Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Philadelphia: A Church That Was Small But Faithful | Revelation 3:7-13 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series)

Transcript

Philadelphia: A Church That Was Small But Faithful | Revelation 3:7-13 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

• 0:02
  I happily invite you to now meet me in the Book of Revelation in
• 0:07
  chapter 3 as we consider the letter to the church in
• 0:13
  Philadelphia. And I want to tell you right
• 0:16
  from the beginning why we should be ecstatic to be studying these
• 0:20
  verses together this afternoon. Remember the ultimate purpose of
• 0:24
  why we are taking our time in this section of the Book of
• 0:27
  Revelation as the people of God who are joyfully committed to
• 0:33
  this local body. We have been invited by the Lord
• 0:37
  Jesus Christ himself to discover what he expects from us as His
• 0:43
  church. And so far we have been
• 0:47
  confronted by a handful of examples of what a church ought
• 0:52
  not to be. And that's largely been our
• 0:56
  experience as we've been looking at these historical assemblies,
• 1:00
  which ultimately speak about the condition of the church
• 1:04
  throughout history. But today is going to be an
• 1:08
  encouraging time because now we come to a letter that describes
• 1:13
  A congregation that Christ Holy commends.
• 1:19
  That's right. There is not a trace of
• 1:22
  correction. There is not anything of rebuke.
• 1:26
  Everything that we find here is praise, which means at least two
• 1:33
  things #1 like the church in Smyrna, the church in
• 1:38
  Philadelphia serves as a wonderful wake up call.
• 1:42
  A wake up call to what? That it is possible to be
• 1:46
  consistently faithful to Jesus Christ?
• 1:51
  Not to say that there is a perfect church, but that it is
• 1:56
  achievable to be a faithful church, moving in the right
• 2:01
  direction by the grace of God, repenting and forgiving, and
• 2:06
  learning from glory to glory. It's possible, and we should
• 2:11
  strive for that. And here's a second thought.
• 2:14
  In this letter we will also be taught what it takes for a
• 2:20
  church to be totally pleasing to Christ, and that should throw
• 2:26
  any of us who long to be believers who want to bring
• 2:31
  pleasure to the Lord. Believers, yes, walking with
• 2:36
  Christ in a personal way, but also connected as members of one
• 2:39
  body and desire to glorify the Lord in a corporate manner.
• 2:44
  We're going to learn here what Christ looks for, what He
• 2:48
  praises, what He desires, and how we can pursue that.
• 2:53
  And in case we're inclined to think that the church in
• 2:55
  Philadelphia was steady and strong because their
• 2:58
  circumstances were calm and favorable, a plain reading of
• 3:04
  this letter will show that such an assumption cannot be true.
• 3:09
  In fact, the very introduction of this letter, if read in light
• 3:13
  of the context, will show that this church had its troubles and
• 3:19
  Christ wanted to assure them. He wanted to build them up to
• 3:24
  remain faithful. Shall we begin?
• 3:28
  Meet me in verse 7 of Revelation chapter 3.
• 3:30
  And let's read the entirety of this brief report.
• 3:36
  And to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right?
• 3:39
  The words of the Holy One, the true One, who has the key of
• 3:44
  David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one
• 3:48
  opens. I know your works.
• 3:52
  Behold, I've set before you an open door which no one is able
• 3:55
  to shut. I know that you have but little
• 3:58
  power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my
• 4:01
  name. Behold, I will make those of the
• 4:04
  synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not but
• 4:07
  lie. Behold, I will make them come
• 4:10
  and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have
• 4:14
  loved you because you have kept my word about patient endurance.
• 4:18
  I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the
• 4:21
  whole world to try those who dwell on the earth.
• 4:26
  I'm coming soon. Hold fast what you have so that
• 4:29
  no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will
• 4:33
  make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
• 4:35
  Never shall he go out of it. And I will write on him the name
• 4:37
  of my God and the name of the city of my God.
• 4:41
  The new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven,
• 4:45
  and my own new name. He has an ear.
• 4:48
  Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
• 4:53
  Now, if you've been with us consistently, then you know that
• 4:56
  when Christ introduces Himself to these different
• 4:59
  congregations, He usually will go back to Revelation chapter 1.
• 5:05
  And borrow some of the imagery of that manifestation of his
• 5:09
  glory before his apostle. But this time he doesn't do
• 5:14
  that. I mean, you can try to say,
• 5:17
  yeah, this is parallel with what we see in chapter 1 here and
• 5:20
  there. But what we actually see is that
• 5:22
  Christ completely references the Old Testament, the Hebrew
• 5:28
  Scriptures. And when learning this, you have
• 5:32
  to ask the question why? And again, the answer is in the
• 5:34
  letter, This particular church was experiencing hardship from a
• 5:40
  particular group of people. And we read it, Jews, localized
• 5:46
  Jews who are antagonists, who are harassing these people, who
• 5:51
  are trying to discredit the legitimacy of their faith, try
• 5:55
  to make them doubt and try to make them even believe that the
• 5:59
  God that you claim loves you and died for you.
• 6:01
  He doesn't. You're not truly in covenant
• 6:04
  with him. And so it's as though right from
• 6:08
  the beginning, Christ wants to let this church know who I am is
• 6:14
  not a novel idea. I've been predicted from ancient
• 6:18
  scripture. I've been foretold.
• 6:21
  I've been written about. Moses spoke of me.
• 6:24
  Abraham saw me and so right here we see that there is credibility
• 6:30
  that he wants to offer to this church.
• 6:33
  Who I am comes from the Scriptures.
• 6:35
  The Christian movement isn't divorce from God's word from the
• 6:39
  beginning, and this is what the are supposed to see.
• 6:43
  This is what these believers are receiving right away.
