A King Who Will Vindicate His People: Letter to the Church at Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13)

Where do you find the motivation to endure anything for Christ’s sake?  In Revelation 3:7-13, Jesus encouraged the church at Philadelphia to endure because He would vindicate their faithfulness.  Likewise, believers should find motivation to endure in the truth that God will be faithful to vindicate His people.  Jesus will be faithful to those who are faithful to Him.  My prayer today is that God would use this passage to motivate us to patiently endure anything we may face for the sake of His kingdom.

[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.’  (Revelation 3:7-13 ESV) Why should we patiently endure anything for the sake of Christ’s kingdom?

I.     We Endure for Jesus’ Sake Because He is the One True God (7a)

Jesus first describes Himself as the “Holy One” and the “True One” (7a).  These descriptions are Old Testament titles for the God of Israel, particularly from the book of Isaiah.  Our Redeemer—the LORD of hosts is his name—is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 47:4 ESV)  This communicates that as the holy and true One, Jesus is God. 

Why is this a significant description for these believers?  A title like this would mean everything to believers who had been rejected by their community.  Since Jesus is the one true God, His approval is ultimately all that matters.  The One making these promises is the One to whom all their persecutors will one day answer to.  That is the same reason why we can endure the rejection and disapproval of others for Christ’s sake. 

II.   We Endure for Jesus’ Sake Because He has Ultimate Authority Over Entrance into God’s Kingdom (7b, 12)

Jesus also described Himself as the one “who has the key of David” (7b).  We’ve already seen in 1:18 that Jesus has the  “keys of Death and Hades.”  There we said that keys control access.  They give someone the authority to admit or exclude.  In this passage, these keys grant Him the ability to open doors that “no one will shut” and shut doors that “no one opens.”  Also, this particular reference is an allusion to Isaiah 22:22, where Shebna is replaced by Eliakim as the steward over David’s house.  There these “keys” also communicate authority. 

[15] Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: [16] What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? [17] Behold, the LORD will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you [18] and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master's house. [19] I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. [20] In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, [21] and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. [22] And 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.  (Isaiah 22:15-22 ESV)

So “the key of David” in Isaiah 22 is authority over David’s house.  Here it communicates Jesus’ authority over the Messianic, or Davidic, kingdom.  Actually, I think that Jesus’ having the “key of David” and the “keys of Death and Hades” are flip sides of the same truth: that Jesus has ultimate authority over entrance into God’s kingdom. 

Because Jesus has this ultimate authority over entrance into God’s kingdom, He can say to these believers that He has set before them “an open door, which no one is able to shut” (8a).  This could mean an open door could refer to a ministry opportunity.  Paul speaks of open doors in this way (1 Cor. 6:8-9, Col. 4:3-4).  The second and more probable meaning, however, is that this refers to entrance into God’s kingdom.  This would be particularly encouraging for these believers who had been excluded by local Jews and their pagan community.  Local Jews and the rest of their community may have shut the door on them, but Jesus’ door is wide open. 

There are some parts of the world today where being a disciple of Jesus means extreme exclusion from several circles that are dear to a person (family, friends, etc.).  Where we live, being excluded for our faith may not take such drastic forms, but true believers face it nonetheless.  As our culture in America is becomes more and more worldly by the day, you can count on the reality that you will be excluded at some point.  May these be encouraging words to you if you have ever found yourself excluded from familiar circles on account of following Jesus.  Your faith may make you an outsider and an outcast in this world, but as far as Jesus is concerned, you are an insider and one day the world will recognize it. 

III.We Endure for Jesus’ Sake Because He Knows the Plight of His People (8-9, 11)

Sometimes hearing Jesus say, “I know your works” can be good news!  This church was in such a situation.  Jesus says that He knows that they have “but little power” (8b).  This probably means that this church was small and not very influential, but Jesus reminds them that He also knows that they have “kept” (obeyed) His word and have “not denied” His name.  He reminds them that though they are small and barely hanging on to existence as a church, He knows that they have been faithful to Him.  He knows their plight, and He also knows their of their faithfulness and reminds them that He is pleased with them. 

There are many similarities between the church at Philadelphia and the church at Smyrna.  Neither church is rebuked for anything.  Both churches experienced persecution from local Jews.  Smyrna was a poor church that God called rich (2:9).  Philadelphia seems to be a weak church that God calls strong. 

