Question 1:
When has a word of encouragement been
especially timely?
THE POINT
Faithfully trust God as you
minister to others.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
We all love words of encouragement. Even simple statements like “good job” and “keep up the good work” can really lift our spirits and motivate us to do our best. Words of encouragement keep us moving forward in the right direction—and what could possibly be greater than a word of encouragement from Jesus Himself? The church at Philadelphia received just such a word—a word that can encourage our own walk with Christ.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Revelation 3:7-8
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
Jesus’ sixth message was to the church in Philadelphia, a name that means “brotherly love.” It was the “youngest” of the seven cities in Revelation 2–3, but it was a place of rich soil and vineyards (which might explain why they worshiped Dionysus, the Greek god of wine).
To this church, Jesus identified Himself by several titles; “him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (v. 7). His reference to the key of David hearkens back to Isaiah 22:22, Isaiah’s prophecy about Eliakim. Eliakim had been put into place as the palace secretary, and the key referred to the fact that Eliakim could literally open or close any door he wanted because of his high position in the court of David. When we read this in light of Christ, we see that Jesus, who is the root and offspring of David, has absolute authority. He alone has the authority to let people into the heavenly city and before His throne. Not only does Christ have the authority to open the door, He is the door. The salvation He made possible is the only way into the presence of God.
This door was open before the believers in Philadelphia, and no one could close it! The door of salvation—the door that gained them entrance into eternity—was wide open. It was not open to the church because of any great ability or strength they had; in fact, Jesus noted the church had little power. Power was not the issue; faith and trust were—and that’s what the church in Philadelphia had.
Question 2:
When have you been glad Jesus
opened a door for you?
- They kept His word. They remained true to what they had learned and received. They had not allowed any distractions or the sinful culture around them to take them off course from their trust and obedience.
- They did not deny the name of Jesus. No matter what trials or persecution they faced, the believers refused to dishonor or deny the name of the One who saved them.
This is such an important message for us today as well. When we trust His Word to us and place our unwavering faith in the name of Jesus, the door of His salvation is open to us. Any power we may try to muster is insufficient and unnecessary; we need only trust Christ.
Revelation 3:9-10
9 “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”
I remember when our teachers told us to pay attention and take note of something they were about to tell us. That indicated it was going to be on an upcoming test or it was something that would impact everything else we studied. If it was important enough for me to pay attention when a teacher said, “Take note,” it is especially important when Jesus tells us to “Note this” (v. 9, CSB).
Whatever oppositions these false Jews threw at them, the believers prevailed. They endured. No matter how hard it had been, no matter what obstacles were thrown in front of them, they had remained strong in their relationship with Christ.
As a result of their faithfulness, Jesus promised them the protection only He could bring. “I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth” (v. 10). While many scholars see this as a reference to a time of great tribulation, they debate over the meaning of “keep you from.” Many believe this means Christ will remove His followers from the time of tribulation, and others believe this means God will protect His children from experiencing the wrath that comes during the time of tribulation. The main thing is that Christ promises protection for those who endure.
A “trust fall” is an exercise in which a blindfolded person leans backward until he falls, but he is falling backward into the arms of those whom he trusts to catch him. He might struggle with the decision to let go and trust those he cannot see. With Christ, we can trust Him completely. If we are followers of Christ who remain true to His Word, we have no need to worry about the future. God will always “catch” us. Just as He promised the believers in Philadelphia, we also can trust His protection. He will see us through to the end.
Question 3:
How do you remain faithful to God during
difficult times?
Revelation 3:11-13
11 “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Difficulties and tribulations may come, but Jesus promised, “I am coming soon.” From our twenty-first century perspective, one might be tempted to think Jesus did not keep His promise, but that’s not the case. From the perspective of eternity, Christ’s return is soon!
As it was meant to be a comfort to the Philadelphian believers, that promise should comfort us too. For that reason, Jesus calls all believers to “hold on to what you have” because the challenges we face in the Christian life will soon be over. We should be living with the expectancy that He could return at any time. No matter what we face, no matter how uncertain the days are ahead for us, we can rest assured that Christ is coming again. When He comes, we, His people, will be ultimately delivered from any and all trials, persecutions, and difficulties.
Question 4:
What are some ways our church
is like the church at Philadelphia?
To the one who finishes the race, Christ will make the victor “a pillar in the temple of my God” (v. 12). Here was a promise of security in the presence of God, and it might have been especially meaningful to this church. Philadelphia had experienced a devastating earthquake in AD 17, and the inhabitants continued to feel tremors for years. Even today, the only thing that remains from some of the ancient temples are the massive pillars, but here is a promise that, in Christ, we are secure in God’s eternal presence.
God’s people in Philadelphia cherished the idea that He assured them of a new name and a permanent citizenship in heaven. We have that same opportunity. We too must continue to hold on to the truth. We are living in uncertain times, but the promises of God and the provisions from God are just as real today as they were for the church in Philadelphia.
