we're covering the church of which we are told there was an open door and it will be helpful if you have your Bible open to Revelation 3 also in just a minute I'm gonna be reading from Matthew 25 I think in a bulletin that says Matthew 5 but we'll actually be reading Matthew 25 14 through 21 The church in Philadelphia is nice to preach on because the message Jesus sent to this church was uniformly positive. It was a faithful church living with some real hardships. Jesus told the church that he had opened a door for them which no one could shut. It seems this was a door of spiritual opportunity. Since it was a faithful church, Jesus could entrust them with further responsibilities. That is the way that God works. He gives responsibility to those who prove themselves worthy. And I'm going to read then from Matthew chapter 25, starting at verse 14. This is the story of the parable of talents. And you'll notice in the parable, what happens to the servant that is faithful. Matthew 25, starting at verse 14. For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country. He called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. And immediately he went on a journey. Then when he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents, likewise he who had received two gained two more also, but he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his lord's money. After a long time, the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Look, I have gained five more talents beside them. His Lord said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. enter into the joy of your Lord. We won't finish the rest of the parable, but if we did, we would find that the servant that squandered the one talent given to him, what he had even was taken away from him. I would aspire, as you would also aspire, to be a church that is granted an open door from our risen Lord. We'll study what the open door means, why the church in Philadelphia had an open door and how our church can be a church with an open door. Jesus began with a self-revelation. His character, holy and true, and to the angel of the Church of Philadelphia, write these things, says he who is holy, he who is true. So that holy is a meaning sacred, morally pure and true without deceit. And so Jesus introduced himself as the morally pure one without deceit. That I think was in contrast to the synagogue of Satan, which the Philadelphian church had to deal with. The synagogue of Satan was constantly attacking the true church in Philadelphia with lies and slander. The corrupt church, their tactics got really malevolent against the church. According to historical records, there were at least 11 Probably more Philadelphian Christians who were martyred along with Polycarp of Smyrna, back in the early history of the church. Treachery was all around the believers in Philadelphia, but their Lord was trustworthy. He was true. He was morally pure. And then Jesus revealed himself as the holder of the key. Verse seven, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens. So we need to understand a bit about the key of David. David was king. In fact, the king of God's people, the nation of Israel during the Old Testament times, and David as king had authority in the kingdom of God's people in the Old Testament. He had access to anything in the kingdom of Israel. He pulled the strings and he made the decisions. Jesus now holds the key of David. The key of David is symbolic of access and authority in the kingdom. What Jesus opens in the kingdom, nobody can close. What he closes, no one can open. But what exactly is the kingdom that Jesus reigns over? So we might say, well, the whole world, the whole universe. And that would be correct. 1 Corinthians 15, 27 says, for he, the father, has put all things under his feet. But I think more specifically in verse seven, Jesus has authority over his kingdom, which is first and foremost the church. And Jesus is the head of the body, the church, Colossians 1, 18. The church consists of people from every tribe and nation across the globe. who have repented of their sins and put their trust in Jesus Christ. These people acknowledge their only hope is in Jesus, and when Jesus opens a door for a repentant sinner to come in, no one can prevent that person from coming in. coming through the door. Jesus has access. He has authority in the church. He can declare one church illegitimate if he chooses to, which is exactly what he did in verse 9. Indeed, I will make the synagogue of Satan, those who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. I will make them come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you." So the synagogue down the street in Philadelphia supposed that they were the true worshipers of Jehovah God. But Jesus said, no. Actually, you're the synagogue of Satan. Jesus can say that. He holds the key. He has the authority in his kingdom, including the authority to determine who's in and who's out. The church in Philadelphia was one of just two churches who received no condemnation from Jesus, no complaint. Jesus had no complaint in the letter to the Philadelphian Christians. The closest to a complaint, we would say, would be in verse eight, for you have a little strength. We might, at first glance, think that that was an insinuation that the church was weak in some way. We wouldn't want Jesus to walk into our church and say, oh, yeah, you know, you have very little strength here. But notice the following words. You have a little strength, have kept my word, and have not denied my name. the strength they had was working pretty well. Whatever power any church or any believer has really is the power of God that flows through them. And we have no great power inherent in ourselves, especially in a spiritual manner of speaking. But the power of God was flowing through the church, and that gave strength to refuse to recant the name of Jesus, though the pressure of persecution made that tempting. And the Apostle Paul told us that it's okay when we are weak In fact, it's good, Paul said, when we can acknowledge that we are weak because weakness allows God's power to work through us, this coming from 2 Corinthians 12, starting at verse 9. And he, Jesus, said to me, Paul, the Lord said to Paul, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore said Paul, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches and needs and persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. And when I quit relying on my own strength and my own talents, that allows God then to send his strength flowing through me, and I end up with God's power instead of mine, and that's far superior. Jesus was telling the believers in Philadelphia, he said, I understand, on your own, you're way in over your heads. But that's okay, because you're relying on my strength, and with my strength, you're not in over your heads. Well, what did Jesus commend? Commendation. You've kept my word in verse 8 and you see in verse 10. Because you have kept my command to persevere. And Jesus said all the way back in his ministry that to love him is always a matter of obedience. John 14, 15. