Cross Examined 7 | Faith-filled & Faithful

Every Christian and every church wants to be identified by the Lord as faithful. Every church seems to want to be identified with the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation chapter 3. That's the church we are looking at today, and there is very clear instruction from the text in Revelation 3, verses 17 and onward, about how we can be faithful in the eyes of Jesus.

So, open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 3 as we continue this series called "Cross Examine: Jesus Examines His Church." Let's stand together. We are looking at the letters of Jesus to the seven churches of Revelation, and today we are focusing on the sixth of the seven letters to the church at Philadelphia, which is the church that everybody likes to identify with.

Revelation chapter 3, beginning at verse 7, is where we are. There, Jesus writes, "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. 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, and you have kept My word and have not denied My name.

Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that 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. 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 to test those who dwell on the earth.

Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast to what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and I will write on him My new name.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

God, I pray that we would be those who have open ears and open hearts to receive from You what it is that You want to speak to us. That we would be ready to hear and to heed, to apply whatever it is that You want to say.

Lord, I pray that as we recognize that Your Word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, and that it is useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, we may need that today. We need, Lord, a rebuke. We need a correction or instruction in righteousness. Help us to be ready to receive what it is that You want to say to us for the purpose that we would be those who are fully committed to the work that You have created us for.

May we lay hold of that for which You saved us, which You laid hold of us. Let us reflect Your glory in this world in which we live. Just as the angels around Your throne proclaim that the whole earth is full of Your glory, we pray that we would be those who, as we go about this world, carry Your glory to the uttermost parts. We ask this in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed and said, Amen.

You can be seated.

If you grew up in the 1980s or 1990s like me, or before that time, then you no doubt heard the saying, "Be all that you can be." It was the recruiting slogan for the United States Army from 1980 to 2001. It was so effective in recruiting individuals with that statement, "Be all that you can be and dedicate yourself in the Army," that the marketing firm that came up with that saying was later given the civilian award for service by the Department of the Army.

When it comes to churches, if you want to be all that you can be, then you want to be a part of a church like the one mentioned here in the city of Philadelphia. No, not the Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, but the Philadelphia that existed long before that, the Philadelphia that was founded almost 2,000 years ago, actually more than 2,000 years ago.

Years ago, there, in what was at the time Asia Minor, which today is Western Turkey, there was a church. Among the believers in that church, Jesus had nothing bad to say. He had only good things to say about the church at Philadelphia. This is not to say that they were perfect; we know that there is no perfect church because churches are filled with people, and there are no perfect people. However, when it came to the church at Philadelphia, Jesus had some great things to say about them and no indictment against them.

As we've been going through this series, we've been following the same outline for each of these letters. They call it the "rap sheet," which is on your sermon guide in your bulletin. The outline includes the revelation, the commendation, the indictment, the summons, and the promise. Interestingly, this church had no indictment, which contrasts with the last church, the church at Sardis, about which He had no commendation and nothing good to say. In contrast, the church at Philadelphia received no negative remarks.

This is particularly interesting because today there are churches in our own nation that like to call themselves the church of Philadelphia, even if they are not located in Philadelphia. However, you never find a church that says, "We are the First Church of Sardis." People simply do not name themselves after Sardis, just as you wouldn't name your kids Adolf. The church at Philadelphia is viewed by many as a model for the church that one should aspire to follow.

There are those within the church who like to take these seven letters and apply them to church history, suggesting that these letters correspond to different ages of church history. The intriguing part is that many people try to identify themselves with the age described as the church at Philadelphia. This creates a problem in applying this passage in that way, as no one wants to find themselves in the age of Laodicea, which we will look at next week. However, that may be the age we are currently living in.

Putting that aside, Jesus has nothing negative to say about the Philadelphian church. He writes to them in Revelation chapter three, verse seven, addressing the angel of the church in Philadelphia. A little bit of history: the city of Philadelphia was about 25 miles southeast of the city of Sardis, which we examined last time. It was established in 189 BC by the king of the Lydian Empire, a man named King Eumenes II, who was ruling from the city of Pergamos, which we have already considered.

He established the city of Philadelphia primarily for his brother, who had been very faithful and loyal to him. Ultimately, his younger brother, Attalus II, would become the king after Eumenes died, serving as the successor to his brother. Attalus was given the nickname Philadelphus, which means "the brother who loves." Thus, this city, Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, was commissioned for Attalus.

When Attalus became king around 159 BC, he made this city the base from which he would try to evangelistically move the mindset and culture of the Greek world from the west to the east. It served as his mission's base for promoting Greek culture. Consequently, it was a very Greek cultured city until the Romans took over and ultimately ruled it.

