Sermons

I KNOW YOUR WEAKNESS
Revelation 3:7-13
Sermon by Judy Turner

Today we conclude a series of messages based on what Jesus says to the churches addressed in the second and third chapters in the Revelation. Today we hear what Jesus says to the church in Philadelphia. When we hear of a city called Philadelphia, what do we think of? The Liberty bell, the Phillies, brotherly love? But the revelation was given to John long before there was an America, about 90 AD. And the city referred to was in the geographical area we now know as western Turkey. I don’t know if I would have liked living in Philadelphia in 90 AD. It was a fairly prosperous city. It had a good location, you got to other important places through Philadelphia. It was called the “Gateway to the East”. They grew a lot of grapes in the area, and the city was a center of agriculture and industry. Yet, they frequently had earthquakes, and one earthquake devastated the city. They had to rebuild. I think if I lived in that city, I would feel insecure every time there was a tremor. Now, we’ve said that the letters to these particular churches were written to people in all churches in all times and places. So, what connection might we make with living in Philadelphia in 90 AD and living in Berryville, AR. In 2009? Hmmm – a center of agriculture and industry – there is a lot of agriculture all around us, and the town has businesses. We’re not exactly a crossroads, but our geographical location is good. We’re the Gateway to ..Green Forest? We don’t have earthquakes, but we have ice storms and floods. But perhaps our greatest insecurity is economic. Look around town. What do you see? I see signs of vitality, some prosperity, and I see signs of poverty and neglect and “don’t care.” These are hard financial times, and many people are struggling. Perhaps like the Philiadelphians, Berryvillians have both opportunity and threat.

And what about the church in Philadelphia? Jesus says to this group of little Christians, “I know you have little strength”. This is a weak church, probably small membership church. Maybe the Christians gathered in that little community were of the lower social classes, were just struggling to make a living and not feeling like they had much power or influence. And they were persecuted because they would not buy in to the culture of emperor worship, and the Jews in Philadelphia made sure the Romans knew that. Persecution meant more economic hardship, and even imprisonment or death. But Jesus has only good and encouraging words for this little struggling church. He knows their weakness, and He knows their faithfulness. Let’s overhear what Jesus says to the church in Philadelphia, and I think we’ll hear something for us as well:

Revelation 3:7-8
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts, no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

First, Jesus reminds us of who He really is: the ruler, the commander in chief of the church, who is holy and true. He is all good, pure, He wants only what is good for us and has the power to make it happen. He is true, and completely trustworthy. In a world where there is insecurity with earthquakes, persecution, ice storms, and economic recession, He is true stability. He stands forever at the head of the church and the center of the universe, and He can never be defeated. He holds the key of David. He is the promised Messiah who came and died, was resurrected and now holds the key to the Kingdom of God. And He opens that door for all His followers.

And He says to His followers, “See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.” What is the “open door” He has placed before you? Are you feeling stuck, trapped, dead-ended in your life? What are your spiritual gifts? What is God calling you do to do? There is nothing that can keep you stuck and defeated when Jesus has placed an open door before you into the future He has for you! He places the open door of witness and service before us every day. When we wake up in the morning, there is an open door to walk with Him. But we have to choose to pay attention to God, give Him priority, respond when He puts an opportunity in front of us to do acts of love, mercy, kindness, justice and to speak words of witness. There are recent examples in our congregation. Many of our youth worked the hay ride to raise money for Loaves and Fishes and raked leaves this week for the church. They went through that open door. Dan saw that Dave had expertise that would help people in Malawi Africa and placed an open door for Dave to go to Africa. Dave went through that door, and now some people in Malawi have hope for a better life through building windmills to move water – out of junk like bicycle parts! And drying ovens using available local materials will help them dry fish food and fish and mangoes. The open door was placed before Dave, and he walked through it. Jill has an open door every day with patients that come to get their teeth cleaned. She talks to them about Christ and invites them to church. Friends, each of us continually has an open door of opportunity to make God’s love real and invite people to enter the Kingdom of God. We have an open door before us with the upcoming Christmas season, a time when people who may not know Christ and don’t have a church are most likely to respond to an invitation to church.

