Philadelphia: A Church That Was Small But Faithful | Revelation 3:7-13 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

I happily invite you to now meet me in the book of Revelation in chapter three as we consider the letter to the church in Philadelphia. And I wanna tell you right from the beginning why we should be ecstatic to be studying these verses together this afternoon. Remember the ultimate purpose of why we are taking our time in this section of the book of Revelation. As the people of God who are joyfully committed to this local body, we have been invited by the Lord Jesus Christ himself to discover what he expects from us as his church. And so far, we have been confronted by a handful of examples of what a church ought not to be, And that's largely been our experience as we've been looking at these historical assemblies, which ultimately speak about the condition of the church throughout history.

But today is going to be an encouraging time because now we come to a letter that describes a congregation that Christ wholly commends. That's right. There is not a trace of correction. There is not anything of rebuke. Everything that we find here is praise, which means at least two things.

Number one, like the church in Smyrna, the church in Philadelphia serves as a wonderful wake up call. A wake up call to what? That it is possible to be consistently faithful to Jesus Christ. Not to say that there is a perfect church, but that it is achievable to be a faithful church moving in the right direction by the grace of God, repenting and forgiving and learning from glory to glory. It's possible, and we should strive for that.

And here's a second thought. In this letter, we will also be taught what it takes for a church to be totally pleasing to Christ. And that should throw any of us who long to be believers who want to bring pleasure to the Lord. Believers, yes, walking with Christ in a personal way, but also connected as members of one body and desiring to glorify the Lord in a corporate manner. We're gonna learn here what Christ looks for, what he praises, what he desires, and how we can pursue that.

And in case we're inclined to think that the church in Philadelphia was steady and strong because their circumstances were calm and favorable, a plain reading of this letter will show that such an assumption cannot be true. In fact, the very introduction of this letter, if read in light of the context, will show that this church had its troubles, and Christ wanted to assure them. He wanted to build them up to remain faithful. Shall we begin? Meet me in verse seven of Revelation chapter three, and let's read the entirety of this brief report.

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. 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. 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. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. I'm coming soon. Hold fast what you have so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.

Never shall he go out of it. And 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 my God out of heaven and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. Now if you've been with us consistently, then you know that when Christ introduces himself to these different congregations, he usually will go back to Revelation chapter one and borrow some of the imagery of that manifestation of his glory before his apostle. But this time, he doesn't do that.

I mean, you can try to say, yeah, this is parallel with what we see in chapter one here and there. But what we actually see is that Christ completely references the Old Testament, the Hebrew scriptures. And when learning this, you have to ask the question, why? And again, the answer is in the letter. This particular church was experiencing hardship from a particular group of people, and we read it.

Jews. Localized Jews who are antagonists, who are harassing these people, who are trying to discredit the legitimacy of their faith, try to make them doubt, and try to make them even believe that the God that you claim loves you and died for you. He he doesn't. You're not truly in covenant with him. And so it's as though right from the beginning, Christ wants to let this church know who I am is not a novel idea.

I've been predicted from ancient scripture. I've been foretold. I've been written about. Moses spoke of me. Abraham saw me.

And so right here, we see that there is credibility that he wants to offer to this church. Who I am comes from the scriptures. The Christian movement isn't divorced from God's word from the beginning. And this is what the are supposed to see. This is what these believers are receiving right away.

Now there are three things that Christ says about himself that we should consider carefully. What does he say? The first thing that he mentions is that he is what? The holy one. The holy.

I am the holy one. Now if you know your Old Testament, then you would agree that this is far beyond just a claim to purity and distinctiveness. This is a divine title. The title holy one appears many times in the Old Testament to describe God in his majesty and his brilliance, but it is a favorite of Isaiah the prophets. No one ever speaks about the holy one more than him.

He regularly repeats that throughout his writings, which I find interesting because throughout this letter to the church in Philadelphia, there will be direct and indirect references to the book of Isaiah. I am the holy one. And so we are supposed to see this already as a claim to divinity. But quickly he follows it up with what? A second characteristic.

I am the true one. I am the true one. As ought to say, I am free from error. I am totally reliable. I am authentic and genuine in all of my ways.