The city of Philadelphia sat in the same valley as the city of Sardis, known as the Hermes Valley. Due to the volcanic activity in that region, the ground was very rich and fertile. As a result, Philadelphia became fairly wealthy because of its vineyards and wine production, much like the Napa Valley today. It grew to prominence and wealth.

In the year 17 AD, a massive earthquake shook that region, which was prone to volcanic and earthquake activity. This earthquake nearly completely destroyed both Sardis and Philadelphia. By that time, the Roman Empire was overseeing the area, and Emperor Tiberius, wanting to provide relief, exempted them from paying taxes to the Roman Empire for several years. The people were obviously very happy about that.

This act endeared the citizens of Philadelphia, Sardis, and some other nearby cities to the Roman Empire, leading to the rise of the Roman Imperial cult. They began to build temples to figures like Tiberius and other emperors of Rome during that period. They worshiped these leaders not just as politicians but as deities as well. Thus, when Tiberius granted them tax relief in 17 AD to help them rebuild, it solidified the Roman Imperial cult in the city of Philadelphia.

I'm sorry, Philadelphia. Like the city of Smyrna, which we studied previously, there was a substantial Jewish community in the city of Philadelphia. At the hands of this Jewish community, the Christians seemed to be experiencing some level of persecution during this period. In fact, this is the second time that Jesus refers to the Jews in this region as those of the synagogue of Satan.

We don't know exactly what these Jewish individuals in the city were doing to the Christians, but many people have speculated that it probably had something to do with the fact that the Jewish community did not have to worship the Caesars like the rest of those under Roman rule. They were given an exemption from worshiping the Caesars and involving themselves in the Roman Imperial cult. Because of that exemption, and because most Christians were viewed as just a sect of Judaism for a long period, the Christians could find some sort of shelter among the Jewish community.

However, it seems, and this is the speculation among many commentators, that the Jews of the cities of Smyrna and Philadelphia would not shelter the Christians. They would not allow them to maintain that position as a sect of Judaism. This situation invited the persecution of the Romans against the Christians, which especially began to happen at the end of the first century and continued through the second century AD. It really rose significantly in the second century. As a result of this, it is believed that this is why Jesus called them the synagogue of Satan in this passage.

Yet, even in the face of persecution, the Christians at the church in Philadelphia persevered. That is exactly what we see here in this text, and Jesus rejoices in their perseverance. This brings us to the discussion about the church. How did the church at Philadelphia come to be?

Of course, we don't know for certain. There is nothing in the Bible that tells us clearly who planted the church at Philadelphia, but it seems logical and probable that this church was started through the ministry of the Apostle Paul, as described in Acts chapter 19, while he was on his third missionary journey in the city of Ephesus. I have already talked about this quite a bit as we've been going through the letters to the churches here in Revelation.

When Paul was ministering in Ephesus around 55 to 58 AD, it says in Acts chapter 19, verse 10, that the gospel went throughout all of Asia, and both Jews and Gentiles heard the gospel and believed. Therefore, it is probable that the city and the church of Philadelphia started through this ministry.

The efforts of the ministry of the Apostle Paul on his third missionary journey are significant. Now, some 40 years later, Jesus personally writes a letter to the Christians in the city of Philadelphia. It begins like all the other letters do, with a revelation. Look at it in verse 7 again: "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."

Like every single one of these previous letters, Jesus begins by telling the church in the city a little bit about Himself. The interesting thing is that as we've been going through the previous five letters, every one of the revelations specifically given to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 can be traced back to Revelation chapter 1, where those revelations are first stated. So, when He restates them in chapter 2 or chapter 3, He is reiterating what has already been said about Jesus in Revelation chapter 1.

However, when we come to the church at Philadelphia and read this revelation of Jesus—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—those specific details are not found in Revelation chapter 1. To the church in the city of Philadelphia, Jesus reveals four entirely new things about Himself. I believe this is instructive for us.

Point number one on your outline, if you have your sermon guide handy, is this: Faithfulness to Jesus is rewarded with a fuller revelation of Him. It seems that Jesus is more apt to reveal Himself more fully to those who are faithful. Isn't this true of us as well? If you have someone who is a friend or are in a relationship with someone and they are faithful to you, you are more likely to reveal something of yourself that you may have never shared with anyone else. The most faithful people in our lives are generally the ones with whom we are more open in sharing the things about who we are.

To give an example of this, I was thinking about it last week, and I actually went on my computer yesterday to check how many accounts I have. I have this program on my computer that catalogs all the online accounts that I have, including usernames.

