error. I am totally reliable.
I am authentic and genuine in all of my ways.
Now that's a wonderful thing to say about yourself, but it made
me ask the question, why is that relevant to this church?
Why did this church need to know that Jesus Christ is the true
one? And then it hit me.
There's a contrast happening here.
Let's Scroll down to verse 9 to see what I'm saying.
Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that
they are Jews and are not. But do what?
They lie. They lie.
And I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and
they will learn that I have loved you.
So this Jewish community in Philadelphia, not Philadelphia
here in the United States, by the way, ancient Philadelphia.
You never know, guys. You never know.
The Jews in this community were troubling these believers, and
Christ condemns them for being liars.
Liars about what? Liars about their supposed
spiritual condition and status before God.
Liars unquestionably, because they slander these Christians in
their neighborhood and try to convince them that they were not
really the people of God. And here's Christ from the
outset of his message telling them I am the true one.
You may be represent misrepresented.
You may be caused to doubt, or at least tempted to doubt.
You may be accused of being heretics and worthy of
condemnation. But I want to let you know that
you have placed your saving faith in the true One.
I'm the true 1. And it becomes even more
significant when you realize that the pairing attributes of
Holy and True. Appear only one other time in
the Book of Revelation, and it is granted to just one other
person. Can I show you that?
Go to chapter 6 with me and look here at verse 10.
These are the souls who have lived for the truth, who lost
their lives for the truth, and who are crying out to the Lord
in a different realm, asking for vindication.
And we see here that they say something quite amazing.
In Revelation 610, they cried out with a loud voice.
O sovereign Lord, pause. That's God.
Nobody else has such a title. O Sovereign Lord, here it is
holy. And what?
True? Holy and true.
How long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those
who dwell on the earth? Listen, this observation can
only mean one thing. For Christ to use this wording
back in chapter 3 means that he unequivocally is declaring
Himself to be God. I am the Holy One.
I am the true one. And you get to chapter 6 and you
realize that the Saints call the sovereign Lord a holy and true.
Who is this Jesus? More than a teacher, more than a
prophet, He's God in the flesh. Which brings me to a very
important observation, one that I think when people touch on
this letter, rarely discuss. And I was thinking maybe we'll
touch on this at the end of the letter because it appears at the
end, but I thought this would be a perfect place to get some
answers. Let me tell you what I mean.
Come back to chapter 3 and look what Christ says.
This is what Jesus says. Remember, He's the one who's
writing this to this church. He's using John, but they are
His words. And notice what he says in
Revelation 312. I wonder if you will catch it.
Revelation 312 The one who conquers, I will make him a
pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it.
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 from
my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
Jesus is speaking and four times in one verse he says My God.
My God, my God, my God, my God. Oh, I thought you were God.
And this is a favorite of skeptics and unbelievers to cast
doubt in the hearts of Christians to reconsider the
tenant of their faith that Jesus Christ is in fact God with us.
How can you say that Christ is God and yet he claims to have a
God over him? This is important and we need to
consider this. One for our own edification, but
also to give an answer to those who may not understand why we
believe what we believe. And they may disagree with your
faith in the person of Christ, but you and I have at least to
do our part in showing why we believe it.
We believe it because we find it in the Word of God.
And what seems to be paradoxical or even contradictory is not.
It just calls for a deeper study so that we can understand the
riches of who our God is again. How can Christ, who claims to be
God say that he has a God over him?
What I find interesting here is that we believe in the Trinity
and it is only the second person in the Godhead.
Whoever makes this claim, the Father never makes a claim that
he has a God over him. The Holy Spirit also does not
make a claim that he has a God over him.
The only one who does that is the person of Jesus Christ.
It has to do with His dual nature.
It has to do what He did 2000 years ago.
And the point that I want to make to you is that the second
person of the Trinity assumes God as His God.
Only when He became flesh, the Word became flesh.
Turn with me to Jeremiah 32 verse 27.