Now that's a wonderful thing to say about yourself, but it made me ask the question, why is that relevant to this church? Why did this church need to know that Jesus Christ is the true one? And then it hit me. There's a contrast happening here. Scroll down to verse nine to see what I'm saying.

Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not but do what? They lie. They lie and I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you. So this Jewish community in Philadelphia, not Philadelphia here in The United States by the way. Ancient Philadelphia.

You never know, guys. You never know. The Jews in this community were troubling these believers, and Christ condemns them for being liars. Liars about what? Liars about their supposed spiritual condition and status before God.

Liars unquestionably because they slandered these Christians in their neighborhood and tried to convince them that they were not really the people of God. And here's Christ from the outside of his message telling them, I am the true one. You may be misrepresent misrepresented. You may be caused to doubt or at least tempted to doubt. You may be accused of being heretics and worthy of condemnation, but I wanna let you know that you have placed your saving faith in the true one.

I'm the true one. And it becomes even more significant when you realize that the pairing attributes of holy and true appear only one other time in the book of Revelation, and it is granted to just one other person. Can I show you that? Go to chapter six with me and look here at verse 10. These are the souls who have lived for the truth, who lost their lives for the truth, and who are crying out to Lord in a different realm asking for vindication.

And we see here that they say something quite amazing in Revelation six ten. They cried out with a loud voice, oh sovereign Lord, pause, that's God. Nobody else has such a title. Oh sovereign Lord, here it is, holy and what? True.

Holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Listen. This observation can only mean one thing. For Christ to use this wording back in chapter three means that he unequivocally is declaring himself to be God. I am the holy one.

I am the true one. And you get to chapter six and you realize that the saints call the sovereign Lord holy and true. Who is this Jesus? More than a teacher, more than a prophet, he's God in the flesh. Which brings me to a very important observation.

One that I think when people touch on this letter, rarely discuss. And I was thinking maybe we'll touch on this at the end of the letter because it appears at the end, but I thought this would be a perfect place to get some answers. Let me tell you what I mean. Come back to chapter three and look what Christ says. This is what Jesus says.

Remember, he's the one who's writing this to this church. He's using John, but they are his words. And notice what he says in Revelation three twelve. I wonder if you will catch it. Revelation three twelve.

The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and 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 my God out of heaven and my own new name. Jesus is speaking. And four times in one verse, he says, my God. My God, my God, my God, my God.

Oh, I thought you were God. And this is a favorite of skeptics and unbelievers to cast doubt in the hearts of Christians, to reconsider the tenet of their faith that Jesus Christ is in fact God with us. How can you say that Christ is God and yet he claims to have a God over him? This is important. And we need to consider this.

One for our own edification, but also to give an answer to those who may not understand why we believe what we believe. And they may disagree with your faith in the person of Christ, but you and I have at least to do our part in showing why we believe it. We believe it because we find it in the word of God. And what seems to be paradoxal or even contradictory is not. It just calls for a deeper study so that we can understand the riches of who our God is.

Again, how can Christ who claims to be God say that he has a God over him? What I find interesting here is that we believe in the trinity and it is only the second person in the Godhead whoever makes this claim. The father never makes a claim that he has a God over him. The Holy Spirit also does not make a claim that he is a god over him. The only one who does that is the person of Jesus Christ.

It has to do with his dual nature. It has to do what he did two thousand years ago. And the point that I wanna make to you is that the second person of the trinity assumes God as his God only when he became flesh. The word became flesh. Turn with me to Jeremiah 32 verse 27, and please, please underline this verse and tuck it into your heart because it will make all of this easily understandable.

Jeremiah thirty two twenty seven. Look at this declaration that God makes. Behold, I am the Lord. I am Yahweh, the God of what? All flesh.

Is anything too hard for me? So here, he wants to declare his omniscience, his omnipotence, his power, his majesty, his holiness. And in one way, he describes it by emphasizing that he is the God of all flesh. Now if the Bible is consistent, which it is, then we also have to be consistent with our understanding of Jesus Christ. That when he became flesh, considering this verse, then wouldn't it be natural for us to understand that he identifies as the the father as his God in his humanity.

The moment that he enters into our world and takes on humanity, truly human though without sin. He is fulfilling what God says here. That now he operates subordinate, serving God in his humanity because he became flesh. That is significant. Because you won't see Christ, though you can find him in the Old Testament, referring to the father in this way, it only happens once he enters into our world.

