Now, today, as we continue with our studies in the book of the Revelation, I want to read to you from chapter three, and we want to read the section that has to do with the letter to the church at Philadelphia. So it's Revelation chapter three, beginning to read at verse seven. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door. No man can shut it, for thou hast a little strength and has kept my word and has not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. He shall go no more out. I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. I will write upon him my new name. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. I am sure the Lord will bless to us the reading of these verses. Let us bow for prayer. Our Father, we thank thee again that we are able to read the Holy Scriptures, these that are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. We ask that these truths shall be written indelibly upon all our hearts. May thy blessing be the portion of all listeners at this time, and also remember every home circle that's represented by those who listen. May thy blessing spread out to every member of the home. May souls get saved. And may Christians be revived. We ask it in the Saviour's precious name. Amen. Now of the seven letters that are written to those seven churches, it would almost seem that this one is the most delightful. It's the letter sent to the church at Philadelphia. Here is the church of brotherly love and the church with the open door. And while this letter was actually sent to a church that was operating at that time, I remind you again that it has a message for us today. However, I might add this. It would seem to me that the message of this particular passage is not applied to any particular group at the present time except to say. It is a message for all those who are faithful, even although they may be feeble. does not necessarily mean that you're not faithful. And I believe this, that throughout the world today you will find those who are faithful to the Word of God scattered amongst different groups of people, so that you cannot confine the message of the Church here, the Church at Philadelphia, You cannot confine this message to any particular group or denomination. It is sent here to those who are faithful. So therefore, there is the very, very personal application of this particular message, enabling each person to discern what is evil in themselves and to make the necessary adjustments in order to be reckoned an overcomer. Now it seems then that this message represents a moral recovery. So here is what you might call a faithful remnant in the midst of revival. There are some very nice things said here, some very encouraging things. He said right now to the angel of the church at Philadelphia. These things says He that is holy, He that is true, He that has the key of David. Now, I want you to notice then the character in which the Lord is presented. We have been pointing out in all these letters to the various churches that to each one Christ is presented in a different character. And each one is very appropriate to the state of the church addressed with its special need. So that the character of the Lord here, as he is presented to the church at Philadelphia, is this. He that is holy. He that is true. There is holiness and truth presented here. It has been pointed out by others that holiness may represent character, while truth may represent conduct. Now, if the Lord is presented to the church then in his character as being holy and in his conduct as being true, these are the two things that should be manifested by all those who are, shall I say, constituted members of the Church at Philadelphia, the Church of Brotherly Love. Those who have, as it were, come back to God in moral recovery, out of the awful turmoil and the confusion that abounds today in Christian profession. We pointed out in our last study There were those who had a name to live and yet were dead. All they had was a religious profession and the carrying on of a name. Now when you come to Philadelphia, we're going to see that they keep his name. However, here you are then, people who are constituted, as it were, those who have been morally recovered. those who are enjoying some measure of revival and they've come back to the original standards of Christianity. And the Lord presents himself to them because he is marked by holiness in character and truth in conduct. And these are the two things that should mark all those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ. We should be marked by holiness and we should be marked by truth. Now, I believe this, that you'll find people like that no matter where you go. Now, you don't find them all in the same little group. Because no matter where you find a group of professing Christians today, you'll always find some who don't come up to the standard And then in other places where the majority are far below the standard, you might find one or two who are faithful to the things of God. They may be feeble, but they are still faithful. Now then, not only is He presented as being holy and true, but He that has the key of David, which seems to suggest this, that here is the one who has the authority. The authority to sit on the throne of David. The one who has the authority to rule, he has the key. Not only does the key represent, as it were, the power to rule, but it also represents the key to understanding. And with the key he can open. Not only does it open the door, it can open the mind of your understanding. He that opens and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man opens. Now, following the great Protestant Reformation, there seemed to be quite a dropping off again, as we pointed out in a previous study. When people grew cold at heart and they had just carried on, as it were, and they had a name to live and were dead. But, let us face this. that back in the nineteenth century there was quite a revival. God raised up different men. These men did a great work. There was a great missionary movement, a great enterprise, when missionaries were sent out all over the world and evangelical groups were prepared to give up their substance to support missionary enterprise. And so the great missionary work grew The message was preached almost to the uttermost parts of the earth. God opened the door, and when that door was opened, no man could shut. And if God shuts, of course, no man can open. And so he's presented to us as the one who has the power, the one who has the key. Now then, there's something here of commendation, a commendation for what is correct. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door. No man can shut it. For thou hast a little strength. As I have indicated, they may have been feeble, but they had a little strength. And where there's a little strength, it can be encouraged. But then, because they had a little strength, here is a lovely commendation. and has kept my word and has not denied my name. Now I want you to notice this. It's my word and my name. As you listen to my voice today, I would like to ask you, dear listener, do you place a great value on the word of God? If you attend some particular church where you have your professed Christian fellowship, I'll ask you this. Is the Word of God of prime importance? How much time is given in your church to the reading and the studying of the Word of God? Let me bring it now down to your own home. in your own private life, how much importance do you place on the Word of God? Do you find time to read the Word of God? Do you find time to study the Word of God? Because after all, if we place any importance at all on the Word of God, we should find time to read it and time to study it. He said, It's my word, and thou hast kept my word. Now in many circles today they are not keeping the word of God. In fact, there are those who are