The Faithful church, Philadelphia revelation 3:6-13

Revelation 3: 7-13, Philadelphia, The Faithful Church

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The Passage: Revelation 3:7-13 , Philadelphia

7 “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.

8 “‘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. 9 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. 10 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. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 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. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

The Authority Of Jesus Christ ( V1)

Holiness begets truth in a believer’s life because, in John 17:17, Jesus said, “Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth.” Without truth, there cannot be holiness because holiness is begotten by truth. When you listen to the word of God and truth resonates with you, it becomes a revelation (rema) that begets holiness in your life. This process of sanctification sets you apart for God’s use.

When Jesus introduces himself to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, HE first establishes that HE is the one who is Holy and true. Essentially, Jesus is affirming his divine nature because there is  none Hoy but GOD. He is in a category of his own. God is inherently Holy.

The holiness of God has several aspects. Firstly, it signifies that He has aseity, meaning HE is self existent and derives His being from no other, HE IS. Secondly, it highlights his incorruptible character. Not only is Jesus  holy but also the author and embodiment of truth. He declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Therefore, Jesus Christ is both God and the truth. This revelation was important for the church in Philadelphia as the city was referred to as little Athens ( because of the plurality of idols, shall we say false gods that were represented within it. Now you see why Jesus introduced Himself as the Holy and True one.

Jesus also states that He holds the keys of David, He is the one who opens doors that no one can shut, and when He closes a door, no one can open it. This carries a dual meaning. On one hand, it suggests that an opportunity for ministry is being opened for the people in Philadelphia. On the other hand, it signifies that Jesus has the ultimate authority over the kingdom.

To understand this further, we can refer to Isaiah 22:15-25 in the Old Testament. In this passage, there is a man named Shebna who held the keys of authority in the kingdom of Judah. However, he was self-serving and relied on Egypt for help instead of seeking God. As a result, a prophetic word was pronounced against him, and he was replaced by Eliakim, a faithful servant who received the keys of the kingdom.

Eliakim serves as a representation of Jesus Christ, who holds the ultimate authority over the kingdom. He declares that all power has been given to him. Therefore, when Jesus tells the church in Philadelphia that he is the Holy One, the true one, and the one with authority, he instills in them a sense of fearlessness. When He opens a door, no one can close it, and when He closes a door, no one can open it.

How Does Christ’s Introduction Relate To The Church In Philadelphia? ( V8-9)

First Obstacle: Little Power

This was a small church, probably not a mega church. Small in size and stature, insignificant in the eyes of man but great in the sight of the Lord. Jesus acknowledges that He knows their deeds, and those deeds were good as He mentions them in the rest of verse 8. They might have been insignificant in the eyes of man, but in God’s eyes, they were the perfect candidate to be used for the furthering of His kingdom.

See, the living Christ said that He had opened a door for them that no one could shut. What door? A door of opportunity to share the gospel? And why? Because of their deeds – though they had little power (probably not enough resources, small in number, might not have had a very well-known minister, insignificant in the eyes of man). Let me say that the word of God says that God hates the proud but gives grace to the humble. Scripture also says that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness, for when we are weak, that’s when we are strong as we fully rely on His power.

So, in spite of their little power, scripture says that this church was granted an opportunity to further the word of God because they kept the word of God and did not deny the name of Christ. In other words, their seemingly major obstacle did very little in obstructing their ministry. Keeping the word of Christ and not denying His name, meaning that they were not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ just like Paul, and they understood that it was the power of God for salvation to anyone who believes, the Jew first and the Gentiles. And wherever these folks went, they stood on this firm foundation and did not look to the left or to the right, they didn’t sugar coat or dilute the message of the gospel but shared it as they had received it from the beginning.

Consequently, it pleased Jesus, and a great opportunity had been given to them to continue their work. Now we see why Jesus presented Himself as the Holy and true one. The church needed to be encouraged because they were small yet very pleasing to God. The Holy One, and His word to them was truth, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. But there were another obstacle the church was facing.

Second Obstacle: Persecution By Traditional Judaizers

This church had another obstacle; there was a prominent Jewish community in there that benefited from Rome allowing them to practice their religion (traditional Judaism) for it was considered a legal religion by the Romans, while Christianity was considered illegal. So, the traditional Judaizers were preventing other Jews who believed in Jesus from coming to the synagogue, and Jesus referred to them as the synagogue of Satan.

See, Jesus had already warned His followers that a time would come where they would be put out of the synagogue, and that at that time, anyone who kills them would even think they were rendering a service to God, and this church was experiencing that. Their members were being pressed down by the much larger prominent traditional Judaizers, whom Paul also referred to as not true Jews. They might have been Jews outwardly, but inwardly, as Paul says in the book of Romans, they were not circumcised in their hearts because the very Christ that they rejected was the Christ that the prophets and the scriptures were pointing to. And their rejection of the Christ proved that they were only Jews nominally, not from the hearts. Therefore, Jesus referred to them as the synagogue of Satan. John says, “Who is a liar? Him who rejects that Jesus Christ isn’t the Messiah.”

Jesus said, He would make the traditional judaizers come to bow at the feet of His true church in Philadelphia. It may mean on Judgement Day, but I’m more interested in why He is saying that to the church in Philadelphia.

It is very possible that the judaizers thought they were loved by God because they first were favored by the Romans, and they were also relying on their practice of the law as a way to prove that God was loving them. In John 8, an instance is recorded where Jesus tells those who oppose Him that their real father is the devil, even though they claim to be the real children of Abraham. Jesus rejects them. Jesus was in the minority at the time, but His word was true because He was the Holy One, and the church in Philadelphia needed to hear that. Numbers meant very little to the Lord. What mattered was holiness that was a result of truth.

See, this synagogue has been deceived because their sheer numbers and the fact that their religion was considered legal had them believe they were favored by God. They were an ancient religion so they probably thought they were right, even though they misunderstood the scriptures.

God’s love truly rested on the church in Philadelphia, even though they were small and had very little power. They were faithful, and someday in God’s economy, the synagogue of Satan was going to be made aware of that. And this was a true word coming from the Holy and true One. Now you see why Jesus presented Himself as the Holy One, the true One, and the One who had the authority.

Now for the rest of the verses in this passage, I would invite you to listen to Dr. John MacArthur preaching on it as I believe it to be quite accurate. The reason why I chose to go this route is because of the different interpretations I came across as I looked at verse 11. See link below

The LORD’s Word To His Church In Philadelphia: A Sermon By Dr. John McArthur

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