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. The church in Philadelphia kept the commandments of Jesus. Verse 10 on the screen, Jesus said the church kept his command to persevere. The church was under pressure from the synagogue of Satan, but the believers refused to cave into that pressure. They kept on meeting together publicly. They continued to proclaim the name of Jesus publicly. He's given us the command to persevere. Listen to these words about enduring in the faith from Jesus. They're taken from Matthew 24, a warning of Jesus to his disciples. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. You will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will be offended when we'll betray one another and we'll hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many toward God will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Now, a believer who, believer who does not endure in the faith, we really have to suggest that they should consider whether they were saved at all. The second soil in the parable of the soils, really, sprouted up a plant that showed a lot of great promise. The plant shot up immediately, it seemed vigorous, but before long the sun scorched that plant and it was killed. Matthew 13 verse 20, but he who received the seed on the stony places, this is he who hears the the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises, like what's happening in the church in Philadelphia, when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now the perseverance of the saints in Philadelphia proved that their faith was genuine. They didn't stumble in the face of tribulation or persecution, and a genuine faith endures. And one way to endure, one way to show endurance is to come week after week and be involved in the body of Christ. Another way to endure is to read your Bible faithfully, to pray faithfully. These are powerful, powerful evidences that your faith is genuine. Not conclusive, because people can attend church for alternate reasons, and people can read the Bible and not obey it. People can pray and not be sincere, but it's a good evidence. of true faith if you are persisting in Bible reading and prayer and in participation in the body of Christ. You've not denied my name. In Philadelphia, there was a lot of pressure to deny the name of Jesus. The synagogue of Satan bristled at the name of Jesus. The hatred for Jesus was such that many saints died for his name. The synagogue of Jesus, referred to here, was Jewish by descent only. Jesus said they claimed to be Jews, that they're not. I think they probably were Jewish in their descent, but true Jews to Jesus were not people with Jewish bloodlines, but those who faithfully followed him. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical, but a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the spirit, not by the letter." That's Romans 2, 28 and 29. Now, the believers in Philadelphia, we believe, were thrown out of the Jewish synagogue. In the Roman Empire, citizens were forced to declare that Caesar is God, But the Jews had garnered an exemption from that. They didn't have to say Caesar is God. It's a lot like religious exemption, you know, may be granted to conscientious objectors to not serve in the army. The exemption was given because the Jews were monotheistic, hero Israel, the Lord our God is one God. And in the synagogue, they kept the registry and anyone named in the registry was exempted from claiming Caesar as God. At this time in church history, Christianity was considered part of Judaism, so Christians were often welcomed into the synagogues in the early days, but the doctrine of Christianity clashed with the doctrine in the synagogues. Christians said, Jesus Christ is the risen Lord, the Messiah. And that was completely incompatible with Jewish theology, where they denied entirely that Jesus was the Messiah. And because of theological differences then, It became harder and harder and harder for Christians to be part of the local synagogue, and Jews began to expel the Christian. A Christian would show up at the synagogue only to be told, you're not welcome here, move along now. But many of the believers had family and friends in the synagogue. It was hard business to be expelled from the synagogue is a lot like the Amish practice of shunning. The Christians were dispossessed of family and friends, and when a believer was expelled from the synagogue, their name was struck from the registry, which protected them from saying Caesar is God. They no longer had that protection. It was a lonely and dangerous thing to be expelled from the synagogue, and of course, All that a person needed to do to be reinstated to the synagogue was to renounce the name of Jesus. But these believers wouldn't. The power of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit enabled them to continue to claim the name of Jesus as Savior and Lord even at very high cost. Jesus seemed to be referring to the ousting of believers in verse eight. I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it. In other words, the synagogues can shut their doors to you. But I have opened my door, the door of my eternal kingdom, and no one can keep you out. What about us and the name of Jesus? We are also under pressure not to name Jesus. We face little pressure when we say God, when we say Lord, when we say prayer, when we say Bible. You can say God, prayer, or Bible without feeling shame coming back your way. The synagogue in Philadelphia, in fact, believed in God. They believed in Old Testament scripture. They believed in prayer. But they were infuriated. at the name of Jesus. I don't think our culture is too much different. When did you last say Jesus, his name in public? I used to attend a mental health dinner at a church in Worcester where I represented my agency I worked at at the time. And they always ask the local minister or well-known Christian in the community to say a prayer before the meal. And I would listen with some interest. as the minister would pray over the meal. It was typical for the prayer