THE FAITHFUL CHURCH (part 1) Revelation 3:7-9 June 22, 2014 Dr. Danny Forshee

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1 1 THE FAITHFUL CHURCH (part 1) Revelation 3:7-9 June 22, 2014 Dr. Danny Forshee - We are currently in a verse-by-verse study in the book of Revelation. There is much interest in our day regarding eschatology, the study of end times. Many believe that we are presently living in the last days; some go even further and say that ours is the terminal or last generation. No one knows for sure, but as one studies God s Word and takes note of the events unfolding before our very eyes it is completely understandable and reasonable to say these could very well be the end times that the Bible says will come. - Please turn to Revelation 3 and we will study today the sixth of the seven churches in chapters 2-3. We are in for a treat as we study the church at Philadelphia. Only this church and the one at Smyrna did not receive a rebuke from our Lord as He dictated to John a personal message for each church. The title of the message today is The Faithful Church but I could have easily entitled it The Church of the Open Door. - Read text. 7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens : 8 I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. I. IDENTIFICATION (VS. 7) - Let us identify four key individuals and places the angel, church, city, and Jesus. - A. ANGEL - Each of the seven letters begins the same way To the angel. The angel, aggelos in Greek, also translated messenger, was the pastor of these churches. After John completed writing the book of Revelation a postman left the island of Patmos where John was exiled and imprisoned, and he carried a copy of the entire book to each of the seven pastors mentioned in chapters 2-3. The pastor would, I believe, read the words of our Lord publicly to the church. - B. CHURCH

2 2 - Not much is known about the history of the church at Philadelphia. We can safely assume that the Apostle Paul and his missionary team around AD 55 started the church while he was stationed in Ephesus during his third mission journey. See Acts 19:10. - C. CITY - The city and the church bore the same name Philadelphia, from the Greek word philadelpheia, which is a compound word made of two Greek words, phileo, to love, and adelphos, brother. We have in our country the city of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. - The city of Philadelphia was the youngest of the seven cities of Asia Minor mentioned in chapters 2 and 3. The city was founded around 190 BC by the Pergamene king Eumenes II or his brother Attalus II, and the name Philadelphia was chosen as a token of the brotherly love they had for one another. Philadelphia, today the town of Alasehir, was located 25 miles southeast of Sardis. An important trade route passed through Philadelphia as did imperial communications as they flowed from Rome, to Troas, then Pergamum, Sardis, then Philadelphia then on to the east. (See MacArthur, p. 120 and Thomas, p. 270) - The city suffered a powerful earthquake in AD 17. Aftershocks from the earthquake continued to damage the city over the next few years. William Ramsey writes, (from MacArthur, p. 121) Many of the inhabitants remained outside the city living in huts and booths over the vale, and those who were foolhardy enough (as the sober-minded thought) to remain in the city, practiced various devices to support and strengthen the walls and houses against the recurring shocks. The memory of this disaster lived long people lived amid ever threatening danger, in dread always of a new disaster; and the habit of going out to the open country had probably not disappeared when the Seven Letters were written. - The city of Philadelphia was best known during this time however as a missionary center for the spreading of Hellenism, or Greek civilization. The city was founded for this purpose. The mission was accomplished because in AD 19 the Greek language was the only one spoken in the city. (Thomas, p. 271) - Make a mental note of these historical facts; they will help in the interpretation of the text. - D. JESUS - Notice the four-fold description given by Jesus regarding Himself Holy. Holiness is one of the major characteristics or attributes of God in the Bible particularly in the Old Testament. Jesus was completely unique in this

3 regard no other person who has ever lived can claim absolute holiness or purity. Read 1 Peter 1: but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. [a] - 2. True. Jesus is true and authentic. Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is the way the truth and the life, and He also said in John 8:32, And you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free. - Jesus demonstrates for us today the ideal, or model for living, and that is to believe correctly and live righteously. If you are anything like I am, I struggle at this point in my walk with God. Believing in Jesus and living the life He lived should be our goal though all of us fail at some point. Right doctrine and right behavior are inextricably interwoven. - Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, British pastor in the last century captured this majestic balance. He knew the Word of God and he lived it. He would stand most forcefully in his belief in the Bible yet he would do so with humility, love, and kindness, very unlike many today who have their doctrine right, but their actions are far removed from the example of Christ Key of David. Earlier in 1:18 Jesus says He holds the keys of hell and death. Here he holds the key of David. The same phrase is used in Isaiah 22:22 to refer to Eliakim, the keeper of the king s house in Jerusalem. 22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open. - His was a prestigious position of power and authority. He would permit or deny access to the king. Likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the root and offspring of David, holds the key to access with God. (See note on 3:7 in Believer s Study Bible, p. 1807) - 4. He opens doors and closes doors. We will look more at this descriptive phrase of Jesus in a few moments. Keep this thought in mind Jesus opens up access to God and He guides those who believe in Him by opening some doors of opportunity while closing others. - God has recently opened a door for me to preach the gospel to a potential audience of 2.3 billion people through The Church Channel through my 501 c-3 nonprofit ministry I started 10 years ago called DFEA. TCC asked me three times to join them, but I had not been able to in the past. But God has and continues to provide the money for the airtime, and so beginning June 25, at 6:30 pm CST, we will broadcast messages I preach from GHBC and it will be on most cable outlets here in Austin. Easter Sunday a few weeks ago when I was still getting support for this endeavor, I felt the Lord speak to me that this was going to happen and it would help fulfill my call as an evangelist. It was a powerful revelation to me and God surely has opened the door and because He has, it will 3