• 6:44
  Now there are three things that Christ says about himself that
• 6:47
  we should consider carefully. What does he say?
• 6:49
  The first thing that he mentions is that He is what?
• 6:52
  The Holy One, the Holy I am the Holy One.
• 6:56
  Now if you know your Old Testament, then you would agree
• 6:59
  that this is far beyond just a claim to purity and
• 7:02
  distinctiveness. This is a divine title.
• 7:08
  The title Holy One appears many times in the Old Testament to
• 7:12
  describe God in His Majesty and his brilliance, but it is a
• 7:16
  favorite of Isaiah, the prophets.
• 7:19
  No one ever speaks about the Holy One more than Him.
• 7:24
  He regularly repeats that throughout his writings, which I
• 7:28
  find interesting because throughout this letter to the
• 7:30
  church in Philadelphia there will be direct and indirect
• 7:34
  references to the book of Isaiah.
• 7:37
  I am the Holy 1. And so we are supposed to see
• 7:42
  this already as a claim to divinity.
• 7:45
  But quickly he follows it up with what a second
• 7:48
  characteristic. I am the true one.
• 7:52
  I am the true one. As though to say, I am free from
• 7:54
  error. I am totally reliable.
• 7:59
  I am authentic and genuine in all of my ways.
• 8:03
  Now that's a wonderful thing to say about yourself, but it made
• 8:06
  me ask the question, why is that relevant to this church?
• 8:10
  Why did this church need to know that Jesus Christ is the true
• 8:15
  one? And then it hit me.
• 8:18
  There's a contrast happening here.
• 8:21
  Let's Scroll down to verse 9 to see what I'm saying.
• 8:24
  Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that
• 8:29
  they are Jews and are not. But do what?
• 8:31
  They lie. They lie.
• 8:35
  And I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and
• 8:37
  they will learn that I have loved you.
• 8:38
  So this Jewish community in Philadelphia, not Philadelphia
• 8:42
  here in the United States, by the way, ancient Philadelphia.
• 8:45
  You never know, guys. You never know.
• 8:50
  The Jews in this community were troubling these believers, and
• 8:55
  Christ condemns them for being liars.
• 8:57
  Liars about what? Liars about their supposed
• 9:01
  spiritual condition and status before God.
• 9:04
  Liars unquestionably, because they slander these Christians in
• 9:07
  their neighborhood and try to convince them that they were not
• 9:10
  really the people of God. And here's Christ from the
• 9:14
  outset of his message telling them I am the true one.
• 9:19
  You may be represent misrepresented.
• 9:22
  You may be caused to doubt, or at least tempted to doubt.
• 9:25
  You may be accused of being heretics and worthy of
• 9:29
  condemnation. But I want to let you know that
• 9:31
  you have placed your saving faith in the true One.
• 9:37
  I'm the true 1. And it becomes even more
• 9:40
  significant when you realize that the pairing attributes of
• 9:43
  Holy and True. Appear only one other time in
• 9:48
  the Book of Revelation, and it is granted to just one other
• 9:52
  person. Can I show you that?
• 9:55
  Go to chapter 6 with me and look here at verse 10.
• 10:01
  These are the souls who have lived for the truth, who lost
• 10:06
  their lives for the truth, and who are crying out to the Lord
• 10:10
  in a different realm, asking for vindication.
• 10:13
  And we see here that they say something quite amazing.
• 10:16
  In Revelation 610, they cried out with a loud voice.
• 10:19
  O sovereign Lord, pause. That's God.
• 10:23
  Nobody else has such a title. O Sovereign Lord, here it is
• 10:30
  holy. And what?
• 10:32
  True? Holy and true.
• 10:35
  How long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those
• 10:39
  who dwell on the earth? Listen, this observation can
• 10:42
  only mean one thing. For Christ to use this wording
• 10:45
  back in chapter 3 means that he unequivocally is declaring
• 10:49
  Himself to be God. I am the Holy One.
• 10:54
  I am the true one. And you get to chapter 6 and you
• 10:57
  realize that the Saints call the sovereign Lord a holy and true.
• 11:02
  Who is this Jesus? More than a teacher, more than a
• 11:06
  prophet, He's God in the flesh. Which brings me to a very
• 11:13
  important observation, one that I think when people touch on
• 11:17
  this letter, rarely discuss. And I was thinking maybe we'll
• 11:22
  touch on this at the end of the letter because it appears at the
• 11:25
  end, but I thought this would be a perfect place to get some
• 11:27
  answers. Let me tell you what I mean.
• 11:31
  Come back to chapter 3 and look what Christ says.
• 11:34
  This is what Jesus says. Remember, He's the one who's
• 11:36
  writing this to this church. He's using John, but they are
• 11:39
  His words. And notice what he says in
• 11:41
  Revelation 312. I wonder if you will catch it.
• 11:44
  Revelation 312 The one who conquers, I will make him a
• 11:48
  pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it.
• 11:52
  And I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the
• 11:55
  city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from
• 11:58
  my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
• 12:04
  Jesus is speaking and four times in one verse he says My God.
• 12:11
  My God, my God, my God, my God. Oh, I thought you were God.
• 12:16
  And this is a favorite of skeptics and unbelievers to cast
• 12:19
  doubt in the hearts of Christians to reconsider the
• 12:23
  tenant of their faith that Jesus Christ is in fact God with us.
• 12:29
  How can you say that Christ is God and yet he claims to have a
• 12:33
  God over him? This is important and we need to
• 12:37
  consider this. One for our own edification, but
• 12:40
  also to give an answer to those who may not understand why we
• 12:44
  believe what we believe. And they may disagree with your
• 12:48
  faith in the person of Christ, but you and I have at least to
• 12:52
  do our part in showing why we believe it.
