Cross Examined 7 | Faith-filled & Faithful

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, these things says he who is holy and he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens... See I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it. For you have a little strength and you have kept my word and have not denied my name... Because you have kept my command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world... He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Every church longs to be the church of Philadelphia—here is how Jesus defines what it means to be faithful in His eyes.

The Church Everyone Wants to Be

Every Christian and every church wants to be identified by the Lord as faithful, and nearly every church seems to want to be identified with the church of Philadelphia. We've been following the same outline for each of these seven letters—the "rap sheet" of revelation, commendation, indictment, summons, and promise. But this church had no indictment, which is striking because the previous church, Sardis, had no commendation. Jesus had nothing bad to say about the church at Philadelphia.

That's not to say they were perfect. There is no perfect church, because churches are filled with people and there are no perfect people. But Jesus had only great things to say about them. It's interesting that today churches like to call themselves "the church of Philadelphia," but you never find a church naming itself "the first church of Sardis"—just like you don't name your kids Adolf.

A City of Brotherly Love

Philadelphia was about 25 miles southeast of Sardis, established in 189 BC by King Eumenes II of the Lydian empire, ruling from Pergamos. He developed the city for his faithful younger brother, Attalus II, nicknamed Philadelphus—"the brother who loves." When Attalus became king around 159 BC, he made the city his base for spreading Greek culture eastward.

Sitting in the rich, volcanic Hermes Valley, Philadelphia became wealthy through its vineyards and wine production—the Napa Valley of its day. But in 17 AD a massive earthquake nearly destroyed both Sardis and Philadelphia. Emperor Tiberius relieved them from taxation to rebuild, which so endeared the people to Rome that the imperial cult—the worship of the Caesars as deities—took deep root there.

The Synagogue of Satan

Like Smyrna, Philadelphia had a substantial Jewish community, and the Christians there seem to have suffered persecution at their hands. This is the second time Jesus refers to the Jews in this region as "the synagogue of Satan." Many commentators believe the Jewish community would no longer shelter the Christians, who had previously been viewed as a sect of Judaism and were thereby exempt from emperor worship. Once that shelter was withdrawn, the Christians were exposed to Roman persecution, which grew greatly in the second century.

Yet even in the face of persecution, the Christians at Philadelphia persevered, and Jesus rejoices in their perseverance. As for how the church began, the Bible doesn't say, but it seems probable it was planted through Paul's ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19), where it says the gospel went throughout all of Asia. Some 40 years later, Jesus personally writes them this letter.

Faithfulness Is Rewarded with a Fuller Revelation

Each of these letters begins with a revelation of Jesus, and in the previous five letters every revelation can be traced back to Revelation chapter 1. But to Philadelphia, Jesus reveals four entirely new things about Himself—that He is holy and true, that He has the key of David, that He opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens. None of these are found in chapter 1.

This is instructive: faithfulness to Jesus is rewarded with a fuller revelation of Him. Isn't this true of us? With the most faithful people in our lives, we are more apt to share who we really are. I have a program on my computer that catalogs all my online accounts—248 usernames and passwords I can't possibly remember. It's protected by one master password, and I've shared that password with only one person: my wife, Andrea, the most faithful person in my life. We share the deep things of who we are only with those who are faithful. So it is with Jesus.

Just Be Faithful

The second point is simple: just be faithful. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that "it is required of stewards that one be found faithful." It is faithfulness that Jesus rewards. So be steadfast in your faith and in your faithfulness to the church. That's why I've titled this message Faith-Filled and Faithful—they were filled with faith and faithful to the Lord.

Holy, True, Sovereign, and Powerful

First, Jesus says, "these things says he who is holy." The Bible uses the word holy 567 times, overwhelmingly of God. It means separate, undefiled, pure, sacred, removed from sin. The first time we see it is in Exodus 3, when God tells Moses to remove his sandals because the ground is holy. That dirt was no different from any other dirt—but God is so holy that His presence makes even the dirt holy. That's wonderful, because Paul says we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God can take the dirt of who we are and make it holy.

In Isaiah 6, the prophet sees the Lord on His throne—and John 12 tells us it was Jesus—surrounded by angels crying continually, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." God is holy to the third power. And in Revelation 15:4 we learn that God alone is holy. So when Jesus says, "I am holy," He is declaring, "I am God."

Second, Jesus says He is "true." John 1:14 says He came "full of grace and truth," and in John 14:6 He declares, "I am the way and the truth and the life." Throughout Revelation, Jesus is repeatedly called "faithful and true," "just and true in all His ways," and the one who "in righteousness judges and makes war."

Third and fourth, Jesus is sovereign and powerful: "he who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." He is the key master and the gatekeeper. The only other place this phrase appears is Isaiah 22:22, where Eliakim, steward over Hezekiah's household, held the key of David with full authority. Eliakim was only a foreshadowing of the greater Son of David. My takeaway is simple: Jesus is holy, true, sovereign, and powerful—there's no door He cannot open and nothing shut against Him that cannot be loosed. I want to be close to that guy.

