This morning for our Scripture reading and text, we turn to Revelation 3, verses 7-13, as we consider the sixth church, sixth of the seven churches our Lord addresses in His State of the Church address. The church in Philadelphia, Revelation 3, beginning at verse 7. as we give our attention to the Word of God. To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens, no one can shut, and what He shuts, no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews, though they are not, but are liars, I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept My command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes, I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God, in the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God. And I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, what is the criteria for measuring whether a church is successful? Whether a church is faithful? I believe that if you asked a number of different worshipers from a number of different churches or denominations, that question, you might get as many different answers as the number of people that you asked. How can we know if a church is faithful? Again, all have different criteria. Some might say if all the seats or if all the church pews are filled, then it must be a faithful church. Others might say the bigger the church, surely the more successful it is and it must be a faithful church too. Still others might say that many programs, including all kinds of social type programs for the community, is the mark to look for. But congregation, if all those things are true, then the opposite is also true, isn't it? the smaller the church. The less impact a church has in the community, the less successful and the less faithful that church must be. Yet the truth, as our Lord Jesus Christ makes clear to the Apostle John here, is that faithfulness is not measured in terms of the number of members or the many programs or the size of the general fund. Faithfulness is measured in terms of one's relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ and how that relationship is carried out in life. Now once again, this church in Philadelphia is the sixth church in Asia Minor which our Lord addresses in His State of the Church address. And this church was located in a city where her most dangerous enemy or most severe opponent were those who claimed to be Jews, but Jesus says they are really of the synagogue or the congregation of Satan. This church suffered, this Christian church suffered at the hands of those who claimed to be the true people of God. Those who had earthly power and who were trying to destroy and make an end of Christianity and wipe it from the face of the earth. But in the midst of that situation, the church in Philadelphia remained faithful to Jesus Christ. They were a faithful church. They were an uncompromising church, unlike the church in Pergamum that we had considered together in chapter 2, verses 12-17. And our Lord goes on here then in the text to explain the faithfulness of this church and the Word of God teaches us that Christ promises blessing to the faithful church. So notice, first of all, her praised condition. Secondly, her promised activity. And finally, her priceless rewards. First of all, her praised condition. Now this is somewhat interesting. You may recall that with five of the seven churches recorded in these two chapters of Revelation, the Lord says, I have something against you. And then He goes on to explain what's wrong in that particular church. But there are two churches that Christ doesn't say that about. The first one is in chapter 2, the church in Smyrna, the persecuted church. And the second one is here, the church in Philadelphia. These two churches receive only praise and encouragement from the Lord. But they also have something else in common, as we've already hinted at. They both had to deal with Jews whom Jesus describes as being of the congregation or the synagogue of Satan. Now, there was a difference between a physical Jew and a true spiritual Jew. Of course, there were those Jews who were born into a Jewish family. They were physically Jews. There were others who claimed membership in the Jewish denomination by way of conversion. But a true spiritual Jew was one who was a member, truly a member of the congregation of God. One who had true faith in Jesus Christ. One who had the circumcision of the heart. Paul says in Romans 2 verse 29, A man is a Jew if he is one inwardly. And therefore, a true spiritual Jew could be from any tribe, any tongue, or any nation, which really was anathema to the physical Jews. But these Jews here in Philadelphia, the congregation of Satan, they hated Christians. And they accused the Christian faith of being a false religion. They alone were true and faithful. They alone were on the inside of that door and everyone else was locked on the outside of that door. And their goal was to rid the world of Christianity. You may recall that that was Paul's plan, wasn't it? Before he came face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. But these Jews were merciless against Christians. Yet it was in the middle of this struggle that Jesus praises this church's condition. In verse 8 he says, You have little power and have kept my word and have not denied my name. Beloved, what a wonderful thing to be said about the church. Can that be said about us? That we have kept God's word, that we have not denied His name. Wouldn't it be great if our Lord would say that about us? But first he says they have little power. Now, he's not talking about spiritual power or spiritual strength. And that's clear, I believe, when He says, You have kept My word and have not denied My name. Remember, Jesus Himself talks about the strength of that faith the size of a mustard seed. But little power here means, I believe, a couple of things. First of all, I believe that it means that they were physically small. They were not a mega church. They were not a large church and maybe not even an average-sized church. Compared to the world's idea of a successful, booming church, This church was small and poor and not very significant, at least on the outside. But she was small in power in another way as well. She