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Our natural human tendency is to look at the church through the lenses of this
world.
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We assume too often that only a church which is clearly in possession of power &
strength will be useful for Christ's kingdom, but that is neither what we read
here nor what the rest of Scripture testifies.
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Man looks on outward appearances, but the Lord looks on the heart.
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God promised to make Abraham a great nation yet only one son was born to Sarah
by him, Isaac, & Abraham did not live to see the next generation.
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Before he became king, as a youth, David had slain lions & bears knowing
that his power came from God & with that knowledge & trust, David faced
& slew Goliath of Gath.
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In his second letter to the church of Corinth, the apostle Paul wrote how God
gave him a thorn in his flesh to keep him from getting a swelled head.
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Three times he asked the Lord to remove it, but God said, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2
Corinthians 12:9).
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What the Lord Jesus said to Paul seems to be what he was saying to
Philadelphia, the church of little power or strength.
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What was Philadelphia like?
- Philadelphia was located on the
fertile plain of Lydia about 40km south of Sardis.
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Historically, it was known as "the city of earthquakes."
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Many left there for safer places to live & the earthquake of A.D. 17 which
"devastated Sardis almost completely demolished Philadelphia."
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About the time of John's Revelation visions of Christ, the city was rebuilt
through subsidies ordered by Domitian Caesar.
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Agriculture was very important, being on a fertile plain.
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Because grapes were grown, the winemaking industry was especially important &
Dionysus, god of wine, was favored in the city.
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Unlike the church of Sardis to whom Christ had nothing good to say, the Lord
Jesus had only words of encouragement for the seemingly small &
insignificant church of Philadelphia.
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What was Christ's main concern for the
church of Philadelphia, the church of little strength or power?
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Christ wanted them to know and depend on
him as their strength: to open the door no one can shut; to cause their
opposition to bow down and acknowledge Christ's love of the church; to protect
them from the coming time of great trial; to hold fast to their faith; and to
bring those who conquer to their eternal home.
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Let's break down this answer one phrase at a time.
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1) Christ wanted them to know and depend
on him as their strength:
-Verse
7, "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: '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.'"
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The Lord Jesus used the title the holy one of himself, a title God used of
himself in the Old Testament.
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He also addressed himself to them as the true one, meaning one in whom there is
no evil or falsehood, perfect in every way.
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The key of David represents Christ's authority & power.
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No one may enter unless he opens & no one can enter when he has closed.
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He is the key to entrance into the eternal kingdom of God.
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Those that depend on Christ as their strength depend on him because he is holy &
true & because he has all power & authority.
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Christ is dependable because of his character & because of his authority;
we would have no reason to trust him otherwise.
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2) To open a door no one can close;
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Verse 8, "I know your works. Behold, I have 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."
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The Philadelphian church may have been small & had a small impact, but they
were faithful.
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Christ opened a door for them which represented at least three things:
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One, the door of salvation which was the door of opportunity for everyone in
Philadelphia through the witness of the church;
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Two, the door of service, upon entering the door of salvation faithful
Christians seek out others & meet them where they are, loving them into the
kingdom;
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Three, the door for effective work, many hungry souls filled the world of the
first century because the old superstitions were being abandoned the gospel
needed to be shared clearly.
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When Christ is my strength, I will serve faithfully, entering his door of
opportunity.
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3) To make their opposition bow down and
acknowledge Christ's love of the church;
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Verse 9, "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."
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Philadelphia faced fanatical Jewish opposition.
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The source of any opposition to the spread of the gospel is Satan, no matter
who it is.
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In the face of violent or aggressive opposition, we often think it best to not
stir the pot but be silent.
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Christ, however, was & is of another mind when it comes to opposition to
the gospel.
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Christ has opened the door no one can shut.
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Christ himself will take opposers captive & make them recognize that the
church is the new, true Israel of God whom he loves.
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When Christ is my strength, I will serve faithfully, entering his door of
opportunity.
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4) To protect them from the coming time
of great trial;
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Verse 10, "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."
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This was a promise to Philadelphia that the Lord Jesus would protect them in
the midst of trial, not that he would remove them from what was to come.
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Persecution was coming; a great storm was gathering & preparing to rain
down on them.
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Should the church be like a turtle, hiding in its shell?
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No, if they kept his word, he would keep them, carrying them through any
suffering.
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The open door is for those who keep Christ's word & stand for his name,
obeying Christ & sharing Christ with others.
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When Christ is my strength, I will serve faithfully, entering his door of
opportunity.
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5) To hold fast to their faith;
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Verse 11, "I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may
seize your crown."
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For Philadelphia, Christ's return was no threat of judgment, but an encouraging
promise of his return to receive them into glory which he would not delay
indefinitely.
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It is a promise that he will return without advance notice, so he calls the
church to persevere in using their God-given resources for him & for the
spread of his kingdom.
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The crown, frequently worn at festivals, reminded the church of the eternal
crown they would receive from Christ if they held fast to their faith.
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Holding fast does not mean taking what we have & burying it, for that is
what the foolish, wicked servant did in the parable of the talents which Jesus
told.
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Rather holding fast means investing all that we are & all that we have into
the kingdom of God in hopes of gaining a return on that investment & God's
investment in us.
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When Christ is my strength, I will serve faithfully, entering his door of
opportunity.
- 6) To bring those who conquer
to their eternal home.
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verse 12, "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."
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Pillars represent permanence. In a city familiar with earthquakes, the pillars
were often the only parts of a building found standing when the dust settled &
the people returned.
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The Lord stressed to them that their place in his kingdom was permanent,
"Never shall he go out of it."
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Additionally, Christ gave the Philadelphian Christians three promises: one, I
will write on him the name of my God; two, the name of the city of my God;
three, & my own new name.
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The conquering Christian belongs to God, is a citizen of heaven, & will
continue to have a special relationship with Christ for all eternity.
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When Christ is my strength, I will serve faithfully, entering his door of
opportunity.
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How does this passage apply to us?
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We tend to look at ourselves in the church through human eyes, it's only
natural.
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As a small rural church, we often struggle & become discouraged.
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We may see ourselves as weak & insignificant in a world where value is
attached to effectiveness & achieving results & large size, after all,
more is better; bigger is better.
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Where would that kind of thinking gotten Abraham as he looked upon Isaac, the
one son of the promise; young David as he faced Goliath, or the apostle Paul as
he struggled with his thorn in the flesh?
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Much like them, Christ wants us to know & depend on him as our strength.
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His grace is sufficient & his power is made perfect in our weakness.
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Our strength is not in ourselves, but in the power & authority of Christ.
- Our small size & apparent weakness are
instead an opportunity for the power of Christ to be displayed.
- He calls us simply to be faithful, keeping
his Word & standing for his name by obeying him & sharing his love &
message.
- He places before the faithful an open door
of opportunity for salvation, service, & effective work & it is up to
us to walk through that door.
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If we face any opposition to the gospel, then we need to let that be Christ's
concern rather than our concern. He will cause them to bow down – "every
knee will bow, in heaven & on earth & under the earth, & every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
(Phil. 2:10-11)
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Christ will keep us & protect us in the hour of trial so we will have
nothing to fear when we are faithful.
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Christ will strengthen us to hold fast the faith, investing ourselves for his
kingdom.
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Christ will bring us to our eternal home as conquerors.
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Christ's person, Christ's presence, &
Christ's power are the answer for our personal frailty, flaws, & weakness
as well as those of the church.
- When Christ is my strength, I
will serve faithfully, entering his door of opportunity.
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