An Open Door

Now comes the commendation: "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it." Because of their works, Jesus gave them an open door of opportunity. I don't like closed doors; I like open doors. And Jesus rewards faithfulness with open doors.

In The Matrix, there was a character called the Keymaker who could make a key to open any door. But Jesus can shut doors that not even the Keymaker can open, and He opened a door for this church because they were faithful.

What is the open door? In context, it seems to be a door of opportunity for the church. Paul speaks similarly in 1 Corinthians 16:9—"a great and effective door has been opened to me, and there are many adversaries." Even amid opposition, a door was set before him. The same is true here. It's important to note: there will always be demonic opposition to divine opportunity. The enemy doesn't want us to go through open doors, but the Lord sets them before us anyway.

Four Marks: Power

The Philadelphian church possessed four things. First, power. "You have a little strength." Even a little strength is better than none—remember dead Sardis, just 25 miles away, had no strength. In their own eyes their strength was small, but in the eyes of Jesus it was sufficient.

We often think that because we have little strength, fewer gifts, or fewer resources, we can't do anything. But Jesus says, "Go through the open door with the little strength you have." It is actually more dangerous to think we have enough strength when we don't. I once thought I could carry a heavy memory-foam mattress upstairs by myself, ignoring the label that said "have two people lift this." Halfway up I heard a pop in my back, and by day's end I was in severe pain. We've all done this.

It is a blessing to recognize our own insufficiency. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:5–6 that "our sufficiency is of God." And in 2 Corinthians 12:9, when God refused to remove his thorn in the flesh, God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." So Paul concludes, "When I am weak, then I am strong." Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing," yet Paul could write, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." Be faithful with the little strength you have, and God will increase it for greater things.

Obedience: Keeping His Word

Second, the church was obedient: "you have kept My word." In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said the wise person hears His words and does them, building his house on the rock. Keeping the word of Jesus implies at least five things.

First, we must receive it—taking time to get into the word, rightly dividing the word of truth, not letting it sit gathering dust. Second, we must believe it; "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Third, we must value it. Throughout church history, men died to translate the word and fought to hold onto it; where it is freely available, we can take it for granted. Fourth, we must obey it—not merely hear it, lest we be like the man James describes who looks in the mirror and forgets what he looks like. Fifth, we must not hoard it but share it. The church at Philadelphia was sharing the word, which is why the enemy opposed them. When the enemy tempted Jesus, He answered three times, "It is written." The word of God is the weapon that beats back the enemy.

Loyalty and Endurance

Third, they had loyalty: "you have not denied My name." Even under opposition they held strong. Fourth, they had endurance: "you have kept My command to persevere." When the synagogue of Satan came against them, they kept His word and persevered.

Because of this, Jesus gives them an advance promise—before any indictment or summons: "I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth." There is much discussion and little agreement among Christians about this hour of trial, so I'll summarize five things this verse shows. First, this hour is future—it "shall come." Second, it is a specific, short duration—an hour. Third, it is a time of testing. Fourth, it is worldwide. Fifth, and most important, it is not for the faithful followers of Jesus, for He promises to keep them from it.

In tenth grade, my English teacher Mr. Gabriela called me to his desk on the day of the final and said, "Miles, you did so well on your term paper, you don't have to take the final. You can go." I was overjoyed. That's exactly what Professor Jesus says to Philadelphia: "You were faithful. You don't have to take this test." Whether He keeps us out of it or through it, I don't know. There's significant disagreement about the timing, but for me it's not a hill to die on. I know Jesus is coming back someday—that's enough. Come back, Lord.

The Summons and the Promise

The summons comes in verse 11: "Behold, I am coming quickly!" This is the third time in Revelation Jesus says this, and the first time it's an encouragement rather than a warning. To Ephesus and Pergamos it was a warning; to this church it's comfort. "Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown." The word for crown is Stephanos, the victor's crown. The warnings in Scripture are given for a reason. Paul warns in Colossians 2:8 not to let anyone rob you with vain philosophy and false teaching. So hold fast.

Then the promise: "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more." Overcoming comes through faith in the Son of God (1 John 5:4–5). When the earthquake destroyed Sardis and Philadelphia, historians note that one of the few things left standing was the temple pillars—often inscribed with honorary names. So Jesus promises the overcomer a permanent position, inscribed with the name of God, the name of the city of God, and Jesus' own new name.

This speaks of permanence and of possession—He owns us. There's not a person alive who isn't looking for a place to belong and to be part of something. Jesus says: if you want a permanent place to belong, overcome—put your faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. That's my encouragement to you today.

Closing Prayer

Father God, we thank You for Your great word and encouragement to us. We pray that we would take these things to heart. No doubt every one of us wants to be identified with the church at Philadelphia. So help us to be faithful to You, steadfast in our faithfulness, to obey even with the little bit of strength we might have, to go through the open doors You set before us, to be loyal to Your name, and to endure even in the face of opposition. Lord, help us to stand strong, so that on the day we see You come, we don't have to take the final, and we hear You say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord." That's my desire and the desire of my brothers and sisters here today. Thank You that You have made us to be seated with You in heavenly places—a place to belong and something to be part of. We praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.