• 12:55
  We believe it because we find it in the Word of God.
• 12:58
  And what seems to be paradoxical or even contradictory is not.
• 13:01
  It just calls for a deeper study so that we can understand the
• 13:04
  riches of who our God is again. How can Christ, who claims to be
• 13:10
  God say that he has a God over him?
• 13:14
  What I find interesting here is that we believe in the Trinity
• 13:18
  and it is only the second person in the Godhead.
• 13:21
  Whoever makes this claim, the Father never makes a claim that
• 13:25
  he has a God over him. The Holy Spirit also does not
• 13:29
  make a claim that he has a God over him.
• 13:31
  The only one who does that is the person of Jesus Christ.
• 13:36
  It has to do with His dual nature.
• 13:39
  It has to do what He did 2000 years ago.
• 13:43
  And the point that I want to make to you is that the second
• 13:45
  person of the Trinity assumes God as His God.
• 13:50
  Only when He became flesh, the Word became flesh.
• 13:58
  Turn with me to Jeremiah 32 verse 27.
• 14:02
  And please, please underline this verse and tuck it into your
• 14:06
  heart because it will make all of this easily understandable.
• 14:15
  Jeremiah 3227. Look at this declaration that
• 14:18
  God makes. Behold, I am the Lord, I am
• 14:22
  Yahweh, the God of what all flesh is anything too hard for
• 14:31
  me? So here he wants to declare his
• 14:37
  omniscience, his omnipotence, His power, His Majesty, His
• 14:43
  Holiness, and in one way he describes it by emphasizing that
• 14:47
  He is the God of all flesh. Now if the Bible is consistent,
• 14:51
  which it is, then we also have to be consistent with our
• 14:53
  understanding of Jesus Christ. That when He became flesh,
• 14:58
  considering this verse, then wouldn't it be natural for us to
• 15:02
  understand that He identifies as the the Father, as his God in
• 15:07
  his humanity? The moment that He enters into
• 15:12
  our world and takes on humanity, truly human, though without sin,
• 15:19
  He is fulfilling what God says here, that now He operates
• 15:25
  subordinate, serving God in His humanity because He became
• 15:30
  flesh. That is significant because you
• 15:34
  won't see Christ, though you can find Him in the Old Testament
• 15:38
  referring to the Father in this way.
• 15:40
  It only happens once He enters into our world, and that's why
• 15:44
  you see Him on the cross where He says and quotes Psalm 22.
• 15:47
  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
• 15:52
  But here's the interesting note. We all agree with that.
• 15:54
  I'm sure many of us had that answer Yes, the reason why
• 15:56
  Christ can say my God was because in His humanity
• 15:59
  identifies God the Father as his God.
• 16:04
  Is Jesus writing this letter to the church in Philadelphia while
• 16:07
  he was on the earth before he was crucified?
• 16:11
  Answer no. This is Christ addressing his
• 16:16
  church post resurrection, post ascension.
• 16:21
  So now we apparently have a dilemma.
• 16:23
  OK, you quoted Jeremiah 3227. Yahweh is the God of all flesh.
• 16:27
  Christ takes on flesh, and therefore now He identifies the
• 16:31
  Father as His God. But He died and he was buried,
• 16:36
  and he rose, and he ascended on high.
• 16:39
  So then how is he now calling the Father his God here?
• 16:45
  Well, you have only two options. One, we have a blunder in the
• 16:50
  Bible. And we should all give up on our
• 16:53
  faith or two, He's still flesh. That's the answer.
• 17:04
  The reason why now Christ in heaven can still call the Father
• 17:07
  his God is because, yes, He entered into this world to take
• 17:12
  on flesh, but He also rose bodily.
• 17:17
  And that is the extent of the great price that he paid.
• 17:21
  That he didn't just put on an earth suit and then zip it off
• 17:24
  after he became the sin bearer of the world.
• 17:26
  He permanently became flesh, though glorified, still flesh.
• 17:32
  And here's the proof that I want to provide to you today.
• 17:34
  I want to show you, and these are verses worth putting in your
• 17:38
  phone or in your notepad. 3 verses that confirms that upon
• 17:42
  Jesus resurrection he was flesh. In his ascension and heavenly
• 17:46
  enthronement He was flesh, and in his return he's coming back
• 17:51
  in the flesh. Can we do this together?
• 17:54
  Good Acts, chapter 2, when Peter preaches to all those Jews who
• 17:59
  came into Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, and he
• 18:03
  quotes at one point in his sermon, Psalm 1611, and he tells
• 18:08
  them that this points to Christ. It couldn't have pointed to
• 18:12
  David. It wasn't about that king, it
• 18:15
  was about another king, one of his descendants, the son of
• 18:17
  David. And I want you to see what he
• 18:19
  says in Acts 229 to 31 to confirm number one, Christ in
• 18:26
  the flesh in his resurrection. Brothers, Peter said, I may say
• 18:33
  to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both
• 18:36
  died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
• 18:40
  Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with
• 18:42
  an oath to him that He would set one of his descendants on His
• 18:45
  throne, He foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the
• 18:49
  Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His
• 18:54
  underline it flesh, nor did His flesh see corruption.
• 19:03
  When Jesus was buried in that rich man's tomb, the Father did
• 19:09
  not allow His flesh to decay. And how did he spare him from
• 19:14
  that kind of corruption, the resurrection?
• 19:17
  He raised him from the dead. David, he was buried and David
• 19:21
  Shirley has decayed. He's still in that tomb.
• 19:25
  And the point that Peter is making is Christ escaped that
• 19:29
  tomb, that there was no deterioration there.
• 19:33
  There was nothing of decay because Christ was raised in the
• 19:38
  flesh. Why is that important to know?
