Mar. 09, 2025

Background:

• Faithfulness should be a characteristic of all of God's people
• Faithfulness is a quality of trust, loyalty and dependability that applies to both God and people
• We know that God is faithful!
• God is reliable and stable
• Some of us know that Jesus has some power, but we don't realize that he has all power until something happens to us
• There are some qualities that we don't really know about Jesus until we get into certain situations
• Jesus is faithful, but are we faithful, trustworthy, loyal, dependable?
• If you can be trusted and faithful with a little bit, then you can be trusted and faithful in much (Luke 16:10)
• Christians are to be salt: preservers keeping things from decaying and spoiling & influencing others
• Salt is like purity, clean and cleansing

Key Sermon Points:

1. The letter to the church

• Philadelphia is located on a hill side
• This is one church that we would be familiar with by the name Brotherly Love
• We would want to be part of this church
• This church had right doctrine, teaching, and living
• People are genuine
• The church knows the Word, shares the Word and allow the Word to transform them
• This church was faithful unto the Lord

2. The description of the Lord Jesus Christ

• Jesus identifies himself as He who is holy
• Holy is no less than a direct claim to deity
• Jesus has a sinless nature and his church must also be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16)
• Because God is holy, we must also be holy  (Isaiah 6)
• The Holy One gave no warning or condemnation to the church in Philadelphia
• They were not perfect, but they were living to the standards that pleased God
• Jesus is Truth
• Truth is used in combination with Holiness to describe God (Revelation 6:10)
• God cannot lie
• Truth denotes that which is genuine, authentic, and real in this perverse world (John 14:6)
• Jesus describes himself as having the Key of David (Revelation 5:5, Revelation 22:16)
• The Key represents the authority and control
• Jesus has the Key and control to get in
• Jesus, alone, has the sovereign authority to determine who enters His kingdom
• Jesus has the key to death and heaven (Revelation 1:18)
• Jesus describes himself as He who opens the doors that no one can shut
• Jesus can open doors of opportunities that no one can shut!
• When God shuts a door, no one can open it!
• Our blessings come from the One that can open the doors
• They had a little strength (v. 8); but when we are weak, God is strong
• We are not in control, Jesus is
• We ought to know from whom our blessings flow
• We are weak, but He is strong
• Even though they were persecuted, they did not deny his Word or his name
• Anytime we stand up for Christ, he will always show up
• We know that he is able & does what he chooses to do
• If he doesn't show up, we still don't bow
• Jesus knew that there were some Jews that were Jews culturally, but not spiritually
• Jesus would have those false Jews bow down to the spiritual Jews because he loves us
• Jesus does so much for us because he loves us

3. The promises from Jesus Christ

• This is the promise to keep them through the period of tribulation (pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation)
• Pre-tribulation means that the church will be raptured and not go through the 7 years of great tribulation
• God will spare the church during that time and take the church home where we will be judged for the rewards
• We could loose our crowns (not salvation)
• They won't let anyone rob them of their victory crowns
• We will be in the sanctuary with strength, honor, permanency and security
• We won't leave that place of safety and joy
• The crown symbolizes eternal rewards
• Salvation cannot be lost (John 10:27-30)
• We should want to be a part of this church: a faithful church and growing church