to be directed toward God. Oh, God, our Father. Oh, God, our hope and our help and so forth. And most, however, did not say, in Jesus' name, we pray. One man did. I don't know him. I can't remember his name, but I approached him afterward and I thanked him for saying, this we pray in Jesus' name, because it took some boldness. Did he feel a bit of flushing in his face? A bit of shame? I don't know. But notice what Luke said about the apostles when they were being rebuked by the religious leaders for preaching in the name of Jesus. That's from Acts 5 verse 40. When they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. We cannot be fully representatives of Jesus without suffering some level of shame because the world hated Jesus and therefore the world will hate you. It's either hide your faith, hide the name of Jesus, or it's willingness to accept some of that shame that the apostles said was a privilege to accept on behalf of Jesus. All right, the open door. What exactly is the open door? What was inside the door? If a person walked through, what would have been inside? First, let's remember Jesus, why Jesus opened a door for the Philadelphian church. And look at verse eight, I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it for, because, You have a little strength, have kept my word and have not denied my name. The door was open because of their works, because they kept the word of Jesus, because they had not denied the name of Jesus. Now let's look at four interpretations of the open door that have been proposed. One, it could be an open door of vindication. Verse nine, indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not but lie. Indeed, I will make them come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you. And so the believers would be proven to have been right and vindication is one way to look at the open door. Secondly, some people would look at verse 10, and talk about avoiding a great trial. Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole earth to test those who dwell on the earth. So this interpretation would say the open door is a door of escape. It's an escape hatch from the world, worst of the trials on earth. I noticed in the first hymn we sang this morning, There were the words, may thy congregation, what, escape tribulation? Something like that. I wondered if that came from Revelation 3 here. Now, one problem with this interpretation is we don't know for sure what the hour of trial was or will be. Presumably, those people to whom the letter was written would have known. Most commentaries I read believe this is a reference to the Great Tribulation, which will occur during the time of the Antichrist, but maybe it's something that's past, maybe it could refer to the tribulation which occurred around the martyrdom of Polycarp around 150 AD. Thirdly, it could be an open door to eternal life. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he should go out no more. I will write on him the name of my God. Some people would see this as the open door to, even though there is death, after death there is eternal life. There's never a chance of losing the salvation that God has given. And as assurance, they and we have the name of God written on them, on us in indelible writing. And fourthly, an open door to witness and service. This appears to be the favorite interpretation of many scholars, and you might see this hint to that perhaps in verse nine. Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. Indeed, I will make them come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you." Now, perhaps the way that persons from the synagogue of Satan would come and worship with the Philadelphian Christians would be through winning the lost to Christ. The first two interpretations I view as suspect. First one, while it's true Christians will eventually be vindicated in our faith, it doesn't seem to be a major theme in Scripture. In fact, Jesus said the opposite. Don't expect vindications. Instead, Matthew 5, 11, blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my name's sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you. Now number two, to avoid the trial, the great trial, I don't see much momentum in scripture given to the idea that really faithful saints will be spared from trials. What I see in scripture is that the godly will suffer. The promise of scripture is all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, 2 Timothy 3.12. Number three, an open door to eternal life. We would agree with this. God has given eternal life and that eternal life is as secure as the person holding the key, Jesus himself. Jesus opened the door to eternal life. No one can shut it. No man has the key. No church has it. No demonic power has the key. And so if you are trusting in Jesus Christ today, your salvation is secure. Jesus declared that the door to eternal life is open through his blood, that whosoever believes in him should not perish. He also closed the door on any other supposed means of entrance to eternal life. He declared the way of earning salvation by good works is closed. He declared that salvation by any name or any religion other than faith in Jesus Christ has been closed forever. the door that Jesus left open for the church in Philadelphia, though, I think best aligns with number four, the door of opportunity. The door was already open, partly because of the Philadelphian believers who kept his word and did not deny his name. Though an open door for a witness, Now, the Jews that were expelling Christians from the synagogue, those same Jews would come bow at the feet of the Christians. Not worshiping the Christians, that would be completely inappropriate, but worshiping with the Christians. Some of them would come to know Jesus as Savior. They would no longer be persecutors, but they would become beloved brothers and sisters. And this has always been the priority of God when it comes to enemies, their salvation. Even back into the Old Testament, Ezekiel 33, 11. As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. What would you want, God? But that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways. For why should you die, O house of Israel? See, God is not pleased when the wicked die, but he has pleasure when they turn to him for forgiveness. And notice in verse nine that Jesus said, I will make them come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you. The enemies of Jesus in Philadelphia would to the believers, recognizing they had what they needed. The Christians had what the synagogue attenders needed. Jesus said, I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to me, John 12, 32. So people are saved after God moves within them, God draws them. Jesus said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of harvest to send laborers into his harvest, Luke 10, two. So no one comes to salvation without God. God draws them, the Holy Spirit convicts them, The Father sends laborers into the harvest. Salvation requires God, but Christians are God's laborers, and we must play our role. Salvation happens when God is drawing a person, and a human laborer meets them there and tells them and explains the way of salvation. and draws them into salvation. So what about Bethel Christian Church? Do we have an open door of opportunity to witness? Well, yes, in fact, that is our command from Jesus. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and at all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. But we also need to realize that the status of the open door is in part determined by us in regard to at least two factors. One, have we kept his word? Two, have we denied his name? A church that obeys the commands of God and a church that boldly proclaims the name of Jesus will find God opening further doors in front of them. And remember what Jesus said in the parable of the talents. Well done, good and faithful servant. You are faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. So we have an open door in front of us. The only thing that hinders us from going through that door of opportunity are when we fail to obey God's commands, when we deny his name at times because of fear. I know that you would aspire and I would aspire that we would have more open doors. And sometimes that requires that we set aside past failures and move on. Paul encouraged us not to get overly caught up in past failures, Philippians 3.13. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. I'm not really there yet. But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, and we can do that today. And remember, God is always drawing people to himself. The Father demonstrates his love by sending Jesus, But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, Romans 5.8. Jesus draws people to himself. And if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself, John 12.32. The Holy Spirit is working to convict sinners, Jesus said. And when the Holy Spirit has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, John 16.8. But are there laborers? Are there laborers there to go into the fields to bring in the harvest? And I trust that in this church, there will be laborers waiting for those persons, watching for those persons who have been drawn by God to be the human part of the equation in salvation. Finally, for today, Jesus gave some promises to the church in Philadelphia, which apply to us today. First, it's a promise of protection, because you have kept my command to persevere. I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. It's hard to interpret this with certainty, but, It speaks of protection. We know this, God never forsakes his children. We also know this, God never allows his children to be tempted and placed in situations where you were unable to be victorious. God's always with you. He always gives you enough power to be victorious. A crown, behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast to what you have that no one may take your crown. So there are rewards for those who persevere. Jesus didn't bother to tell us what the crown is in detail here. But the very nature of God tells us, God's generosity tells us that This crown, most certainly, will be a gift worthy of receiving. It will be worth more than all our labors, but we have to hold fast a pattern of obeying Christ and holding out his name. Christian living means that, um, according to this verse, seems to mean that in Christian living, a crown could be stolen away. Hold fast that no one may take your crown. And so, in a Christian's life, if they compromise or they are backslidden by satanic influences or by some person in their life who causes them to sin or to be compromised, the reward can be taken away. It can be stolen away from us. They promised they would become a pillar. The city of Philadelphia, they tell me, was a place of frequent earthquakes. And after a particularly intense earthquake, all that would be left standing would be the pillars of buildings along the street, as in this photo of Philadelphia in ruins. A pillar is an emblem of stability, of permanence. A pillar is immovable, it's resolute. And Jesus said, he who overcomes, I'll make him a pillar. and the temple of my God, he shall go out no more. It's a promise of honor given to spiritual overcomers and a promise of usefulness, I think, in heaven. And a special name. 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 out of heaven from my God, and I will write on him my new name. The pillars, which Jesus talked about, perhaps they, maybe they're like monuments, figuratively or literally. On the monuments, perhaps, are recorded the services, the men, or that woman, rendered on behalf of the church, how he protected the church, how he labored to enlarge the church, how he worked to maintain her honor and her purity, and how he served his fellow citizens in the church. Faithful Christians will have their own monument and a special new name from Jesus himself. A new name, the new name is an honor, an honor of affection, an honor of closeness, an honor of approval. Once in heaven, everyday things that we worry about now will not seem important at all, will mean nothing. What will seem important to us would be to hear the words of Jesus, well done, good and faithful servant. Well done, good and faithful servant. A wise man or a wise woman lives today in such a way as to make those words from Jesus possible when we arrive in heaven. Please pray with me. Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that you draw all people to yourself. And we realize that we have a responsibility in that work, that we are laborers, We are watching and waiting for those in whom you are working and whose hearts have been softened. that we may testify of Jesus Christ and tell about our story of how we were saved and point them to scripture that would explain how they may be saved. We pray, Father, for open doors in this church and in this community, and we ask for strength to obey your commands and to proclaim your name. We ask that you would be with us as we continue to worship this morning in song and in study, and we thank you for the opportunity to meet together. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.