prepared to speak about the word of God as if it were of no consequence. They are placing the reasoning of men above the authority of the word of God, and that is dangerous. Then some folks who may read the Word of God and know the Word of God will refuse to be obedient to it. If we're going to keep His Word, it means we're going to be obedient to His Word. Now the church at Philadelphia, these people who have experienced something of recovery, that is recovery from the departure that preceded them, a church of brotherly love, A church that is exercised in doing the Lord's work. They have kept his word. And another thing, and they have not denied my name, he said. Might I ask you, my friend, what is the most important name in connection with your Christian profession? What is the most important name in connection with your Christian fellowship? Do you require to have some name that has been raised by men? Do you require to have some other adjective placed before the name of Christian? Or are you quite satisfied simply to be one of Christ's disciples? Are you prepared just to be a Christian without any adjective before it, saying what kind of a Christian you are? Or do you require to have some denominational name placed before the name Christian in order to let people know your affiliation? Don't you see, if we only have the name of the Lord, and we're prepared to stand by His name, then we'll be quite happy just to be Christians belonging to Christ. Now he goes a little further. He's commending them here because they have kept His word. They have not denied His name. He says, Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. You see, here was the church of brotherly love. And because they were expressing their love one to another, the Lord now says, I have loved thee. You know, the only reason why we love the Lord... is because he first loved us. That's a scriptural principle. John lays that down in his writings. We love him because he first loved us. Now here the Lord is speaking, as it were, to those who are in fellowship in the church of brotherly love, Philadelphia. And he said, I have loved thee. Now in contrast to them, he speaks of those who are of the synagogue of Satan. Did you ever think that Satan also has his congregation? Well, that's what it means. The synagogue of Satan. He is a group of people who are professedly Christians, professedly the religious, but the Lord says they're not his. They are a congregation of the synagogue of Satan. And the day will come, he said, when I'll bring them and they'll worship before thy feet. Now he goes a little further. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience. You see, it was my word, my name, my patience. These things all belong to the Lord. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Now, here is a very interesting verse and a very important verse. Now, if you are a Christian and you're listening to me right now, I want you to take special note of this verse. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience. See, the Lord is very patient. We learn that from another scripture which says, There would arise scoffers saying, Where is the sign of his coming? And then it goes on to tell us that the Lord is long suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In plain words, the Lord is patient. James also tells us to be patient unto the coming of the Lord. Now the Lord is patient. It's over nineteen hundred years since the world rejected him and put him on a cross. But when he was exalted to heaven, the Father addresses the Son and says, Sit thou there until I make thine enemies thy footstool. And he's been waiting patiently for over nineteen hundred years. Now you see, if he is patient, we have got to be patient. But he says, You've kept the word of my patience. You're waiting. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation. Now I want you to take special note. What is meant by the hour of temptation? This is the hour of trial, the time of trial, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Now, when we get into chapter six of the book of the Revelation, we shall begin to study some of the features that shall characterize that time of trial that's coming upon this world. but he says, I will keep thee not only taking them out of it, but I'll keep thee from the hour of trial. So he promises here that these believers are going to be taken out of the world before the time of trial is introduced. Let me put it in simple words for those of you that know your Bible. He's promising here that he'll come and take his people home before the time of tribulation, which proves that the church shall not go through the tribulation that's coming upon this world. Plain words, the rapture of the church, the believers, shall take place before the tribulation commences. Here then is a promise. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth." In plain words, a time of trial is coming upon the earth dwellers. Those that have fixed all their hopes on the things of this earth are facing a tremendous time of trial that's coming, and perhaps it isn't far away, the stage is set. And who knows, very soon that time of trial may be launched upon this world. But before that happens, the church shall be caught up, translated to be forever with the Lord. Now, having said that in verse ten, then he makes the promise. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Then he speaks again of the overcomer and gives the promise to the overcomer. Him that overcomereth will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. He shall go no more out. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven, from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. You see, here is the consolation, as it were, that is promised to the overcomers. You'll notice in each of these lessons there's been a word of consolation for the overcomers. And now here to the church at Philadelphia, he still gives the word of consolation. But I want you to notice very specially that after he makes that special promise in verse ten that he will keep them from the hour of trial that will come upon the world to try all the earth dwellers, then he says, Behold, I come quickly. Now, I want you to remember again that when you come to the final chapter of the book of the Revelation, this expression will be found three times. I come quickly. This is a tremendous truth in the Holy Scriptures, that the Lord Jesus Christ, who ascended from the Mount of Olives after His resurrection, He ascended up to the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high and took his seat there. That same person is coming again. The Lord Jesus Christ is not only the risen one. He is the returning one. Christ will come again. He promised he would come. If I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also. After his ascension, the two witnesses declared that he would come, saying, This same Jesus shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. Paul, in writing by inspiration, said the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel and the trump of God. He is coming again. And here in Revelation chapter three, verse then he tells us he'll keep us from the hour of temptation and he follows that with the word in verse eleven behold I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown now he's not speaking of salvation here he's speaking of reward that no man take thy crown then he speaks of the overcomers Now, he concludes this letter to the church at Philadelphia again by saying, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. If I was to choose to visit any of the churches mentioned in Revelation, I'm quite sure I'd love to have visited the church at Philadelphia. Why not today, my friend, where you meet with Christians, why shouldn't we have the character of Philadelphia The Church of Brotherly Love.