And that's why you see him on the cross where he says, and quotes Psalm 22, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But here's the interesting note. We all agree with that. I'm sure many of us had that answer. Yes, the reason why Christ can say my God was because in his humanity, he identifies God the father as his God.

Is Jesus writing this letter to the church of Philadelphia while he was on the earth before he was crucified? Answer, no. This is Christ addressing his church post resurrection, post ascension. So now we apparently have a dilemma. Okay.

You quoted Jeremiah thirty two twenty seven. Yahweh is the God of all flesh. Christ takes on flesh, and therefore, now he identifies the father as his God. But he died, and he was buried, and he rose, and he ascended on high. So then, how is he now calling the father his God here?

Well, you have only two options. One, we have a blunder in the Bible, and we should all give up on our faith. Or two, he's still flesh. That's the answer. The reason why now Christ in heaven can still call the father his God is because, yes, he entered into this world to take on flesh, but he also rose bodily.

And that is the extent of the great price that he paid, that he didn't just put on an earth suit and then zip it off after he became the sin bearer of the world. He permanently became flesh. Though glorified, still flesh. And here's the proof that I wanna provide to you today. I wanna show you, and these are verses worth putting in your phone or in your notepad, three verses that confirms that upon Jesus' resurrection, he was flesh.

In his ascension and heavenly enthronement, he was flesh. And in his return, he's coming back in the flesh. Can we do this together? Good? Acts chapter two when Peter preaches to all those Jews who came into Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, and he quotes at one point in his sermon, Psalm sixteen eleven, and he tells them that this points to Christ.

It couldn't have pointed to David. It wasn't about that king. It was about another king, one of his descendants, the son of David. And I want you to see what he says in Acts two twenty nine to 31. To confirm, number one, Christ in the flesh in his resurrection.

Brothers, Peter said, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ that he was not abandoned to Hades nor did his, underline it, flesh. Nor did his flesh see corruption. When Jesus was buried in that rich man's tomb, The father did not allow his flesh to decay. And how did he spare him from that kind of corruption?

The resurrection. He raised him from the dead. David, he was buried and David surely has decayed. He's still in that tomb. And the point that Peter is making is Christ escaped that tomb.

That there was no deterioration. There there was nothing of decay because Christ was raised in the flesh. Why is that important to know? Because you have some who vehemently disagree with the resurrection of Christ, but can't deny the fact that he had some kind of resurrection. They they might they might say he resurrected spiritually.

It was a spiritual body and their understanding it's this invisible otherworldly kind of manifestation. No. No. No. We learn here, one of many places, it was his body.

It was his body. If you doubt that, what did God in Christ show those disciples as they were cowering in that room with a locked door? See that I am flesh and bone. Look at me. Notice this.

Give me something to eat. I wanna show you that this is an actual body and it was the same body that was crucified, albeit glorified. The resurrection. His flesh resurrected. What happened after that?

Well, turn with me to first Timothy chapter two verse five. Where is Christ now? What is he now? Well, Paul tells us in first Timothy chapter two verse five. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Underline that last part. The man Christ Jesus. He's speaking about the ministry of Jesus today. Who's mediating between God and men now? Not just the savior Christ Jesus, not just the God Christ Jesus.

And Paul does call Jesus God in a different epistle, more than one actually. He says the man. He emphasizes the humanity of Jesus. Truly man, truly God, still today. I want you to think about something.

It's kinda mind bending. It's actually breathtaking if you really meditate on it. Right now, as we're having Sunday service, there is a man in heaven. And not just in heaven, there is flesh seated at the right hand of God, mediating between God and men. I wonder what kind of conversations those heavenly creatures are having.

Flesh. He came into the world to take on flesh from eternity past beforehand. God is spirit. The second person of the Trinity willingly lays down his life in accordance with the Godhead's desire to save humanity. And when he came back, he came back with flesh.

Scars in his hand and his side and his feet. And you and I are gonna see those scars when we see him face to face. So the point that I'm making is underscore this, that Christ in his ascension, in his heavenly enthronement now is a man. What about his return? Turn with me to Acts chapter 17.