• 19:39
  Because you have some who vehemently disagree with the
• 19:43
  resurrection of Christ, but can't deny the fact that He had
• 19:46
  some kind of resurrection. They might.
• 19:49
  They might say he resurrected spiritually.
• 19:52
  It was a spiritual body and they're understanding.
• 19:54
  It's this invisible, otherworldly kind of
• 19:58
  manifestation. No, no, no, we learn here one of
• 20:01
  many places. It was His body.
• 20:04
  It was His body. If you doubt that, what did God
• 20:08
  in Christ show those disciples as they were cowering in that
• 20:11
  room with a locked door? See that?
• 20:13
  I am flesh and bone. Look at me notices.
• 20:18
  Give me something to eat. I want to show you that this is
• 20:20
  an actual body, and it was the same body that was crucified,
• 20:23
  albeit glorified. The resurrection, His flesh
• 20:27
  resurrected. What happened after that?
• 20:29
  We'll turn with me to First Timothy chapter 2, verse 5.
• 20:35
  Where's Christ now? What is he now?
• 20:38
  Well, Paul tells us in first Timothy chapter 2 verse 5.
• 20:49
  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and
• 20:54
  men, the man Christ Jesus. Underline that last part, the
• 21:01
  man Christ Jesus. He's speaking about the ministry
• 21:05
  of Jesus today, who's mediating between God and men now, not
• 21:11
  just the Savior, Christ Jesus, not just the God Christ Jesus.
• 21:15
  And Paul does call Jesus God in a different epistle, more than
• 21:18
  one actually. He says the man.
• 21:21
  He emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, truly man, truly God.
• 21:28
  Still today. What you think about something,
• 21:31
  it's kind of mind bending. It's actually breathtaking if
• 21:33
  you really meditate on it. Right now, as we're having
• 21:36
  Sunday service, there is a man in heaven, and not just in
• 21:43
  heaven. There is flesh seated at the
• 21:46
  right hand of God, mediating between God and men.
• 21:53
  I wonder what kind of conversations those heavenly
• 21:55
  creatures are having. Flesh He came into the world to
• 22:02
  take on flesh from eternity past beforehand.
• 22:06
  God is Spirit, the second person of the Trinity willingly lays
• 22:11
  down his life in accordance with the Godheads desire to save
• 22:14
  humanity. And when he came back, he came
• 22:16
  back with flesh scars in his hand, inside in his feet.
• 22:21
  And you and I are going to see those scars when we see Him face
• 22:23
  to face. So the point that I'm making is
• 22:26
  under score this, that Christ in his ascension, in his heavenly
• 22:29
  enthronement, now is a man. What about his return?
• 22:35
  Turn with me to Acts chapter 17. And look what Paul says here in
• 22:40
  verse 31 of Acts 17. He writes because he has fixed a
• 22:52
  day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man
• 22:59
  whom he has appointed. And of this he has given
• 23:02
  assurance to all by raising him from the dead.
• 23:06
  So we know it's not just any other man.
• 23:09
  It's not just the righteous man He qualifies.
• 23:15
  Who is it? What man?
• 23:16
  The one that was raised from the dead.
• 23:18
  That's Christ. So upon his return, Christ is
• 23:21
  not coming as a disembodied spirit.
• 23:23
  He's not coming invisibly, He's coming with flesh.
• 23:29
  So here you have it upon his resurrection, his ascension, his
• 23:34
  heavenly enthronement, and His return.
• 23:37
  He is man. And that's why in Revelation
• 23:39
  chapter 3 he can say My God, my God, my God, my God, God.
• 23:48
  Yes. You know who calls Jesus?
• 23:50
  God the Father in Hebrews 1/8. So he's still God, and you
• 23:57
  really have to go to Hebrews. Look at the beginning of this.
• 23:59
  Letter he's the holy 1. He is the true one and yet he
• 24:02
  can still say my God because you have the dual nature of Christ
• 24:05
  at work here. I hope that makes sense.
• 24:08
  I want to remind you we're still in the first verse of this
• 24:12
  letter and we only talked about the two out of the three
• 24:16
  descriptions of Christ. Feel my pain every week.
• 24:23
  Let's come back to verse 7 because there's still one more
• 24:25
  thing that Christ says about himself.
• 24:28
  He says who has the key of David, who opens and no one will
• 24:33
  shut, who shuts and no one opens?
• 24:37
  That is a clear reference to the book of Isaiah.
• 24:42
  In fact, he quotes a verse in Isaiah.
• 24:44
  If you want to know which one, it's a very easy reference.
• 24:46
  Isaiah 2222. Now you don't have to turn
• 24:49
  there, but let me read this in your hearing.
• 24:52
  And allow me to explain it. He says in Isaiah 2222, The Lord
• 24:57
  I will place on his shoulder the key of the House of David.
• 25:01
  He shall open and none shall shut, and he shall shut and none
• 25:04
  shall open. So we have to 1st ask the
• 25:08
  question whose shoulder is God laying a key on in the immediate
• 25:13
  context? And the answer is there.
• 25:14
  You don't have to turn there, but it's a man named Alaikum,
• 25:17
  son of Hill Kaya. Who is this Eliakim?
• 25:20
  He's an obscure character in the Old Testament narrative, but he
• 25:23
  was a man that God elevated to a position of authority in the
• 25:27
  Kingdom while Hezekiah was king. He demoted a man named Shebna
• 25:31
  because he took advantage of that position of power for his
• 25:34
  selfish gain. And so the Lord fires Shebna and
• 25:38
  he raises up this man, Eliakim, and he tells him that he will be
• 25:42
  receiving this key of David as a chief of staff.
• 25:47
  He would be over the household, a very prominent position, one
• 25:51
  that had great responsibility as well as great privilege.