Christ opens the door of opportunity for us, and nobody has the power to shut it. But we can fail to go through that door. Why? For me, distraction, busy with other things and don’t even see the opportunity. Or, afraid, timid – afraid of what people will think, afraid of rejection. But today I have another chance to go through that open door. And tomorrow! I have the opportunity to grow in faithfulness in walking with my Lord Jesus. Nobody and nothing that comes against me can shut that door of opportunity that my Lord opens.

We see in what Jesus says that He is not looking for success but faithfulness. The church at Philadelphia was not large and strong. Today the church growth experts would regard it as too small to be significant. It was weak, yet the members of the body were faithful to their head. He tells them to keep on and persevere, because He is with them in all their trials. There are more wonderful promises for this little weak church than for all the other churches addressed in Revelation.

Revelation 3: 9-10
I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars – I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

If they will stay steadfast and patiently endure, they will receive great reward:
(1)They will see how Jesus brings their enemies to bow at their feet. Some of those very people who are now opposing them will come to Christ because of their faithful witness.
Don’t give up praying for people who don’t know Christ. Don’t give up seeking to influence them toward Christ as He opens those doors of opportunity.
(2) They will experience the Lord’s presence and provision through their trials. Whatever difficulties you are facing, He will keep you through the trial. You won’t be defeated. You won’t be destroyed. You’ll come through it with stronger faith, and greater Christ-likeness.
What else does Jesus encourage them to do and promise?

Revelation 11-13
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Jesus says He is coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. When you know your weakness as a Christian, when you see the weakness of our congregation, what do you have to hold onto?
1. You have the Lord’s power that is made perfect in weakness. You see, in the Kingdom, knowing your weakness can be a very good thing. Because weakness leads to dependence on God’s strength. God is especially near to the broken and humble, just as He is far from the proud and self-sufficient.
A young man went out to start a church, with a grand vision of influencing a large city for Christ. He had his vision, his plan, he worked hard. And at the end of 3 years, he had to close the church. It wasn’t viable. He had failed. Wounded and broken, this young man cried out to God. “Why did you let me down?” God spoke to his spirit, “You are my beloved son. I’m crazy about you. But I’m not crazy about your pride. Let’s try this again, my way.” And the second time the pastor started a church, relying on God’s strength and not his own, the church grew and was established. We must hold onto the assurance that in our weakness God can be strong.

2. We have the joy of knowing the Lord is coming. “Hold on, He says. I’m coming soon.” John and I were reading a book about life on the English Channel Island of Guernsey during World War II. The Nazis marched in and occupied the island. The Nazis threw people out of their houses and just took over. They required that most of the food grown on the island go to feeding German troops, and the islanders increasingly suffered from hunger. There were fewer goods available as the war went on, and there wasn’t even soap for bathing or salt to season the little food they had. And there was the constant fear. If you hid food for your family or tried to help some of the slave laborers who were terribly mistreated, you could be sent to a concentration camp. The occupation went on for 5 long years, with more and more hardship. But there was a hidden radio in the home of an islander named John, and he listened to reports from the outside world. And he knew when the allied forces were making advances. And he knew it was only a matter of time before the Nazis were defeated and the British troops would be arriving to reclaim their territory. And the terrible occupation would be over. Deliverance was coming soon. And, John said, the hardest thing was to keep his head down, not to walk with a spring in his step, to keep his eyes looking vacant and hopeless, lest the Nazis get suspicious. But brothers and sisters in Christ, we don’t have to keep our hope a secret. We can always walk head held high and joy in our steps. Christ is coming! He is coming at the end of time, we don’t know the time or season. But it is closer today than it was yesterday! And He is always coming. He comes into our lives every day to set us free and empower us to do His work! He is coming so hold on to the hope and joy you have in Him!

What is the reward of patient endurance and holding on to what we have? Those who run the race to the end, receive a crown of victory. For those who overcome, they will become a pillar in the temple of God. This is symbolic language for the secure and stable future of being forever in the presence of God.
God’s on name is written on them, they are citizens of the new heavenly city that can never be shaken by earthquakes or ice storms. Even now the faithful followers of Jesus have citizenship in the new heaven and the new earth that is most surely coming. And we have the assurance that Jesus has claimed us for His own! His own name is on us.