And look what Paul says here in verse 31 of Acts 17. He writes, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. So we know it's not just any other man. It's not just the righteous man. He qualifies, who who is it?

What man? The one that was raised from the dead. That's Christ. So upon his return, Christ is not coming as a disembodied spirit. He's not coming invisibly.

He's coming with flesh. So here you have it. Upon his resurrection, his ascension, his heavenly enthronement, and his return, he is man. And that's why in Revelation chapter three, he can say, my god. My god.

My god. My god. God? Yes. You know who calls Jesus God?

The father in Hebrews one eight. So he's still God, and you don't even have to go to Hebrews. Look at the beginning of this letter. He's the holy one. He is the true one, and yet he can still say, my God, because you have the dual nature of Christ at work here.

I hope that makes sense. I wanna remind you, we're still in the first verse of this letter, and we only talk about the two out of the three descriptions of Christ. Feel my pain every week. Let's come back to verse seven because there's still one more thing that Christ says about himself. He says, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

That is a clear reference to the book of Isaiah. In fact, he quotes a verse in Isaiah. If you wanna know which one, it's a very easy reference. Isaiah twenty two twenty two. Now you don't have to turn there, but let me read this in your hearing and and allow me to explain it.

He says in Isaiah twenty two twenty two, the Lord, 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. So we have to first ask a question, whose shoulder is God laying a key on in the immediate context? And the answer is there. You don't have to turn there, but it's a man named Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.

Who is this Eliakim? He's an obscure character in the Old Testament narrative, but he was a man that God elevated to a position of authority in the kingdom while Hezekiah was king. He demoted a man named Shebna because he took advantage of that position of power for his selfish gain. And so the Lord fires Shebna and he raises up this man, Eliakim, and he tells him that he will be receiving this key of David as a chief of staff. He would be over the household.

A very prominent position. One that had great responsibility, as well as great privilege. And Jesus goes back to this text, to this man, and he says, I am the fulfillment of that ultimately. It's amazing. It just really is a testament of how much the Old Testament points to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the question then is, how does it point at Christ? How does this moment in Judah's history foreshadow what Christ is saying here? And I believe the answer is clear. In an even greater way, God, yes, raised up a man named Eliakim to hold the key of the house of David, but now he raises up Christ, and he holds ultimate authority over the messianic and eternal kingdom of David. This key of David spoken about in Revelation undoubtedly refers to the sovereign authority of Christ.

And and what's its purpose? He allows, only he allows, whom he allows to come in and he keeps out who he wants to keep out. That's what he is saying here. I have the key of David. It speaks of the key of salvation.

He alone possesses that authority. And Eliakim, which means God raises, points to Jesus. This man, Eliakim, who had a heart for the people of Israel, that's why he was hired to be over the household. Shevna was fired, and I'm gonna raise up this Eliakim because he actually has a heart for my people, points to Christ who doesn't just have a heart for Israel, but for the world. And he's been granted this key.

And because of this key, he opens this door into eternal life. He shuts it. This speaks of salvation and judgment. And we're told here that Christ alone determines every man's eternal destiny. Why is that relevant to this church?

Because we because of the persecution they experience, it's very likely that they were kicked out of a lot of things, namely the synagogue. So he wants to let them know, you have your faith in me, and I have the key to the most important door in the universe. Be comforted. But Christ's authority is not limited to salvation. Now we're going to fast forward a little bit through this letter.

Let's come back. Notice what he says here. It extends to every sphere of this realm. He He says in verse eight, I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door which no one will will is able to shut.

And I know that you have but little power, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. So hopefully, when when you and I studied Smyrna, the church in Smyrna, you recall that Christ there assured this church about the sovereignty over all suffering. They were going to suffer and he says, I'm in control of what kind of suffering you experience and the extent of it. I'm sovereign. Now when he comes to Philadelphia, he declares his sovereignty, but in another way.

Sovereignty over opportunities. Opportunities. That's what he means here when he says, behold, I have set before you an open door. Now some would say he's talking about the fact that he has given them salvation. That's what he's he's only just he's just kinda doubling that statement.

Sure. But the thing is, when you look through the New Testament, you'll discover that this phrase open door consistently refers to access to a place or to a person with the gospel. Open door regularly speaks of, in the New Testament, of an evangelistic opportunity. And that's what I believe Christ is saying here to this church. I have set before you an opportunity to testify of me.

