Auto Transcribed
I’m going to invite you to today to revelation chapter three is where we’re at together. We’re we’re in the we’re going through the book of revelation, and we’re at the portion of chapter three where we’re talking about the seven churches, and we’re looking at the sixth church of the seven churches. And, you know, as we’ve come to this book, I hope you grow to appreciate the beauty of the Book of Revelation. I have found many people see this book as challenging. In my my studies of Scripture. I have found the Book of Revelation to be the most beautiful book in in all of the Bible. It is an incredible work of literature. It is not something that we’re accustomed to in apocalyptic style. That’s not a, you know, you run down to the well, we got a Barnes and Nobles now, right? Like, you go into the book, that local bookstore, and you, you want to pick up. Is it a it’s a Barnes and Nobles, isn’t it? I got that right. Okay. All right. Just making sure, because you guys are just sitting there and no one, no one wanted to affirm me. So? So, Barnes and Nobles, there’s not a typical. You show up and you’re like, where’s your apocalyptic section? You know, that’s not a that’s not a genre that you go hunting for often. And so because of that, we’re, we’re we’re often challenged by, by this literary style. But what you discover when you, when you look at this, this the richness of this type of literary genre is it really paints the beauty of, of who God is and the fulfillment of what he’s proclaimed throughout the Bible.
In fact, oftentimes people look at the book of Revelation and think, you know, this is all future stuff that that God’s going to do one day, which it is a future book. But but what’s important to see is that John’s really not saying a whole lot of new prophecy. What John is actually doing is he’s going back to the Old Testament, what the Old Testament prophets have declared, and he’s showing us how God has been faithful to fulfill what he has promised throughout Scripture. In fact, he’s culminating all of of of God’s story and won the redemptive story of God throughout history. And he’s coming to the book of revelation and showing us from Genesis to Revelation, how God has been faithful to fulfill what he has promised to us. And when you study this book, you’ll find that it brings out the richness of the Old Testament, and you start to understand God’s grander theme for all of Scripture. It makes you a great student of God’s Word. But in addition to that, and I would say, while you become a student of God’s Word, what’s what becomes important is how it applies to your life. As you you understand the richness of His Word, and this book inspires us to worship and hope it was written to.
As we’re looking at these seven churches, a church that’s going through tremendous adversity, but God is encouraging him through it all to remain faithful because they are victorious. They are conquerors because of Christ. And here we are today looking at the the sixth church, the Church of Philadelphia, which is loosely translated to the City of Brotherly Love. We often refer to Philadelphia here in America the same way. Right. The City of Brotherly Love, which can’t be true there because, you know, Eagles fans live in that city. But but the term, that’s what it means, right? The city of of brotherly love. And and when you look at the city of Philadelphia. It was it was known to be a prominent city in the ancient world. It had had a lot of influence in areas around it. In fact, it was commonly referred to as the gateway to the East. As you’ve looked at these seven churches, we know that these these churches all existed in what we refer to as modern day Turkey. And this the city of Philadelphia was considered the gateway to the East, which should say to us as God’s people, if if you want to influence the world, you need to get to places that that are influencing places around it. And and because Philadelphia, being the gateway to the East, if they could get the gospel rooted in Philadelphia, you just think of the impact it can make to to the places around Philadelphia as being that gateway.
And so this is what the Church of Philadelphia that we’re talking about now is they have this wonderful opportunity to see not only how the God’s Word could take root where they are and impact lives of people around them. But how God can then spur that forward into to other communities because of the faithfulness of God’s people in this city. And so the Lord is encouraging them there. But but here’s what’s interesting about this Church of Philadelphia is that this is not a typical church you would look at to to think, oh, they’re going to have a powerful impact because of some of the adversity that they’re going through. In fact, when you study the seven churches, you’ll find that out of the seven churches, there are only two churches that the Lord doesn’t rebuke or have some sort of condemnation because of the way that they’re walking away from him. And there’s two churches in the seven churches that the Lord just simply continues to encourage. And those churches are the Church of Smyrna and the Church of Philadelphia. Chapter two. The second church you read about was the Church of Smyrna. And and now in chapter three, the sixth church you’re going to read about is the Church of Philadelphia. And both of these churches. The Lord just never has a rebuke for them, but rather continues to encourage them. But but what’s interesting about both of these churches is both churches are by the outside.