We all have lots of usernames and passwords these days. I have 248 usernames and passwords that I access for various sites online. Now, I consider myself to have a pretty good memory, but I guarantee you I can't remember all 248 of them. So, I use a program that keeps track of every single username and password. Not just the usernames and passwords, but some of these sites also have security questions, like "What school did you graduate from?" and "What city were you born in?" You know what I'm talking about, right?

This program keeps track of all that information, and it has just one password that I can use to access it. I've only shared that one password with one other person. There is only one other person in my life who has that password, and she happens to be the most faithful person in my life—my wife, Andrea. She is the only person who knows that one password that opens up access to everything else I am connected to, whether it's websites I've developed or accounts I have. She knows that one password, and she can access it not just because she is my wife, but because she is faithful.

We are more likely to share important information with those who are faithful to us, including the deeper aspects of who we are. I think that’s one of the things we see with Jesus. Those who are faithful to Him are rewarded with a greater revelation of Himself.

So, point number two is very simple: just be faithful. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, stating that it is required of stewards that one be found faithful. It is faithfulness that Jesus rewards. In the New Testament, particularly in the Gospels, it is faithfulness that is ultimately rewarded.

Therefore, be steadfast in your faith and in your faithfulness to the church. That’s why I’ve entitled this message about the church at Philadelphia, "Faith Filled and Faithful." They were filled with faith and were faithful to the Lord. That is what describes who they were. They were faithful to Jesus, and Jesus rewards their faithfulness. First, He rewards their faithfulness with a greater revelation of Himself. That is not the only thing He rewards their faithfulness with, but it is certainly significant.

Their faithfulness is met with a greater revelation of who He is. Jesus reveals four things about Himself to the church in Philadelphia. First, He says, "These things says He who is holy." The Bible uses the word "holy" 567 times, and the overwhelming majority of these instances refer to God. He is depicted in the Scriptures as being holy. The word "holy" means separate, undefiled, pure, sacred, and spotless—unblemished from the things of this world and removed from sin.

The very first time we see the word "holy" used is in the book of Exodus. In Exodus chapter 3, we remember Moses. Moses has an encounter with God, who reveals Himself to Moses through a burning bush. As Moses approaches that burning bush, we can picture Charlton Heston getting closer, and then the voice comes out, saying, "Take the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground."

I suggest that the dirt around that bush was not miraculous, strange, or amazing; it is not more special than other dirt in other places. It is just as dirty as the dirt you might find outside. However, what this reveals to us is that God is so awesomely holy that in His presence, even the dirt is made holy. This is a wonderful realization for us because, in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians chapters 3 and 6, Paul states that you and I are the temple of the Holy Spirit—that God is in us. In the book of Colossians, Paul says that Christ dwells in us.

So, what does that mean? It means that God can take us, who are just dirt—animated, as Genesis chapters 1 and 2 describe, where God formed man from the dirt of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life. God can take the dirt of who we are and make it holy. How awesome is that? It is a good thing to know that God is so holy that He is able to do that.

In Isaiah chapter 6, the prophet Isaiah has a vision of God. He is caught up, if you will, into heaven and sees the throne room of heaven, where he sees God on the throne.

In John chapter 12, Jesus tells us that Isaiah saw Him, so it was Jesus on the throne that Isaiah sees in Isaiah 6. When he sees Jesus on the throne in the throne room of heaven, there are angelic beings present, and they are chanting or singing a song back and forth to one another. There is a continual loop in heaven of a song that is really simple; it is found in Isaiah chapter 6, verse 3. The lyrics are easy: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God; the whole earth is full of His glory." One angel cries to another, and the other angel answers back continually, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory."

God is holy, holy, holy—three times holy, holy to the third power. He is more holy than we can possibly imagine, more separate, more removed, more undefiled, and more unblemished. Jesus says in Revelation chapter 3, verse 7, "I am holy," which is an interesting thing to consider. In Revelation chapter 15, later on, we see that God alone is holy; only God is holy, as stated in Revelation 15, verse 4. If only God in heaven is holy and Jesus says, "I am holy," what is He saying? He is declaring, "I am God; I am holy."

Not only does He reveal Himself as holy here, but also Jesus says, "These things says He who is holy and He who is true." These two attributes—Jesus being holy and true—are applied to Him a second time in Revelation chapter 6, verse 10, where it describes Him as "the Lord, holy and true." Jesus is absolutely holy, and He is absolutely true.

When Jesus, the Son of God, became the Son of Man, that is what we call the incarnation—when God came from heaven to earth. In John chapter 1, verse 14, it says, "We beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." When Jesus came to the earth, He was full of grace, but He was also full of truth. That is why, several chapters later, in John chapter 14, Jesus makes this great statement. The Gospel of John is built around seven "I am" statements of Jesus.

