Bible Study - Church (6) - Faithful in All Things - Revelation 3:7-13 - July 11, 2021

 

Bible Study – Church (6) – Faithful in All Things – July 11, 2021

This is lesson six (6) in our series entitled “The Church GOD Desires.”

Our focus scripture is Revelation 3:7-13.

Faithfully trust the hand of GOD as you minister to others.

Our sixth church is Philadelphia, which is located 30 miles southeast of Sardis. Philadelphia was founded in 189 BC and named for the founder’s brother, Attalus II Philadelphia. Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” It was prone to earthquakes and in fact, it                                                                                                                                                                                                    was the epicenter for an earthquake that destroyed Sardis.

Philadelphia was located on volcanic soil which resulted in that area producing excellent grapes that in turn yielded excellent wine. Of course, their favored god was Dionysius. Today, the modern city of Alashehir has been built on top off what used to be Philadelphia.

JESUS commended the Christians in Philadelphia for:

-         Enduring with limited strength

-         Keeping CHRIST’S Word

-         Remaining faithful to the name of JESUS CHRIST

Let’s read Revelation 3:7-8:

⁷ “Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia:

These are the words of the one who is holy and true, who has the key of David. Whatever he opens, no one will shut; and whatever he shuts, no one opens. ⁸ I know your works. Look! I have set in front of you an open door that no one can shut. You have so little power, and yet you have kept my word and haven’t denied my name. 

Again, we read that JESUS instructed the Apostle John to write what HE was saying to him. We surmise that this letter was to the angel or pastor of the church in Philadelphia.

JESUS was dictating a letter to seven churches and seven is generally considered the number signifying completion. What can we learn from these seven examples? What is the Holy Spirit revealing to you regarding our church or the church you are attending?

Let’s read on – “These are the words of the one who is holy and true.”

JESUS identified Himself as “These are the words of the one who is holy and true,” therefore HE is the source of authority. HE is the cornerstone of the Spiritual building of the true church. JESUS was Not talking about the physical structure but the structure not built by hands.

The words “holy and true” used together carry the message that JESUS is The True and only Son of GOD; the promised Messiah. The Jews were still looking for the promised Messiah then and today. JESUS established that HE was and is the Messiah and HE had the key of David. What is the key of David?

The term goes back to Isaiah 22:22 - ²² I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one can close; what he closes, no one can open.

GOD said HE would place the “key of David” on Eliakim’s shoulder. Eliakim replaced Hezekiah’s steward, Shebna, to faithful, Eliakim. In essence, Eliakim was the equivalent of Chief of Staff and as such, he had complete access to the king and to the king’s office and living quarters. Since JESUS was the “Holy and True One,” HE was The ONE WHO has the “key of David.” Both the Christians and the Jews could relate to that authority which was granted to HIM by GOD because of HIS faithfulness unto death and as proof, HIS bodily resurrection.

JESUS is the only ONE WHO can say, “Look! I have set in front of you an open door that no one can shut. You have so little power, and yet you have kept my word and haven’t denied my name.”

Pay attention to the facts and the revelation of the Holy Spirit. JESUS said, “I know your works!”

In essence, you realized what little power you have, yet you have “kept MY Word and haven’t denied MY name.” You as individuals and as a body have maintained your faith and trust in ME as you encountered the issues life has brought your way.

We read in Matthew 16:13-19:

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,^[f] he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”^[g]

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,^[h] because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound^[i] in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed^[j] in heaven.”

Who do you say JESUS is? JESUS disciple Thomas asked JESUS a vital question as we read in John 14:5-7:

⁵ “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you will also know^[c] my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

There was a stronghold of so-called Jews or those who were pretending to be Jews in Philadelphia who opposed Christians. JESUS addressed the future of those who were pretending to be Jews as we read on----

Let’s read Revelation 3:9-10:

⁹ Because of this I will make the people from Satan’s synagogue (who say they are Jews and really aren’t, but are lying)—I will make them come and bow down at your feet and realize that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you kept my command to endure, I will keep you safe through the time of testing that is about to come over the whole world, to test those who live on earth. 

In verse 8, we read “⁸ I know your works. Look! I have set in front of you an open door that no one can shut. You have so little power, and yet you have kept my word and haven’t denied my name. 

The Christians in Philadelphia had remained strong and faithful to JESUS therefore, JESUS made them a promise by HIS power. “I will make them come and bow down at your feet and realize that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you kept my command to endure, I will keep you safe through the time of testing that is about to come over the whole world, to test those who live on earth.”

There will be a day of reckoning someday and all will see and know the truth. All will see the day when JESUS reigns supreme as King of King’s and LORD of LORD’S.

Romans 14:11-12:

¹¹ For it is written,

As I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue will give praise to God.^[d]

¹² So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

There is a time of testing coming. There are many speculations about what this is. Is it the end-times? The point is Christians are to maintain their faith in JESUS because:

¹⁰ Because you kept my command to endure, I will keep you safe through the time of testing that is about to come over the whole world, to test those who live on earth. 

Christians are secure in JESUS. JESUS will keep you, as a Christian, safe. This will be a world-wide event. We must keep in mind that there is no time in Heaven. When JESUS say’s soon, we need to shift our thinking to Heavenly time – soon means at any moment chosen by GOD.

We upon earth are always in the present with every tick of the clock.

Let’s read Revelation 3:11-13:

¹¹ I’m coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your crown. ¹² As for those who emerge victorious, I will make them pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God. I will also write on them my own new name. ¹³ If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

What did JESUS tell Christians to do while they are waiting? “Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your crown.”

There were two crowns. (1) a crown, stephanos, which an athlete received when he or she won an event based upon their effort. This crown is based on personal effort. (2) there is a royal crown, diadema.

Does that mean a Spirit-born person can lose their salvation? ABOSULATELY NOT!!! Once a person is Spirit-born he or she will never, ever become Spiritually unborn. But a Christian can lose his or her rewards as we read in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, note verse 15:

¹⁰ According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder,^[d] and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience^[e] loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.

What building materials are we using as we serve our LORD? All Spirit-born Christians are building upon the solid foundation of JESUS CHRIST. They are using materials that will either survive the test of fire or will be consumed by fire.

What does JESUS promise, “¹² As for those who emerge victorious, I will make them pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God. I will also write on them my own new name.”

Christians, when the going gets tough, look to JESUS for your strength and security. The Christians in Philadelphia had either witnessed or had heard of earthquakes that reduced temples with their massive columns to rubble. JESUS reveals to all Christians, when they trust HIM to the end, there are eternal rewards. These rewards will be present in the “New Jerusalem.”

Christians will get a new name. Does this go back to lesson 3 and Revelation 2:17:

¹⁷ “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna.^[j] I will also give him/her a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.

Why do Christians need a new name? They have been Spiritually conceived but they were physically conceived first and were named by their earthly parents. Upon physical death they are released from their earth suit/earthly body and their Spirit-born body is revealed. Spirit-born Christians who are alive at the rapture will be released from their physical/earthly body quicker than the twinkle of the eye and their Spirit-born, glorified body revealed.

Just as Christians will receive a new name, JESUS will also have a new name when all is complete.

JESUS closes HIS message with verse 13:

¹³ If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Verse 13 is provisional, “If you can hear, listen!” If you can hear. Again, this is not physical hearing but Spiritual hearing as the Holy Spirit speaks to the Spiritual church.

Are we, as Spirit-born Christians, listening? Is church leadership listening? If so, what is the Holy Spirit saying to us? If we are listening, are we sharing what we are hearing with others?

Blessings!!!