You know many couples who are the same age as my wife and I have curio cabinets in their house This is where they display treasured items like treasured antique fine China sets My wife does have such a treasure Which used to be her grandmother's it's an antique and Patty inherited it, and apparently it's very ornate. I say apparently because I don't recall ever seeing it. We don't have it on display in a lit cabinet. In fact, I think it's packed away in a particle board cabinet in a spare bedroom of our house. I'm certain the tea set was treasured by her grandmother. And I know that Patty's mom cherished it as well. Patty has the joy of knowing this fragile piece of art is in her possession. But it sits carefully wrapped in newspaper, boxed, and tucked away in an unobtrusive cabinet. I should probably tell you that I think Patty is wise not to have it out in service. You see, the paint that was used on it is lead-based, so it could create health issues for any user. So there will never be an opportunity for it to be used in the manner for which it was made. You know it's tragic, isn't it, when people treat the warnings we find right here in the Word of God like a packed up and tucked away piece of fine art. We appreciate knowing about it. We have it in our possession. But if we do not use the warnings of scripture as they are intended, the consequences will be unimaginably far more tragic. We've been studying the seven letters to the seven churches that are found in chapters two and three of the Book of Revelation. All but one of the five letters that we have examined so far have included serious warnings to the church the letter was written to and to us, which I don't know, we could pack up and we could tuck it away in a cabinet, kind of like Patty's heirloom tea set. Having the appearance of beauty and usefulness, but given no opportunity to actually apply it and use it. Now we've finished our study of those verses, now let's move on. One of the common elements to these warnings that I've been noticing in these letters is that we are exhorted to hold firm to the scriptural truths and principles that have been given to us. We don't need to let them go. Under the threat of persecution, We don't need to blend them or make them secondary to the world's beliefs and traditions. You know, it's very ironic, isn't it? That the very warnings we easily forget about are warnings not to forget about them. We are to hold on to our scriptural instructions. Now the letter of our study this morning is a little bit different from the other letters, the main thrust of these letters. The church at Philadelphia is not given any condemnation. They're not given any warnings of things that they need to repent of. They are only commended. And Jesus tells them that he is therefore going to give them more opportunities. The church age in its entirety is represented by these seven letters to the seven churches. Okay, so let me do just a little bit of review as I have been doing each and every Sunday just to give us a running start to our current letter. The number seven represents completeness. And these seven churches represent the complete church history from Pentecost, when the church began, to the end of the church period at the rapture. We've been studying these letters one a week since we began the second chapter in our study through the book of Revelation. We've been seeing in each of these letters a prophetic ongoing fulfillment. John was addressing specific contemporary situations inside each church of his own day. But also, just as Old Testament prophecy often did, these letters also clearly relate to future events as well. And these seven letters correlate perfectly with the entire history of the church from its beginning at Pentecost to its end, which will be at the rapture. Now, if you're with us, you may recall that in the letter to the church at Ephesus, we saw that it had a very strong parallel between the literal church in Ephesus during John's day and to the church period from Pentecost to around 100 AD, when the next church age began. Both of them, the church at Ephesus and this church period, had patiently endured hardship. They defended God's truth against false teachers. They worked sacrificially. But eventually, They were only doing ministry out of a sense of duty. They had lost their first love for Jesus. And they were warned that if they didn't repent, Jesus would remove their witness to the world. Now, we have seen that that actually did happen. Today, we look at the entire region where Ephesus once thrived Their testimony today has been extinguished. It is a Muslim land today. Then we studied the church at Smyrna, which amazingly parallels the period of church history from 100 AD to 312 AD. The church at Smyrna is known as the church under persecution. Now the letter said that there would be 10 periods of testing. And when the time, distinguished between 100 AD and 312 AD, the church had never known previously or since then such severe persecution. During that time period, 10 separate Roman emperors tried to extinguish the church. Fortunately, that period eventually ended. Next, we looked at the letter to the church at Pergamon. This represents the church period from 312 to approximately 590. You see, beginning in 312, Emperor Constantine not only made Christianity legal, but he forced his armies and Roman society to convert to Christianity, whether they were Christians or not. He was allowed to take over and preside the church as the head of the church. And so this period of church history is known as the period where the church married the world. And the word Pergamum means marry. Then we studied the letter to the church at Thyatira. This parallels the period of church history from 590 to 1517. when the church tolerated a person who is identified as Jezebel. Jezebel led this church era into idolatry, just as Jezebel of the Old Testament led Israel into idolatry. But