Philadelphia: A Church That Was Small But Faithful | Revelation 3:7-13 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series)

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.

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

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.

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

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.

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.

Jeremiah 32:27

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

Acts 2 · chapter mention

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.

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.

1 Timothy 2:5

Where's Christ now? What is he now?

Well, Paul tells us in first Timothy chapter 2 verse 5.

1 Timothy 2:5

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

Acts 17 · chapter mention

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

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

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

Isaiah 60:14

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.