Revelation 3:7-13

1. Intro.
1. only two of the seven churches did not receive a rebuke from the Lord
1. both of these churches were small and weak in the eyes of the world
2. Smyrna was the church that underwent great persecution for its testimony
3. Philadelphia is the church that maintains a faithful witness in the midst of apostasy and unbelief
2. the Philadelphia church represents the time when real Christianity began to have an influence again
1. Thyatira represented the Roman church
2. Sardis represented the Protestant church
3. Philadelphia represents the true Bible believing churches
2. how Jesus is identifies Himself – 7
1. this is the first salutation by Christ that does not come from chapter 1
1. this suggest a distinctively new message, based on His attributes as the Head of the church
2. He emphasizes His unique attributes of absolute holiness and truth
1. what He does is right, and what He says is true
2. this doctrine of the sovereignty of God is the bases for all genuine witness for Christ
2. with a proper idea about the nature of Christ, this church was well prepared to have an effective testimony
1. truth and holiness must go together
2. sound doctrine always produces godly practice
3. "evil communications corrupt good manners"
3. the keys of David refers to power and authority, and the responsibility of government
4. therefore; Christ alone can open or shut the doors of opportunity to witness and serve
3. the things for which Christ commends this church – 8
1. "I know thy works"
1. the works are not described, but whatever they are, they please the Lord
2. the reason they please the Lord is that they come from an attitude of the heart and life that finds its strength only in Christ
3. they were weak, yet were they strong
2. the Lord Jesus is looking for fruit in the life of a believer
1. this fruit is the works that are produce by our faith
2. there is something wrong with one faith if it does not produce works
3. these "works" are not the works of the law, but the works of faith
4. saving faith produces works
3. the door of service was open to the church in Philadelphia because…
1. they had kept His Word
1. the pressure to deny, distort, dilute, or just ignore God’s Word has always been great
2. many believers have compromised their witness by yielding to these pressures
3. most churches today have yielded in one way or another
4. when a church begins to deal loosely with the Word of God, it is on the path to denying the name of Christ
2. they had not denied His name
3. it is God who opens and closes the door of service
1. God could keep them open, but He permitted them to close because of the unfaithfulness of believers
2. America spends millions for movies, cosmetics, cigarettes, soft drinks, televisions and automobiles, and sends the left-over pennies to missions
3. Oh, God! Have mercy on us to whom so much has been given!
4. to those with little strength, but keep His Word and do not deny His name, an open door is promised
4. a promise of victory over the enemy – 9
1. the true character of the enemy revealed
1. "of the synagogue of Satan"
1. Smyrna had a problem with the same bunch
2. the nature and methods of attack may have been different, but in both places they were followers of the devil
2. "say they are Jews, and are not"
1. they are Jews by name and nation
2. they are Jews outwardly, but not inwardly
3. they are carnal wicked men, under the influence of Satan
4. they pretend to be religious men, and worshippers of God
5. the false prophets that plagued some of the other churches had no opportunity in this church
2. the victory
1. they will watch their enemies bow down and worship Christ
1. the worship here spoken of is not of the church
2. the church is not the object of worship, but they will be present when every knee shall bow before Christ
2. Christ will confess His love for them before His enemies [to know that I have loved thee]
5. a promise of deliverance – 10
1. the cause for this deliverance [because thou hast kept the word of my patience]
1. if the devil could discredit the Word of God, the foundation of Christianity would crumble and hell would destroy the Church of the living God
2. if the devil could destroy the Word, the devil could destroy God
3. if the devil could discredit the Word of God, he would look God in the face and brand Him a liar
4. but hallelujah! "Thy Word, O Lord, is forever settled in Heaven!"
2. what they are delivered from [will keep thee from the hour of temptation]
1. "the hour of temptation" mentioned here is the Great Tribulation known in the Old Testament as "the time of Jacob's trouble"
2. there are many ideas, doctrines and dogmas concerning the church and the Great Tribulation period
3. the church will be raptured before the appearing of Antichrist, before the beginning of the Tribulation
4. we may rest assured that the children of God will not go through any portion of the Tribulation
5. Proof: "for God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ"
6. believers are not saved to go through wrath, we are saved and delivered from the wrath of God
7. as members of the body of Christ, we are appointed to obtain complete and full salvation
3. examples of this deliverance
1. when the flood came, not one drop of water fell until Noah and his family were safe within the ark "and the Lord shut them in"
2. when Sodom was destroyed, not one spark of fire and brimstone fell on that city until Lot was safe outside, beyond the danger of the fire
3. God loves the church -- the Bride of His only begotten Son -- as much as He loved Noah and Lot
4. God did not save us to be buffeted and persecuted by the Antichrist
5. the church is looking for CHRIST THE LORD-- not for the Antichrist
6. just as God could not touch Sodom until Lot was out of the city, God will not touch this earth in judgment until the Bride of Christ is with the Lord Jesus in the air
4. cheer up, child of God -- take courage
1. when all hell breaks loose on this earth and the blood runs like a river
2. when sinners beg God to let the rocks and mountains fall on them and hid them from the face of Jesus
3. when men chew their tongues and beg God to let them drop dead
4. we born again believers will have a ringside seat in the sky
6. a promise that He will come again quickly – 11
1. "quickly" does not mean soon, but it has the idea of suddenness
1. when Jesus comes for the church it will be all over in the twinkling of an eye
2. the time of His coming is unknown, but it is certain
3. Jesus is coming with consolations and rewards for His faithful followers, and with judgments to for His adversaries
2. some advice given [hold that fast which thou hast]
1. Jesus was telling them to remain faithful to God
2. though they were faithful, there is always the danger of backsliding , especially in the face of sustained opposition
3. there will be many saved people who will be ashamed at the coming of the Lord
4. the Christian can lose his reward [crown], but never his salvation
5. we need to be constantly on guard so that the enemies of truth do not deprive us of our reward
7. a promise to those who overcome – 12-13
1. made a pillar in the temple of God
1. a pillar serves a double function: beauty and support
2. the overcomer will ad beauty to the temple of God
3. the overcomer will be honored as a necessary part of the temple, a support beam
2. we will become a permanent part of heaven, the temple of God [shall go no more out]
1. if we reach heaven, our happiness is secure for ever
2. we have here the absolute certainty that our soul will never again be in peril
3. we may roam the wonders of God’s creation, but we will never go out of the temple of God
4. heaven will be our eternal dwelling place
3. we will be labeled as God’s possession [I will write upon him the name of my God]
1. a public testimony the he had gained the favor and friendship of God
2. we will be known and recognized as belonging to God
4. we will be labeled as a citizen of heaven [I will write upon him … the name of the city of God]
1. wherever we go in all of God’s creation we will always be known as belonging to that holy city
2. we will enjoy all the rights and privileges of being a citizen of that city
5. we will wear the new name of Christ
1. "new" means not before known, newly introduced
2. all of this points to the fact that the child of God will endure forever
6. this message for the church at Philadelphia is for all churches and every believer