this Jezebel also led God's people into depreciating the person of Christ and venerating his human mother, Mary. There are so many parallels to the development of the system of Catholicism and the contemporary church at Thyatira. You see, the word Thyatira, it means continual sacrifice. Now, what was developed during this historical period of the church was that they had developed an unbiblical concept of mass. That's where Jesus is sacrificed all over again, continually, each time mass is celebrated. Last week we were studying the letter to Sardis. Now the word Sardis means escaping ones or those who come out. This is the period of the Reformation. It consists of the time period approximately from AD 1517 to AD 1750. Now, you see in the midst of spiritual darkness, there were those who escaped its contamination. Among those who escaped or came out, which is what the word sardis means, were Luther, Knox, Wycliffe, Zwingli, and others, these great reformers who broke with Rome. Jesus said of this church, this period of church history, that they had a reputation for being alive, but they were actually dead. Christ described in this letter their dead orthodoxy. where adherence to creeds and doctrinal positions were far more primary than outreach, forgiveness, loving behavior, that is to characterize Christianity. Cold, hard, orthodoxy, became the focus as if that is the church's ideal. I'm not demeaning doctrine. Doctrine's good, but it is not the ideal. And this brings us to today's letter to the church at Philadelphia. Most of you probably already know the word Philadelphia means brotherly love, coming from two words, philos, meaning love, and delphoi, meaning brothers. We have been seeing how the names of each of these seven churches played a significant part in describing what their corresponding period of church history would be like. It's beautiful the way scripture is written. The period of church history that we looked at last week was characterized by their lack of love. They were dead. with only a head knowledge. Christianity had become cold, formalistic, only with that head knowledge. It was lifeless. But the Lord brought change in the next church period, between the years of 1730, approximately, and approximately 1950. I've heard some say it goes all the way into the 1960s. The Lord at this time brought about great revival. The revival centered largely within the United States, England, Scotland, and Wales. It was the beginning of the greatest missionary movement of all time. The great missionary movements were in full swing during this church period. No one could ever stop the forward movement of the gospel when the church took advantage of the open door that Christ provided. Primarily during the years of 1700 to 1900, there was nowhere missionaries could not go. God had opened the door wide for the church to evangelize. There were hardly any limitations, maybe travel limitations. It was Jesus who opened the doors and the church was faithful to go through them. Today, we're in a different church era. Many countries have closed their doors to missions. During this period of church history, when the doors were opened, God called men like George Whitfield, Charles Wesley, Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and many others to proclaim his word. Ministries on college campuses like Navigators, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Campus Crusade for Christ, were impacting hundreds of thousands of young people. Youth for Christ, Young Life, were on high school campuses. Inner Cities had the YMCA and the YWCA, which started as Christian organizations, to preach the gospel. and to teach Bible study. Following World Wars I and World War II, men coming out of the military had burden to reach the places where they had served in the military. There were specific mission organizations developed to reach Japan, China, Africa, and the gospel now grown cold Europe. They started vibrant mission organizations during this period of time. Doors were open to the second coming. It was being preached everywhere. People were being saved and looking for the Savior to appear at any moment. Christians vibrantly evangelized, defended the faith, preached revivals with self-sacrificing love. I was born in the embers of this church era. I've watched as the last and final church era, which we're going to cover next week, was ushered in. We are now in the church era that is labeled people rule. Many of you listening to me have also lived, in the part of your lives at least, in the previous church era represented by this letter. We're studying today the letter to the Church of Philadelphia. I appreciate hearing your memories of church experiences when the Philadelphia church era was in full swing. It was a time when there was great missionary expansion. God was opening impossible doors of effective service, and church folks had a great love for one another. Even though we're no longer part of that era, we are presently in the Laodicean Church age, there can be and are elements of it that will live on. to the time that the church is raptured off the earth. There are remnants of each major church period that continue to exist ongoing into the next era and the next era and the next era. Characteristics of, for example, of the church at Ephesus, that of losing a first love carried on to other church eras. The Smyrna Church, the church that was persecuted. Yeah, each era has a church that was persecuted. Pergamum Church, wedding itself with the world. Yeah, we still see some of that today. Thyatira Church, depreciating the person of Jesus and exultating, lifting up his mother. That still goes on today. And so we see bits of each of these church eras that continue on. all the way through. Now, that's why every one of the seven letters that John wrote, they all end with an admonition. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Plural. Not just to your church that is in your area. No, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, all of them. But the descriptions of each individual letter depicts the most characteristic patterns and behaviors of that particular church period to which it was addressed. It was most characteristic of that time period, but some of those characteristics continued on all the way through. Now, that's important for us to realize, you see, because one of the promises that are made to the church at Philadelphia, we don't want to say, well, that only pertains to the church at Philadelphia. That's not really a hope that we can have. No, no, no, no. We can't read it that way because each of these have some implications for each of the eras. This one that I'm talking about here that we're gonna see in Revelation 3.10 will definitely be true of many in every church era, including this Laodicean church era. Now, what I'm talking about here is the promise that they're gonna be spared the coming tribulation on the world. We're gonna see that promise in verse 10 today. It will be true characteristically of the Church of Philadelphia, very characteristic of them. but also true of many in the Laodicean age. Many living in our current age will also be spared from living through this coming wrath of God. Living water today can possess some of the characteristics from each period of church history that are spoken of in these letters. But hopefully, We will resemble most of all the descriptions from the church at Philadelphia. This church era that was commended by Jesus. I like to believe that we are a Philadelphian church living in the Laodicean age. Maybe you will too. So let's look at that description right now. I'm gonna bring up our entire passage, the letter to the church at Philadelphia, Revelation 3, verses seven through 13. It reads this way. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, the words of the Holy One, the true One, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews but are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and 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 from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who hasn't here, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. History shows, let me just give a little background of this history of Philadelphia here. History shows the purpose of this city was that it was a mission outpost for the spreading of the Greek culture throughout the regions of Lydia and Phrygia, which is the region of Turkey today. It was located in a place where the borders of these three countries met, Mysia, Phrygia, and Lydia. Philadelphia, in other words, was the gateway to the East. It was a strategic location for being a missionary outpost of what the culture of the first century wanted to reach out with, and that was, of course, the Greek culture. So it was a mission outpost for Philip and Alexander the Great for making the Greek culture dominant. The city succeeded in its mission so well that in 19 AD, the Lydian language had been completely replaced by the Greek language. They were not as successful with the Phrygians, who resisted the changes from the West. But the point is, the location of the city gave it a natural opportunity, open doors for successful Hellenization of the region. And John's letter addressed to the church at Philadelphia, once again, has perfect parallels to the church era. being mission-oriented, that it is foretelling. Now, the only major problem with the location, there was a problem that the people experienced who lived there, and it was this. It was very prone to earthquakes. Philadelphia sat on a geological fault, And in 17 BC, it was destroyed by a severe earthquake that also destroyed Sardis and 10 other cities. Afterward, many of the citizens remained fearful and they refused to move back to Philadelphia. They wouldn't live there. They didn't seem to see that there was much security in the city known as Brotherly Love. They were few and their potential for greatness was weakened by these multiple earthquakes. They didn't have much power. Its reputation for earthquakes, as we're going to see, plays a major part in what John is gonna write in his letter here. So I want you to just kind of remember what I'm telling you here, that it was known for its earthquakes, and therefore few people would live in this city. God's word is so beautiful in the ways that it communicates, all of the parallels that we see in it. All right, let's take a look at verse seven. Let's go back to the beginning of this letter. As it begins, he says, and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, the words of the Holy One, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. Wow. Now the background for our understanding what he means here, he holds the key of David, that takes us back to Isaiah chapter 22. Assyria had invaded Judah, just as Isaiah had been warning. But the Jewish leaders were trusting Egypt, not God, to deliver their nation from the Assyrians. One of the treacherous leaders was a man named Shebna, who had used his office not for the good of the people, but for his own private gain. God saw to it that Shebna was removed from office and a faithful man who was right for the office, had the right heritage and everything else, the right lineage, that Eliakim was put in his place and given the keys to authority. And so let me take you to Isaiah 22 verses 19 through 22, and you'll see some parallels to our passage today here. I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. In that day I will call my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, And I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open and no one shall shut, and he shall shut and no one shall open. And so Jesus, in giving this letter to John to write to the church at Philadelphia, is referencing this here in the book of Revelation. You see, Eliakim was a picture of Jesus Christ, a faithful and true