A call to hold on
Text Revelation 3:1-6 Time 25/07/10 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church
There's an old Frankie Valli song. In it the singer is trying to persuade his girl friend not to give up on their relationship. He sings
There's an old Frankie Valli song. In it the singer is trying to persuade his girl friend not to give up on their relationship. He sings
“Let's hang on to what we've got Don't let go girl we've got a lot Got a lot of love between us Hang on hang on hang on To what we've got”.
There's another old song by Wilson Phillips that says
“Don't you know things can change Things'll go your way If you hold on for one more day Can you hold on for one more day Things'll go your way Hold on for one more day.”
Today's sermon is about something similar – the need to hang on, to hold on.
We are looking at the seven letters to the seven churches found in Revelation 2 and 3. So far we have looked at five letters – those to the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis. Today I want us to look at Philadelphia and Laodicea, Philadelphia this morning.
We've done ESP-TS now it's P-L. We've looked at Mixed, Praised, Mixed/Mixed/Mixed more Blame,. Now it is Mixed more Praise and Blamed.
Once again we will look at the description of the church and consider ourselves as a church and as individuals in the light of it.
The name Philadelphia we associate best with the place in Pennsylvania, USA, but the original is about 28 miles south of Sardis in that same area of western Asia Minor (today Turkey) where the other six churches are found. The name means “brotherly love” and comes from the name of the city founder, Attalus Philadelphus. It has now been swallowed up by a larger town. Like Sardis it was in Lydia and very fertile. On the banks of a little river, it was dominated by Mount Timolus. It was in an area of volcanoes and earthquakes. Tremors were frequent.
Once again we do not know how the church began but it is clear that at this stage it was flourishing despite persecution. In a letter full of striking images, Christ is able to give the church almost unmixed praise. So To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write.
1. Consider the character of Christ and the fact these are the words of him who is holy and true and who holds the key of David
As is the pattern, we begin yet again with the phrase These are the words of him and this time it is him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. He adds What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
1. Holy and true. First then he is holy and true. These are terms, of course, that apply only to God. The Christ is God come as a man. Part of his being God is that he is separate, other. He is not like us. Another part is that he is wholly true.
2. Sovereign. He also holds the key of David. This takes us back to the prophecy in Isaiah 22:22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. It applies initially to Hezekiah's servant Eliakim but also to Messiah. Christ is ultimately the ruler over God's house and he is free to come and go as he wishes. He has the key.
It is this reference that means this church is sometimes referred to as the Church of the Open Door. What is an open door? An open door is a way of describing an opportunity. Here the sovereign Lord Jesus Christ asserts his authority in this area. He opens or he shuts the door of opportunity as he chooses. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. He is the one, then who gives opportunities to God's people to know him and to serve him and to get glory to his name. When he chooses that such an opportunity will come then nothing can stop it. It is part of his rule over history.
2. Consider the blessing that this church has known in the past and how it is commended
So here is a church that has known blessings in the past. There have been great opportunities and there has been great faithfulness. What an example they are to us in that. I know your deeds says Jesus just as he has said to other churches – and clearly here they are good deeds that are known. Are we doing good deeds? As we have said, we are saved by faith but true faith is never alone and always leads to good deeds.
Here are some other good questions for us too.
1. Are we aware of the opportunities we have, thankful for them and using them?
Verse 8 reads I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. How were they able to do the good they did? Only because Christ had given them the opportunity to do good. Paul says in Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. To do good we must first have the opportunity to do good and that is entirely from Christ. The church in Philadelphia had been given lots of opportunities to do good and they had taken them. As ever, we don't know the background detail but they did have opportunities there.
The same sort of attitude should take hold of us. Although some of the opportunities that we knew in the past are not still here there are still many opportunities for us and we must be thankful for them and take them. Yes, it is not the way it once was when most parents were still together and they were at least willing to send their children to Sunday School and when most people were free all day on Sunday. No, often families are now split and they are busy on Sundays. However, we are still free to tell people about Jesus, to give out tracts on the street and invite people in. Let's be thankful that door is still open and let's make use of it while we can. The Lord may not keep it open for us much longer.
2. Are we being faithful despite our weakness?
The second I know regards their perseverance – their willingness to be faithful despite their weakness. I know says Jesus that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Again, we don't know the nature of their weakness - whether they were a small fellowship or one lacking in many gifts or something else. Weakness is something we know but, however. Now like the church in Philadelphia we must resist any temptation to excuse ourselves because we are weak. Rather, like the Philadelphians, we must be determined to keep Christ's word and determined to refuse to deny his name, however much we are persecuted. Is that our attitude? Are we determined through him to stay exclusively with the one who is holy and true? Are we willing to persevere in his word and in his name? That is how it must be.