Question 5:
How can we help each other hold
on to all that we have in Christ?
JESUS AND HIS CHURCH
In the space below, describe Christ’s relationship to the church.
You can draw a picture, use symbols, words, or phrases.
Then write a prayer thanking Jesus for inviting you into this relationship with Him.
Example: a crown representing Jesus' authority over the church
“Faithful people have always been in a marked minority.”
A.W. PINK
LIVE IT OUT
How will you live out the truths from this passage? Choose one of the following applications:
- Endure. Identify times or areas of your life when enduring in your faith have been hardest. Pray for Christ’s power to stand strong. Let the reminder that He is coming soon to set you free from your difficulties serve as a motivation to stand with Him.
- Encourage. As you see others standing and enduring in their faith, commend them for their faithfulness. Encourage them to continue being a faithful witness.
- Invite. Invite others to walk through “the open door” of salvation and enter into eternity with Christ. Be faithful in your witness of Christ’s salvation.
As great as thank you cards are in encouraging us, Jesus has given us letters that have offered generations of Christians the encouragement to remain faithful to Him. So let’s faithfully trust Him as we minister to others.
Teacher Notes:
THE CHURCH GOD DESIRES
Video: Lou Holtz
Commencement Speech
Faithful in All Things
The Passage: Revelation
3:7-13
Point: Faithfully
trust God as you minister to others.
TRUST: Do What’s Right
COMMITMENT: Do
Everything to The Best of Your Ability
LOVE: Show People You
Care
1.
Ephesus was a CARELESS church. This was a large church, an
active, working church, a well-taught church, a weathered church, they faced hard
trials -- yet it was a church that faced a rebuke. We often look at large,
active churches as healthy churches, but often they are not. Jesus told the
church at Ephesus they had lost their passionate love
for God. And we want to make sure that we are always more concerned
about who we ARE, in our hearts, than just being concerned about what we DO.
2.
Smyrna was a CRUSHED church and a CROWNED
church. They faced pressure and poverty and putdowns, but they faithfully endured, and so they received commendation from the Lord. The Lord tells them that persecution will come, but to
continue to live faithfully and He would reward them greatly. We want to
be faithful, even when life gets difficult.
3.
Pergamum was a COMPROMISING church. It was a city where Satan had
set up camp; but the church had tolerated Satan’s presence. We want to make
sure that we do not compromise and tolerate evil.
4.
Thyatira was a CORRUPT church. The people
had followed a self-proclaimed prophetess who taught them to deny the truth,
and the people accepted the teaching. We learn the lesson that we cannot allow
ourselves to follow any false teaching that would lead
us to embrace sin, but rather we need to lead holy lives, in the world,
but not of the world. Instead, we live as a witness to the world.
5.
Sardis was a CRIPPLED church. This was a church that looked
good from the outside, in fact it had a good reputation, but Jesus saw them as
they really were, dying and almost dead.
6.
Today we want to look at one of the best of
the seven churches, the church at Philadelphia. It was a COMMITTED church. Philadelphia was a committed
church that trusted in God’s Word and did what was right, they didn’t have much
but they did what they could the best they could, and they ministered to
others, served others, showed people that they cared – they loved others.
7.
Laodicea: The
church with lukewarm faith (Revelation 3:16). Next week
Life is about making Choices
Turn with me to
Revelations 3:7-13
Revelation 3:7-8
7 “To the angel of the
church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true,
who holds the key of David. What he opens no one
can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know
your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can
shut. I know that you have little strength, yet
you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
Revelation 3:9-10
9 “I will make those
who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not,
but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge
that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is
going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”
Revelation 3:11-13
11 “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no
one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in
the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I
will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the
new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also
write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.”
Philadelphia was named
after Attalus II, the king of Pergamum. He had a great love for his brother
Eumenes, and the name Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” But it is
important to understand the purpose of this city. Attalus founded this city in
this spot to be a missionary outpost to the uncivilized regions beyond Lydia,
to show them the splendor and glory of Greece. And the city succeeded so well
that by AD 19 the Lydian tongue, native to that region, had been replaced by
the widespread usage of the Greek language.
God’s desire
for His people has always been for us to be a
witness, a city on a hill, a people uniquely loved by God. God led
Abraham to the land of Israel - yes, a dry, arid land -- but a land that was at
the crossroads of the world. Because God’s plan was for all nations on earth to
be blessed through the Jews. And for us in the church today, we realize that
God’s missionary plan remains the same.
Far too many Christians
think that God’s plan is to bless them so they are happy and well off and
successful. That is what they often pray for. The Prayer of Jabez was a
big fad a few years ago - the idea of praying of Oh, that you would bless me
and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so
that I will be free from pain. Most Christians are good at that type of praying
- we love to pray for blessing and freedom from pain.