And please, please underline this verse and tuck it into your
heart because it will make all of this easily understandable.
Jeremiah 3227. Look at this declaration that
God makes. Behold, I am the Lord, I am
Yahweh, the God of what all flesh is anything too hard for
me? So here he wants to declare his
omniscience, his omnipotence, His power, His Majesty, His
Holiness, and in one way he describes it by emphasizing that
He is the God of all flesh. Now if the Bible is consistent,
which it is, then we also have to be consistent with our
understanding of Jesus Christ. That when He became flesh,
considering this verse, then wouldn't it be natural for us to
understand that He identifies as the the Father, as his God in
his humanity? The moment that He enters into
our world and takes on humanity, truly human, though without sin,
He is fulfilling what God says here, that now He operates
subordinate, serving God in His humanity because He became
flesh. That is significant because you
won't see Christ, though you can find Him in the Old Testament
referring to the Father in this way.
It only happens once He enters into our world, and that's why
you see Him on the cross where He says and quotes Psalm 22.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
But here's the interesting note. We all agree with that.
I'm sure many of us had that answer Yes, the reason why
Christ can say my God was because in His humanity
identifies God the Father as his God.
Is Jesus writing this letter to the church in Philadelphia while
he was on the earth before he was crucified?
Answer no. This is Christ addressing his
church post resurrection, post ascension.
So now we apparently have a dilemma.
OK, you quoted Jeremiah 3227. Yahweh is the God of all flesh.
Christ takes on flesh, and therefore now He identifies the
Father as His God. But He died and he was buried,
and he rose, and he ascended on high.
So then how is he now calling the Father his God here?
Well, you have only two options. One, we have a blunder in the
Bible. And we should all give up on our
faith or two, He's still flesh. That's the answer.
The reason why now Christ in heaven can still call the Father
his God is because, yes, He entered into this world to take
on flesh, but He also rose bodily.
And that is the extent of the great price that he paid.
That he didn't just put on an earth suit and then zip it off
after he became the sin bearer of the world.
He permanently became flesh, though glorified, still flesh.
And here's the proof that I want to provide to you today.
I want to show you, and these are verses worth putting in your
phone or in your notepad. 3 verses that confirms that upon
Jesus resurrection he was flesh. In his ascension and heavenly
enthronement He was flesh, and in his return he's coming back
in the flesh. Can we do this together?
Good Acts, chapter 2, when Peter preaches to all those Jews who
came into Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, and he
quotes at one point in his sermon, Psalm 1611, and he tells
them that this points to Christ. It couldn't have pointed to
David. It wasn't about that king, it
was about another king, one of his descendants, the son of
David. And I want you to see what he
says in Acts 229 to 31 to confirm number one, Christ in
the flesh in his resurrection. Brothers, Peter said, I may say
to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both
died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with
an oath to him that He would set one of his descendants on His
throne, He foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the
Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His
underline it flesh, nor did His flesh see corruption.
When Jesus was buried in that rich man's tomb, the Father did
not allow His flesh to decay. And how did he spare him from
that kind of corruption, the resurrection?
He raised him from the dead. David, he was buried and David
Shirley has decayed. He's still in that tomb.
And the point that Peter is making is Christ escaped that
tomb, that there was no deterioration there.
There was nothing of decay because Christ was raised in the
flesh. Why is that important to know?
Because you have some who vehemently disagree with the
resurrection of Christ, but can't deny the fact that He had
some kind of resurrection. They might.
They might say he resurrected spiritually.
It was a spiritual body and they're understanding.
It's this invisible, otherworldly kind of
manifestation. No, no, no, we learn here one of
many places. It was His body.
If you doubt that, what did God
in Christ show those disciples as they were cowering in that
room with a locked door? See that?
I am flesh and bone. Look at me notices.
Give me something to eat. I want to show you that this is
an actual body, and it was the same body that was crucified,
albeit glorified. The resurrection, His flesh
resurrected. What happened after that?