authority of God's people. who replaced an authority, Shebna, who acted in his own self-interest during the dark time of Judah's history. Indeed, unlike Shebna, both Eliakim and Jesus held the key to the house of David by lineage and by the eternal will of God. Both Eliakim, most importantly Jesus, are rightful heirs to the earthly, visible, actual throne of David. And so that's what this reference means here in verse seven. Jesus is the keeper of the keys. He has the keys to the kingdom of heaven, the keys of God's presence, keys to eternal life, the keys to the storehouse of divine truth, the keys to heaven. And listen, he has the keys to all of our life's circumstances. He has the keys to the doors of Christian service. He says to the saints in Philadelphia, verse eight, I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Now you probably know this, in the New Testament, an open door speaks of an opportunity for ministry. We see this time and time again used in the New Testament. Acts 14.27, 1 Corinthians 16.9, 2 Corinthians 2.12, Colossians 4.3. It depicts the fact that Christ, it is Christ who determines where and when his people will effectively serve. Please hear me. Please, please hear me. As followers of Christ, who want to serve him effectively, We are so often tempted to try to pull wires, to do a little politicking, to try to slap backs, to know the right people, to make contacts in order to ensure effective ministry. The only promotion comes not from the North, the South, the East, or the West, but from God. If we commit our way to him and trust him, he is the one who will open the doors for the ministry that he wants us to have. No man or group of men hold the keys to Christian service. I don't care what authority they portray. The Lord is still in charge. His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is right toward Him. His headquarters is heaven and His itinerary is made up by the Lord of the open door. Paul spoke of open doors in Ephesus and Macedonia. Our current era of church history, the era of Laodicea, is the church of the closed door. Foreign fields are closing. Missionaries are being denied visas for entry. I vividly recall the hardships we had in getting the riffles into Columbia and to be able to stay there and convincing the government they have a purpose to be there. Missionaries today have to come up with all sorts of creative ways to get inside these countries today. especially Muslim countries, even Europe. Even the way our missionaries communicate with our home churches has to be done with great care, great carefulness. I'll get frequently personal letters and emails from missionaries that are coded. They have to be, they can't say too much, because they'll get kicked out of the country. Or they'll even put in their email, in their letter, please do not say this publicly. Because we might get kicked out of the country if you do. Word will get back. But you see, the Philadelphia church was the church of the open door. We're not that today. Now, don't misunderstand me, please. Yes, we are in a different church era, but Christ is still setting open doors before us. I stand by what I said earlier, that the general character of our current era may not be as it once was, the general character of the churches today. The previous era was characterized by many open doors, but wherever we have an open door to us, we have a great opportunity and responsibility to preach the gospel, to go through it. When Jesus Christ opens a door for us, and he does, we must go through it. We must busy ourself with his work. You know, it's very interesting that Jesus prefaced his open door promise with a statement, I know your works. That's important. God never gives us greater opportunities until we are faithful to use what he's already given us. Because of their faithful use of God's word, Christ would open doors for them that no one could shut. God will make a way for any Christian or church that applies his word and honors his name. But let's be very careful here. Let's not misunderstand this as some sort of Renumeration, quid pro quo, that's not what this is. It's not because of our ability, our faith, or our works. It seems to me that the nature of the relationship between the faithfulness of the church in Philadelphia and the open door is not that they earned the open door, but one of the power of the word of Jesus. producing an open door. That is, Jesus does not give the church an open door as payment in response to the service they rendered by keeping his word. Rather, Jesus gives them his word, which is living and active, powerful, life-giving, opportunity-creating. And when they properly use it, the word of Jesus opens the doors. It's not a matter of our great strength, you see. It's not a matter of our great ability. But the great dependability of God's word and the person of Christ. It's not the size or strength of the church that determines its ministry. But hear me now. It's the application of His Word. And the desire to see the name of Christ honored. The Lord does not blame us for having little strength, but for having little regard for His name and His Word. I'm gonna say that again. The Lord does not blame us for having little strength, but for having little regard for his name and his word. Verse nine. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, but are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. The emphasis on the saint's condition, they had little power, helps them to look to him for strength, to help in serving him and entering this opened door. It's not our power that is important. It is his power and strength that matters. He will keep the door open. He will enable us to serve. Look at your own strength. That can be very discouraging. Instead, look at His strength. Be sure of your calling and then let Him take care of the needed power. We can have all the education available, the best of programs, the most appealing literature, and put on the great evangelistic meetings, but apart from Christ opening a door of opportunity, we're gonna fail miserably. Know this as well. Just because Jesus opens a door does not mean that our walking through it is gonna be easy. Verse eight mentioned an obstacle that keeps many from going through, and that was having little power in and of themselves. Verse nine gives us a different obstacle, another difficulty, and that's human opponents. You know, to the first century at Philadelphia, they faced opposition from ethnic Jews. These people may have been Jews in the flesh, but they were not true Israel in the New Testament sense of things. You see, Paul argues in Romans 2, verses 17 through 29, that a person becomes a Jew by believing in God's promises, not by birth. and that Christians, because they believe God's promises, are true descendants of Abraham. How are these Jews by birth opposing the church in Philadelphia? For one thing, they were excluding Jewish believers from the synagogue. Another weapon was probably false accusation. That's the way the unbelieving Jews were attacking Paul. Satan is the accuser and he uses religious people to assist him. It's not easy to witness for Christ when the leading people in the community are spreading lies about you. Anyone who has found themselves persecuted because of righteousness, opposed because of the gospel, can be encouraged by what Jesus says here to the church in Philadelphia. Jesus tells this church that keeping his word is not only the path that leads to an open door, it's also the path that leads to triumph over the enemies of the gospel. You know, I think it's also very significant here. These letters are so beautifully written. Very significantly, during this period of church history that this letter represents, this Philadelphia period, is also the era where we saw the rise of cults. Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian science. And do you know one of the common elements, I didn't realize this until this week, It suddenly hit me. One of the common elements of these cults is that each one claims to be real Jews. The Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, say they are the 144,000 that are mentioned in Revelation chapter seven. Mormons make the claim to be the 10 lost tribes of Israel, or one of the 10 lost tribe of Israel. I will make them to come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you." These pretenders will ultimately have to acknowledge Christ is Lord, but it will be to their condemnation. They will learn that I have loved you. Those who are discounted and despised today in this world will be acknowledged and praised by the fakers as being right. The ungodly, to their shameful condemnation, will one day recognize that believers were the ones who were correct. The day is coming when the Lord will show what is right and who is right. Listen, can you honestly agree with this? The greatest friend of truth is time. The greatest friend of truth is time. Error is always in a hurry. But God's people can afford to await the vindication of time. And if we're not vindicated in our own lifetime, eternity will settle the score. Now folks, verse 10. Here's a powerful, powerful verse. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial, the hour, the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. John goes out of his way to make things very clear here. And I kind of emphasize them as I was reading this verse. This is one of the clearest statements that true believers will not go through the tribulation. This is a precious promise for the believer. It's a reference to the blessed hope that God's children will be delivered and kept out of the tribulation that has yet to come on the unbelieving world, the whole world. That's key, that he includes that here. The church will not go through the tribulation. At some appointed day, just before the tribulation, Christ will rapture his people from the sin-darkened earth. Now because of the way that Revelation is so carefully worded here, Revelation 3.10, the fact that it refers to the great and coming tribulation is almost never debated that this verse is about the tribulation. It's that clear. John goes out of his way. It is the time of trial that is about to come on all the inhabited earth. You see, nothing like this has ever happened since Noah's day. Those who say, well, the tribulation has already come. It's only figured that didn't happen on the whole earth. Nothing has happened over the whole earth since Noah. Jesus' promise in Revelation 3.10, a verse that anyone who has interest in last day prophecy ought to memorize, provides great security for every Christ follower. Why? Because Jesus isn't going to keep us through the tribulation, but from the tribulation. Listen, there are so many Bible teachers who say that the church will go through the flames of persecution, just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego endured the fiery flames of the fiery furnace. Those teachers believe Christ will be with us and keep us safe in the midst of it, enabling us to endure it. But Revelation 3.10 is clearly a contradicting of that teaching. Jesus said, I will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to those who dwell on the earth. He did not say, I will keep you during the trial. He did not say, I will keep you through the trial. No, Jesus vividly, clearly says, I will keep you from the hour of the trial, and that requires a removal from before the trial ever begins. It can't be any clearer. From is the Greek word ek. It's used hundreds of times in scripture, ek. For example, out of Egypt I have called my son. That's not through Egypt I have called myself. No, out of Egypt, Matthew 2.15. First, cast out the beam, out from your eye, Matthew 7.5. For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, Matthew 15.19. Many bodies of the saints came out of the graves after his