THE FAITHFUL CHURCH

Revelation 3:7-13.

Today we’re going to be looking at the sixth message in our series on the churches of Revelation. We’re going to be looking at “The Church of Philadelphia.”

Well we’re off to a good start today. Last week God didn’t have anything good to say and this week it seems as if He has nothing bad to say. So what was it that made this church so special?

It wasn’t a strong church. In a lot of ways it was weak but these people were loyal. They were faithful and God commends them for their faithfulness. Even when they were faced with difficulties they didn’t give up. We can learn a lot from these people.

What God seems to be most impressed with is their endurance. We live in an instant society. We’re not a very enduring people. We want everything in an instant, everything has to be done right away. All the ads we see on TV and in magazines boast of getting things done in a hurry. And with our modern technology we don’t have to wait. We have everything from fast food to fast money.

We don’t have to wait weeks anymore to receive answers to our mail, just check your e-mail. We even do our banking and pay our bills on line.

We even shop on line. If we can’t find it at the store we go online. And because of this we’ve become very impatient. We’re not prepared to wait, we’re not willing to endure, to persevere, we want what we want and we want it now. And when things begin to break down and fall apart as they so often do, we don’t know what to do, we can’t handle it. We get frustrated!

We need to learn how to endure. We need to be patient and persevere! Our instant society has taught us that there’s no need to wait, we can have things the way we want them and when we want.

But the Bible doesn’t tell us that. The Bible tells us to wait on the Lord to be patient and endure. And the way we do this is not through our own human strength but through God’s Holy Spirit in our life.

These people had that kind of patience and endurance. They didn’t rely on themselves. They were small, and they knew their limitations, they relied on God for the strength they didn’t have. Verse 8 tells us about this; “You have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

Their faithfulness reminds me of the “Parable of the Sower” in Matthew 13. Some of you may be familiar with the story about the farmer who went out to sow his seeds. The seeds in the story represent God’s word. As the seeds were scattered they fell in different places.

Some of the seeds fell on the path. These seeds were unable to take root because the ground on the pathway was too hard and most of the seeds were trampled as people walked by before they could begin to grow. These seeds represent those who wouldn’t listen to God.

Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground. These seeds began to grow at first but when difficulties came the seeds died. These seeds represent some people who hear the word accept it, but because of they don’t practice the Spiritual disciplines, Prayer, Reading God’s Word and Witnessing they begin to fall away times get hard. They aren’t grounded in their faith.

Some seeds fell on thorny ground. These seeds represent the people who hear God’s word but aren’t fully committed to Jesus. Other things take first place and they eventually drift away. It could be anything that takes first place. It could be Sports, Music, and a job, Hobbies, Friends or even Church. Anything that is more important than Jesus is a stumbling block.

Then some of the seeds fell on good ground. These seeds represent a those who have heard the word of God and allowed it to take over his or her life. They have a strong witness; people get saved through their ministry. This is where the Church of Philadelphia fits in.

So what can we learn from this?

These people were relying on God. Make no mistake about it; we have a powerful God, who as Verse 8 tells us to  “opens the door that no one can shut.” These people had built their lives around this principle. When we rely on God great things happen. Doors will be opened. New areas of ministry will be revealed to us.

Lives will be changed our Church will grow. Miracles will take place. This is where we need to be in our Spiritual walk with God. Just try to imagine what this church here could do if we relied fully on God.

These people knew they were weak but they trusted and loved God. And they loved Jesus. How do I know that? Well Revelation 3:8 tells us that they kept God’s word and we read in John 14:21 Jesus saying “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

They showed they loved Jesus because they didn’t deny his name. It wasn’t easy but they remained true.

Some people may think it’s easy to be a Christian but it isn’t. Jesus never promised us a bed of roses. And even if he did roses have thorns.

God praises these people for two things:

(1)They were faithful to His word.

(2) They didn’t deny Him.

It’s easy to praise God in Church, with other Christians around you. But it’s not so easy to stand alone. When you’re the only one at your place of work or in your school class who’s a Christian it’s difficult. These people were praising God wherever they went. They loved Jesus and I’m sure they spent a lot of time in prayer because when we love Jesus we want to spend time with him.

Look at the example of Jesus. He loved his Father and we see in Luke 6:12 “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”

This shows me how much Jesus loved God his Father. When we love someone we want to spend as much time as possible with that person. So if we say we love God how come we don’t spend more time in prayer? Perhaps it’s because we haven’t learnt to endure yet?

God wants us to spend time with him. And it’s when we realize just how little power and strength we do have on our own that we turn to him.

We need to persevere. When we feel like quitting we need to keep going in spite of our feelings.

There’s not a person here who hasn’t had set backs in life. Times where things have gone wrong you’ve felt like giving up! We’ve all been there. Maybe some of you are there right now. I don’t know!

The Church of Philadelphia’s love for Jesus brought that perseverance, and endurance. They showed their love by keeping his command to endure patiently. Verse 10 tells us that. God needs people who are prepared to take him at his word.

And he says in Verse 12 “To him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it.”

In other words, God will build his Church on men and women who have perseverance.

James 1:2-8 tells us that whenever we face trials our faith is being tested and this develops perseverance. And perseverance brings spiritual maturity. Spiritual Maturity will bring growth to this church.

These people may not have done great and spectacular things for God. Not like the Ephesians had done in Revelation 2:1-8. This church didn’t have a lot of power but they had a strong love for Jesus. What do you think is most important?

In Revelation 2:4 when God speaks to the Church of Ephesus we see how seriously he takes the loss of love.

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp from its place.’

Those were harsh words for those people.

You see God is more interested in our love and obedience to Jesus Christ than our works. The Church of Philadelphia had that kind of love. Do we?

Do we have that kind of Love? When we come to Church on Sunday morning is it because we love God and want to worship him or is it just because we’ve always done it? When we sing our songs is it for God’s glory so that we can lead people to Christ or is it for our own glory and gratification?

Perhaps it would be good for us to keep in mind Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:1

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

People are only going to be saved when they see changed lives. People are only going to be saved when they see and feel love.

Friedrich Nietzsche an atheist philosopher once said these words; “when the redeemed start looking more redeemed, I’ll start believing in their Redeemer.”

Now that’s a challenge for all of us isn’t is? What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?