We'll turn with me to First Timothy chapter 2, verse 5.
Where's Christ now? What is he now?
Well, Paul tells us in first Timothy chapter 2 verse 5.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus. Underline that last part, the
man Christ Jesus. He's speaking about the ministry
of Jesus today, who's mediating between God and men now, not
just the Savior, Christ Jesus, not just the God Christ Jesus.
And Paul does call Jesus God in a different epistle, more than
one actually. He says the man.
He emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, truly man, truly God.
Still today. What you think about something,
it's kind of mind bending. It's actually breathtaking if
you really meditate on it. Right now, as we're having
Sunday service, there is a man in heaven, and not just in
heaven. There is flesh seated at the
right hand of God, mediating between God and men.
I wonder what kind of conversations those heavenly
creatures are having. Flesh He came into the world to
take on flesh from eternity past beforehand.
God is Spirit, the second person of the Trinity willingly lays
down his life in accordance with the Godheads desire to save
humanity. And when he came back, he came
back with flesh scars in his hand, inside in his feet.
And you and I are going to see those scars when we see Him face
to face. So the point that I'm making is
under score this, that Christ in his ascension, in his heavenly
enthronement, now is a man. What about his return?
Turn with me to Acts chapter 17. And look what Paul says here in
verse 31 of Acts 17. He writes because he has fixed a
day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man
whom he has appointed. And of this he has given
assurance to all by raising him from the dead.
So we know it's not just any other man.
It's not just the righteous man He qualifies.
Who is it? What man?
The one that was raised from the dead.
That's Christ. So upon his return, Christ is
not coming as a disembodied spirit.
He's not coming invisibly, He's coming with flesh.
So here you have it upon his resurrection, his ascension, his
heavenly enthronement, and His return.
He is man. And that's why in Revelation
chapter 3 he can say My God, my God, my God, my God, God.
Yes. You know who calls Jesus?
God the Father in Hebrews 1/8. So he's still God, and you
really have to go to Hebrews. Look at the beginning of this.
Letter he's the holy 1. He is the true one and yet he
can still say my God because you have the dual nature of Christ
at work here. I hope that makes sense.
I want to remind you we're still in the first verse of this
letter and we only talked about the two out of the three
descriptions of Christ. Feel my pain every week.
Let's come back to verse 7 because there's still one more
thing that Christ says about himself.
He says who has the key of David, who opens and no one will
shut, who shuts and no one opens?
That is a clear reference to the book of Isaiah.
In fact, he quotes a verse in Isaiah.
If you want to know which one, it's a very easy reference.
Isaiah 2222. Now you don't have to turn
there, but let me read this in your hearing.
And allow me to explain it. He says in Isaiah 2222, The Lord
I will place on his shoulder the key of the House of David.
He shall open and none shall shut, and he shall shut and none
shall open. So we have to 1st ask the
question whose shoulder is God laying a key on in the immediate
context? And the answer is there.
You don't have to turn there, but it's a man named Alaikum,
son of Hill Kaya. Who is this Eliakim?
He's an obscure character in the Old Testament narrative, but he
was a man that God elevated to a position of authority in the
Kingdom while Hezekiah was king. He demoted a man named Shebna
because he took advantage of that position of power for his
selfish gain. And so the Lord fires Shebna and
he raises up this man, Eliakim, and he tells him that he will be
receiving this key of David as a chief of staff.
He would be over the household, a very prominent position, one
that had great responsibility as well as great privilege.
And Jesus goes back to this text, to this man, and he says,
I am the fulfillment of that. Ultimately, it's amazing.
It just really is a testament of how much the Old Testament
points to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the question then is how
does the point at Christ? How does this moment in Judas
history foreshadow what Christ is saying here?
And I believe the answer is clear in an even greater way.
God, yes, raised up a man named Eliakim to hold the key of the
House of David. But now he raises up Christ, and
he holds ultimate authority over the messianic and eternal
Kingdom of David. This key of David spoken about
in Revelation undoubtedly refers to the sovereign authority of
Christ. And what's its purpose?