You would look at and think, well, God’s not really. Maybe going to do a whole lot here. We should move on to a stronger church somewhere else. Because when you read about the Church of Smyrna in chapter two, the church of Smyrna is referred to as a poor church. And in fact, we went back when we talked about this church and looked at the first couple of centuries of the history of the church of Smyrna and to talk about the persecution that this particular church had endured in the early centuries. And so they were labeled as a as a church of poverty. And and now when we look at the Church of Philadelphia today, it’s going to be talked about as a church that’s weak. But in that weakness, what we’re going to discover is that God is going to do some incredible things, which is typically not the way you think about weakness, right? I mean, often in our own lives, when we’re struggling, when we’re weak, you know, we may come to terms with that. And like this, we may say things like, you know, Lord, I’m glad that I know you. I’m glad that you saved me. You redeemed me, that you pursued me, gave your life for me. That’s wonderful. And and I get the, the hope of of one day knowing I’m going to see you face to face.
And I get to enjoy relationship with you now, and that’s all great things. But but God, when it comes to your A team, I’m not on it. Right. I’m, I’m kind of the benchwarmer. And and because of that, Lord, I know that now that you’ve rescued me, you know, I see my role as this. I’m just going to sit back and cheer those on that that are just better at it. They got more talent, more gifts, maybe more resources. Maybe they’re just better looking, I don’t know, but whatever. What do you pick? You might just look at other people and think, you know, they’re just better than me. And because of that, God, I know that’s how you want to work or who you want to work through. So I’ll just sit back and cheer those people on and we’ll kind of resolve ourselves sometimes in Christianity that, you know, I just kind of came to this late in faith and I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, and God can’t really use that. There are other people who have been more faithful in following the Lord for a longer period of time. And, you know, that’s obviously where God wants to work. But that’s not what God’s saying at all in this passage. I mean, he’s talking to this particular church who has endured an incredible amount of, of of suffering. And and yet God’s using them and for us as God’s people, we should we should begin to find some hope in that, resonate with that.
And to think, man, if God can use this church, what what is it that that that God can do through us? Maybe and maybe as an individual in struggles you’re going through, or maybe corporately as a as a community, when you think about some adversity that we might face as people, what is it that that God can do with us? And hopefully, hopefully as as a fellowship in Christ, one of the Lord’s communities here, you know, that we walk with this awareness that we are we don’t claim to be the one true church. You know, we’ve not we’ve not, um, we don’t have the perfection cornered in our relationship with the Lord that we’re all on this journey together. There’s not a person in this room that has your theology 100% accurate. You know, before the Lord. And so so we’re all in this this process of learning and growing, of what it looks like to follow Jesus faithfully. And so because of that, we should know as God’s people that it’s it’s his grace, his strength that transforms, transforms me, transforms you. And because of that, God can do the same thing in other people’s lives. If if we would just surrender ourselves to him and discover the richness of who Christ is. But even even when we know that as God’s people, there comes times in our lives where we get discouraged, you know, things aren’t always easy.
It certainly wasn’t easy for the Church of Philadelphia. In fact, history says of the Church of Philadelphia, they they endured as a community in the Lord for over 14 centuries. They even endured during the the time of Islam’s campaign that overran the area where they were with by sword. And yet the church remained faithful. And this church, as you look at these seven churches in revelation, we know that none of those churches exist today. So there’s there’s times and seasons for God’s collective community and where they are. But, you know, our desire is to want to see a healthy church in, in every community, to have the opportunity to to know the Lord and to grow in him. But in the midst of that, we can get discouraged and we can ask the question like God, how can you possibly use me here? Or Lord, is this even making a difference? And we might feel the temptation to want to. We want to throw up our arms and give in because we just feel so weak. So what do we do? And I can’t think of a better church to look at this morning when we feel that way, than the Church of Philadelphia. How do we win when? When we feel weak and out of panic, we might look to anything in desperation to sort of salvage where we are. And, you know, one of the things that’s been interesting for the American church recently is I’ve read a few authors on this that have talked about there has been something that’s happened in American history recently that’s kind of pulled back the curtain on the health of God’s local communities.