In John 14, verse 6, Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me." Jesus is truth incarnate. To the church at Philadelphia, He declares, "I am true and I am holy."

Later in the book of Revelation, this idea of the truth of who Jesus is is reiterated in Revelation 15, verse 3. It is revealed there that He is the God who is just and true in all of His ways. He is just and true in all of His ways. Then, one chapter later, in Revelation 16, verse 7, it states, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and just, or true and righteous, are all of Your judgments." Thus, Jesus, in all of His ways and in all of His judgments, is true and righteous. Again, in Revelation 19, verse 2, it says of Him, "For true and righteous are all of Your judgments."

In Revelation 19, verse 11, the apostle John writes, "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war." Throughout the book of Revelation, Jesus is presented as faithful and true. Here in Revelation 3, verse 7, He is mentioned as holy. Jesus reveals to the church at Philadelphia, "I am holy and I am true."

The third and fourth revelations of Jesus go together. It states, "He who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." Therefore, Jesus is sovereign and powerful. On your outline, this is number three: Jesus is holy, true, sovereign, and powerful. He is holy, true, sovereign, and powerful.

The holy and true Jesus says, "I have the key of David; I open and no one shuts, and I shut and no one closes." He is the key master and the gatekeeper. Because He is the key master and the gatekeeper, He has all authority, all power; He is sovereign and powerful. The first time this idea of the key of David appears, or the only other time in the Bible...

The story found in the book of Isaiah, specifically in Isaiah chapter 22, verse 22, recounts events from 2,800 years ago involving the nation of Israel, particularly the tribe of Judah. At that time, their king, Hezekiah, was the overseer of the nation. He was part of the royal line of King David. Hezekiah had a secretary of state, or an overseer, a prime minister who managed his household and all of his affairs. This individual, who oversaw the house of David and took care of everything, was named Eliakim.

Eliakim was given the key of David. Isaiah 22:22 states that Eliakim had the key of David, which meant he could open and no one could shut, and shut and no one could open. This signified that he held all power and sovereign authority over the household of David, which was entrusted to him as a steward.

Fast forward to the time when this was written about Jesus in Revelation chapter 3, verse 7. The references to Eliakim in Isaiah 22 serve as a foreshadowing of the greater Son of David, who holds the key of David. He opens and no one shuts, and he shuts and no one opens. Thus, He is the sovereign, powerful, holy, and true Lord.

There are many interesting and cryptic interpretations by Bible teachers and commentators regarding these revelations of Jesus in Revelation 3:7. They attempt to decipher what it means that He has the key of David, what He can open, and the implications of His authority. Numerous articles, books, thoughts, and theories exist on this topic.

My takeaway from this is very simple: Jesus is holy, true, sovereign, and powerful. There is no door that He cannot open, and nothing shut against Him that cannot be loosed. He possesses all sovereign power and authority over all things. He is the gatekeeping key master. I don't know about you, but I want to be close to Him. I want to spend time with the one who is holy, true, sovereign, and powerful—the gatekeeping key master.

Why? Well, look at the commendation. We have the revelation, but now the commendation begins in Revelation 3, verse 8. Jesus says to the church of Philadelphia, "I know your works." He knows your works, just as He knew the works of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, and Sardis.

I know your works. I'm intimately involved in what's happening in your church. Jesus says, "See, I have set before you an open door." Apparently, because of their works, He has given them an open door. This is somewhat different from the other letters we have seen. Normally, He says, "I know your works, and here are some of the good things that you've done." But for this church, He states, "I know your works, and I have set before you an open door." Because of their good works, He has granted them this opportunity, and no one can shut it.

Why do I want to be close to the gatekeeping key master? Because He is the one who sets before us open doors. I don't know about you, but I don't like closed doors; I prefer open doors. He tells this church, "I have given you an open door." It seems that He has provided them with this opportunity for a few reasons—four things, in fact. He says, "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. You have kept my word and have not denied my name."

Indeed, He will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who are persecuting them and claim to be Jews but are not, come and worship before their feet to know that He has loved them. This is because they have kept His command to persevere.

I want to be close to the gatekeeping key master because He sets before the Philadelphia church an open door. He has given them an open door to enter what seems to be an opportunity, and this open door is a reward for their faithfulness. We saw in point one that the Lord rewards faithfulness with a greater revelation of Himself. But not only does He reward faithfulness with a greater revelation of Himself, but point number four on your outline is that Jesus rewards faithfulness with open doors.