It's as though he's saying, you are a faithful church and I'm giving you a chance now to advance in your faithfulness by walking through this door that I have made clear and open for you so that you can shine my light. Take advantage of it, church in Philadelphia. Go for it. You have been faithful. I reward you with greater opportunity to be faithful, and I set before you an open door.

And I believe what Christ says to this church, you may disagree with me, but I believe that what he says to this church in Philadelphia has been offered to the church in America. There is a unique freedom and favor that Christians experience in this land, and anybody with a little bit of sense would attribute that to the grace of God. We are an anomaly here in America. What you and I are doing here, this is rare. I know you grew up in it, but it's not common.

And I believe it's because Christ has opened a door in this country. And I'm aware that there are those who would love to take away these rights and try to sabotage these freedoms, and that we have to do our practical part to preserve them. But there are a lot of Christians who are scared today, and I would quote to them this passage. No matter what kind of legislation, what kind of laws, what kind of party does anything, Jesus Christ opens doors that no man can shut. He determines that.

Understand the sovereignty of Christ here. And he's telling this church, you have some time. Do something with this time. And that's that's something for us to consider. He says, behold.

Like, open your eyes. See it. And there's no prophet for us praying and complaining about the things that are happening here in The US, trying to defend our religious liberties if we don't take advantage of it. I believe that's the call for us to take advantage of it. And sometimes the reason why we lack motivation to step forward is perhaps for the same reason why this church might have hesitated.

Notice what he says in the rest of verse eight. After he tells them that he has given them an open door, he reminds them that he knows that they have but little power. That's not a correction. That's not any kind of criticism. He just acknowledging what they know, he wants them to know I'm aware of it.

You have but little power. What does that mean? Most likely that they were small in number and short on resources. Very unimpressive in worldly terms. From a human standpoint, it didn't look like a thriving, successful ministry.

You have little power. And I wonder if it's ever crossed their minds, can we really make an impact for Christ? Oh, how many believers feel this way about themselves? What do you do if you're here today and you have visited this thought that's caused a lack of motivation to share your faith? I'm not really eloquent.

I mean, I don't I have a very difficult time recalling scripture references. I don't have the charisma. I don't really have a persuasive personality. I'd rather give this person that I would love to share the gospel with to somebody else, maybe one of the elders or another experienced saint. And so you feel stuck.

You feel crippled. You feel like God can't really use you, if that is you. You're supposed to do what this church was called to do. It's very simple. Believe with all your heart that God really wants to use you.

Even if you have little, he wants to use you. Isn't that a wonderful thought? I think it is. Yes, with your makeup and your unique quirks, and your accent, and your height, whatever the case may be, Jesus Christ wants to use you. And the weaker you feel, the more excited you should be because we're promised that he provides power for all our weaknesses, all our deficiencies, and all our lack.

That's why he says this to this church, yeah, you have little power, but you have me. You have the sovereign Christ who opens doors for you. And I don't just open them for you, I walk with you through them. And like this church, simply take whatever opportunity that's made clear for you. The open door that you have to talk to unbelievers, what opportunities are around you to engage with those who don't know Christ, that's your open door.

And it's a very wide open door here in America. May the Lord help us take advantage of it. I'm so glad that the Lord doesn't measure success in the way the world does. I am so happy because in the very same breath that he says, you have but little power, he acknowledges and praises them. For what?

He doesn't clap because of their great number. He doesn't pat them on the back because of their robust programs, their wonderful budget. He doesn't acknowledge any of that. The one thing that he highlights that makes this church so praiseworthy is loyalty. You have what kept my word and have not denied my name.

This little church in Philadelphia loved the Bible. They loved the scriptures. And though they were little, many things, they just wanted to govern themselves according to the word of God. They wanted to know the word of God. They wanted to share the word of God.

That was their ministry motto. And Jesus looks at this church and says, I have nothing to say, nothing negative to say. I see that you treasure my word. A a church that holds the bible so dearly, not just in creed, but in practice. And wants to be faithful to the person of Jesus Christ and all his exclusive claims is a church that is very dear to the heart of Christ.

