Apostles Church

Revelation 3:7-13. The ancient city of Philadelphia was founded in the 2nd Century BC by Eumenes. The city was named after the king's loyal brother Attalus, whose immense loyalty earned him the nickname Philadelphus (brotherly love). The city suffered a severe earthquake in 17AD that destroyed the city. To help the city recovered Rome lifted taxes and gave them assistance. To show their gratitude and loyalty, the city assumed an imperial name, changing its name twice to honor emperors. This history will play into the things that Jesus shares with this Church.

These are Jewish Christians or Gentile God-fearers who have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and have been turned away from the synagogue. Because of this, they are exposed to Roman persecution. Synagogue is like home or base in a game of freeze tag. You were safe there. They are the objects of Jewish and Roman hostility and rejection. They lived in an anti-Christian society that threatened violence upon them. Following Jesus was very costly to them, but they faithfully followed the Holy One, the true or faithful one. Just as Jesus had been set apart for them, they were set apart to him and just as he had been faithful to the Father and to them through the cross and resurrection, they were faithful to him through trial, pain and persecution.

Jesus describes their perseverance: They have kept his word, did not deny his name; patiently endured. All in the face of rejection by people, loss, suffering, trial, hardship. He tells them to continue in this, to hold fast and to conquer, gain mastery over all the things that would seek to draw them away from full devotion to Jesus in this hostile climate. This Church gets no rebuke because they have been so faithful.

What gave them the power to persevere? Answer: HOPE. What is hope? Hope is the full assurance and unshakeable confidence that in the end Jesus will set all things right and secure the greatest good of those who love, trust, and follow him. Difference between hope and desire; desire may not be fulfilled, but hope will. My hope is not in doubt; my desires are. In the end Jesus will right all wrongs and secure the greatest good of those who love him and follow him. We persevere by hope. **1Th 1.2-4 “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3) remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. **Col 1.23 “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…” We hold strong convictions about God’s character and promises. We see the world the way it really is and the way it really will be. False hope is believing something without any grounds for it –  Like when you bought new shoes as a kid and hoped they would make you run faster and jump higher. Or watching a movie about the Titanic hoping that it doesn’t sink and no lives are lost. Wait for the DVD to come out – maybe there will be an alternate ending. If you go to a movie and hate the ending, you don’t go back for a second viewing hoping for a different ending; that is a false hope. But the kind of hope we are talking about that causes one to persevere to the end is one that is grounded in reality. We know the story of God and how it will ultimately play out. We have read the ending in the back of the book, so we keep our confidence in Christ and stay steadfast in our love and trust in him. This is what awakens hope. Hope is awakened by the promises of God that are ours in Jesus. **Heb 10.23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” It is the promises of a faithful God made sure by Jesus that awakens hope. Jesus wants this church to press on, so he fuels their hope. What promises does Jesus give that awakens hope among this people?

Vindication. The door to the synagogue had been closed to them. They had been rejected and turned aside. Yet, Jesus opens the door to the Kingdom of God to them; the door into God’s family and no one can shut it. He has final say on who belongs in the Kingdom of God. To all who received him he gave them the right to become children of God. These believers are the objects of God’s transforming love. And Jesus says in verse 9 that those who had excluded them and rejected them will one day discover that they are indeed the objects of divine love. Question: Who is in and who is out? In our world, the strong, the powerful, the rich, the known, the smart, and the beautiful – these are the people who are in. One day none of that will matter. The only thing that will matter is Jesus and whether you are His. These Xns belong to him and though all others exclude them, reject them, do violence to them, one day they will be fully vindicated. Jesus is saying, though everyone reject you or exclude you because of my name, know that I invite you, I include you, I accept you, and I know you. 2Tim 4.16-17 “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17) But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me…”  I remember when Jesus became the most important thing in my life, my friends suddenly forgot my phone number; no one stood with me. But I sensed his presence standing with me through all that. In a God-indifferent, post Christian city and society, your obvious faith in and devotion to Jesus will not always be met with enthusiasm and will often result in exclusion, isolation, and disaffirmation. If you think this day is the only one to live for you, you will quickly change course and lose your devotion to Jesus. But if you have read the end of the story and see that another day is coming, a day when Jesus is all that will matter to everyone, you will live for that day. There is coming a day when the only identity or label that people will long for is to have Jesus. Jesus promises his name will be written on you. We will be vindicated as those who belong to and are loved by Jesus. At his coming, it will be his day, but it will also be our day. We will be vindicated. Jesus says, hold fast and let no one take your crown. There is vindication and reward promised for those who stay true to Jesus. On that day, those who followed him faithfully and willingly suffered for his name will be honored. Illus: CH Spurgeon: the night the disciples fled “they ran from honor.” How often do we run from honor? We miss a moment to stand with him, speak for him, risk for him… Don’t run from honor.
You are in the place where one day everyone will wish to be. Live fully in that place, fueled by the hope of his vindication.

Freedom from the wrath of God. 3:10 There is coming an hour of trial upon those who dwell upon the earth. This phrase is used 6x in Revelation to refer to those who are rebellious and refuse to submit to Jesus as Savior and Lord and oppose God’s purposes and God’s people. The book of Revelation speaks of the wrath of God that will be poured out upon those who fit that description. But the promise to God’s people is that he will keep us from that hour. In other words, God does not subject his people to his wrath. We are not safe from the wrath of man. We are susceptible to the cruelty of people. But, we will never have to face the wrath of God. Big difference between the wrath of God and the wrath of man, just like there is a big difference between a puddle and an ocean. Jesus said, Matt 10.28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” To be the object of man’s momentary displeasure is one thing; to be the object of God’s eternal displeasure is another. This is the hope of the Gospel. There is no condemnation for those who in Christ Jesus. If you have Jesus, you are saved from the wrath of God. Christ has borne God’s wrath for you. He has had your sin laid upon him and absorbed all of God’s wrath against it. God does not commit double jeopardy and punish our sins twice. If we have Christ then he has borne all God’s wrath against us; there is no more to pour out. This hope of being rescued from wrath by grace fills us with gratitude and fuels our faith.

Eternal Security. We are not just saved from the wrath of God, we are given something greater – we will have a permanent and secure place in the new heavens and new earth. 3:12. There is a new heaven and new earth coming where all the brokenness of this world will be banished. Listen to the description of this coming city: Rev 21.1-5 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2) And I saw the holy city [not a suburb], new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband [beautiful and pure]. 3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5) And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”” We will be made new and a pillar – given a place of permanence and security in that city. This idea of not going out and coming in was a reference to the history of Philadelphia. The earthquake of 17AD made the city a very unsafe and insecure place to live so anytime there were aftershocks or mild tremors, people would flee the city. Their lives lacked safety, security, or permanence. Jesus says, a day is coming when you will lived as a healed people in a healed world with your healer God and you will never have to feel the pain of being cast out. This fills us with hope. I suffer now, struggle now, find life to be in flux now, feel the pain of insecurity and uncertainty with volatile markets, elusive jobs, transient friends, I am filled with hope for that day where there will no more insecurity, uncertainty, volatility, loss, pain, suffering, tears or death. What Jesus secures for me, no one can take from me. That fuels us to keep our eyes on Jesus and press on waiting for that day when He will come with grace for his people. This is temporary.