Now, I don't mention it as a recommendation to go out and see it, but some of you may have seen the hit Keanu Reeves trilogy. I know "hit" and "Keanu Reeves" don't normally go together; it's kind of an oxymoron. However, you may have seen that trilogy of movies called The Matrix. In the second Matrix movie, there was a character called The Keymaker. The Keymaker's talent was that any closed door in front of him could be instantly opened with a key he created.

But let me tell you something: Jesus can shut doors that not even The Keymaker can open. He is the gatekeeping key master, and He opens doors that no man can shut, and He shuts doors that no man can open.

opens. But for this church, He gave them an open door. He gave it to them because they were faithful, and He gave it to them because of their faithfulness in four different areas.

Before we get into those four different areas, I want to consider for a moment what exactly the open door is. There are interpretations from all kinds of commentators and Bible teachers about what this open door represents. In the context of what's going on in this passage, the open door seems to be a door of opportunity for this church—a door of opportunity that Jesus opened for this group of believers in the city of Philadelphia.

Paul speaks similarly about an open door to him in 1 Corinthians chapter 16. When Paul wrote the letter to the church in Corinth, he was in the city of Ephesus, and his friends at the church in Corinth were saying, "Hey, leave those guys in Ephesus, come back over here to Corinth and spend time with us." In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul says, "Listen, I'm going to stay here in Ephesus. Why? Because a great and effective door has been opened to me." It says in 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verse 9, "A great and effective door has been opened to me, and there are many adversaries." Even though there was opposition, a door of opportunity had been set before Paul.

The same is true for the people in the city of Philadelphia. Even though there was great opposition and persecution against them, the Lord says, "I've given you an open door." It is important for us to note that there will always be demonic opposition to divine opportunity. Whenever there is a divine opportunity given to us, an open door, there will be demonic opposition. The enemy does not want us to go through open doors, but the Lord sets before us an open door.

To the church in Philadelphia, it says, "I've given you an open door." Even though there are those of the synagogue of Satan who are coming against you, I want you to go through this open door. The Christians in the city of Philadelphia had an open door from Jesus because they possessed four things.

These four things are point number five on your outline: the Philadelphian church had, number one, power; number two, loyalty; number three, obedience; and number four, endurance. They had power, obedience, loyalty, and endurance. The church in Philadelphia was rewarded with an open door of divine opportunity, even in the face of adversity.

The face of demonic opposition from Jesus is evident because they had power, obedience, loyalty, and endurance. Let's look at these briefly. In verse eight, it says, "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door that no one can shut, for you have a little strength." The church in Philadelphia had power, even if it was just a little bit of power, even if it was just considered a little bit of strength. A little strength is better than no strength at all, right?

You remember the church we discussed last time, the city of Sardis? They were called the dead church. Dead people don't have any strength, so they had no strength. But at the very least, these people in the city, just 25 miles southeast of Sardis, had a little bit of strength. In their own eyes, it was not very big, but notice that in the eyes of Jesus, their little strength was sufficient. Their little strength was sufficient.

A lot of times, we think that because we have little strength, or we don't feel that we have as many gifts as someone else, or we don't think we have as many resources as another church, we believe we can't do anything. Yet Jesus says, "I have set before you an open door. You have a little strength. Go through it." In the eyes of Jesus, their little strength was sufficient, even if in their own eyes it was insufficient.

It is actually more dangerous for us to think we have enough strength when, in reality, we don't, than to think we do not have enough strength when we actually have the Lord. We all know this to be true, right? How many of you have ever experienced thinking you had enough strength to do something, only to realize you didn't? Be honest.

I'll give you a personal example, and I'm sure you can identify with this. About six years ago, my wife and I moved into our house. We bought a new mattress, one of those memory foam mattresses that comes wrapped up in a big cylinder. You cut the thing open, and it goes "whoosh." Have you seen those?

So, it arrives at the door, the UPS guy leaves it there, and here's this huge mattress. No one is home, and I figure I can take this upstairs. It says right on it, "heavy, have two people lift this," but I thought, "I got this, no problem." I put it on my shoulder. It's a little heavy, but I can handle it.

As I start to walk up the stairs with the whole thing, the back of the mattress hits the ceiling on the first floor, and it kind of goes back. As I'm going back, I hear a sound in my back. I thought, "Oh no, not so good."

By the end of the day, I was in severe pain. We've probably all experienced moments when we thought we had enough strength, but in reality, we didn't. It is dangerous—far more dangerous than we realize. In fact, it is a blessing when we recognize our own insufficiency. I talked about this last week because it's important. Our greatest strength in Jesus is found in our recognition of our weakness in light of His strength.

