God's Open Door for Ministry and Salvation

Dear Church, #7: “An Open Door”

The City of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania is known for quite a few things: it is called the birthplace of the USA, it was our first capital city, it is called the city of brotherly love. Philadelphia gave us the Phillies, the Eagles, and the 76ers. It gave us the cheese steak sandwich and cream cheese. What you may not know is that it was founded in 1682 by William Penn, an English Quaker and advocate of and seeker of religious freedom. It was given its name by Penn because Philadelphia is the combination of two greek words that translate to brotherly love.  But Phillly in the USA was not the first city to bear this name!  We have a letter to the church of Philadelphia in Asia minor in Rev. 3.  The Greek word for the name of this church in the text is cross referenced in 1 Peter 3:8…  “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind..”  Today let’s see what Jesus says to this church in the original city of brotherly love.

Today, we are studying the 2nd to last letter to the 7 churches..
 
Revelation 3:7-13
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.’
 
What do we know about the church in Philadelphia?

Much less remarkable than many of the other cities.

It was the farthest east, known as the “gateway to the east”

Warren Wiersbe says, "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."

The only major problem with the location was that the area was prone to earthquakes. Philadelphia sat on a geological fault, and in 17 b.c. it was destroyed by a severe earthquake that also destroyed Sardis and ten other cities. Afterward, some of the citizens refused to move back into the city and remained in the surrounding countryside, which they called “the burnt land.” There did not seem to be much security in the city of brotherly love!

It wasn’t the destination but more like a pit stop on the way.

Known for its grape growing with its fertile surrounding plains.

The city was known as Philadelphia until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1390.

In Modern Day Turkey, the city of Alasehir sits on this ancient site.


It is still known today in Turkey for its raisins.
There still exists today an orthodox church of St. John in the city
 

Jesus gives us a clue also to the lack of power and prestige in Philadelphia in today's text: “I know that you have little power.” Think about a smaller town, a smaller church.

Yet, the church in Philadelphia stands out among the 7 as being the only other church besides Smyrna that did not receive an accusation from Jesus, but only commendation!

They were a small yet faithful and mighty church.
 
Note 4 vivid images in this letter:

Four Images

• The Key

The Key – V. 7

Revelation 3:7
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.
Do you struggle with losing your keys?  When you do, you feel absolutely powerless.  
Look at this vision of Jesus holding the keys.
 
Look at Revelation 1:17-18 again. We saw this a few weeks back.

Revelation 1:17-18
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Here we see that Jesus holds the keys of Death and eternal damnation.

Another Key emerges in Revelation 20.

Revelation 20:1
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.

These are keys about judgment and condemnation.

When a convicted felon is sentenced to prison, they will be placed in a cell that will be locked and unlocked. If they had the keys, they would be able to get out. But the one with the keys is the one with the authority.

So, the key represents authority.

But look at this key of David. Notice Isaiah 22:22.

Isaiah 22:22
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.
 
What is Jesus saying of himself?

Jesus is making a clear reference to deity in this letter. Note “the holy one, the true one.”

Jesus is God. Only God Himself holds the keys to Heaven and to Hell.

But more than that, the church in Philadelphia is experiencing pressures and opposition from the Jewish community, much like the Jews in Sardis. They too are called the synagogue of Satan.

G.K. Beale states: “Ethnic Israel, which was claiming to be the divine agent wielding the power of salvation and judgment, no longer held this position. Christ’s followers could be assured that the doors to the true synagogue were open to them, whereas the doors remained closed to those who rejected Christ.”

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
 
Beale says…“Jesus is the one who controls entrance to the royal palace, a position of highest authority in the Kingdom. As such Jesus determines who may enter his household and who may not.”

Notice this about Jesus as he holds the key of David. Look at Revelation 3:7 once again.

Revelation 3:7
“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.
Jesus Christ presented Himself to the church at Philadelphia as “He that 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.
• As the Holy One, He is uniquely set apart from everything else, 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 and goddesses in those days (1 Cor. 8:5–6), but only Jesus Christ could rightfully claim to be the true God.

Wiersbe says…“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.”

The second image we see here is the door. First, we saw the key. Here we see the door.

Four Images

• The Key
• The Door

The Door – V.7b-8

Slide: Revelation 3:7b-8
…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.

If Jesus has the key, then he also owns and controls the door!

Have any of you ever tried to install a door? It is very very hard to get a door to work correctly! They can stick. They can droop. They can get off the hinges a bit and no longer close. Doors can be sticky and tricky.

Jesus has a perfect door installed for us! It opens and closes just as he pleases.

In the New Testament, the open door represents opportunity.

Look at this theme for just a moment with me.

A. There is an open door for salvation.

Slide: John 10:9
“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
 
If you have never taken Christ, he opens a door of salvation unto you. He is worthy to be the Savior, because as we saw earlier, he died and is now alive forevermore. And he offersyou the chance to enter into a personal relationship with him. Here is the promise: If you enter by Him, you will be saved.

Come to Christ today.

• B. There is an open door for ministry.

Notice these open doors of ministry the New Testament speaks of.

Acts 14:27
And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

A door of opportunity opened for the Gentiles to come to faith! It was the gospel and great commission.

1 Corinthians 16:8-9
8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
 
 An opportunity to stay and serve opened for Paul in Ephesus. So, he stayed longer to work and serve. This seems to be discipleship and training.

But then a door opened, and yet as Paul walked through it, things were just off a bit. So, he moved on. Notice this in 2 Corinthians 2:12-13.

2 Corinthians 2:12-13
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
 
Now, it appears here that this door of opportunity was there to help him refine what he really needed. He stepped in…as it was a door opened for him in the Lord. But as he stayed there, he lacked peace. So, he then moved forward.