• 25:55
  And Jesus goes back to this text, to this man, and he says,
• 26:02
  I am the fulfillment of that. Ultimately, it's amazing.
• 26:05
  It just really is a testament of how much the Old Testament
• 26:07
  points to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the question then is how
• 26:12
  does the point at Christ? How does this moment in Judas
• 26:14
  history foreshadow what Christ is saying here?
• 26:18
  And I believe the answer is clear in an even greater way.
• 26:22
  God, yes, raised up a man named Eliakim to hold the key of the
• 26:26
  House of David. But now he raises up Christ, and
• 26:30
  he holds ultimate authority over the messianic and eternal
• 26:33
  Kingdom of David. This key of David spoken about
• 26:38
  in Revelation undoubtedly refers to the sovereign authority of
• 26:42
  Christ. And what's its purpose?
• 26:46
  He allows only he allows whom he allows to come in and he keeps
• 26:51
  out who he wants to keep out. That's what he is saying here.
• 26:55
  I have the key of David. It speaks of the key of
• 26:58
  salvation. He alone possesses that
• 27:00
  authority and a like him, which means God raises points to
• 27:06
  Jesus, this man a like him who had a heart for the people of
• 27:09
  Israel. That's why he was hired to be
• 27:11
  over the household. Shabnam was fired.
• 27:13
  And I'm going to raise up this like him because he actually has
• 27:15
  a heart for my people, points to Christ, who doesn't just have a
• 27:18
  heart for Israel, but for the world.
• 27:23
  And he's been granted this key. And because of this key, he
• 27:26
  opens this door into eternal life.
• 27:28
  He shuts it. This speaks of salvation and
• 27:30
  judgment. We're told here that Christ
• 27:34
  alone determines every man's eternal destiny.
• 27:38
  Why is that relevant to this church?
• 27:40
  Because we, because of the persecution they experience,
• 27:42
  it's very likely that they were kicked out of a lot of things,
• 27:45
  namely the synagogue. So he wants to let them know you
• 27:49
  have your faith in me and I have the key to the most important
• 27:52
  door in the universe. Be comforted.
• 27:58
  But Christ's authority is not limited to salvation.
• 28:02
  Now we're going to Fast forward a little bit through this
• 28:03
  letter. Let's come back.
• 28:04
  Notice what he says here. It extends to every sphere of
• 28:07
  this realm. He says in verse 8, I know your
• 28:10
  works. Behold, I've said before you an
• 28:11
  open door which no one will will is able to shot.
• 28:15
  And I know that you have but little power, yet you have kept
• 28:17
  my word and have not denied my name.
• 28:20
  So hopefully when when you and I studied Smyrna, the Church of
• 28:24
  Smyrna, you recall that Christ there assured this church about
• 28:27
  the sovereignty over all suffering they were going to
• 28:30
  suffer. And he says, I'm in control of
• 28:32
  what kind of suffering you experienced and the extent of
• 28:35
  it. I'm sovereign.
• 28:37
  Now, when he comes to Philadelphia, he declares his
• 28:39
  sovereignty, but in another way, sovereignty over opportunities.
• 28:44
  Opportunities. That's what he means here when
• 28:47
  he says, behold, I've set before you an open door.
• 28:51
  Now, some would say he's talking about the fact that he has given
• 28:53
  them salvation. That's what he's he's only just,
• 28:56
  he's just kind of doubling that statement.
• 28:58
  You sure? But The thing is, when you look
• 29:00
  through the New Testament, you'll discover that this phrase
• 29:03
  open door consistently refers to access to a place or to a person
• 29:09
  with the gospel. Open door regularly speaks of in
• 29:13
  the New Testament of an evangelistic opportunity.
• 29:17
  And that's what I believe Christ is saying here to this church.
• 29:20
  I have set before you an opportunity to testify of me.
• 29:24
  It's as though he's saying you are a faithful church, and I'm
• 29:27
  giving you a chance now to advance in your faithfulness by
• 29:31
  walking through this door that I have made clear and open for you
• 29:34
  so that you can shine my light, take advantage of it.
• 29:37
  Church in Philadelphia, go for it.
• 29:40
  You have been faithful. I reward you with greater
• 29:43
  opportunity to be faithful. And I've set before you an open
• 29:46
  door. And I believe what Christ says
• 29:49
  to this church. You may disagree with me, but I
• 29:52
  believe that what he says to this church in Philadelphia.
• 29:55
  Has been offered to the church in America.
• 30:00
  There is a unique freedom and favor that Christians experience
• 30:05
  in this land, and anybody with a little bit of sense would
• 30:10
  attribute that to the grace of God.
• 30:12
  We are an anomaly here in America.
• 30:15
  What you and I are doing here, this is rare.
• 30:17
  I know you grew up in it, but it's not common.
• 30:21
  And I believe it's because Christ has opened a door in this
• 30:25
  country. And I'm aware that there are
• 30:27
  those who would love to take away these rights and try to
• 30:30
  sabotage these freedoms, and that we have to do our practical
• 30:33
  part to preserve them. But there are a lot of
• 30:37
  Christians who are scared today, and I would quote to them this
• 30:40
  passage. No matter what kind of
• 30:42
  legislation, what kind of laws, what kind of party does
• 30:44
  anything, Jesus Christ opens doors that no man can shut.
• 30:49
  He determines that understand the sovereignty of Christ here
• 30:54
  and he's telling this church you have some time do something with
• 31:00
  this time and that's that's something for us to consider.
• 31:04
  He says behold, like, open your eyes, see it.
• 31:08
  And there's no profit for us praying and complaining about
• 31:12
  the things that are happening here in the US trying.