Paul speaks about this in 2 Corinthians. I mentioned it last week because it is significant. In 2 Corinthians 3, verses 5 and 6, it states, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who makes us able servants of the gospel." He enables us to do what we cannot do on our own. He sets before us an open door that looks impossible, and there is demonic opposition to this divine opportunity. He says, "I've given you all that you need." You may feel weak, but you need to go through this door. In the eyes of the Lord, your little strength is sufficient. This is so important.

Turn back to 2 Corinthians 12, to the left of Revelation. 2 Corinthians 12 is right before the book of Galatians, just after 1 Corinthians. Look at verse 9. The Apostle Paul describes in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 that he was given an amazing vision from the Lord. God revealed awesome things to him, and to prevent him from becoming arrogant or proud, God said, "I'm going to give you a thorn in the flesh." We don't know what that thorn was, but Paul didn't like it very much, and none of us like thorns in the flesh. So, three times he called out to God, asking Him to take it away, and God said no.

Then, in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9, Paul shares this: "And He, God, said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in your weakness.'" Therefore, Paul's response was, "Most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities and my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." He continues, "Therefore, I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

When I am weak, then I am strong. When I am weak, then I am strong.

In John chapter 15, Jesus tells a great story, or rather a metaphor, to His disciples. He says, "I am the vine, and you are the branches." Then He goes on to talk about the branch.

We can only bear fruit when we are plugged into the vine. Jesus says, "Apart from me, you can do nothing." Without Him, we can do nothing. However, Paul came to a realization and wrote to the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter 4, verse 13, these great words: "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

Here, Jesus says to the church at Philadelphia, "You have power; you have a little strength." In the mind of Jesus, that was all that was needed. He wanted them to be faithful with the little bit of strength that they had, and He wants you to be faithful with the little bit of strength that you have. The awesome thing about God is that when we are faithful in the little things, He will increase our strength and give us opportunities to be faithful in greater things.

If you are faithful in the small things that the Lord asks you to do, with the little gifts that you think you have, you may feel that you don't have the kind of gifts that someone else has. But take what God has given you and go through the open door that He has set before you with that little bit of strength. You will find that when you are weak, then you are strong, just as the Apostle Paul did.

Not only did the church in Philadelphia have a little bit of strength or power, but they also had obedience. The church in Philadelphia was obedient. How do we see that? In this text, Jesus says, "You have a little bit of strength, and you have kept my word." The church of Philadelphia kept the word of Jesus.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7 that the wise individual, the blessed and wise individual, is the one who hears the words of Jesus and does them. The fool is the one who hears them and does not do them. The wise one is like the person who builds his house upon the rock. When the rains come and the floods rise, that house does not fall because it was built on the rock by keeping the words of Jesus.

We need to be those who keep the words of Jesus; we must obey them. I think that this idea of keeping the words of Jesus implies at least five things. While it's not on your outline, you can write it down on the back if you'd like. To keep the word of Jesus, number one, those who keep the words of Jesus must first receive the words.

Of Jesus, those who keep the words of Jesus must first receive the words of Jesus. The question is simple: Have you received the words of Jesus? Have you taken the time to receive it into your heart? Have you taken the time on a regular basis to be diligent in presenting yourself approved unto God as a workman or workwoman who is not ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth?

The only person who can keep the word of God is the one who receives the word of God by gleaning from it. It's a gift that He has given to you and to me, and yet so many times it just sits on our desk from week to week before we come to this place and maybe open it for the first time. Little moths fly away, and dust gathers. The only way that you can keep the word of God and be faithful to the Lord is to receive the word of the Lord.

Secondly, keeping the word of the Lord implies that you believe it. Those who keep the word of God must believe it. Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." I commend you for coming here today to hear the word of God because hearing the word of God increases our faith in it. It builds up our trust and our confidence in the Lord. But those who keep the word of God must receive it, they must believe it, and they must value it.

I would say that valuing the word of God might be a little difficult for us in our day and in the place that we live because it is so freely available to us. However, as you read throughout church history, there have been individuals or groups who did not have the word of God translated into their language. Some men died to have the word of God translated, and they fought against those who opposed them to have it in their language. Once it was in their hands, they fought to keep it and to hold on to it. There are still certain places in the world today where that struggle continues.

Here, where we have it abundantly available to us, sometimes we don't value it like others may. I suggest to you that the people at the church in Philadelphia who kept the word of God truly valued it.

Fourthly, those who keep the word of God must obey it. There is a very real way in which we can hear the word of God, receive the word of God, even believe that it is true, and maybe even value it, but not really do anything with it. Yet Jesus says the wise one is the one who hears the words of God and does them. The Apostle James says that the person who is merely a hearer of the word only...