You know what? Every single one of us should be able to say about this church by the grace of God and any other church that you represent if you're visiting here today. Listen to what Christ is saying. What kind of what kind of church does he praise? One that loves the word of God.

Why do you go to the church you go to? Because they love the word of God. They sing the word of God, they preach the word of God, and more importantly, they try to live the word of God. It was Spurgeon who said, the Lord does not blame us for having little strength, but little zeal, little love, little consecration. Yes.

He'll criticize that, never for our lack of number or resources. So he praises them. You have kept my word. Here's what I take from this, and we're wrapping up very soon. If I want Jesus to smile over Maranatha Bible Church, I have one preoccupation, the Bible.

And everything will flow from that. This is our compass. This is our hymn book. This is the subject matter of our discussions. This is our counseling material.

It's in the book. And I, again, learned that Christ really really appreciates those who value his word. May the Lord keep us as a people of this book. But he doesn't just praise them, he gives them wonderful promises. And for the rest of these verses, we'll look at three of them very quickly.

He gives three promises to this faithful church to encourage faithfulness and to bless them for their faithfulness. Verse nine. Here's promise number one. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews but 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.

Number one. This faithful church was promised that Christ would prove their enemies wrong. Have we seen this synagogue of Satan before in our study of Revelation? Yeah. This is the second time it appears.

And let me be very clear, the synagogue of Satan is not a blanket statement about the Jewish race or Israel's national identity. Rather, Christ is condemning a specific group of Jews in this area who placed their spiritual confidence in their race, in their ethnicity. All the while, they were in spiritual danger because they were disconnected from the Christ. That's what he's saying here. They were Jews by race.

They were Jews by culture. They were Jew by religious ceremonies, but they were not true Jews in the spiritual sense. Paul tells us in Romans two that a true Jew is somebody who would embrace the Messiah. At the same time, that is not to say that there isn't value in their history and their national identity. Here's what's so spectacular about this.

These Jews who are pricking these Christians, Jesus tells of this church, they will one day come and bow before you and acknowledge that I have loved you. This comes from the Old Testament because God made the same promise to the Jews. So in Isaiah 60 verse 14, it's a wonderful passage about the messianic millennial reign of Christ. When Jesus Christ rules and reigns on the earth for a thousand years, he tells them this. In Isaiah sixty fourteen, the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet.

They shall call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. There it is again, holy one. Right? Isaiah. So what is he saying to these Jews?

Well, in the millennial reign of Christ, when the Jews will embrace Jesus Christ as their Messiah, the Lord will call all the unbelieving Gentiles who have harassed them throughout history and will bow and acknowledge that they truly did belong to the Lord. And then now he speaks to these believing Gentiles and he borrows the same language and he says, you Christians who are Gentiles, most of you at least, one day I'm gonna have these unbelieving Jews come and bow before you, not as an act of worship, but as humble acknowledgment that I, in fact, have loved you, that I have called the Gentiles unto myself, that they are grafted and that they are part of my salvation plan. Do you see this? How does this relate to us? Here's how it relates to us.

That it quiets our itch to wanna be vengeful to those who have harassed us. Maybe for your faith. Maybe there are people in your life that are making your life difficult because you are a follower of Christ. Let Christ deal with those who oppose you. You love them.

You pray for them. And you hope that they will be saved. You believe God for that. And let the Lord deal with how they have handled you. He is keeping a record of it.

And there's a time coming for those throughout history who have indeed brought so much pain and trouble to families who were ripped apart because of the faith, or their well-being in society, their their livelihood. There's a time coming where Christ will call all men to acknowledge that he, in fact, was the God of this people, and now he is he is paying them back. That's not the only promise. Verse 10, he promises them preservation from tribulation. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth.

So there is debate about this verse. You have those who interpret it in this way, as a proof text for a pre tribulation rapture that there is coming at an unannounced time, a rescue of the people of God where they will be brought up to heaven in the presence of Christ before the tribulation period that he will pour out on the world that we see here described in the book of Revelation. And they would say, this is exactly what he is promising to the church, that those who are indeed in him will be spared from the hour of trial. It's not a localized trial. Why?