• 31:15
  To defend our religious liberties if we don't take
• 31:18
  advantage of it, I believe that's the call for us to take
• 31:23
  advantage of it. And sometimes the reason why we
• 31:25
  lack motivation to step forward is perhaps for the same reason
• 31:28
  why this church might have hesitated.
• 31:31
  Notice what he says in the rest of verse 8.
• 31:33
  After he tells him that he has given them an open door, he
• 31:36
  reminds them that he knows that they have but little power.
• 31:40
  And that's not a correction. That's not.
• 31:42
  Any kind of criticism he just acknowledging what they know he
• 31:46
  wants them to know. I'm aware of it.
• 31:47
  You have but little power. What does that mean?
• 31:49
  Most likely that they were small in number and short on
• 31:52
  resources. Very unimpressive in worldly
• 31:56
  terms. From a human standpoint, it
• 31:58
  didn't look like a thriving, successful ministry.
• 32:01
  You have little power. And I wonder if it's ever
• 32:06
  crossed their minds. Can we really make an impact for
• 32:08
  Christ? Oh, how many believers feel this
• 32:12
  way about themselves? What do you do if you're here
• 32:16
  today and you've visited this thought that's caused a lack of
• 32:21
  motivation to share your faith? I'm not really eloquent.
• 32:24
  I mean, I don't, I have a very difficult time recalling
• 32:27
  Scripture references. I don't have the charisma.
• 32:30
  I don't really have a persuasive personality.
• 32:33
  I'd rather give this person that I would love to share the gospel
• 32:36
  with the somebody else, maybe one of the elders or another
• 32:39
  experienced St. And so you feel stuck, you feel
• 32:42
  crippled. You feel like God can't really
• 32:45
  use you if that is you, you're supposed to do what this church
• 32:50
  was called to do. And it's very simple.
• 32:52
  Believe with all your heart that God really wants to use you.
• 32:57
  Even if you have little, he wants to use you.
• 33:01
  And then a wonderful thought. I think it is, yes, with your
• 33:05
  makeup and your unique quirks and your accent.
• 33:12
  And your height, Whatever the case may be, Jesus Christ wants
• 33:18
  to use you. And the weaker you feel, the
• 33:22
  more excited you should be. Because we're promised that he
• 33:25
  provides power for all our weaknesses, all our
• 33:29
  deficiencies, and all our. Lack.
• 33:32
  That's why he says this is true. Yeah, you have little power, but
• 33:35
  you have me. You have the sovereign Christ
• 33:37
  who opens doors for you, and I don't just open them for you.
• 33:40
  I walk with you through them. And like this church, simply
• 33:47
  take whatever opportunity that's made clear for you, The open
• 33:52
  door that you have to talk to unbelievers.
• 33:55
  What opportunities are around you to engage with those who
• 33:58
  don't know Christ? That's your open door, and it's
• 34:01
  a very wide open door here in America.
• 34:06
  May the Lord help us take advantage of it.
• 34:08
  I'm so glad that the Lord doesn't measure success in the
• 34:11
  way the world does. I'm so happy because in the very
• 34:14
  same breath that He says you have but little power, He
• 34:16
  acknowledges and praises them. For what?
• 34:21
  He doesn't clap because of their great number.
• 34:25
  He doesn't pat him on the back because of their robust
• 34:27
  programs, their wonderful budget.
• 34:31
  He doesn't acknowledge any of that.
• 34:32
  The one thing that he highlights?
• 34:34
  That makes this church so praiseworthy is loyalty.
• 34:39
  You have what kept my word and have not denied my name.
• 34:45
  This little church in Philadelphia love the Bible,
• 34:50
  they love the scriptures, and though they were little many
• 34:54
  things, they just wanted to govern themselves according to
• 34:56
  the word of God. They want to know the word of
• 34:57
  God. They want to share the word of
• 34:59
  God. That was their ministry motto.
• 35:01
  And Jesus looks at this church and says, I have nothing to say,
• 35:07
  nothing negative to say. I see that you treasure my word.
• 35:12
  A church that holds the Bible so dearly, not just in creed but in
• 35:16
  practice and wants to be faithful to the person of Jesus
• 35:21
  Christ and all his exclusive claims is a church that is very
• 35:25
  dear to the heart of Christ. You know what every single one
• 35:29
  of us should be able to say about this church?
• 35:31
  By the grace of God and any other church that you represent,
• 35:33
  if you're visiting here today, listen to what Christ is saying.
• 35:37
  What kind of what kind of church does he praise?
• 35:40
  One that loves the word of God. Why do you go to the church you
• 35:43
  go to? Because they love the word of
• 35:44
  God. They sing the word of God, they
• 35:48
  preach the word of God, and more importantly, they try to live
• 35:50
  the word of God. It was Spurgeon who said the
• 35:53
  Lord does not blame us for having little strength but
• 35:56
  little zeal, little love, little consecration.
• 35:59
  Yes, He'll criticize that never for our lack of number or
• 36:02
  resources. So he praises them.
• 36:07
  You have kept my word. Here's what I take from this,
• 36:10
  and we're wrapping up very soon. If I want Jesus to smile over
• 36:14
  Maranatha Bible Church, I have one preoccupation, the Bible,
• 36:21
  and everything will flow from that.
• 36:23
  This is our compass. This is our hymn book.
• 36:26
  This is the subject matter of our discussions.
• 36:28
  This is our counselling material.
• 36:30
  It's in the book. And I again learned that Christ
• 36:36
  really, really appreciates those who value his word.
• 36:42
  May the Lord keep us as a people of this book.
• 36:46
  But he doesn't just praise them. He gives them wonderful
• 36:48
  promises, and for the rest of these verses we'll look at three
• 36:52
  of them very quickly. He gives 3 promises to this
• 36:54
  faithful church to encourage faithfulness and to bless them
• 37:00
  for their faithfulness. Verse 9.