He allows only he allows whom he allows to come in and he keeps
out who he wants to keep out. That's what he is saying here.
I have the key of David. It speaks of the key of
salvation. He alone possesses that
authority and a like him, which means God raises points to
Jesus, this man a like him who had a heart for the people of
Israel. That's why he was hired to be
over the household. Shabnam was fired.
And I'm going to raise up this like him because he actually has
a heart for my people, points to Christ, who doesn't just have a
heart for Israel, but for the world.
And he's been granted this key. And because of this key, he
opens this door into eternal life.
He shuts it. This speaks of salvation and
judgment. We're told here that Christ
alone determines every man's eternal destiny.
Why is that relevant to this church?
Because we, because of the persecution they experience,
it's very likely that they were kicked out of a lot of things,
namely the synagogue. So he wants to let them know you
have your faith in me and I have the key to the most important
door in the universe. Be comforted.
But Christ's authority is not limited to salvation.
Now we're going to Fast forward a little bit through this
letter. Let's come back.
Notice what he says here. It extends to every sphere of
this realm. He says in verse 8, I know your
works. Behold, I've said before you an
open door which no one will will is able to shot.
And I know that you have but little power, yet you have kept
my word and have not denied my name.
So hopefully when when you and I studied Smyrna, the Church of
Smyrna, you recall that Christ there assured this church about
the sovereignty over all suffering they were going to
suffer. And he says, I'm in control of
what kind of suffering you experienced and the extent of
it. I'm sovereign.
Now, when he comes to Philadelphia, he declares his
sovereignty, but in another way, sovereignty over opportunities.
Opportunities. That's what he means here when
he says, behold, I've set before you an open door.
Now, some would say he's talking about the fact that he has given
them salvation. That's what he's he's only just,
he's just kind of doubling that statement.
You sure? But The thing is, when you look
through the New Testament, you'll discover that this phrase
open door consistently refers to access to a place or to a person
with the gospel. Open door regularly speaks of in
the New Testament of an evangelistic opportunity.
And that's what I believe Christ is saying here to this church.
I have set before you an opportunity to testify of me.
It's as though he's saying you are a faithful church, and I'm
giving you a chance now to advance in your faithfulness by
walking through this door that I have made clear and open for you
so that you can shine my light, take advantage of it.
Church in Philadelphia, go for it.
You have been faithful. I reward you with greater
opportunity to be faithful. And I've set before you an open
door. And I believe what Christ says
to this church. You may disagree with me, but I
believe that what he says to this church in Philadelphia.
Has been offered to the church in America.
There is a unique freedom and favor that Christians experience
in this land, and anybody with a little bit of sense would
attribute that to the grace of God.
We are an anomaly here in America.
What you and I are doing here, this is rare.
I know you grew up in it, but it's not common.
And I believe it's because Christ has opened a door in this
country. And I'm aware that there are
those who would love to take away these rights and try to
sabotage these freedoms, and that we have to do our practical
part to preserve them. But there are a lot of
Christians who are scared today, and I would quote to them this
passage. No matter what kind of
legislation, what kind of laws, what kind of party does
anything, Jesus Christ opens doors that no man can shut.
He determines that understand the sovereignty of Christ here
and he's telling this church you have some time do something with
this time and that's that's something for us to consider.
He says behold, like, open your eyes, see it.
And there's no profit for us praying and complaining about
the things that are happening here in the US trying.
To defend our religious liberties if we don't take
advantage of it, I believe that's the call for us to take
advantage of it. And sometimes the reason why we
lack motivation to step forward is perhaps for the same reason
why this church might have hesitated.
Notice what he says in the rest of verse 8.
After he tells him that he has given them an open door, he
reminds them that he knows that they have but little power.
And that's not a correction. That's not.