4 4 happen. II. COMMENDATION (VS. 8) - Jesus greatly commends the church at Philadelphia. He has no words of rebuke for them only words of praise. Notice five specific words of praise and honor that Jesus bestows upon this church. - A. WORKS - He says He knows, oida, to know completely, their works. This was a working church, and the Lord Jesus tells them in this simple, declarative sentence that he has taken notice of their works, their good deeds. - B. OPEN DOOR - Jesus rewards the faithful, hard-working believers at Philadelphia with an open door of opportunity. Interesting to note that the Greek word translated can is dunameno. It is the same rood word, dunamis, translated strength. No one or nothing can, or has the power to close this door that Jesus has opened. - What is this opened door? I believe it is best to interpret as opportunities for ministry. Read Colossians 4: Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains. Read 1 Corinthians 16:9. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. - C. LITTLE STRENGTH - The word for little is mikros. Here is an important lesson seen throughout Scripture God rewards, blesses, uses those who are small, inconspicuous, and have little strength on their own. Gideon, with only 300 men routed the Midianites as seen in Judges 8. Here this little church will do great works of ministry for Christ not in spite of their little strength, but because of it. Just as the city was positioned to be a missionary city for Hellenism, so this church will be a missionary church for the cause of Christ! - We are attempting something here at GHBC that compared to the prodigious nature of the task, we could never accomplish in our strength. But God has taken our little strength and willingness and He is doing a great work and this work is guaranteed for success. I have mentioned on more than one occasion that this is the most important work I have ever been a part of and what is it you ask? It is GHBC adopting an unengaged, unreached people group in India. Revelation 5:9 guarantees our success! - I encourage those of you here today who are up against seemingly impossible odds. Take courage and comfort in your little strength. Be faithful and watch God use you powerfully. You and the Lord Jesus make a strong majority no matter

5 how entrenched evil may be where you work or live. Paul said in Romans 5:20, Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. - D. OBEDIENCE - What a wonderful word of commendation and praise. Jesus says, You have kept My word. Jesus takes special notice of His people s obedience. Following the Lord and obeying Him have never been easy. It is not easy today and it was especially difficult toward the end of the first century where Christianity was an illegal religion. - If you are living for Christ and you feel like a salmon swimming upstream or like a fish totally out of water, hang in there you may not think it matters and you may have concluded that no one notices, but the One who matters most is watching and He will bless you for your obedience. - May your testimony be that of Job when he said in Job 23:12, I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than necessary food. - I received a note from one of our sweet families here at GH, and in it Tara Baladran shard the following true story. She shared with me how her sister in Boston was going through a very hard time in her family. This sister is not a follower of Christ and thought Tara and her family were a little crazy. Tara felt led of the Lord to go and visit her right away. She did not understand because she had been praying for her for 23 years and wondered why this would be different, but she obeyed the Lord and made plans to go immediately. She said the $900 plane ticket was not in their budget, so she called James, her husband, at work and asked what he thought, and he told her I will be there in 2 hours, take you to the airport, and take care of the kids while you are away. Tara led her sister to Christ. She said her sister never understood all this born again talk until now! Tara wrote, Her heart & response to all the difficulty is amazing. The Lord is faithful and we can never give up on those we love because HE is faithful & mighty to save! - E. FAITHFULNESS - The body of Christ at Philadelphia was a faithful group of believers they did not deny Jesus s name. They were loyal to Him. - How do you deny the name to which you are referred? When your behavior is not commensurate with your title, then you have betrayed your name. When a soldier runs from the battle instead of toward the battle, he denies the name of a soldier. I read that recently when 800 insurgents pursued Iraq s army 30,000 soldiers fled. Sad. When a Christian engages in or practices behavior clearly forbidden in Scripture then he or she has denied the sacred name of Christian. 5

6 6 - There is more than one way to break the third commandment you shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Exodus 19:7 III. EXALTATION (VS. 9) - Verse 9 reminds me of Psalm 23:5, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. - The first word in vs. 9 is idou; it is also used later in vs. 9 translated indeed. It is the same word used in vs. 8 translated see. It is an imperative verb in each instance. - The synagogue of Satan is mentioned in 2:9 in Jesus words to the church at Smyrna. These were Jews culturally, racially, and ceremoniously, but not spiritually. Paul defines a true Jew in romans 2:28-29, as one who has a work of the Spirit in his heart and not his flesh. (See MacArthur, p. 123.) CONCLUSION - Next week we will study together verses I want to revisit with you in closing the subject of opened and closed doors. God sovereignly opens one door and closes another. When the door of opportunity is opened we need to proceed, but when it is closed we need to accept that and wait. - John Stott put it so well when he said, (See p. 99 of David Jeremiah s Escape the Coming Night, vol. 1.) Christ has the keys and He opens the doors. Then let us not barge our way unceremoniously through doors which are still closed. The same applies to our future. More mistakes are probably made by speed than by sloth, by impatience than by deleteriousness. (Harmful behavior, injurious) God s purposes often ripen slowly and if the door is shut, don t put your shoulder to it. Wait till Christ takes out the key and opens it up. - God has opened many doors of opportunity for GHBC over the last 63 years. I believe that in the near future more doors for ministry and evangelism will be opened for us. - God desires to bless His people with open doors of opportunity. He blesses those like the worshippers in the church at Philadelphia who were hard-working, possessed little strength on their own, who were obedient and faithful.

7 - Those here today looking for a church home we invite you to link your life with us here at GHBC and join us as we prayerfully and humbly walk through the open doors God puts before us. - Others here today who have yet to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior need to commit yourself to Him today and be saved. We will help you; come let us assist you as you begin your relationship with Him. 7