Alive and Well-Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13, "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens" "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 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 out and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 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. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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. He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'

The Faithful Life

These past 3 days we've seen the regression that occurs if we leave our "first love," Jesus. When we leave our "first love," we will eventually leave the bible as our foundation and false teachings will take root. Without a pure love of Jesus and no sound doctrine, sin eventually gains a foothold in our lives. When all of these things occur, we do not look like, or may not even be what we claim to be, a Christian. We saw this yesterday in the church in Sardis, the dead church. They had a name that they were alive, but Jesus said they were dead. Spiritually dead. Unregenerate, unsaved, lost without Christ.

Today we see the opposite. The church in Philadelphia is a picture of what a Christians's life and a church should look like. In true prophetic meaning, Philadelphia is tied to the church in Smyrna, as they have faithfully served God from a right heart, and so Jesus has no condemnation of them. These churches are a picture of Christians who will be part of the rapture of the church(Rev.3:10, 4:1, 1 Thess 4: 13-18, 1 Cor 15: 51-58) who will not have to endure the time of testing that will come upon the whole earth(v 10), what Christ refers to as the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation. The 7 year period where Satan through Antichrist rules the world.

In our application, with the premise that their are representatives of each of the 7 churches in the body of Christ today, Philadelphia shows us the true Christian life. Notice how Jesus describes this church, this group of Christians: they are truly saved(open door no one can shut), they are meek(little strength in themselves, relying on Christ), they are obedient(kept God's word), they are bold(have not denied Jesus), and they have persevered(endured the trials sure to come upon a believer). Philadelphia is commonly referred to as the faithful church, and shows us what a faithful Christian's life will be marked by.

It's Never Too Late

The thing about living the Christian life is, it's about what we do today. We cannot change the past and we do not know the future. God is concerned with the here and now in our lives. If we are backslidden, or worse, unsaved and without Christ, it's about what we do today. As we saw with the churches at Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira and Sardis; the call from God is for us to turn to Him, and repent.

To repent means that we change any and all elements of our life. We change our attitude, our thoughts and our behavior to reflect the demands of living right for God, in obedience to Him. This can happen in our lives only when we first turn to God. We cannot turn away from our sinful lives, we cannot repent, unless we first turn to God. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can this type of transformation occur. This is how we begin to live a faithful life.

And we cannot maintain a faithful life unless we have a consuming love for God. We must fully abide in Christ, He must be our dwelling place, if we are to remain true to Him. We all have a fallen nature, a natural man, given to sin. Only through full submission to God can we resist temptation and live holy as God commands us to. This does not mean we will not commit sin, as we are all sinners. What it does mean is that we will recognize our sin, confess it to God and repent, turn away from it.

Tomorrow we will see, once again, an opposite. This next church, Laodicea, is a "church" that Christ says sickens Him. Their may be no more sobering words in the New Testament than Christ's letter to this church, for they are a stern warning, but also contain a final encouragement. Thank God for the blessings in your life today, and I'll see you tomorrow.