DIGGING DEEP NO. 870 – FEBRUARY 16, 2021 CHRIST AND THE CHURCHES (PART 6) THE FAITHFUL CHURCH Rev.3: 7 – 13.

Philadelphia means “love of the brethren”. Brotherly love is an important mark of the Christian. We are taught by God the Father 1Thes.4: 9; God the Son Jh.13: 34; and God the Holy Spirit Rom.5: 5. But it is not enough to love God and our fellow believers; we must also love a lost world and seek to reach unbelievers with the good news of the cross. This church had a vision to reach a lost world; and God set before them an open door.

Philadelphia was situated in a strategic place on the main route of the Imperial Post from Rome to the East, and thus was called “the gateway to the East. It was also called “little Athens” because of the many temples in the city. The church was certainly located in a place of tremendous opportunity.

Jesus Christ presented Himself to the church at Philadelphia as “He who is holy”. This is tantamount to declaring that He is God, which of course, He is. Jesus Christ is holy in His character, His words, His actions, and His purposes and nothing can be compared to Him.

But He is also the One who is true; that is genuine. He is the original, not a copy; the authentic God and not a manufactured one. There were hundreds of false gods 1Cor.8: 5- 6, but only Jesus Christ could rightfully claim to be the true God. It is worth noting that when the martyrs in heaven addressed the Lord, they called Him “holy and true” Rev.6: 10. Their argument was that because He was holy, He had to judge sin, and because He was true, He had to vindicate His people who had been wickedly slain.

Not only is He holy and true, but He has the authority to open and close doors. In the New Testament, an “open door” speaks of opportunity for ministry Acts.14: 27, 1Cor.16: 9; 2Cor.2: 12; Col.4: 3. Christ is the Lord of the harvest and the Head of the church and it is He who determines where and when His people shall serve. He gave the church at Philadelphia a great opportunity for ministry.

There were at least two obstacles to overcome; (1) lack of strength Rev.3: 8. Apparently this was not a large or a strong church; however it was a faithful church. They were true to God’s Word and unafraid to bear His name. It is not the size or strength of a church that determines its ministry, but faith in the call and command of the Lord. If Jesus Christ gave them an open door, then He would to see to it that they were able to walk through it. (2) The second obstacle was the opposition of the Jews in the city Rev.3: 9. this was considered as the opposition of Satan, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood Ephe.6: 12.

The believers in Philadelphia were in a similar situation to that of Apostle Paul 1Cor.16: 9.

Unbelief sees the obstacles, but faith sees the opportunities and since the Lord holds the keys, He is in control of the outcome. What do we have to fear. Fear, unbelief and delay have caused the church to miss many God given opportunities.

Three wonderful encouragements to the church: (1) He would take care of their enemies Rev.3: 9 (Subdue and humble them) Is.60: 40; Phil.2: 10- 11. If we take care of God’s work, He will take care of our battles. (2) He would keep them from tribulation Rev.3: 10. This is obviously a reference to the tribulation that will encompass the earth before Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom. This is a promise that the church will not go through the tribulation, but will be taken to heaven before the tribulation 1Thes.4: 13 – 5: 1- 11. (3) The third promise to the Philadelphians is that God would honor them Rev.3: 12. God’s pillars are not made of stone, because there is no temple in the heavenly city Rev.21: 22. His pillars are faithful people who bear His name for His glory Gal.2: 9.

In Conclusion – In a very real sense, the church today is like the Philadelphian church, for God has set before us many open doors of opportunity. If He opens the doors, we must work; if He shuts the doors, we must wait. Above all, we must see the opportunities, not the obstacles.

If we miss our opportunities, we lose our rewards.