And how are we doing as God’s church and and those particular authors I was reading about were specifically talking about Covid and how Covid revealed where the heart of God’s local communities were. And, you know, I’m not going to get into the politics of what you think about Covid. That’s not going to be helpful. But but what I do want to say is when when Covid first started coming around the world and, and eventually got to to the United States in that particular moment, no one really certain about what the future might hold. Churches had to make a decision of what are you going to do in your local fellowships of worship? Because if this thing spreads and we’re all in close proximity, you know, you think of the impact it could have on God’s people. And when we went through Covid, you know, some churches, some churches, attendance declined. And coming out of that, some of those churches that declined never recovered to the the place of attendance that they were before Covid began. And in fact, some of them even closed their doors. And, you know, one of the individuals I was reading about, he was saying, you know, it’s interesting, um, you know, what leads God’s people to gather, what drives what we do? He said, you know, as people, there’s there’s a few things that could lead us into why we do what we do.
He said in local congregations gathered it could be about a personality, meaning churches just want to follow an individual, sort of like a celebrity. Or it could be about, um, people relationships that they have within that community. They just enjoy those relationships. So that’s what motivates them in what they’re doing. Or he said, you know, it could be the property, something about the facility that, you know, when people come there, they like something that’s offered there in the facility. Or it could be about the programs. They really like a particular program that the that gathering might have. And so they want to be a part of the program. But he said, you know, it’s interesting, though, that when you get to a certain amount of adversity, that that adversity could weigh more on them than simply the the luxury of what that community could offer. And in so doing, they give in to the adversity rather than, than than the people or the personality or the programs, and they stop coming. And he said, but there’s one thing that should motivate us, regardless of the circumstance. And he said, if God’s people would cling to that and make that their ultimate drive, that no matter what happens, they remain focused on what God has called them to.
And he said that one thing is, is purpose. In fact, in adversity. Purpose motivates us with a greater strength to move forward. Because when you’re thinking about life and death situation and you realize the hope that you have in Jesus, it should place this urgency within your life to say, man, I better tell people about the Lord because this is the freedom of eternity that we have here. And so it’s the purpose that should motivate us and in what we’re doing as God’s people. So let me let me give you a point. Number one in your notes. How do we winning while we’re weak? Number one is this that we would know the one true God, that we would know the one true God? I mean, this is saying to you, let your life be shaped in a deeper conviction that compels you through all circumstance that you’re going through, no matter if it’s easy or it’s difficult. What is your life rooted in? And so he’s writing to the the church of Smyrna, and he begins with this, his own identity to the church. In fact, I’ve told you this with each of the letters that every one of the letters that God writes to these churches, he always begins with his own identity because his identity determines who they are and the hope that they have moving forward. And it’s when we’re we find complexity in our lives that we need to solidify our lives, anchor ourselves into something that is secure.
Something I know that will endure, outlast the circumstances of the situation that I find myself and God is saying, if you want to know what that is, the answer is it’s me. It’s not this philosophical idea. It’s rooted in a person, historically, who lived for you and me, that we could be redeemed and finding hope in him. And so he starts this, this, this section of Scripture by describing his own identity. And I’ve told you, as we’ve looked at God declaring for us who he is, he quotes from chapter one meaning for each of these churches, each of these seven letters written to these churches, God goes back to the identity he’s already declared to us in chapter one of the Book of Revelation. And then he takes it and shares it with each of these churches based on what they’re going through. And when you read each of these letters, God’s not saying, let me just arbitrarily pick a thought of me for you. You know, I think you should just know this because rather, what God is doing is saying, let me help you understand who I am based on the circumstance in which you find yourself, because it’s the anchor of my presence in your life that will carry you through the situation that you’re going through, whether it’s good, whether it’s difficult when you discover the greatness of who God is, it’s that greatness that sustains us as his people.
So the answer for us in moving forward when we feel weak is is not looking deeper within me, but rather in the greatness of who he is. And so revelation chapter three, verse seven, 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 will open. He’s saying this, um, when you think about all the complexity of life, the discouragement and even even distracting things that are pleasurable, that can pull you away, you know, all the things of life can be screaming at you constantly and sometimes can get overwhelming, where you feel like you’ve got to try to do everything in order to move forward, and the weight of that can become crushing. And so in this passage, he’s saying, let me let me funnel this down and focus this for you on one thing that’s going to sustain you in all things. And he says, the Holy One, the one who is true, the Holy One is talking about the one who is separate, right? The one who is apart from all of the false beliefs and teachings and things screaming at you in life that should, should matter and try to have equal weight. He’s saying no, no, no, in all of that, there’s this, this one thing that should take precedence above all things that is sacred and separate.