had little influence yet in the community. She was apparently a new church. And because of the synagogue of Satan, she did not have much evangelistic influence in the world around her. But what about on the inside? What about her inner condition? Again, Jesus says, You have kept My Word and have not denied My name. This church may have been weak when it came to the membership roster, weak in numbers and programs, unnoticed in the community, but she was strong spiritually. She was strong in faith. And she is praised here for keeping the Word of God. Congregation, that is quite a compliment. And boys and girls, this means that the church in Philadelphia stayed faithful to the truth of the gospel. They believed the Bible. They believed in the triune God, the Father and their creation, the Son and their redemption, the Holy Spirit and their sanctification. They believed that they were sinners in need of salvation and that Jesus Christ, who was crucified, died, was buried, rose again, ascended into heaven, was the only way of salvation. And they believed that that salvation was theirs. They believed that they belonged. Body and soul, in life and in death, to their faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. When the world and the Jews there, the synagogue of Satan, saw the cross as weakness and foolishness, and when they considered faith in the work of Christ on the cross as useless, God says, that's true strength. And that spiritual strength, that faith, was then demonstrated in keeping His Word. We know that the enemies of the church of Jesus Christ attack the truth of the Word of God. Many of them will say that the Bible is a good book, and it's good. It's a good thing for you and I to have one on our shelf, but that's about it. You can't believe everything that it says. Of course, there are good stories in it. It teaches good moral and ethical lessons. But come on now, let's think about this. Things like the flood and the miracles and the resurrection and so many other things that we read there, they can't really be true, can they? But a faithful church and true believers believe all that God has said in His Word and they keep His Word. They trust it as true and reliable and they are willing to stake their life on it by the grace of God. And that leads to the next word of praise from Jesus. You have not denied My name. No doubt these Jews, whom Jesus calls liars, had tried to get the members of this church to renounce their faith in Christ. To deny that Jesus is God. But the church didn't do it. She didn't give in. She stood firm by the grace of God on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. And instead, she openly confessed the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you might say, wait a minute, where does it say that in the text? Jesus never says that they openly confess His name. Well, beloved, our Lord praises this church, which He would not have done if she remained silent. We all know that silence is consent. It is agreement in certain situations. And not standing up for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ when it is being challenged or when it is being blasphemed is the same as to deny Him. The church in Philadelphia did not deny Christ's name either by word or by silence. She professed the name of Jesus. This small church was a faithful church. She had zeal for the Word of God. She was inspired by His Word. She found hope in His Word and was guided in her living by the Word of God. For them, the gospel of Jesus Christ was the power of God unto salvation. And they never got tired of hearing the truth of the Gospel being preached. They never wanted to hear something else from the pulpit that would tickle their taste buds, that would make them feel good. The offense of the Gospel never turns them off as it seems to do to so many people today. Instead, it convicted them to greater holiness. And by not denying the name of Jesus, we can be sure that they were, as Peter says, always prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you. But we all know, don't we, that this confession is not without cost. Confession of Christ's name, you see, which at the same time condemns the world for its wickedness because truth condemns that which is false, but it invites persecution and it invites hatred from the world. Jesus says in verse 10, You have kept my command to endure patiently. Endurance or perseverance suggests, I believe, that it was a tough road for this small church. In the eyes of the world, this church was weak in every sense of the word. She was small in numbers, hardly known in the city, no financial resources, no influence in the community. In the broader church world, she would have been considered ineffective and the classes would have advised her to close her doors. People go worship somewhere else where there's more things going on for you. But as well, this persecution was worse than you or I have ever had to deal with, at least most of us. If you recall from our study of these churches, if you were a Christian at that time, and in certain very anti-Christian places, you couldn't get a job. No one would do business with you. You were ostracized from the community. We know it's not quite that way today because our land has so many non- or anti-discrimination policies that we don't deal with some of the same things. But this church was strong beyond measure in faith. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. Congregation, we need to understand that God isn't impressed by numbers. That's His business. He'll take care of that. He doesn't call us to change the hearts of mankind, but to preach the Word. He isn't awed by programs or by money, but He demands faithfulness. He will use faithfulness. Christ praises this church in Philadelphia for her spiritual condition, and therefore this church enjoys the blessing of promised activity. And beloved, it should be our goal as a church and as individual believers to be used of God for the sake of His kingdom. That should be our number one desire. That God would be pleased to use us. That He would find a place for us. And that's what Christ tells this church, I'm going to use you, small as you are, to advance my kingdom. Again, today, so many of those who call themselves church try to manufacture effectiveness and growth by using gimmicks and a smorgasbord religion to grow the church. However, Christ here uses faithfulness. Faithfulness. Verse 8 begins, I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. And this is significant because no one can undo what Jesus has done and that's because Jesus is God. He introduced Himself in verse 7 as He who is holy and true. In Him there is no sin. There is nothing false. in contrast to the Jews who are liars and who are of the synagogue of Satan. And of Jesus, it is also said in verse 7, He holds the key of David. What he opens, no one can shut. And what he shuts, no one can open. And the idea of the key of David comes from the Old Testament and especially from Isaiah 22 talking about the chief steward of the king's household. In Isaiah 22, we find that Eliakim becomes the chief steward of David's household, of the royal family. And the common practice was that the chief steward or the head servant would be in charge of the keys of the household. We could say that it was his job to decide who would get in to see the king and who would not get in. He had the authority to act in the king's name and in the king's best interest. And here in our text, the key of David is talking about the key to the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ holds the key to that kingdom. He alone has the authority to open and shut the door of the Father's kingdom. He determines who shall enter God's kingdom by way of faith in Him and who shall stay out because of their rejection of Him. And His authority is unchangeable. Remember, no one comes to the Father except through Him. He adds to the church. He grows the church. And here He says He will do that by using this faithful church. She will be His tool, but it's not her size, it's not her many programs, it's not her money that will be effective, but her faithfulness. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. Now, Scripture teaches us that an open door means that God has created an opportunity for preaching the Gospel and he has prepared some to hear and receive that gospel message. In Acts 14, we read about Paul and Barnabas in Antioch and in verse 27 we read, They gathered the church together and reported all that God has done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. In 1 Corinthians 16, 9, he says, Because a great door for effective work has opened to me. In 2 Corinthians 2, verse 12, Paul says, Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me. And in another place, Paul talks about the fact that God had closed the door for ministry in a certain place. Beloved, the gospel message is received only when God opens the door of the heart by the power of His Holy Spirit. Think of Lydia in Acts. It says there, God opened her heart. Jesus Christ promised this faithful church that He would use her for His kingdom advancement and that she would reap the results of her labors. How do we know? He says no one can shut that door. There is no power in this world strong enough to successfully challenge Jesus and to change what He has done. We know that if you recall from church history, as unbelievers worked to destroy the early New Testament church, Christians spread far and wide, But that didn't end Christianity. That didn't kill Christianity. Christianity spread far and wide. But also Jesus tells this Philadelphia church exactly where she would see the results of her labors. From the very enemies that persecuted her. Verse 9 says, I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews, though they are not, but are liars, I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. While these Jews persecuted this small church, this small church, by God's grace, would be what Christ called them to be. Witnesses for Him. Even to their very persecutors. And the result would be that these Jews, who thought that they alone were God's people, who thought that they alone held the key to the kingdom of God, would one day bow down before Him who truly holds the key to God's kingdom. And some of these Jews who hated Christ and persecuted His church would be converted through this open door. Beloved, God calls us to be faithful. And He uses faithfulness. He calls believers to love Him above all and our neighbor as ourself. And what is the greatest love that we can show to our neighbors? Beloved, love them by sharing with them the message of the Gospel. That there is forgiveness with God for our sins for those who truly repent. As a church, our goal is not to be physical size or lots of programs. Please don't get me wrong. Programs and activities and finances are an important part of and a vital part of the church life. But these things are not necessarily a measure of faithfulness. But our desire must be to be instructed in and to reach others through the word preached. When's the last time you invited a neighbor to come to worship and offer to pick them up? You see, the Bible says that God has chosen through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. In congregation, that's why preaching is to be and must remain the center of our worship service. Boys and girls and young people, do you understand that verse? that God has chosen through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. It's foolishness to the world. It's foolishness to those who reject it. But it's beautiful and glorious to those who believe. And therefore the preaching of the Word of God is not boring. As I said earlier this morning, the preacher may be a little boring, But the preaching of the Word of God is not boring. It's beautiful. It is awesome to those who are intimately involved in worship. You must understand that worship is not meant to entertain you. That's man-centered. It is to be God-centered and only God-centered. Worship is when you and I come to give to God. We give Him our heart and soul and mind and strength in prayer, in singing, in our gifts. You see, congregation worship takes work. It takes effort. We have to listen. But then God comes to us, doesn't He, with His Holy Word. And He gives to us so much more than we could even imagine trying to give to Him. And through this time