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Past Ponderings

Friday, December 17, 2021

Do You Feel Insignificant and Overwhelmed? (Revelation 3:7-9)

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 Do You Feel Insignificant and Overwhelmed? (Revelation 3:7-9)

GIST: Jesus loves you, so stay faithful and know this truth is unshakeable.

        

Alright, welcome to letter 6! (Yes, out of 7, so we are getting closer ☺️.) Today, we’re looking at the letter to Philadelphia (not the Pennsylvania one…). This was actually a relatively small city named after a leader from Pergamum who was deeply devoted to his brother (hence the name,
“brotherly love”). However, its real claim to fame was devastation. It seems to have been built on a fault line, and for years it was plagued by earthquakes. After one destroyed much of the town, the Roman empire sent relief, and in gratitude, the city attempted to rename itself Neocaesarea (essentially: New Caesar Town☺️). The name didn't stick, but its allegiance to Rome did. Therefore, like the other cities we've discussed, it was steeped in pagan worship. In addition to worshipping Caesar, it took particular interest in Dionysus, the god of wine and festivities.

Yet, in the midst of these deep devotions to lies, there was a small and faithful body of believers. I had planned on covering the whole letter today… but I had too much, so let’s just read what Jesus has to say to them… in the first three verses→ 


“7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: '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. 8 "'I know your works. Behold, I have 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. 9 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.”


Only two churches of these seven receive no condemnation from Jesus. Philadelphia is one of them. This is a letter of encouragement, and we should take it as such. However, it is also highly instructive. They are commended and encouraged because they were faithfully following Christ despite their apparent weaknesses. We, too, can and should follow Him faithfully. I think the danger of reading a letter like this is in our tendency to want to live like a Sardis or Laodicea, but apply to ourselves the encouragements of Philadelphia. As always, let’s try to study God's Word prayerfully.

There are many ways we could tackle this letter, but a few points in particular stuck out to me this week, and I know we try to capitalize on our time here as much as possible, so I really want to zero in on these observations. Here’s our gist: Jesus loves you, so stay faithful and know this truth is unshakeable.


I. From The True & Sovereign To The Weak & Faithful

“7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: '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. 8…  I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.”


True. Again, how Jesus addresses Himself to the churches tells us a lot about what He is going to say. Here He starts by reminding Philadelphia He is Holy and True. Perfect, just, righteous, all that is real, all that is right, all that should be. This is the language of God. He alone is Holy. He alone is true.

Sovereign. He then tells them He has the key of David, and we are given the first of the opening and shutting imagery. The "key of David" is a reference to Isaiah 22:22, “22 And 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.” While there is a lot of speculation around to what exactly these verses are referring, the clear part is the emphasis on God’s authority over His people. The house of David is another way of referring to the Jews, the people of God. And, if anyone has the keys to a house, they clearly have some level of authority over it. If you happen to have the only key to a house… you probably own it. That’s the idea here. He is sovereign over His people.

Oh, and He’s sovereign over… everything else too! This key picture is followed up by this imagery of permanent opening and shutting. When God moves, no one can stop Him. If He opens a door, that door will remain open. If He shuts a door, that door will remain shut. It’s futile, therefore, to do things He’s against, and foolish not to be involved in what He supports. That’s the picture God sets before these people of Himself, which really could set the stage for some strong rebukes… but that’s the opposite of what happens. Instead, He refers immediately to their→ 

Little Power & Great Faith. Any way you slice it, this congregation seems to have been small. Yet, they were still active and still influencing. See, they had little power, but it's still there! They weren’t impressive in the eyes of the world, but they were faithful, and God was using them. 

Guys, let’s just pause for a second and let this observation sink in. And honestly, let me speak first specifically to the “doers”, those who are here every time the doors are open and pour their lives into serving Jesus alongside this body of believers. This isn’t a Providence issue. Across the world, churches tend to have a smaller chunk that really does most of the ministering. Truth be told, we have it better than many...even if at moments we don’t always recognize that. Nonetheless, I know you get discouraged, especially when it seems to be the same group that showing up again and again. Please don’t. Please don’t allow bitterness to replace your joy. Please don’t allow frustration to replace your compassion. If you’re serving because you love Jesus and you even love all those who could be helping you but make a million excuses not to, just keep loving them for Jesus. See one day, I will stand before Him, and I would much rather hear a message like this (I know you carried a burden, but you carried it faithfully) than one like we read about last week (I know people think you’re alive, but you’re dead). You can be busy with church stuff but not faithful to Jesus. Love God. Love people. Don’t grow weary of doing good.

Now, briefly to those of you who can’t receive this message the same way because you’re not faithfully serving because… well… honestly, you’re not serving at all. You’re a consumer. You come, passively participate, and then just leave “church stuff” until the next time it’s convenient for you to walk through the door. I don’t want to be rude, but I love you too much not to tell you one day you’re going to hear from Jesus too, and the message you’ll receive won’t be one commending you for your faithfulness. All of us need to take time to examine our hearts. Let’s be honest. Have we experienced the life-changing love of Jesus? If we have, there should be life-changing and heart-transforming that has occurred and will spur us to faithfulness. 

All that being said, remember this truth→ 


II. Jesus Loves You

“9 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.” 

We’ve seen this “synagogue of Satan” imagery before. Remember, this is not saying Jews are evil. It is referring to people who called themselves Jews and were clearly persecuting this church and revealing that they weren’t actually the people of God at all! Remember, Jesus is sovereign over His people, so He is saying these people aren’t really mine…at least not yet… but they will see the truth. 

Now, I believe there are two likely implications to this promise. First and foremost, for Philadelphia and us, there is the personal side to this. Those who discredit Christianity and belittle the faithful will ultimately see that Jesus, though we don’t deserve this, loves us because we’re His. When He returns in Glory, King of Kings, we will be with Him. There will be irrefutable evidence of His love.

Likewise,  there is probably a corporate side to this. I think it can be said that some of the Jews in Philadelphia will also come to know the truth and experience His love themselves--they will be saved. This kind of leads into what will now be the first observation next week ☺️, but this church has been given an open door here. The Holy Spirit is moving in the midst of them. Jesus is going to save people—and it doesn't matter what misperceptions and sins they've been trapped by. The gospel will free any who come. And, He's telling them people will come because of His love. (And, by the way, this is still true today!)

In both situations, the message is clear— Jesus loves you. Maybe you’ve heard this you’re entire life, but if you have never experienced that as true for you individually, please come to Him today! If you have experienced this, remember it and stay faithful… which we’ll pick up with next week because I value your time and still have three more pages worth of notes ☺. Here are our→ 



TAKEAWAYS

  1. Don't be distracted by your weaknesses. Do you have little power? I can't help but think of the size of our own church, or most of the churches all across this world— especially since the start of the COVID pandemic. Many are small and seem to lack “significant influence”. We can’t use this as an excuse. This church was insignificant in the eyes of the world but served the all-significant God who used them. I could go on here with examples, but I’ve already talked longer today, so here's what I want us to remember: We can be distracted by everything we're not, or remember the One who does all the work anyway. Distracted people accomplish little (if anything at all).

  2. Be faithful despite them. You're weak? Be faithful. You struggle with temptations? Be faithful. You can't see how God could possibly use you because (fill in the blank)? Be faithful. You're in the midst of a financial, medical, emotional, or relational crisis? Be faithful. You may never see the ways God uses you, but He assures us in His Word→ He uses the faithful.

  3. And remember: He loves you. Always has. Always will. Come to Him. Hold onto Him!

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