And it’s who he is because this determines who you are. So the Holy One, the one that is, that is true. And for us as as God’s people, or even if you don’t think that you might belong to Christ. And what should be the pursuit of our life is to be willing to follow truth regardless of the consequence, and not be afraid of this. To ask questions, to discover what is the ultimate basis for hope? What is, what is, what is enduring beyond circumstance? And so he’s saying it’s me, right? Holy and true. And then he goes on and shows the the kind of authority he has by referring to the keys of David. Now, the keys of David is important for a few reasons, practically and theologically. Theologically, it’s because it’s rooted in the Old Testament, and it’s showing you that Jesus is the fulfillment of the house of David, the rulership of David, having the keys of David. And this comes from a couple of passages, really multiple passages, but I’ll highlight two. One is in second Samuel chapter seven, verse 12 to 14. The other is in Isaiah chapter 22, verse 22. In Second Samuel chapter seven, this is the promise given to King David that through his lineage will come one who will sit on his throne and rule forever. Now, in saying that we should know as people it’s not referring to an ordinary human being because all of us have an expiration date rather.
But what is declaring to us is the one who would have that kind of authority to rule on David’s throne forever would be God himself, and the Messiah would be God in the flesh. And so Jesus is of the house of David, ruling on David’s throne of his lineage. But not only that, Isaiah chapter two verse 22 talks about the keys of David’s kingdom. Now, this might be a little shocking for us today in thinking about the first century, but it was not uncommon in the first century to lack a door on your home, and especially a lock on that door. In fact, some homes, the way that they were built, they were attached to one another. And if you wanted to visit someone, you would often have to walk through the breezeway of someone else’s home in order to get to the person that you want to visit. I mean, could you imagine that today you visit your neighbor and they’re walking through your house to get to your neighbor? But but when it came to the kingdom, the king had the authority over the kingdom, and the kingdom certainly had doors that locked. And what it’s saying about God is he has the authority to open and lock the doors. And for God’s people, he he’s opening that for us to be able to to live for his glory in this world.
So, so for us, it comes to this place of of knowing the richness of who Christ is, that foundation, you know, oftentimes I remember in the early 2000, I would take a college students to do ministry work in inner city Baltimore. And for some reason, there was this campaign in our country that that people would just put out these bumper stickers and signs that just said believe it was everywhere. Believe, believe, you know, driving through Baltimore, believe. And every time I would see one, I would just ask myself in what, In what? And why? Right. Like believe and believe. Sounds silly. Why would you believe in believe? And how does that even declare? What you’re believing in is worth trusting in because your your faith or belief is only as effective as what you’re believing in. And if what you believe in isn’t true, it’s never going to hold you. And so this is why it becomes important for us to understand when it comes to Christianity. This is not just this philosophical idea of hope, to hope. This is to understand that our faith is rooted in the historical reality of who Jesus is. And if who he claims to be is not true, then Christianity should not be followed. But if who he is is true, then then it eliminates for us any other possibility of what we should cling to by faith. Um, when it comes to your faith and mine, we don’t simply have greater faith because we focus on having a greater faith.
We we grow in our faith by becoming more confident in who Jesus is. And in that confidence, the depth of our faith grows. It’s not about believing and belief. It’s about taking whatever belief that you have and seeing the greatness of who Jesus is and in seeing his greatness. Your faith deepens with confidence in Christ. So when it comes to adversity in life, winning while we’re weak, knowing the one true God becomes paramount, shaping our conviction on that firm foundation as we move to point number two, which is then rest in his authority. Rest in his authority. Verse eight, he says, I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door which no one is about to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word, and have not denied my name. Um, when it comes to the keys to to David’s kingdom, God here is talking about an open door. And let me just say, um, open door is a common vernacular in the New Testament. But in that common vernacular, I think it’s important that if we were to use that phrase, that we root it in the way it’s used in Scripture, because what I often find in Christian community is that not here, by the way. Okay. You guys, you guys are great. All right. But but other places where people claim to be Christians, people, Christians will sometimes rip terminology of vernacular that’s used in Scripture and sort of redefine what it means.