• 37:03
  Here's promise #1 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of
• 37:07
  Satan who say that they are Jews.
• 37:08
  Better not, but lie. Behold, I will make them come
• 37:11
  and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have
• 37:14
  loved you #1 This faithful church was promised that Christ
• 37:20
  would prove their enemies wrong. Have we seen this Synagogue of
• 37:27
  Satan before in our study of revelation?
• 37:29
  Yeah, this is the second time it appears.
• 37:31
  And let me be very clear, the Synagogue of Satan is not a
• 37:33
  blanket statement about the Jewish race or Israel's national
• 37:37
  identity. Rather crisis condemning a
• 37:40
  specific group of Jews in this area who placed their spiritual
• 37:44
  confidence in their race, in their ethnicity.
• 37:49
  All the while they're in spiritual danger because they
• 37:52
  were disconnected from the Christ.
• 37:54
  That's what he's saying here. They were Jews by race, they
• 37:58
  were Jews by culture, they were Jew by religious ceremonies, but
• 38:01
  they were not true Jews in the spiritual sense.
• 38:05
  Paul tells us in Romans 2 that a true Jew, somebody who would
• 38:08
  embrace the Messiah. At the same time, that is not to
• 38:12
  say that there isn't value in their history and their national
• 38:18
  identity. Here's what's so spectacular
• 38:21
  about this These Jews who are pricking, these Christians Jesus
• 38:27
  tells of this church, They will one day come and bow before you
• 38:31
  and acknowledge that I have loved you.
• 38:36
  This comes from the Old Testament because God made the
• 38:40
  same promise to the Jews. So in Isaiah 60 verse 14, it's a
• 38:47
  wonderful passage about the messianic millennial reign of
• 38:51
  Christ when Jesus Christ rules and reigns on the earth for 1000
• 38:55
  years. He tells them this in Isaiah
• 39:00
  6014. The sons of those who afflicted
• 39:03
  you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you
• 39:07
  shall bow down at your feet. They shall call you the city of
• 39:11
  the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
• 39:15
  Here it is again, Holy One, right, Isaiah?
• 39:18
  So what is he saying to these Jews?
• 39:20
  Well, in the millennial reign of Christ, when the Jews will
• 39:23
  embrace Jesus Christ as their Messiah, the Lord will call all
• 39:28
  the unbelieving Gentiles who have harassed them throughout
• 39:31
  history and will bow and acknowledge that they truly did
• 39:35
  belong to the Lord. And then now he speaks to these
• 39:40
  believing Gentiles, and he borrows the same language, and
• 39:45
  he says, you Christians who are Gentiles, most of you at least
• 39:50
  one day I'm going to have these unbelieving Jews come and bow
• 39:53
  before you, not as an act of worship, but as humble
• 39:56
  acknowledgement that I in fact have loved you, that I have
• 40:01
  called the Gentiles unto myself, that they are grafted, and that
• 40:04
  they are part of my salvation plan.
• 40:06
  Do you see this? How does this relate to us?
• 40:12
  Here's how it relates to us. That it quiets our itch to want
• 40:18
  to be vengeful to those who have harassed us.
• 40:21
  Maybe for your faith. Maybe there are people in your
• 40:22
  life that are making your life difficult because you are a
• 40:24
  follower of Christ. Let Christ deal with those who
• 40:29
  oppose you. You love them, you pray for
• 40:32
  them, and you hope that they will be saved.
• 40:35
  You believe God for that and let the Lord deal with how they have
• 40:38
  handled you. He is keeping a record of it and
• 40:41
  there's a time coming for those throughout history who have
• 40:43
  indeed brought so much pain and trouble to families who were
• 40:47
  ripped apart because of the faith or their well-being in
• 40:51
  society that their livelihood. There's a time coming where
• 40:54
  Christ will call all men to acknowledge that He in fact was
• 40:58
  the God of this people and now He is.
• 41:01
  He is paying them back. That's not the only promise.
• 41:06
  Verse 10. He promises them preservation
• 41:08
  from tribulation. Because you've kept my word
• 41:11
  about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial
• 41:14
  that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on
• 41:17
  the earth. So there is debate about this
• 41:24
  verse. You have those who interpret it
• 41:27
  in this way as a proof text for a pre tribulation rapture, that
• 41:31
  there is coming at an unannounced time a rescue of the
• 41:34
  people of God where they will be brought up to heaven in the
• 41:37
  presence of Christ before the tribulation period.
• 41:40
  That he will pour out on the world that we see here described
• 41:43
  in the Book of Revelation. And they would say this is
• 41:47
  exactly what he is promising to the church, that those who are
• 41:50
  indeed in him will be spared from the hour of trial.
• 41:53
  It's not a localized trial. Why?
• 41:55
  Because it says here that it's coming upon the whole world.
• 41:59
  And it's a very strong verse in the case of those who hold to
• 42:02
  that view. But then there there are those
• 42:04
  who are genuine Christians who would disagree and say that's
• 42:06
  not what he is saying. Because if you really get into
• 42:08
  the original, Christ is not saying that he is going to keep
• 42:11
  them from this hour of trial in the sense that they're going to
• 42:14
  escape it, but that he's going to protect them through it.
• 42:19
  And so in the same way that there was a Goshen while the
• 42:21
  plagues were being poured out on Egypt, in the same way there was
• 42:24
  a bubble of protection over Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
• 42:27
  The church will go through this tribulation period and they will
• 42:30
  be kept from the wrath of God during it, though still
• 42:35
  vulnerable to the wrath of man. I'm sure we can get into this
• 42:42
  conversation and spend the rest of our time speaking about this,
• 42:45
  but we will at another time. What we need to take from this
• 42:50
  to remain consistent with the application of our message today
• 42:54
  is that for those who are faithful Christ, one of the
• 42:57
  wonderful promises that He does have is that He protects those
• 43:00
  who belong to Him. He keeps those who serve Him.