Any kind of criticism he just acknowledging what they know he
wants them to know. I'm aware of it.
You have but little power. What does that mean?
Most likely that they were small in number and short on
resources. Very unimpressive in worldly
terms. From a human standpoint, it
didn't look like a thriving, successful ministry.
You have little power. And I wonder if it's ever
crossed their minds. Can we really make an impact for
Christ? Oh, how many believers feel this
way about themselves? What do you do if you're here
today and you've visited this thought that's caused a lack of
motivation to share your faith? I'm not really eloquent.
I mean, I don't, I have a very difficult time recalling
Scripture references. I don't have the charisma.
I don't really have a persuasive personality.
I'd rather give this person that I would love to share the gospel
with the somebody else, maybe one of the elders or another
experienced St. And so you feel stuck, you feel
crippled. You feel like God can't really
use you if that is you, you're supposed to do what this church
was called to do. And it's very simple.
Believe with all your heart that God really wants to use you.
Even if you have little, he wants to use you.
And then a wonderful thought. I think it is, yes, with your
makeup and your unique quirks and your accent.
And your height, Whatever the case may be, Jesus Christ wants
to use you. And the weaker you feel, the
more excited you should be. Because we're promised that he
provides power for all our weaknesses, all our
deficiencies, and all our. Lack.
That's why he says this is true. Yeah, you have little power, but
you have me. You have the sovereign Christ
who opens doors for you, and I don't just open them for you.
I walk with you through them. And like this church, simply
take whatever opportunity that's made clear for you, The open
door that you have to talk to unbelievers.
What opportunities are around you to engage with those who
don't know Christ? That's your open door, and it's
a very wide open door here in America.
May the Lord help us take advantage of it.
I'm so glad that the Lord doesn't measure success in the
way the world does. I'm so happy because in the very
same breath that He says you have but little power, He
acknowledges and praises them. For what?
He doesn't clap because of their great number.
He doesn't pat him on the back because of their robust
programs, their wonderful budget.
He doesn't acknowledge any of that.
The one thing that he highlights?
That makes this church so praiseworthy is loyalty.
You have what kept my word and have not denied my name.
This little church in Philadelphia love the Bible,
they love the scriptures, and though they were little many
things, they just wanted to govern themselves according to
the word of God. They want to know the word of
God. They want to share the word of
God. That was their ministry motto.
And Jesus looks at this church and says, I have nothing to say,
nothing negative to say. I see that you treasure my word.
A church that holds the Bible so dearly, not just in creed but in
practice and wants to be faithful to the person of Jesus
Christ and all his exclusive claims is a church that is very
dear to the heart of Christ. You know what every single one
of us should be able to say about this church?
By the grace of God and any other church that you represent,
if you're visiting here today, listen to what Christ is saying.
What kind of what kind of church does he praise?
One that loves the word of God. Why do you go to the church you
go to? Because they love the word of
God. They sing the word of God, they
preach the word of God, and more importantly, they try to live
the word of God. It was Spurgeon who said the
Lord does not blame us for having little strength but
little zeal, little love, little consecration.
Yes, He'll criticize that never for our lack of number or
resources. So he praises them.
You have kept my word. Here's what I take from this,
and we're wrapping up very soon. If I want Jesus to smile over
Maranatha Bible Church, I have one preoccupation, the Bible,
and everything will flow from that.
This is our compass. This is our hymn book.
This is the subject matter of our discussions.
This is our counselling material.
It's in the book. And I again learned that Christ
really, really appreciates those who value his word.
May the Lord keep us as a people of this book.
But he doesn't just praise them. He gives them wonderful
promises, and for the rest of these verses we'll look at three
of them very quickly. He gives 3 promises to this
faithful church to encourage faithfulness and to bless them
for their faithfulness. Verse 9.
Here's promise #1 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of
Satan who say that they are Jews.
Better not, but lie. Behold, I will make them come
and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have
loved you #1 This faithful church was promised that Christ
would prove their enemies wrong. Have we seen this Synagogue of
Satan before in our study of revelation?