How comforting is it to know that Jesus knows our plight?  When we have been faithful to Him and no one else seems to care, there doesn’t seem to be any reward for that faithfulness in sight, and it doesn’t seem to be making any difference whatsoever, we must remember that Jesus knows both our plight and our faithfulness.  Also, we must remember that Jesus is more concerned with our faithfulness than our apparent success. 

IV. We Endure for Jesus’ Sake Because He Will Vindicate the Suffering of His People (9-10, 12)

There are three promises given to these believers that assure them that God will vindicate their faithfulness in suffering.  They are first promised recognition of their identity by their enemies (9).  Like the church at Smyrna, the church a Philadelphia had been persecuted by “those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not.”  Remember that these were local Jews who called themselves the people of God and yet in persecuting the church were actually aligning themselves with Satan (see Romans 2:28-29).  Jesus says that He will make them “come and bow down” before them so that they will know that who Jesus really loves.  They will be made to acknowledge who the true people of God are.  This is an allusion to Isaiah 60:14: 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.  Ironically, this prophecy was about how Gentile nations would bow before the Israelites and worship the God of Israel.  Here it is being fulfilled in the Gentile church, which has become true Israel through their faith in Christ. 

They are also promised protection from the wrath to come (10).  He says that because they have “kept His word,” that He will “keep them from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth.”  The “hour of trial” refers to the coming time of tribulation when God will pour out His wrath upon “those who dwell on the earth” (a phrase designating rebellious humanity throughout Revelation).  There are two major interpretations of what it means to be kept “from the hour of trial.”  The first is that God’s people will be removed from the hour of trial to come.  Grammatically, that is a valid interpretation.  The second interpretation is not that God’s people will be removed from the hour of trial but that they will be protected through it from the wrath of God. 

The reason I believe it means protection and not removal is because that is how this promise seems to play itself out in the book of Revelation.  In Revelation, God doesn’t remove His people from the tribulation that is spoken of, but He does protect them through it.  One example is Revelation 9:4: They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.  Another reason I don’t think this means removal is because of the seven churches, this is the only one promised this.  If it means removal, why aren’t any of the other faithful believers going to be removed?  Why is Smyrna not going to be removed?  One more reason I take this to mean protection and not removal is because the other place in the New Testament where this Greek phrase appears, it means protection and not removal.  I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. (John 17:15 ESV) What seems to be happening in Revelation is that God’s people are shielded from the wrath that He pours out upon rebellious humanity, but do suffer at the hands of Satan’s kingdom as witnesses and in being martyred accomplish their greatest victory.

The third promise given to these believers is that of immovable citizenship in God’s future kingdom (12).  Jesus promises that those who conquer and finish the race will be made “pillars” with God’s, New Jerusalem’s, and Jesus’ new name written on them and that they will “never…go out of it.”  Interestingly enough, Philadelphia suffered a massive earthquake in A.D. 17 in which it is reported that only the pillars of buildings were left standing.  If that situation is plays any role in this promise, what an encouragement!  God will not allow them to be shaken!  The three names possibly communicate Whom they belong to, where their citizenship belongs, and Whom they are united with.  Ultimately, they communicate that Jesus’ faithful followers will be assured an immovable place in His kingdom.  Jesus wants His faithful church to know that they have a place in His kingdom that cannot be taken away.  They may have been barred from the Synagogue, but they have a place in God’s temple that cannot be taken away. 

What does God’s vindication of His people teach us?  One thing it teaches us is that God’s universe is ultimately fair in the end.  Every wrong committed against God’s people will be made right.  There will be a payday someday!  It also teaches us that anything we face for the sake of Christ’s kingdom is worth it!  Our persecutors will be dealt with and our faithfulness will be rewarded.  This is why we must heed the counsel given to these believers.  We must “hold fast” and finish the race so that “no on may seize our crown” (11).  Brothers and sisters, Jesus calls His followers to finish the race.  Christianity is a race that we must finish, because only those who finish get crowns.  It is a race in which the finish line makes every leg of the race worth it. What are you facing today?  Be encouraged that Jesus’ knows your plight and will see you through.  How do I know He will?  I know He will because of the words of Paul in Romans 8:32: He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 

A King Who Knows Everything About Us: Letter to the Church at Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6)