together, He not only gives His people strength for the week ahead to face a world of sin and temptation. The congregation, here in a special way, He prepares His people for heaven. Our God calls us to be faithful and He blesses that faithfulness in our own lives but also in the lives of others. Finally, Christ's blessing to this faithful church also includes her precious rewards. Indeed, Christ uses this faithful church to advance His kingdom, but, notice, He also secures in that kingdom those who are faithful to Him. There are three precious rewards listed here. First, Jesus says in verse 10, Since you have kept My command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. Now, we know that Satan is fighting a losing battle, but he's still fighting, isn't he? And his temptations are very real. And we know from the testimony of Scripture that it's going to get worse even to the point, the Bible says, of the elect being deceived. By God's grace, they won't be. But to that point. But Jesus promises those who are faithful that He will keep them from the snare of the devil as well. On Judgment Day, they will pass the test of faithfulness because they cling to Christ and His saving sacrifice by the grace of God. Christ's Word of Encouragement, as verse 11 says, Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown. Hold on to our confession of Jesus' name. Hold on to His Word. The two other precious rewards are promises of eternal life. Now remember that with each of the churches in His State of the Church Address, Christ promises eternal life to those who overcome, to those who hear. And the same is true here. He says in the first part of verse 12, Him who overcomes, I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. Now, a pillar stands for stability. It stands for something that is firm, something that cannot and will not be removed. And beloved, that's the kingdom of God. And Jesus will make the faithful and everlasting part of the kingdom, the heavenly temple, that of which the earthly temple was only a copy. And this was great news for these Christians, because these people knew all too well what instability was all about. Philadelphia was located on or near a major fault line, and they experienced earthquakes often. And apparently it was not uncommon for the citizens to flee the city to the open fields when an earthquake or its many aftershocks struck. And the historians even tell us that some of them took up residence outside of the city. But those who reject Jesus Christ are on shaky ground. And they will suffer the torment and instability of hell because they are like the foolish man. Children, you know, the foolish man built his house upon the sand and the rains came down, the floods came up, and the house and the sand went smack. But God's people will rest secure in His house built upon the solid rock foundation. The last precious reward is this. Jesus says at the end of verse 12, I will write on Him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God, and I will also write on Him my new name. Congregation, we know that a name is a tool of identity. We get each other's attention by using names. A name is an important thing. Now again, the Roman historians tell us that there was a massive earthquake. Well, history tells us there was a massive earthquake that destroyed the city or nearly destroyed it in A.D. 17. And the Roman historians tell us that Philadelphia was relieved by Rome and Caesar of the annual tribute or taxes that they had to pay so that they could rebuild. And to say thank you, they built a monument to Caesar. to honor Caesar. And as well, they renamed the city Neo-Cesarea. Caesar's new name, it means. But what an identity for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. What assurance for this faithful church. The name Christ writes on His people identifies one as a citizen of the Kingdom of God and it identifies one as one who has real salvation and therefore the open door means more than just God creates an opportunity for witnessing. The open door here is promised first of all to believers. No one can shut that door against them. Against you and me. The synagogue of Satan. They cannot. These Jews cannot shut that door. Those who are victors in Jesus Christ enjoy permanent access to God's presence. Christ's followers have the assurance that the door to the true temple is forever open. This city of Philadelphia briefly became Neo-Cesarea. They took a new name. But the true church forever bears the name New City of God. Beloved, are we a faithful church by God's grace? Are we a faithful people of God? Do we keep His Word? Are we faithful to it? Do we confess His name at home, at work, at play, in school? You see, those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ own as their very own possession God's blessing for this life and the life to come. And only God's people can have the assurance as Paul says in 2 Timothy 4 verse 8, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day. Congregation, that's the ultimate blessing Christ bestows upon His faithful followers. And no one can take that crown away. Are you being fitted for that crown? Amen. Amen. Shall we pray? dear heavenly father even as we have heard your word preached we have been convicted once again that we are not always faithful at times there is a lack of faithfulness at times we are even faithless yet we give to you praise and glory oh lord that You are the one who revives Your people. You're the one who continues to give us that life that we need to stand before Your throne of grace. And we pray that Your Holy Spirit would ever be effective and fervent in our hearts and lives. Father, if there are any here, even one who has not bowed down before Your throne of grace, who has not given their life to the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Father, that You will not allow them to have peace. that You will not allow them to be settled in their sin, but You would shake them up, make them unstable, that they might turn to You by the power of Your Spirit to confess their sins and repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be fitted for that crown of righteousness. O Father, hear our prayer for Jesus' sake. Amen.