Because it says here that it's coming upon the whole world. And it's a very strong verse in the case of those who hold to that view. But then there there are those who are genuine Christians who would disagree and say that's not what he is saying because if you really get into the original, Christ is not saying that he is going to keep them from this hour of trial in the sense that they're gonna escape it, but that he's going to protect them through it. And so in the same way that there was a Goshen while the plagues were being poured out on Egypt, in the same way there was a bubble of protection over Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the church will go through this tribulation period and they will be kept from the wrath of God during it. Though still vulnerable to the wrath of man.

I'm sure we can get into this conversation and spend the rest of our time speaking about this, but we will at another time. What we need to take from this to remain consistent with the application of our message today is that for those who are faithful, Christ, one of the wonderful promises that he does have is that he protects those who belong to him. He keeps those who serve him. There should be not an ounce of worry about your safety, your provision as you serve him. I will keep you.

And any pain that happens in your life, I've permitted it only for your good. That's the practical application of this. We will get to how this relates to the timeline of end time events. We have so much of revelation to cover, but take that for now. Lastly, he says, I am coming soon in verse 11.

Hold fast what you have so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it. I will write on the name of my God, and then the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes out from my God out of heaven and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

So the first promise was, I am going to deal with your enemies. Number two, I am going to protect you. Even if the troubles of this world encapsulate the whole world, you will be preserved. You will be protected. And lastly, I will shower you with eternal rewards.

You understand? He says, I have a crown that's prepared for you. I'm coming soon. Hold fast to your faithfulness. Don't let go.

And look at this slight warning so that no one may seize your crown. That's not talking about the crown of salvation or we're all in trouble. That's talking about eternal reward for your faithfulness. And here's what we learn here. Though, by the grace of God, by his goodness, our salvation cannot be forfeited, your rewards can.

And in fact, if you and I listen very carefully, if you and I are not faithful in our ministry, the Lord may give it to somebody else, and he'll reward them for it. That's why one of my go to prayers is, Lord, no matter how difficult ministry gets, I never wanna be a complainer. Never. Please don't fire me. I wanna serve you.

There's no thrill. There's no greater joy. I want to be faithful until the end. I want a crown, not so that I can wear it, but so that I can lay something worthy at your feet when I see you. But no man sees your crown.

And John, the same John who wrote this, wrote in his third epistle, or second epistle rather. Listen to this in second John eight. No chapters. Watch yourselves so that no one, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Watch yourselves so that you would not lose what you've been working for and forfeit a full reward.

So you know who we have to be careful for? Not somebody else who has a similar gift that seems to be in competition with our ministry. No. No. You don't have to do that.

That's ugly. In fact, you might forfeit your reward if you think that way. No. No. It's not competition with one another.

What did John say? Watch yourself. You're your number one enemy. You're the number one cause for you to give up in serving the Lord. Watch yourself.

The discouragement and the temptations of the world around you, watch yourself. Win and hold on for the full reward. And then he speaks about this stuff about what what, I'm gonna give you a new name. And all of this in verse 12 is is just about ownership and it's about again the same consistent theme in every reward in the book of Revelation, intimacy with God. Intimacy with him.

I'm coming soon and I am going to label you and I'm going to keep you and I'm going to praise you. Why would this be meaningful to this church? Because they lost so much for their faith. And Christ says, there's something far greater than what you forfeited for me. I know that there are those who are working for Satan who have taken things from you, but listen to this list of rewards.

You will be a pillar in my temple. Never removed, never cast out, never disqualified, forever treasured by who? By me. By me. Church, it's possible to be faithful as a church and as individual Christians.

And the the prayer point of this sermon is simply this, Lord, as we have been faithful, hopefully, help us to remain faithful with whatever door you've opened for us. That's what we need to ask. Lord, we ask you today that you would give us eyes to see your sovereignty, your sovereignty over all things, over salvation, your sovereignty over suffering, and even your sovereignty over every opportunity in our lives. We thank you, Lord, for the great encouragement that you have given us here. And though we could have explored so much more, Lord, we have enough to be able to respond in praise and adoration.

So, Lord, receive our thanksgiving that we even get to live in a land with a wide open door, that no matter where we are, we can freely speak your word without any fear of anything. And so, Lord, we pray it can only come from the power of your Holy Spirit to energize us, to move forward. So, Lord, give us that zeal even as we sing these praises unto your name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen.

Let's stand and give glory to Christ.