Yeah, this is the second time it appears.
And let me be very clear, the Synagogue of Satan is not a
blanket statement about the Jewish race or Israel's national
identity. Rather crisis condemning a
specific group of Jews in this area who placed their spiritual
confidence in their race, in their ethnicity.
All the while they're in spiritual danger because they
were disconnected from the Christ.
That's what he's saying here. They were Jews by race, they
were Jews by culture, they were Jew by religious ceremonies, but
they were not true Jews in the spiritual sense.
Paul tells us in Romans 2 that a true Jew, somebody who would
embrace the Messiah. At the same time, that is not to
say that there isn't value in their history and their national
identity. Here's what's so spectacular
about this These Jews who are pricking, these Christians Jesus
tells of this church, They will one day come and bow before you
and acknowledge that I have loved you.
This comes from the Old Testament because God made the
same promise to the Jews. So in Isaiah 60 verse 14, it's a
wonderful passage about the messianic millennial reign of
Christ when Jesus Christ rules and reigns on the earth for 1000
years. He tells them this in Isaiah
6014. The sons of those who afflicted
you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet. They shall call you the city of
the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Here it is again, Holy One, right, Isaiah?
So what is he saying to these Jews?
Well, in the millennial reign of Christ, when the Jews will
embrace Jesus Christ as their Messiah, the Lord will call all
the unbelieving Gentiles who have harassed them throughout
history and will bow and acknowledge that they truly did
belong to the Lord. And then now he speaks to these
believing Gentiles, and he borrows the same language, and
he says, you Christians who are Gentiles, most of you at least
one day I'm going to have these unbelieving Jews come and bow
before you, not as an act of worship, but as humble
acknowledgement that I in fact have loved you, that I have
called the Gentiles unto myself, that they are grafted, and that
they are part of my salvation plan.
Do you see this? How does this relate to us?
Here's how it relates to us. That it quiets our itch to want
to be vengeful to those who have harassed us.
Maybe for your faith. Maybe there are people in your
life that are making your life difficult because you are a
follower of Christ. Let Christ deal with those who
oppose you. You love them, you pray for
them, and you hope that they will be saved.
You believe God for that and let the Lord deal with how they have
handled you. He is keeping a record of it and
there's a time coming for those throughout history who have
indeed brought so much pain and trouble to families who were
ripped apart because of the faith or their well-being in
society that their livelihood. There's a time coming where
Christ will call all men to acknowledge that He in fact was
the God of this people and now He is.
He is paying them back. That's not the only promise.
Verse 10. He promises them preservation
from tribulation. Because you've kept my word
about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial
that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on
the earth. So there is debate about this
verse. You have those who interpret it
in this way as a proof text for a pre tribulation rapture, that
there is coming at an unannounced time a rescue of the
people of God where they will be brought up to heaven in the
presence of Christ before the tribulation period.
That he will pour out on the world that we see here described
in the Book of Revelation. And they would say this is
exactly what he is promising to the church, that those who are
indeed in him will be spared from the hour of trial.
It's not a localized trial. Why?
Because it says here that it's coming upon the whole world.
And it's a very strong verse in the case of those who hold to
that view. But then there there are those
who are genuine Christians who would disagree and say that's
not what he is saying. Because if you really get into
the original, Christ is not saying that he is going to keep
them from this hour of trial in the sense that they're going to
escape it, but that he's going to protect them through it.
And so in the same way that there was a Goshen while the
plagues were being poured out on Egypt, in the same way there was
a bubble of protection over Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
The church will go through this tribulation period and they will
be kept from the wrath of God during it, though still
vulnerable to the wrath of man. I'm sure we can get into this
conversation and spend the rest of our time speaking about this,
but we will at another time. What we need to take from this
to remain consistent with the application of our message today
is that for those who are faithful Christ, one of the
wonderful promises that He does have is that He protects those
who belong to Him. He keeps those who serve Him.
