Revelation 3:7-13

This is the loyal church, and how we should wish to be characterized this way. This church was not impressive—they had little strength, were little in number, relatively out on their own, and misunderstood by those around them—but they are directed by God, reliant upon His strength, and assured of the destruction of the wicked. Some of the encouragements we can glean from this section are (1) God opens and closes doors in our lives, (2) we are to be an outpost for the gospel in the world, (3) God will keep us from the tribulation, and (4) we must focus on being faithful.

Philadelphia: the Loyal church

  I. The Location (literal local church)

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  • “Brotherly love” is something Sardis lacked
  
  
  • The city was a gateway to the east from the west, an outpost of Hellenization, small but had a big impact on spreading Greek culture
  
  
  • It was a loyal frontier city with an over-sized reputation, it became known for surviving through resilience, going on for centuries even being built on a fault line that brought earthquakes and volcanos
  
  
  
  

 II. The Likeness of Christ

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  • He that is holy, true, and has the keys of David
  
  
  • He openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth
  
  
  
  

III. The Letter to the church (merits and warnings)

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  • God opens and closes doors Ecclesiastes 7:13
  
  
  • They had little strength, but God supplied the rest
  
  
  • We must withstand being misunderstood (by the early Jews and later by the Catholics)
  
  
  • We will be kept from the hour of temptation 1 Thessalonians 5:9
  
  
  • God’s judgment of the wicked is an act of mercy to us, making our suffering not for nothing
  
  
  
  

IV. The Lineup in Church History (representative)

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  • Represents the missionary age from the 19th century until now
  
  
  
  

 V. The Lesson for us (type of church)

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  • Our job is to hold fast to what we have been given
  
  
  • We will stand and give account for what we did with the glorious gospel