But how many of us are
willing to pray for God to use us, no matter the cost?
The city of
Philadelphia had succeeded in its missionary endeavors to convert a Lydian
culture to adopting the Greek lifestyle. But God comes to this missionary city
and calls the church there to do the same: to be a missionary people, who model
to their community the love of God in such a way that others are drawn to
believe the gospel and turn their lives over to following the one true God. Blog: We are a Christian couple’s class committed to loving
and following Jesus fully, so that others might be drawn to Him.
As Jesus comes to these
Christians, we see how He presents himself as the supreme authority in their
lives. He writes as the one who holds the key of David. The reference to David
reminds these Christians of the Messiah, the righteous branch who springs from
David’s line. Jesus is the king of the Jews.
In Isaiah 22 we find
the story of a corrupt leader of the Jews being replaced by an honorable man
named Eliakim. It says in that passage: I will place on his shoulder the key to
the house of David; what he opens no-one can shut, and what he shuts no-one can
open. So, the idea of the key of David is tied to the idea of opening and
closing doors. Jesus comes as the one who is supremely in charge of opening and
closing.
Whether these are open
doors for salvation and receiving salvation, or open doors of ministry, or open
doors of service, one thing is clear. God is the God who places opportunities
in our path. But we so often fail to see it.
We go to the store, and
we are in such a hurry that we fail to notice the troubled look of hurt on the
face of the cashier. We want to get to our car quickly, so we briskly rush past
the widow struggling to carry her bag of groceries to her car. A friend calls
up with a burden, but we are so busy that we put them off with some pat answers
so we can get back to work, or often, so we can get back to watching the TV
show we are in the middle of. We value our pleasure and comfort above the needs
of others. And as a result, we never see the open doors that God has given us.
Jesus tells them they
have an open door -- no one can close that door of opportunity. And then Jesus
says,
I know that you have
little strength. The church at Philadelphia was not a big
church, they didn’t have a lot of resources, there probably weren’t a lot of
wealthy patrons giving large amounts to the church. They only had little
strength. Jesus told the church of Philadelphia that He knows their weakness. But even
though they were small, they were FAITHFUL!
There’s no shortage of
open doors, but there is a shortage of Christians that will enter them. In Luke
10:2 Jesus says, the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore,
pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. The church
at Philadelphia was small, but they were doing what they could for the Lord.
Far too often we focus
on the things we can’t do, and we use that as an excuse to do
nothing. A man was out on the beach one day, picking up stranded starfish that
had washed up on the beach. Someone came along and said, why are you wasting
your time. There are thousands of starfishes on the beach. You can’t throw them
all back in. What you are doing doesn’t really matter. The man reached down,
picked up a starfish, threw it back into the waves, and said, it matters to
that one!
Maybe you can’t reach
everyone, but there IS someone that you can reach for Christ. But we often
allow ourselves to think that somebody else will reach them.
A little parable: Fred
Somebody, Thomas Everybody, Susan Anybody, and Joe Nobody were neighbors, but
they were not like you and me. They were odd people and most difficult to
understand. The way they lived was a shame. All four belonged to the same
church, but you would not have enjoyed worshipping with them. EVERYBODY went
fishing on Sunday or stayed home to visit with friends. ANYBODY wanted to
worship but was afraid SOMEBODY wouldn’t speak to him. So, guess who went to
church - NOBODY. Really, NOBODY was the only decent one of the four. NOBODY did
the visitation. NOBODY worked on the church building. Once they needed a Sunday
school teacher. EVERYBODY thought ANYBODY would do it, and ANYBODY thought
SOMEBODY would do it. And you know who did it? That’s right . . . NOBODY! It
happened that a fifth neighbor (an unbeliever) moved into the area. EVERYBODY
thought SOMEBODY should try to win him for Christ. ANYBODY could have made an
effort. You probably know who won him: NOBODY!
This little parable
brings to focus again the fact that each of us is personally responsible for
God’s work. If we leave it for somebody or everybody or anybody, nobody will
end up doing it.
The church at
Philadelphia had little strength, but they did what they could. They were
committed. They did what they could. And they worked faithfully. Jesus said, I
know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not
denied my name. In the day when other churches, many of them larger and more
active, were compromising with the world, trying to justify sacrificing to
Caesar and saying Caesar is Lord - these Christians at Philadelphia stayed true
to the word of God. They did not try to fit in and blend with their
surroundings.
The Christians at
Philadelphia had a faithful testimony. They followed the word of God.
Today, it is easy to
say I don’t have a lot of gifts; I can’t preach; I’m not good at sharing the
gospel; Our church is small. But let’s learn a lesson from the church at
Philadelphia. Even though we have little strength,
when we use the little that God has placed into our hands, He is pleased.
Close with: Do What’s Right, Do Everything to The Best of Your Ability, and Show People You Care
Life doesn't have to be complicated!
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