3. Consider the promise of future blessing that is given to them here
To encourage these godly believers to press on there are, as with the other churches, promises for them to take hold of. These are quite specific promises but ones that we can also to some extent take hold of and act upon.
1. The promise of vindication
In verse 9 Christ says I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars - I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. As elsewhere, a lot of the opposition to the believers in Philadelphia was coming from the Jews of the city. The same phrase used to describe the Jews in Smyrna (see 2:9) is used here to describe the ones in Philadelphia - a synagogue of Satan. They claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars. The risen Christ has something to say about people like this. I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. It's quite a note to strike but it is something we always need to remember when we are under attack from persecutors – there is a great change coming. It won't always happen in this life but it will happen at some point. Our enemies will one day come and humble themselves before us and acknowledge that they were wrong and that Christ did love us all along. All the Muslims and Hindus and the Romanists and the atheists will all come one day and acknowledge the truth. “Yes” they will say “what we taught was not right. We were wrong. All along you were right and what you said was right and you always had the love of Jesus Christ.” Sometimes it does happen in this life.
2. The promise of protection
Then in verse 10 there is another promise Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. The promise is a reward for their obedience and their patient endurance. This is a very specific promise, of course, but it reminds us again that we are entirely in the hands of Christ who holds the key. At this very time we are being very much kept from the hour of trial that is presently on much of the world that is testing those who live on the earth. It is not like it is here in China or Burma or North Korea or parts of Indonesia or the Philippines or Pakistan of Israel. We must recognise Christ's protection over us and continue to obey him and endure and work patiently.
4. Consider the further promise and the word of instruction that is also found here
In verse 11 there is another promise and a word of instruction with it. Jesus says I am coming soon. Yes, one day he is coming again. It is nearer now than it has ever been. A verse like this does not refer only to that final coming but also to the way he comes to his people in special ways before that time too. At times there are delays, sometimes long delays, and our patience is tested. This is true in our lives as individuals and as churches. We are in a time now when it is as if Christ is away from us. We are not knowing his nearness as others have done in the past. At such times we need to take note of this word of instruction here – Hold on! Hold on to what you have. Why? So that no one will take your crown. There is always the danger of slipping away and losing the crown. We must not allow that to happen. Have you ever watched a game of rugby where Wales or whoever is playing against England or whoever you want to win are pressing towards the line and are about to score a try but then the ball slips out of the man's hands? For some reason he can't hold on to it. If only he could have held on it was a certain try. Well, in a similar way we need to hold on to what we have. Yes, we are not knowing Christ's nearness as we wish. Yes, the opportunities seem to be narrowing rather than broadening. However, we must continue to hold on to what we have. We must hold on to the Bible and its message, to the privileges that are ours in Christ, to the Holy Spirit. Don't let go!
5. Consider the promises here for those who overcome and the call to hear the Spirit
So we need to overcome, this time especially in the sense of enduring and being obedient and patient. The promises this time to Him who overcomes are twofold. Jesus says of the one who overcomes
1. He will be a permanent pillar in God's Temple
Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. As ever, this is a reference to heaven, to the everlasting Temple of God and to a permanent place in that temple. Of course, even now those who are faithful are part of the temple, indeed they are integral to it. They sound the praise of God – not just when they gather together but as they go abut their daily tasks.
2. Christ will write on him God's name, Heaven's name and his own name
The second promise is I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. So three names are written by Christ - the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, ... and ... the new name of Christ himself. You write your name on something that belongs to you. In a few weeks a new school term will start and so mothers up and down the country will be busy putting their children's names on all their clothing and equipment. If you ever see any of the Toy Story films you will notice that the character Buzz Light year has the name ANDY written on the sole of his right boot – because he belongs to Andy. The believers in Philadelphia are promised that all who continue in the right direction will have God's name on them and heaven's name (for that is where they are headed) and the name of Christ too, for he is their Saviour. Like those sticks of rock that have Brighton written all the way through so the name of God and heaven and Christ is on the overcomer, the true Christian who, having put his hand to the plough, does not turn back but keeps on going in Christ's own strength. What a call then, what an encouragement to hold on to what we have and not to let it go.
3. A final call to hear
Finally in verse 13 there is that repeated command He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. We say again -
You have heard. What are you going to do about it? The call is to hold on to what you have. The promise is of a permanent place in God's Temple, of being in God and in Christ and in the New Jerusalem. Don't lose such a crown. Be patient. Endure. Be obedient. Press on in Christ. Hold on to what you've got.