There should be not an ounce of worry about your safety, your
provision as you serve Him. I will keep you and any pain
that happens in your life, I've permitted it only for your good.
That's the practical application of this.
We will get to how this relates to the timeline of end time
events. We have so much of revelation to
cover, but take that for now. Lastly, he says I'm coming soon
in verse 11. Hold fast what you have so that
no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will
make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
Never shall he go out of it. I'll write on the name of my
God, in the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem which
comes out from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. So the first promise was, I am
going to deal with your enemies #2 I'm going to protect you.
Even if the troubles of this world encapsulate the whole
world, you will be preserved. You will be protected.
And lastly, I will shower you with eternal rewards.
You understand, He says, I have a crown that's prepared for you.
I'm coming soon. Hold fast to your faithfulness.
Don't let go and look at this slight warning so that no one
may seize your crown. That's not talking about the
crown of salvation or we're all in trouble.
That's talking about eternal reward for your faithfulness.
And here's what we learn here, though.
By the grace of God, by his goodness, our salvation cannot
be forfeited. Your rewards can.
And in fact, if you and I listen very carefully, if you and I are
not faithful in our ministry, Lord may give it to somebody
else and He'll reward them for it.
That's why one of my go to prayers is Lord, no matter how
difficult ministry gets, I never want to be a complainer.
Never. Please don't fire me.
I want to serve you. There's no thrill.
There's no greater joy. I want to be faithful until the
end. I want a crown, not so that I
can wear it, but so that I can lay something worthy at your
feet when I see you. The No man sees your crown.
And John, the same John who wrote this, wrote in his third
epistle or second epistle, Rather listen to this in second
John 8 No chapters. Watch yourselves so that no one,
so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a
full reward. Watch yourselves so that you
would not lose what you've been working for and forfeit a full
reward. So you know who we have to be
careful for? Not somebody else who has a
similar gift that seems to be in competition with our ministry.
No, no, you don't have to do that.
That's ugly. In fact, you might forfeit your
reward if you think that way. No, no, it's not a competition
with one another. What did John say?
Watch yourself. You're your number one enemy.
You're the number one cause for you to give up in serving the
Lord. Watch yourself the
discouragement and the temptations of the world around
you. Watch yourself win and hold on
for the full reward. And then he speaks about this
stuff. About what?
What? I'm going to give you a new name
and all of this in verse 12. It's just about ownership.
And it's about, again, the same consistent theme in every reward
in the Book of Revelation. Intimacy with God, intimacy with
him. I'm coming soon and I am going
to label you and I'm going to keep you and I'm going to praise
you. Why would this be meaningful to
this church? Because they lost so much for
their faith. And Christ says there's
something far greater than what you forfeited for me.
I know that there are those who are working for Satan who have
taken things from you. But listen to this list of
rewards. You will be a pillar in my
temple. Never removed, never cast out,
never disqualified, forever treasured by who?
By me, by me Church, it's possible to be faithful as a
church and as individual Christians.
And the prayer point of this sermon is simply this.
Lord, as we have been faithful, hopefully help us to remain
faithful with whatever door you've opened for us.
That's what we need to ask. Lord, we ask you today that You
would give us eyes to see Your sovereignty, Your sovereignty
over all things, over salvation, Your sovereignty over suffering,
and even Your sovereignty over every opportunity in our lives.
We thank you, Laura, for the great encouragement that you
have given us here. And though we could have
explored so much more, though we have enough to be able to
respond in praise and adoration. So we'll receive our
Thanksgiving that we even get to live in a land with a wide open
door, that no matter where we are, we can freely speak Your
word without any fear of anything.
And so Lord, we pray. It can only come from the power
of Your Holy Spirit to energize us to move forward.
So Lord, give us that zeal even as we sing these praises unto
your name. In Jesus name we pray, Amen and
Amen. Let's stand and give glory to
Christ.