And what I mean by that is sometimes I’ll hear Christians say, you know, I made this decision because there was an open door. And and what they mean is I move forward in this because it was easy. It seemed like God made an easy path, and therefore it must be, you know, God’s will for my life to follow this, because it was an easy path. And I would just say to that maybe, right, like maybe God wants you to do that. I mean, you don’t need to make your life complicated for the sake of being complicated. That’s not a good idea. But. But maybe God made it easy. And maybe God wanted you to do that. But I don’t think because we call it, quote, an open door, that that necessarily means that’s God’s will for your life. I think there’s better ways of determining what God’s will is for your life. Like, for example, in first Thessalonians chapter five, it says, This is God’s will for your life, your sanctification. And so what it’s saying is, what God’s mostly interested in your life is not the accolades, the accomplishments of of things that you do, though, though those things can be wonderful if you do them for God’s glory in this world, right? But rather what he’s most interested in is what’s happening in your heart and how you live your life surrendered to him for his glory, and how you leverage the things that God has given you along the way to honor him in what you do.
And you’re not going to get to heaven. And God’s God’s going to say, show me why I should let you in. Tell me your job title. Right. Like, did you have a a lot of money and live in a fancy house and have a great title? Okay. That’s enough. We’ll let you in then. That’s not what God’s interested in. Is the surrendering of your heart to the to the goodness of who he is and how that’s made known in your life. Right? Is your heart given over to Jesus? Has Jesus has given his life for you? Have you given your life to him? And in so doing, are you walking faithfully in that? That’s God’s interest not not to say I’m looking for an open door, which is the easy path, right? That’s honestly, oftentimes in Proverbs, they refer to that as the fool’s path. Fool’s take temporary pleasure for the sacrifice of the long term gain. It’s the wise who endure temporal struggles for the benefit of what’s to come. And so just because something’s easy doesn’t mean that it’s God’s will for your life. In fact, things can be hard and still be God’s will for your life. When you look at the way Open Door is used in Scripture, you actually find that and you have a few verses in your Bible related to it.
First Corinthians chapter 16. Look at this or in your notes. I wrote these verses in your notes more than these two on the term open door. But look what Paul says. I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, which is a Jewish holiday. He wants to go celebrate for a wide door for effective work has has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. Look what Paul is saying. I’m looking for an open door where God’s work is is is moving. And I’ve found the open door. But he’s also saying he’s seeing the open door, even though there’s obstacles around him, there’s adversaries. So Paul’s acknowledging an open door doesn’t doesn’t mean an easy path. In fact, it could be a difficult path to walk. But what he’s what he’s saying an open door is, is the work of the gospel going forth. Paul is saying here, while he’s he’s doing work in Ephesus, there’s there’s adversity that he’s going through. But despite the adversity, God’s Word is producing life and people around him. And so therefore he wants to be a part of what God’s doing. And so he’s sticking around despite the struggle to see God’s Word go forth in the hearts of people? In fact, in Colossians four, look at this. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.
And so what Paul is saying here is the open door is not an easy path for you to do what you want. The open door is the way the gospel is making an impact on the hearts of people. And Paul, as he went around doing ministry, he would do ministry not knowing, you know, necessarily how God was going to work or where God was going to work. But he was always looking for the open door where someone was hungry to know Jesus. And so he would share the gospel. The open door is the gospel going forth. And so God is saying, look, he’s blown this door open for God’s people to do his work in this world as he sustains us in his power and presence. And so Paul is looking for these opportunities. And the same is true for you and for me. Just because you’ve met adversity doesn’t mean God doesn’t want to work. We should, as God’s people, wake up every day and look for where the waves of God want to make an impact in this world and join him in that process. And until we see it, we continue to be the salt and light of the earth looking for opportunity. And when we see that opportunity, we grab Ahold of it and we encourage people in Jesus.
In fact, he goes on further and says this I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. We have sometimes a tendency when we read a verse like this and think, oh, you know, poor little church, a little power, a little guys, come on. Like, yes, like you can do it. We just read about this little power and think, oh, you know, this church. That’s nice that they love Jesus. But again, let’s go find the church that’s more capable, more talent. But but I want you to know the Lord is not talking about their little power. As if this is a condemning statement. In fact, the Lord is using this to help them to see. And really, this is the beginning of where God’s power is made known. And if you live your Christian life like I’m here to impress you with how great God is by you looking at how great I am, you’re never going to have the impact that God desires to have in this world. In fact, you’re just going to fabricate the movement of the Holy Spirit, but not truly have the rich depth of what the Holy Spirit desires to do. He’s not saying your weakness is a problem, but what he’s saying is your weakness becomes the very catalyst for which which God is going to utilize to point to the greatness of who he is. And we have this tendency sometimes of thinking, I’m not, you know, God can pick someone better than me.