Our first adventure raising chickens involved a single “hen” given to us by a friend that my son (3 years old at the time) named, “Pork Chop.” We thought that was such a brilliant name that we’ve let him name every animal we’ve owned since!  As I said, it was supposed to be hen, but as it began to go through “chicken puberty,” something strange began to happen.  It started making these god-awful crowing noises.  Before long, it was breaking out in full on cock-a-doodle-doo’s!  Our “hen” turned out to be a rooster!  That story reminds me that things are not always what they appear to be.  This is also the story of many so-called “Christians” today: they are not what they appear to be.  They may call themselves “Christians” but they don’t cock-a-doodle-doo Jesus! 

The church a Sardis was such a group of people.  They had a reputation for being one thing but where in reality another.  In Revelation 3:1-6, Jesus, knowing what and who they really were, gave the church at Sardis a wake up call to repent or face judgment.  This is exactly what Churches and believers who think they are one thing but are in reality another need today: a wake up call!  My prayer today is that God would give us as a church and as individuals such a wake up call.  May we beg God reveal to us where we truly stand before Him and to help us repent of any sin and complacency in our lives. 

[3:1] “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. [2] Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. [3] Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. [4] Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. [5] The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. [6] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (Revelation 3:1-6 ESV) How is this passage a wake-up call to God’s people?  It reminds us that…

I.     Jesus Alone Knows Our True Reality (1)

Our perception of reality may or may not be reality.  The church at Sardis had the “reputation” or “name” of “being alive,” but was in reality was “dead.”  They thought they were one thing, but were in reality another.  This reminds us that churches and people can deceive themselves about who and what they really are.  In other words, our perception of our reality may not be reality.  Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “[9] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? [10] “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Jesus alone is the One who sees and knows a church’s and a person’s true reality.  This has been a major point in every letter to the churches, that Jesus “knows” them better than they know themselves.  The description of Christ here as Him who holds “the seven spirits of God and the seven stars” also serves to communicate this truth.   

The Pharisees were another group of people who thought they were one thing, but were in reality another.  In Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus would rebuke them as well, saying [27] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. [28] So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

I wonder how many people here today identify with that terrifying reality?  We have the reputation for being one thing, but are in fact another.  We think we are one thing, but are in fact another.  Before you exonerate yourself of such a description, remember that thinking this doesn’t apply to you was exactly Sardis’ problem!  They thought they weren’t dead!  Only Jesus knows the true reality of where we stand with Him.  May God give us courage to pray as David did in Psalm 139:23-24: [23] Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! [24] And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

II.            Our Complacency is Not a Joke to Jesus (3b)

Complacency is a cancer to the church.  By it I mean a lack of vigilance and passion for Christ and His mission.  For you to understand why I use the word “complacent,” I want to show you seven ways in which this passage describes the deadness of this church.  First, to be dead here means to be mostly dead.  “Dead” is a summary of this church’s spiritual state as a whole, but it does not mean that there is no life in this church, because the church is told to “strengthen what remains and is about to die” (2) and that there are “still a few names” who have not “soiled their garments” (4). 

Second, being dead is being deceived.  As we said earlier, they thought they were one thing but were another.  Thirdly, to be dead is to be asleep.  They are told twice to “wake up” (2,3).  One commentator states that they had “become lethargic about the radical demands of their faith.”  The imagery here is of a watchman who had fallen asleep on while on duty. Fourth, to be dead is to have insufficient works in both quantity and quality.  He says that their works were found to be incomplete in His sight (2).  They had been weighed, measured, and found wanting.  Fifth, to be dead is to have forgotten truths that are essential.  This is what is implied in their being charged to “remember” what they had received and heard (3).  The sixth thing that is means for this church to be “dead” is to have garments that are “soiled.”  That a few have not soiled their garments implies that the majority of the others have soiled their garments. This probably means they had so fully compromised with the pagan culture that they were considered “soiled” by it.  They reeked of worldliness.  And the final thing that is means for a church or a group of people to be “dead” from this passage is to have a lack of witness.  I say this because of the absence of any mention of persecution (in a town with a large Jewish and pagan influence) and the allusion to Matthew 10:32-33 in verse 5.  [32] So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, [33] but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33 ESV)  The clear implication of this allusion is that there are many who are not acknowledging Christ before men. 