Application: When it comes to moving forward to serve others in ministry, sometimes the Lord says stay longer.  Sometimes the Lord says, go…then you get there, and the unrest in that new place causes you to go further down the road than you might have in the first place.

Other times, he calls you to go, because it’s what He has next.

Acts 16:6-10
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
 
So, what do we see here?

• First, they want to go one way, but the Lord forbids it. The door is kept shut.
• Second, they kept walking faithfully until they were given further direction.
• Third, a door opened for them. Paul was given vision for what could be through a dream.
• So, he stepped into it and went to Macedonia.

And the first convert we see in Acts 16 is Lydia from Thyatira.

The point of all of this, is that God opens and closes doors. Sometimes he opens them for us to stay longer…sometimes as a brief stop to discern what is next, …and sometimes they are given to us to lead us to very fruitful places.

Michael Whitehead is the son of Doug and Jan Whitehead. Michael grew up here, but as a young boy, Doug and Jan, along with their other son Daniel, moved to Bellville.

I want you to see Michael’s post this week from Facebook.


The journey. You never know where it’s gonna lead.

God led to Bellville.
Bellville led to golf.
Golf led to Rice.
Rice led to Jordan.
Rice led to US Open.
US open led to Korn Ferry.
Korn Ferry led to injury.
Injury led to training.
Training led to gym.
Gym led to some of the coolest people ever.
Kids come from all of that.

If you think you have any idea what the future holds, you just don’t. And that’s awesome, because we can trust Him who does.

I haven’t loved every minute of it, but I certainly have loved a whole lot of it, and I’m eternally grateful for the sharpening, chiseling, even.

My friends, when it comes to open doors, listen to how Paul concludes the Spirit’s leading in His life.

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Application- Do you believe, whether he is calling you to stay put…to step out…to take a first step so he can show you the next step…or however you describe it…Do you believe that He is going to lead you in TRIUMPHAL PROCESSION?

His desire is that the fragrance of the Knowledge of Him Spread EVERYWHERE. Do you believe that He can lead you triumphantly?

Or, do you let the opposition keep you stuck?

Wiersbe says…"The believers in Philadelphia were in a similar situation to that of Paul when he wrote 1 Corinthians 16:9—there were both opportunities and obstacles! Unbelief sees the obstacles, but faith sees the opportunities! And since the Lord holds the keys, He is in control of the outcome! So, what do we have to fear? Nobody can close the doors as long as He keeps them open. Fear, unbelief, and delay have caused the church to miss many God-given opportunities."

The third image is the clock.

Four Images

• The Key
• The Door
• The Clock

The Clock – v. 10-11

Revelation 3:10-11
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.

Do you hear the timestamp language here? “The hour that is coming” There is a clock running, there is an hour coming that time will be no more.

So, the clock represents finite time.

Specifically, Jesus is reminding this church of the truth that time in the age of grace will expire, and he will return to judge the earth.

As a result, we are to wait patiently for Him, and we are to seek to be FAITHFUL to Him!
Now, go back with me to the opening of this book. The first instructions to John were found in verse 19.

Revelation 1:19
Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.

He is instructed to write three things:

• What you have seen…that’s the opening Revelation in chapter 1.
• The things that are…that’s the letter to the 7 churches in Asia Minor.
• The things that are to come…that’s the future things…the eschatology…the end things. – Chapters 4-22.

And once we are done with the 7 churches, we get into these things that are to come.
And it actually begins with another open door. It is Revelation 4:1.

Revelation 4:1
After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
 
I believe that this is the end of the church age, and the place in the story of Revelation where the rapture of the church takes place. We don’t have time to look at it, but it is most clearly articulated in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, where are the trumpet call of God, the dead in Christ rise first.

I see it as prior to the Tribulation period. Others on our staff probably see it differently. And I believe that part of the narrative of the tribulation is the fact that the church is removed and the judgments of the seals and trumpets and bowls begin to take place.

The promise to this church in Philadelphia is to be spared from that. That’s how I see it. I’m pretty literal in my reading of the Scripture and the words of Jesus. But again, others may disagree. But the clock indicates to us that a judgment across the face of the earth is on its way.
 
Matthew 24:44
Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
For the believer the return of Christ is nothing to fear and only something to gain! It’s why we call it our blessed hope.

Romans 5:9
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Are you living your life in light of the return of Jesus? He is coming soon!

The fourth image is the city.

Four Images

• The Key
• The Door
• The Clock
• The City

The City – V. 12  

Look at verse 12 with me.

Revelation 3:12
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.

Here for the one who conquers, we see a promise of a new temple and a new city in which they will be eternally secure.

Don’t miss this brief reference to the pillar in the temple. Here’s why this is significant. Remember, the city of Philadelphia had a history of earthquakes.  It was actually destroyed in 17 b.c. by a major earthquake. So, these people lived in fear of earthquakes and buildings crumbling and pillars falling.

And here Jesus is saying, I will make you like a pillar in the temple of my God! It’s a clear reference to eternal security…
And he says this new temple will be in a new city.  What’ is he referring to?
 
The city, new Jerusalem, represents the New Heaven and New Earth where all things have been made new. – See Revelation 21

That is our destiny as believers and citizens of God's kingdom!

Here’s the take away message:  We still have an open door! We have an opportunity to receive entrance to and to help populate that heavenly city.

• Specific open doors in our generation for finishing the task or the great commission:

Ease and speed of travel.
Technology and connectivity.
Immigration and Urbanization (the nations have come here!).
Gospel response- there is a door open to you today for salvation.
Missional response- are you walking through every door that God opens for you to serve Him and share His love and spread His Good News?