|
In the letters to the Churches in The Revelation, we have God's word speaking to us, warning, correcting, encouraging and comforting us. This Sunday we look at the letter to the Church in Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love). This Church loved Jesus and pleased him. It was a small (weak), faithful Church which endured through suffering and opposition. In a world full of idolatry they listened to Jesus alone. That was their greatest achievement.
The call to listen to Christ's voice is still God's call on the Churches of today. We are called to listen to and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who is holy and true. He's the one who has the key of David. God had told David that he would establish his kingdom and his son would reign on the throne forever. Jesus is that Son who takes the seat, the eternal throne. Jesus is the one who has been given all authority and the keys of the Kingdom. He can open doors that no one will shut, and shuts doors that no one opens. It's comforting to know He is sovereign and powerful. There's some debate about the open door in the text (see Rev 3:8). Often in the New Testament, an open door is a way of saying God is providing an evangelistic opportunity. Some think that’s the meaning here. But there is another meaning of “door” in the New Testament: entrance into the kingdom of God. Jesus refers to himself as “the door” in John 10:9, “I am the door of the sheep... If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” So Jesus is the doorway into salvation. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” The door symbolises the need for a decision. It’s the entryway into Christ. So, the door in this context seems to be entrance into Christ’s kingdom. The little church in Philadelphia had entered the door. Even though they had little strength, and had suffered, Jesus saved them. Despite outward circumstances of being small and weak, the Church was the inheritor of the kingdom because Jesus opened the door for them, and no one can shut it. Nothing could shut the believers out. No amount of opposition could suffer them away. The world can't take away what Jesus gives! Jesus holds them. Is this reassuring for us? Our salvation is secure through faith in Jesus Christ. No matter how weak we feel, Jesus holds our future in His hands. Our salvation and commendation from Him is not based on the great things we do but on the great things Jesus has done. All He’s asking of us is to humbly keep His powerful word and He will do the rest in and through us. May our faith in Christ cause us to rise above our struggles and lay hold of God's strength, which is made perfect in our weakness. May the strong word of God and the mighty hand of Jesus hold us firm when everything else feels as if it’s falling away. No one and nothing can snatch us out of His hand. Rest in this assurance today and always. Rev. Tanya
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Reverend
|