• 43:03
  There should be not an ounce of worry about your safety, your
• 43:07
  provision as you serve Him. I will keep you and any pain
• 43:14
  that happens in your life, I've permitted it only for your good.
• 43:18
  That's the practical application of this.
• 43:20
  We will get to how this relates to the timeline of end time
• 43:23
  events. We have so much of revelation to
• 43:25
  cover, but take that for now. Lastly, he says I'm coming soon
• 43:32
  in verse 11. Hold fast what you have so that
• 43:34
  no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will
• 43:37
  make him a pillar in the temple of my God.
• 43:38
  Never shall he go out of it. I'll write on the name of my
• 43:41
  God, in the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem which
• 43:43
  comes out from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
• 43:46
  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
• 43:48
  churches. So the first promise was, I am
• 43:53
  going to deal with your enemies #2 I'm going to protect you.
• 43:57
  Even if the troubles of this world encapsulate the whole
• 44:02
  world, you will be preserved. You will be protected.
• 44:06
  And lastly, I will shower you with eternal rewards.
• 44:09
  You understand, He says, I have a crown that's prepared for you.
• 44:13
  I'm coming soon. Hold fast to your faithfulness.
• 44:16
  Don't let go and look at this slight warning so that no one
• 44:21
  may seize your crown. That's not talking about the
• 44:22
  crown of salvation or we're all in trouble.
• 44:25
  That's talking about eternal reward for your faithfulness.
• 44:27
  And here's what we learn here, though.
• 44:29
  By the grace of God, by his goodness, our salvation cannot
• 44:33
  be forfeited. Your rewards can.
• 44:35
  And in fact, if you and I listen very carefully, if you and I are
• 44:38
  not faithful in our ministry, Lord may give it to somebody
• 44:42
  else and He'll reward them for it.
• 44:46
  That's why one of my go to prayers is Lord, no matter how
• 44:48
  difficult ministry gets, I never want to be a complainer.
• 44:51
  Never. Please don't fire me.
• 44:55
  I want to serve you. There's no thrill.
• 44:56
  There's no greater joy. I want to be faithful until the
• 44:59
  end. I want a crown, not so that I
• 45:01
  can wear it, but so that I can lay something worthy at your
• 45:04
  feet when I see you. The No man sees your crown.
• 45:08
  And John, the same John who wrote this, wrote in his third
• 45:11
  epistle or second epistle, Rather listen to this in second
• 45:13
  John 8 No chapters. Watch yourselves so that no one,
• 45:18
  so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a
• 45:21
  full reward. Watch yourselves so that you
• 45:27
  would not lose what you've been working for and forfeit a full
• 45:30
  reward. So you know who we have to be
• 45:32
  careful for? Not somebody else who has a
• 45:34
  similar gift that seems to be in competition with our ministry.
• 45:38
  No, no, you don't have to do that.
• 45:39
  That's ugly. In fact, you might forfeit your
• 45:40
  reward if you think that way. No, no, it's not a competition
• 45:44
  with one another. What did John say?
• 45:45
  Watch yourself. You're your number one enemy.
• 45:50
  You're the number one cause for you to give up in serving the
• 45:53
  Lord. Watch yourself the
• 45:55
  discouragement and the temptations of the world around
• 45:58
  you. Watch yourself win and hold on
• 46:01
  for the full reward. And then he speaks about this
• 46:04
  stuff. About what?
• 46:05
  What? I'm going to give you a new name
• 46:07
  and all of this in verse 12. It's just about ownership.
• 46:10
  And it's about, again, the same consistent theme in every reward
• 46:12
  in the Book of Revelation. Intimacy with God, intimacy with
• 46:19
  him. I'm coming soon and I am going
• 46:22
  to label you and I'm going to keep you and I'm going to praise
• 46:27
  you. Why would this be meaningful to
• 46:29
  this church? Because they lost so much for
• 46:32
  their faith. And Christ says there's
• 46:34
  something far greater than what you forfeited for me.
• 46:38
  I know that there are those who are working for Satan who have
• 46:41
  taken things from you. But listen to this list of
• 46:43
  rewards. You will be a pillar in my
• 46:46
  temple. Never removed, never cast out,
• 46:48
  never disqualified, forever treasured by who?
• 46:51
  By me, by me Church, it's possible to be faithful as a
• 47:00
  church and as individual Christians.
• 47:04
  And the prayer point of this sermon is simply this.
• 47:06
  Lord, as we have been faithful, hopefully help us to remain
• 47:11
  faithful with whatever door you've opened for us.
• 47:13
  That's what we need to ask. Lord, we ask you today that You
• 47:18
  would give us eyes to see Your sovereignty, Your sovereignty
• 47:22
  over all things, over salvation, Your sovereignty over suffering,
• 47:25
  and even Your sovereignty over every opportunity in our lives.
• 47:31
  We thank you, Laura, for the great encouragement that you
• 47:33
  have given us here. And though we could have
• 47:36
  explored so much more, though we have enough to be able to
• 47:38
  respond in praise and adoration. So we'll receive our
• 47:42
  Thanksgiving that we even get to live in a land with a wide open
• 47:46
  door, that no matter where we are, we can freely speak Your
• 47:49
  word without any fear of anything.
• 47:53
  And so Lord, we pray. It can only come from the power
• 47:55
  of Your Holy Spirit to energize us to move forward.
• 47:59
  So Lord, give us that zeal even as we sing these praises unto
• 48:02
  your name. In Jesus name we pray, Amen and
• 48:05
  Amen. Let's stand and give glory to
• 48:06
  Christ.