And so because God can do that, um, let’s just let’s just let the Lord use them and I’ll just sit back and watch how God does things through these people. But but the truth be told, I mean, Paul said it in Second Corinthians chapter 12, verse nine, his power is made known in weakness. Therefore I would rather boast in my weakness. The power of Christ being made known. And God. God doesn’t want to work through you because of you. In fact, if it’s because of you, it means you get the glory. But it’s the weak things of the world God uses to confound the wise. And so he’s saying this about the church not because God can’t use them, but because this is the very platform where God begins to use. It’s not until you’re at the end of yourself that you really discover the power of who Christ is. And so this is what he’s saying in this passage. You have little power. But but here’s here’s where the real power is made known. You have kept my word and you have not denied my name. The richness of Jesus is being made known in you. This is how a church sees the power of God’s transforming work, not only in their hearts, but in the hearts of people around them. And so this is this is saying to God’s people, look, you’re finally resting in the place that you should be in, which is in the authority of Christ, who he is, not who you are.
And therefore, because of that, the church is able to see the impact if we do ministry. And we may go in this world and, and do great things in our own power, and we’ll, you know, we’ll pour ourselves out for the benefit of someone else. But but our tendency, if we’re not really rooted in Christ, is then we’ll look to that person to affirm me, to fill me back up, to make me feel important, wanted, special, and like I matter. But but do you know, Paul said to the church over and over again, do you know where we’re intended to find all that isn’t the greatness of who he is? In fact, in Ephesians chapter three, one of the most powerful prayers that Paul writes for us in Scripture, he says, for this reason I bow my knees before the father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and the height and the depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled in all the fullness of God.
It’s saying not just not just knowing intellectually who Christ is. You know, the one true holy keys of David, but to find yourself resting in the power of his presence in your life, knowing it’s not you that make things that accomplish things by God’s Spirit, but rather God’s Spirit working through you. So sometimes we have this tendency in Christianity where we we have these expectations of how we want God to move, and he’s not quite moving the way we want or he’s not. He’s not moving with the speed in which we expect. And so we do things like, well, well, God, hold on just a second. Let me just take that and just let me just work on this just a minute and I’ll get it back to you in just a second. And then we, we get things to where we want by our own strength. We kind of hand it back to God and it’s like, okay, God, you’ve done great. But but I’ve kind of fixed what you’ve you’ve not done as, as good as could be done and therefore hand it back to the Lord. And in so doing those kind of things, it’s all this fabrication of my own strength rather than resting in his. But what Paul is saying is, I’m more than anything, what God’s people need is to be filled with the glory of who he is, the depth of his love, the power of his presence made known in your life.
This, the richness of who the Lord is, is what gives us the the confidence to to move forward in this. And and so let me give you a point, number three. Then in so doing we we know when we know the, the one true God and when we rest in his authority. Number three then, is to trust in his process. To trust in his process. And I think this this could be one of the most difficult things to do. And we need to ask the question, what does it look like to to trust in God’s process, even though doubts can swirl even though there could be discouragement. That’s a temptation. Even though I might panic with anxiety over a situation. What? What does it look like to trust in God’s process? I often like to use the example of a pebble in a shoe. When I encourage God’s people as their salt and light in this earth, I just say, look, just be a. Just be a pebble in a shoe. And maybe I got to come up with a better example because that is that’s a little irritating. I don’t want you to irritate people, but. But I want to. What I want us to recognize is you’re not the Holy Spirit. And but at the same time, God’s word doesn’t return void. And it’s, I think, God’s calling on our life in a beautiful privilege to represent Jesus wherever we go.
But sometimes as Christians, we get filled with such anxiety like it’s our goal to save people. Like it’s our goal to to to make the change and transformation in their life that we just sort of like. This is a bad example, but we kind of like verbal diarrhea everywhere. And like you. Sometimes we say so much that because we we don’t really trust in what God can do through the power of his own word. And it gets overwhelming for people. And so when it when it comes to making a difference in this world, you certainly want to live in a Christ loving way and you want to share the truth of God, but you don’t want to overwhelm people. And I think what’s important for us is just to leave a pebble in a shoe that when people walk away, they have something to think about. I mean, you know how it goes. Walk in a pebble in a shoe. You start that internal battle and you realize something’s in your shoe. You start to think, well, how much further do I have to walk? And sometimes you might trick yourself into thinking I can get there. And then you just take a few more steps. You’re like, nope, nope. Got to deal with this now, right? And you take that pebble out and it’s the same thing with the truth of God’s Word.