Not a doer is like a person who looks at their face in the mirror and then walks away, forgetting what they look like, which is foolish. We need to be those who obey the Word of God. If it says to do something or not to do something, then we obey what the Word of God says.

Fifth and finally, one of the other ways that we keep the Word of God is by not hoarding it but sharing it. Those who keep the Word of God do not hoard it; they share it. I would suggest to you that the church in Philadelphia was one that shared the Word of God. That's why they faced opposition from the enemy, because the Word of God is living and powerful. It is the one weapon that completely destroys the endeavors of the enemy.

When the enemy came against Jesus during the temptation in Matthew chapter 4, what did Jesus use against him three times? The Word of God. "It is written, it is written, it is written." Those who keep the Word of God must not hoard it but declare it and share it. In doing so, we see the enemy beaten back.

The Christians in the city of Philadelphia had power; they had obedience. Thirdly, they had loyalty. He says to them, "For you have a little strength, you have kept my Word, and you have not denied my name." They were loyal to the Lord. They had not denied the name of the Lord, even in the face of opposition. They continued to hold strong to the Word of the Lord.

Fourth, the Christians in Philadelphia not only had power, obedience, and loyalty, but they also had endurance. This is seen at the beginning of verse 10, which says, "Because you have kept my command to persevere." They were given an open door and counted faithful by the Lord because they took the little bit of strength that they had and went through the open doors that the Lord had given to them.

Not only did they have a little bit of strength, but they also obeyed His Word, were loyal to His name, and persevered when people came against them, like those of the synagogue of Satan. They kept His Word and His command. Notice what He says to them; it is like an advanced promise.

If you look back at the rap sheet—the revelation, the commendation, the indictment, the summons—the promise is the last part of this. But before we even get to the indictment, before we get to the summons, He gives them an advanced promise, which is found in verse 10: "Because you have kept my command to persevere, 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."

You've kept my command to persevere and endure, and I will keep you from the hour of trial. Now, frankly, we could spend an entire study or several studies talking about this idea of the hour of trial, but we don't have a lot of time, so I just have to summarize. We're not going to take 45 minutes or an extra service to go through this.

There is a huge discussion among Christians and very little agreement on the whole idea of the hour of trial. Be that as it may, I believe there is a coming hour of trial and testing that is going to come upon the whole world, which Jesus will bring. Many of the prophets in the Old Testament talk about it, and the Book of Revelation speaks of it as well. It seems like a lot of the Book of Revelation discusses this topic of the hour of trial. Isaiah speaks about it in Isaiah chapter 24 in a significant way, again in chapters 34 and 35. Ezekiel talks about it, Daniel speaks about it, and Joel speaks about it. If you go through the prophets of the Old Testament, you see this idea of the hour of trial coming up quite frequently.

As I said, although there is tons of discussion and many books written about it, with different ideas and various groups within Christianity, there are very few that have full agreement on this topic. However, there is a little bit of agreement on a few things that I think we see in this verse. There are five things in this verse that I believe are important.

Number one, this hour is in the future. He says it is the hour of trial that shall come. It hadn't happened yet 2,000 years ago, and I don't believe it has happened yet. It shall come in the future.

Secondly, it is of specific and short duration. He refers to it as the hour of trial. It's an appointed time, an hour, and it's short. It's just a short time—one hour. Now, is it literally an hour, or is it a period of time? I don't know, but it's short and specific.

Thirdly, he says that it's a time of testing. This hour of trial shall come to test those who dwell on the earth, as verse 10 states. It's a time of testing.

Fourth, it is worldwide. It shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. It wasn't localized just in the region of Philadelphia or the region of Asia Minor; it is for the whole world, this hour of testing.

And number five, which I think is one of the more important points for us, is that it is not for the faithful.

Followers of Jesus, the hour of testing is not for the faithful. Whatever this hour of testing is, how do we know that? Well, He says, "I also will keep you from the hour of trial." Speaking to those who are faithful, we don't know how He will keep them or in what way He will keep them. Will He keep them out of it? Will He keep them through it? There is very little agreement among Bible commentators and teachers. Whatever the case, He will keep them from it because they were faithful. Because they were faithful.

Maybe you had this experience. It was a joyful experience for me in my 10th grade English class, my second semester in Mr. Gabriela's class here in Orange Glen High School in Escondido. The entire grade that second semester was based on two things: a project that we worked on for the entire semester and your final exam. I remember very clearly the last day of school during my sophomore year. I walked into Mr. Gabriela's class, and he called me over to his desk. We were about to take the final, and he said, "Listen, Miles, you did so well on the term paper. You don't have to take the final." I said, "Are you serious?" He replied, "Yep, you can go." I was so excited and said, "Well, thank you very much. I'm out of here." He said, "You've been faithful; you don't have to take the final."

