If anyone hears My voice...

Revelation 3:7-22 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:  He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

⁸ ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. ⁹ Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; 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 out of heaven from My God, and My new name. ¹³ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:  The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

¹⁵ ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, ¹⁸ I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ²¹ He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Today we continue, as we read the messages to the churches, not to focus on who the particular church was which the letter was addressed to, but rather as the Lord says:  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. There is a tendency to want to claim all of the promises in scripture, regardless of who they were addressed to, but to exclude ourselves from the warnings and the exhortations which were addressed to others. While the messages of Revelation were directed to particular churches, the exhortation is for all who have ears to hear what is spoken to the churches.

Today’s text begins:  “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance…  The first thing that comes to my mind when I read this message is that it is addressed to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. The Lord says I will make them know that I have loved you. In John 13:34-35, in the final hours Jesus spent with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion, He said:  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”   I find it ironic or perhaps tragic that the church today is divided over how we should demonstrate the love of God to the world and yet Jesus says that it is by our love for one another, by our unity with each other that the world will know we are His disciples. This church is to be recognized as being loved by the Lord. It is the church of Philadelphia, a city of brotherly love. The church today, if it is to be recognized as being loved by the Lord, must love one another. We must not be divided, but rather become a community of brotherly love. The word community is the combination of the words common and unity. We should be unified by the common love we have for the Lord, then the world will know we are loved by Him and that we are His disciples.   

The Lord says:  “He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”   I am reminded of what Jesus says in Matthew 16:13-19, when He asked the disciples about His name:    “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”    David was promised that from His line there would be one who would rule forever. Jesus is that promised one and He has the key of David, the keys of the kingdom of heaven. To those who keep Jesus word and do not deny His name, that He is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord and King; He gives the keys. There is an open door into the heavenly realm and there is power and authority to bind and loose, to bring the realities of the kingdom of heaven to earth. For those who will not deny all that His name means, that He is, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord and King; they will be the answer to the prayer Jesus taught us to pray:   Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Nothing will stand against them.

Finally, the Lord says:  “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”         Of all the messages to the churches, this is easily the most recognizable as applicable to the western church today, to the church with its multi-million dollar buildings and budgets. In many ways the institutional church in the west has become more of a corporate entity than a brotherhood of believers. Even with the very best of intentions it is difficult to prioritize the Lord’s will when so many dollars are at stake. Jesus says:  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24)    To be lukewarm is to be content with what you have, to be satisfied with what you can do on your own. To be hot would be to be filled with and following the fire of the Holy Spirit. To be cold is at least to be uncomfortable, knowing that you need something. The strong and independent nature of the American people and culture has made it one of the greatest nations on earth. But, that same independent nature can be one of the greatest hindrances to the strength of the church. Regardless of what we have and what we have done, we need to be wholly dependent on the Lord. We need the heart of the psalmist in Psalm 19:8-11:     The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.    

The Lord says:  “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”    The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost… He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.  Amen.