You’re helping people encounter it. So they’ve got to figure out what to do with it. And when they see you, the way God’s impacted your life and the truth of what God’s Word says, what what are they going to do about it? And we, we, we trust in in his process. And I want you to see when it comes to this church, they, they recognize, um, the adversity in verse nine it says, behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie. And he’s saying, look, as you’re following the Lord in this world, just recognize there will be challenges, but it doesn’t mean God can’t move. And it doesn’t stop God to the impossibility of of transforming lives still. I mean, it’s his power being made known, right? So, so so acknowledging the the adversity. But then I want you to see at the very beginning of verse ten, this, this important phrase that he, he, he uses here. He says for the church, because you have kept my word about patient endurance. Patient endurance. This is the part where we trust in the process. Patient endurance. This is how you really know when someone’s really leaning into the Lord. Because when you ask most people what are some characteristics that are, you know, that you have that make you who you are. Never at the top of anyone’s list is I’m a really patient person, right? That is not a that is not a thing that people go to first.
That’s that is that is only something that happens when you’re really surrendered to to what God desires to do rather than you force it. I know the one whom I believed, and I know that he is able, and therefore I just want to see how God’s going to work this out. It doesn’t mean that that you’re passive, and it’s certainly not an encouragement to be overbearing, but it’s saying, just be faithful to what God has called you to and let God take care of the results because you’re not the Holy Spirit. And so this word patient endurance is saying, when you know who he is and you’re leaning into his authority, this is how you walk you just you patiently endure with seeing what God desires to do in this world. And when you look at this, this church patiently enduring, I want you to see that, he says. And at the end of verse nine, verse verse ten. He goes on in verse 11 and 12. He gives these I will statements. So based on here’s this church resting in him, patient endurance. This is our calling from the Lord to understand who we are in light of who he is and live that out. Right. That that all that is fulfilled and what’s to come is not resting on you, but on him. And so he says, verse nine, verse ten, verse 11, verse 12, I will, I will, I will over and over again.
And so at the end of end of verse nine, look at this. He says, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and then will learn that I have, and they will learn that I have loved you. And sometimes when we’re living for the Lord, we get to that place where we’re like, man, is this even having an impact? God. Do I just need to give up? Like, certainly, regardless of of results, you should be faithful to the Lord, because the goal of every Christian is to glorify God regardless of what people do or don’t do. But sometimes we get discouraged and think God does this, even making a difference. And this verse is saying to you, look, you’re having an impact in ways that you don’t yet realize. And God’s going to bring these particular individuals in Philadelphia to a place where they’re going to acknowledge who God is. And then he goes on in verse ten. I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming and the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. Now I’m running short on time. So let me just say this quickly, um, we’re going to study this, this verse, when we get more into revelation chapter six. There’s a little divide in, in Christianity over what this, this verse specifically means.
Some think that this verse is talking about when when the Great Tribulation or the wrath of God is poured out, that Jesus doesn’t beat on his bride. So he’s going to he’s going to remove us from from that time period. And there’s others that say, well, this is just particular to this church, and God’s going to help them through adversity by sustaining them through it. And they’re not going to necessarily be involved in that direct adversity. And I would say there’s reasons for both. I don’t have time to get into. But but we’re going to we’re going to look how this unfolds. But I want you to see this at the very minimum, what God’s saying here is that he will walk with you through what you go through, and he will either sustain you in it or take you from it. Either way, God’s going to be with you and you’re going to be able to endure. And it’s the beauty of who God is, like God. God is not a God bound by time. He knows where you’re at. He knows what you need right now, and he also knows your future. And God’s going to sustain you through it because of who he is and who he is. Is is a God who is very compassionate and graciously concerned with with your life. And then he goes on in verse 11 and 12, I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no 1st May seize your crown.