Now, listen, if you're a teacher, take careful note of that. That's a great thing right there. I was so overjoyed; that started summer off in a wonderful way. Maybe you had that experience as well in high school or college, whatever it may be. You came in, and they said, "You're so faithful; you don't have to take the final." That's exactly what Professor Jesus says to the church in Philadelphia. He says, "Listen, you guys were faithful; you don't have to take this test. It's for the other guys."

This hour of trial may bring significant disagreement in the church, but I think that these five points from this verse are important. I'm okay with that. If you don't agree on all the ins and outs, if you think that there's a time when Jesus takes His church away seven years before His second coming, or if it's in the middle, or if it doesn't happen at all, I just don't care. I know there are a lot of people who make big deals about that. For me, it's not a hill to die on. This is not that big a deal. I know for certain Jesus is coming back someday, and that's perfectly fine. All the details about how He comes back, I don't care. I just say, "Come back."

Anybody say amen? Okay, thank you. Good. All right, moving on. We don't have any time. So, the revelation, the commendation—there's no indictment for the church at Philadelphia. Nothing bad to say. The fourth, the summons.

Found in verse 11, Jesus says to the church, "Behold, I am coming quickly!" This is the third time in the book of Revelation that He states, "I am coming quickly," and it is the first time that it is encouraging rather than a warning. To the church at Ephesus, it was a warning: "I will come quickly, and I will remove your lampstand from its place," as we found in chapter 2, verse 5. To the church in Pergamos, in chapter 2, verse 16, He says, "I will come quickly, and you will not know the hour that I will come."

But to this church, He says, "Behold, I am coming quickly. I know what you're going through. Behold, I am coming quickly." So hold fast. Hold fast to whatever you have, that no one may take your crown. Hold fast to your faith. Hold fast to the commandment. Hold fast to the Word of God. Hold fast to whatever it is that you have. Let no one take your crown.

Now, the word for crown here is "Stephanos" in Greek. There are two words in the Greek language: "diadem," which is a royal crown, and "Stephanos," which is one that a victor wins in the games. He says, "Hold fast so that no one may take your crown." Some people look at that and ask, "Could someone take the crown?" I don't know, but the warnings in Scripture are given for a reason. We have to be careful that no one robs us.

The Apostle Paul, in Colossians 2, verse 8, says, "Don't let anybody rob you with vain philosophy and false teaching." In several other places in Scripture, we see that same idea: "Don't let anybody rob you with their false teaching." So here He says, "Don't let anybody take your crown. Hold fast to what you have."

Finally, the promise given in verses 12 and 13 of Revelation 3 states, "He who overcomes"—and we've already considered that overcoming comes through faith in the Son of God, Jesus, the Son of God, as noted in 1 John 5:4-5—"I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven from my God, and I will write on him my new name."

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will not be removed. He will not go out anymore." This speaks of permanence. There are a number of Bible teachers and historians who note that when the earthquake struck in 17 AD in Sardis and Philadelphia, one of the only things that remained standing amidst the destruction was the great pillars.

Structures were the pillars of these temples, and many ancient pillars would have honorary inscriptions put on them. Here, Jesus says to the church, "To the one who overcomes, you will have a permanent position in the temple of my God." He will put upon you an inscription: the inscription of the name of our God, the inscription of the city of our God, and the inscription of Jesus the Messiah on him. This speaks of permanence and possession. He owns us; we are His possession.

I don't think there's a person alive who isn't looking for a place to belong, a place to be, to be a part of something. Jesus says that if you want to be a part of something permanently, a place to be and to belong, then overcome. Put your faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. That would be my encouragement to you as we close today. Put your faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God to overcome and to obtain permanence, a place to belong, and to be in the possession of the Lord. Amen?

Let's stand together. We don't have any more time. Let's pray. I have too many words to say. Father God, we thank You for Your great word and encouragement to us. We pray, God, that we would take heart to these things. No doubt every single one of us wants to be identified with the church at Philadelphia.

So God, help us to be faithful to You, to be steadfast in our faithfulness to You, to obey even with the little bit of strength that we might have, to go through the open doors that You set before us, to be loyal to Your name, and to endure even in the face of opposition. Lord, help us to be faithful, to stand strong, so that on that day when we see You come, we don't have to take the final. We want to hear You say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord."

Lord, that's my desire. I want to hear You say that. I believe that's 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 a part of. We praise You in Jesus' name.