So the church as Sardis is described as a nearly dead, deceived, sleepy, insufficient, ignorant, soiled, and silent bunch of people. That picture is not a laughing matter, and Jesus promises to judge them if they fail to wake up and repent.  He will come “like a thief” against them.  This means that He will judge this church suddenly and unexpectedly.  A thief doesn’t RSVP and tell you what hour he is coming! 

Jesus’ warning reminds me of His words in Luke 12:35-40: [35] “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, [36] and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. [37] Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. [38] If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! [39] But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. [40] You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Would Jesus condemn us for our lack of vigilance?  Have you become comfortable and complacent spiritually?  Complacency and Apathy is one of the biggest problems plaguing the church is America today.  We’ve been rocked to sleep by the cares of this world to the point where we are more passionate about the reality show that’s coming on Tuesday night than we are about our neighbor hearing the gospel.  We also face little persecution for our faith.  Could it be that it is because we look enough like the rest of the world that we don’t draw any concern?  May we wake up and remember that we have a King and mission more important than anything else in our lives.  May we also hear the seriousness of these consequences for not repenting of complacency. 

III.         Our Perseverance is the Only Reality that is Acceptable to Jesus (2-3a, 4-6)

This point is taken from the five imperatives (commands) given in verses 3-4 and the three promises given in verses 4-5.  The five commands given (I think the last three are how they are supposed to do the first two) are meant to call this church out of their spiritual slumber and deadness. They told to “wake up,” to “strengthen what remains,” to “remember” what they have received and heard, to “keep” (or obey) that, and to “repent.”  This is their wake-up call, and ours as well. 

This wake-up call would have a special significance for the church in this city.  Sardis was an impenetrable military stronghold with 1500-foot walls on three of its sides.  It had never been taken in conventional warfare.  As a matter of fact, “capturing Sardis” had become a slogan for accomplishing the impossible.  But as impenetrable as this city appeared to be, it had been sacked twice due to negligent watchmen (in 546 BC by Cyrus and in 214 BC by Antiochus III). 

The church is also given three promises to the conquerors, who have “not soiled their garments,” which call them persevere as well.   They will first be clothed and walk with Jesus in “white garments” (4-5a).  White garments are the attire of heaven in the book of Revelation.  They are a way of describing those who are justified and who have faithfully endured persecution.  Revelation 7:14 says that these garments are white because they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. 

The second promise is that the conquerors names will never be blotted out of the book of life.  Now in Revelation there are “the books” which seem to be a record of the deeds of everyone who has ever lived and then there is the “book of life” which seems to be a record of the people of God, or those who have eternal life (Revelation 13:8, 17:8, 20:11-15).  I don’t take this to mean that a name can be blotted out, but to actually be a positive guarantee of assurance for those who persevere that is stated negatively.   The point is not that a name can or cannot be blotted out, but that those who conquer will never be erased from the Lamb’s book of life.  It’s an allusion to Daniel 12:1-2 and is another promise of eternal life for the conqueror.  Finally those who persevere will have their names confessed before God the Father and His angels.  Again, this is an allusion to Jesus’ words in the gospels and implies that those who conquer have been faithful to confess Jesus before men. 

Perseverance is the only reality that is acceptable to Jesus.  This is a call to vigilance on the part of God’s people.  We must not drift into complacency and become negligent watchmen for our Lord.  Grant Osborne makes this statement in his commentary on this passage: “The heart of watchfulness…is to acknowledge the supremacy of Christ in everything.”[1]  I think that is an appropriate way to think about this call to spiritual vigilance. 

I hope that this has been a message that is both convicting and encouraging.  We should be convicted over the complacency in many of our lives, mine as well.  However, we should also be encouraged because as bleak as the situation was in Sardis, it was not beyond repair.  Neither is your situation!  James 4:8 reminds us in times like these that if we will draw near to God that God will draw near to us.  Understanding what Philippians 2:13 says, that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure,” I think A. W. Tozer’s prayer is an appropriate application of this message:

“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.  I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.  I am ashamed of my lack of desire.  O God, the Triune God, I want to want thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.  Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed.  Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.  Say to my soul, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”  Then give me grace to rise up and follow Thee from this misty lowland where I have wandered for so long.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.”[2]

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[1] Grant Osborne, Revelation, 182

[2] A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 20