The one who conquers I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go. 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 name the New Jerusalem, which comes down from God out of heaven and my own name. Let me let me just tell you real quick what this is saying. In in Philadelphia, there was an earthquake that rocked the community to the point that many of the people that endured the earthquake and the tremors after didn’t want to move back into the city. Whether they lived in the countryside. And so I think the idea of this temple is reminding them that the things of this earth does pass away. But not only that, the Jewish community was adverse to the church, and this Jewish community was focused on the temple. Right. But but what he’s saying is God’s doing an even greater work for his people. And facilities, buildings have a place. It’s great to have a place to gather, but what’s more important is what God’s doing in your heart. And the Bible tells us that we in Christ become the temple of God. And so he’s saying, as you’re being built up in the Lord, you belong to him forever. It’s a temple that will never be taken away because you’re never removed from the Lord.
In fact, he’s put his name on you, and he’s put the city in which you belong, the kingdom of God on you. And what that means is very crudely. I can give this example if you work in a. If you work in a larger facility that has a break room and you like to put your lunch in the refrigerator, one thing you want to make sure you do is you write your name on your lunch, right? Because it’s going to become victim to someone else unless it’s claimed. And this is what Jesus is saying. He’s claimed you like a little lost dog. He’s claimed you and some of you. You’ve got dogs that like to run. The one thing you want to do for your little dog is put a nice little collar that distinguishes who it belongs to and the address in which it came from. Unless you don’t like your dog. Right. But but what the Lord is saying in this passage is, is he likes you. And so much so that he’s put not only his name on you, but the address in which you belong. You’re his, so that you can walk forward in the confidence as you know him, resting in his authority and what he desires to to accomplish as you patiently endure through the work of the Lord. And as I think about examples related to this, I’ll close with with these couple of thoughts. These are weird examples to kind of put together in one.
But there was an individual named Mitch Albom, who has written several books. He’s a well-known sportswriter, but but one particular day, he got a phone call from a friend that told him his favorite professor in college was about to die from Lou Gehrig’s disease. And Mitch decided to. Hey, Isaac, will you raise those lights back up? Thank you. Mitch decided to. We’re going to make this exam. Really? Just put the spotlight here. So, um, Mitch, Mitch decided to go visit his college professor, and he spent Tuesday mornings with with his college professor, just gleaning from his wisdom. He always respected him. And. But one particular morning, Mitch said to his professor, you read the newspapers every morning. Why in the world are you so concerned with with the news? The you’re not even going to be here to see the results of all this. Why do you want to? Why do you want to read the news? And his his professor responded this way. He said, it’s hard to explain, Mitch. Now that I’m suffering, I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before. The other night on TV, I saw people in Bosnia running across the street getting fired on. I just started crying. I feel their anguish as if it were my own. I don’t know any of these people, but how can I put this? I’m almost drawn to them, you know. He felt weak.
But in that weakness, he felt more connected than ever before. I think as you do ministry for the Lord in this world, the idea of weakness is not something to be underestimated and how God can use it, but rather it’s through our weakness that the greatness of God is made known. And when we’ve walked difficult paths in life, that becomes the very foundation that Jesus can use to not only help us minister to others, but to point to the richness of who he is. So much so that this lady in this picture, she’s she’s Gladys Aylward, she was a she was a missionary in China. She was born in the early 1900s and died in 1970, and she chose to be a single lady. In fact, there was a young man who proposed to her at one point, and she turned him down and said, the work that God has for me is too important. I don’t want to be directed to anything else. I want to do the ministry God gave me. And during World War Two, she was a missionary in China when the Japanese invaded China, and she took 100 orphaned children that she watched over. And she helped them to go over the mountains of China in order to get to a place of safety. They said, how do these 100 children, they were between the ages of four and 15. And while on this journey, she endured a beating from Japanese soldiers.
They said by the time she arrived to this place of safety for the children, she was malnourished, had pneumonia, internal bleeding, barely clinging to life. But all these children spared. In her weakness. She related to their weakness. And through that weakness, the greatness of God made known in her life. And she never thought she was an impressive person. In fact, she said it like this in the 1900s. She said. I wasn’t God’s first choice for what I’ve done in China. I don’t know who it was. It must have been a man, a well-educated man. I don’t know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn’t willing. And God looked down and saw Gladys Aylward. And God said, well, she’s willing. And then she went on and said, this. These are my people, and God has given them to me, and I will live or die with him for him and his glory. And I just tell you, this is a lady of incredible faith to do what she did. And when you think about where God has you owning that place and the people around you for his glory is what God desires. Not because you’re great, but because he is. And in our weakness, we find the strength of who Christ is and his glory made known in our life.