resurrection, Matthew 27.53. And what we will see next week, I will spew you out of my mouth. Revelation 3.16. Ek, does not mean through. I read with interest this week several commentaries that were written by men who I know believe that Christians will go through the tribulation. I wanted to see how they handled this verse. Most of them skipped it altogether. Or they denied it, they would say something to the effect that believers will go through the tribulation because the antichrist will murder saints, so the church will be here. Well, I'm sorry, but that doesn't prove anything that we can deny this verse. Because you see, you're witnessing to friends and relatives and neighbors, I am, And when the rapture occurs, it's gonna suddenly dawn on them, they were right. And they'll put their faith in Christ. And what about those 144 evangelists that we read of in Revelation chapter seven? You don't think they're gonna have any fruit of their evangelistic efforts during the tribunal? They sure will. That's where the Christians will come from. The church will be raptured. But there's gonna be Christians who come to put their faith in Christ during the tribulation, and that's what that's about. It does not prove that the church is gonna be here. I say hogwash, this text is very clear. There's no reason to deny what it plainly says. And it is plain. Verse 11. I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have so that no one may seize your crown. Huh? Can we lose our salvation? No, that's not what it's saying. That's not what it's saying. You know, if ever our souls need to be on guard, it sure is, seems to be today. The tempter of our day demands that we hold firm to our faith. This world is chloroformed by the prince of darkness. Christians everywhere around us are slumbering in spiritual stupor. Our natures demand that we be vigilant. We cannot be lazy. We cannot be inclined to float downstream instead of swimming against the current. Forgetting the things which we have heard does that. We can easily just drift along, but we can't. Again, this is not talking about losing our salvation, it's talking about some of our eternal rewards when we start drifting and not walking through the doors of opportunity that Christ opens for us. You know what does it, we can have some of these rewards stolen a couple of different ways. Number one, let me just say, by discouragement. Elijah and John the Baptist were two excellent servants of the Lord. But discouragement overcame them. I don't know if they lost in your reward, but if they could be discouraged, you and I must not think that we're immune. And discouragement can keep us from walking through a door that Christ opens before us. We can't let that happen. Number two, success. That can also result in a loss of reward. We must let heaven, not earth, motivate us. Success can feather our nest so comfortably that we forget how to fly. Number three, the pressures of this world can steal some of our reward by entangling us with so many concerns. We're so bogged down, we're not gonna take a challenge of an open door before us. If we will continue to be a Philadelphia church in a Laodicean age, then we simply must be on our guard against the dull, draining atmosphere of the world around us. And not allow our crown to be stolen. Verse 12. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and 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 from my God out of heaven, and my new name. Now remember when I told you I wanted you to kind of put away in your minds that this place was earthquake-prone? Here's where we get into that. Philadelphia was prone to earthquakes, and the symbolism of this verse, of their earthquakes and so forth, would be especially meaningful, this wording that we just read. to the people who lived in constant danger of it. The verse refers to the stability that pillars give to buildings. Buildings with good, strong pillars, you don't need to run out and flee. You can stay there. A heavenly city that nothing can destroy has good, strong pillars. Ancient cities, and there's a lot of symbolism also that's going on here, ancient cities often honored great leaders by erecting pillars with their names inscribed on them. God's pillars are not made out of stone. His pillars are the faithful people who bear the name of God. His name for His glory. He's gonna make those who follow Him strong, stable, immovable, permanent, durable, and standing in God's house, unshakable. Unshakable. Pillars also represented honor. In pagan temples, they were often carved in such a way to honor a particular deity. Philadelphia could relate to what's being written here. It was their custom to honor a man who served in the city, like a magistrate, a benefactor, a priest. They were honored by erecting a pillar in a temple and putting that person's name on it. kind of like how we dedicate buildings to certain people. That's what they would do with these pillars in their city. This name would be remembered by the worshipers and the users of that temple. Now, Jesus says here, I will make a pillar for you in my temple. I will honor you by standing strong, by standing strong. They identified with that as they read this letter. He'll write the name of God and the place of our eternal dwelling on the overcomer. All of this will give the overcomer much prestige and honor, something that we don't have on earth. God will not do this for the treasured teapots that are boxed up and sitting in a particle board cabinet. God is looking for weak vessels, clay pots, the kind that can be filled with his power and strength and then be sent out into a crash-bang world, walking through doors that he will open. Why would anybody be willing to do that? because the greatest friend of truth is time. Eternity will settle the score. Let's be a Philadelphia church in a Laodicean age. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says. to the churches. Let's pray.