heavenly father forgive us for doing anything to try to win your approval we can live hard enough well enough we can do enough good works we can study the bible hard enough we can pray hard enough and somehow we could in our own power make you happy or earn or add to supplement our salvation father thank you that salvation is in jesus alone and thank you that the only thing there is for us to do is receive it and be glad so would help us to cling to christ all the more that he would be our life that he would be our light he would be just what our every waking moment is about you so we just pray that your word would just reveal more of him to us this evening father we pray you would bless our tithe our offering or that we would gladly that we would cheerfully give back what you call us to give back of what you’ve given us trusting that you are our provider and you multiply our small obedience for your glory lord so we’ll take our finances as an act of worship we pray we love you and it’s in jesus name amen

all right well thank you all for leading us in worship

well good evening it is um very very good to be with you um i hope that

um as we come into a new year

sundays aren’t um church day but it’s man that time i get to be with god’s people seeing god’s word hear god’s word be renewed be built up for the christian life so um let’s love being together and being in god’s word together all the more and i’m glad to be with you again in the book of revelations so we’ve stopped for advent and uh we’re We talked last week about the Great Commission, but we’re going to be back into the book of Revelation, chapter 3, verses 7 to 13. We’re going to pick up with the church in Philadelphia, the church in Philadelphia, Revelation chapter 3, verses 7 to 13.

Jesus says to this church, to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, right? 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 that they are Jews and 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 trial. By 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 in the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven in my own new name. He who has an. Ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

It’s it’s one thing to begin. Well, isn’t it? It’s quite another thing to finish. Well, it’s fun to start stuff. It’s fun to start, you know, learning a craft. It’s fun to, you know, think up, you know, the rooms you want to paint or the. Redecorating or that porch, you know, you finally want to get to. And it’s easy to get going and to, you know, make a game plan and get really excited about that. Or I know people love to at the beginning of a new year, start a reading plan like I’m going to read. And it’s like February. And it’s like, all right, I got one page under my belt. Right. So it’s so easy to dream up. The stuff that we want to do in line. It’s another thing to go on through and to finish. Well, and that’s so true in the Christian life. It’s so true in the Christian life. It’s so easy to get on a whiteboard or sit around in a circle and talk about the big things you want to do for God and what you want to give to God in your life. But it’s another thing when the rubber hits the road to stay the course, when it’s tough and when it’s difficult and when you’d rather do something else.

Jesus is talking to. The church. It’s Philadelphia about this very thing. And. What I’m going to hang over the sermon. Just two words. Patient endurance. Patient endurance. That’s what they need to hear about. I promise you. It’s what we need to hear about. We I do. I don’t want to just be excited about Jesus and spurts and seasons. I want to know what it means. What it means to really abide in struggle for follow Jesus when it matters most. And I want to finish well for Jesus. And I believe you do, too.

Philadelphia. Is a gateway to the east. And as such, it made the perfect city for kind of disseminating Greek culture. It had remarkable temples and festivals. It was known for its high volume of wine production and quality wine. The interesting thing, though, about Philadelphia, though, it is heavy on Greek culture, as many of the other cities that we’ve looked at have been. The church in Philadelphia, their struggle was not clashing with that pagan culture. It wasn’t the secular environment that was causing them to struggle so hard in their Christian faith. The struggle was with the Jewish community.

And when we come to our description here of Jesus, remember, Jesus always gives a little description of himself at the beginning. And then that description is exactly what that church needs applied to them. And what does Jesus say about himself?

Jesus says that he’s the one that speaks, speaks the words. And who is he? He says, I’m the holy one. I’m the true one. I have the key of David. Now, when you think of the word holy, we all think immediately like clean, pure. And that’s totally what Jesus is. But this is coming from more of an Old Testament kind of sense of dedicated to God. So if utensils or things or sacrifices in the temple in the Old Testament were holy to God, it means they were set apart to God. So Jesus is saying, I’m the one who is dedicated. I’m dedicated to God. Whatever I’m doing, it’s because God has set me apart for this purpose. That’s who’s speaking to you. God’s dedicated one. And that’s powerful. Jesus says at the same time that he’s the true one. He’s the true one. So if Jesus is the true one, that means whatever words he speaks are true words. Remember, Jesus said, I’m the way I am the truth. I am the life. So Jesus doesn’t just have some good things to say. Jesus claimed in different ways over and over again that he was the very substance of God. If anyone really knew who God was, what God was about, Jesus is the scriptures tell us the exact imprint of God. Jesus is true. Jesus is true.

And then Jesus says that he has the key of David. This goes back to Isaiah chapter 22, verse 22. This is. Prophetic word. It says, I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and none shall open. So what did God say to David? David, someone’s going to come in your line. And when that one from your line comes, he’s going to sit on your throne and he’s going to be on that throne forever. And his kingdom will be an eternal kingdom.

If someone’s going to speak words of encouragement to me, who better than the one who is dedicated, set apart. To God, by God, for God is the substance of truth, only speaks the substance of truth. And it is the very king of the universe and the age that is to come. That’s a big deal. Because that’s who Jesus says he is. And if it’s not true, it’s incredibly arrogant. That’s the interesting thing about God. God gets to make these overblown statements about himself and they’re true. So God, God gets to be self-obsessed because he’s worth. Self-obsessing over. And it’s like, yes, do that, God, because you should glorify yourself. And that’s what God does. He glorifies himself and all things in his universe exist for his glory. So next time you hear someone say, oh, I think Jesus is a good teacher or, you know, I think Jesus has some good things to say or I can appreciate parts of Jesus ministry. You can say no way. Jesus was way more obsessed with himself. He said he was the truth. Jesus said he was God’s man. He says that he and he alone is the king over all the earth. Jesus doesn’t give us the choice to think he’s just someone good. But if that’s who Jesus is, imagine what great comfort it would be if that Jesus was for you and on your team. And he says that he is to the Philippian church. And I want you to see how those descriptions go so far to help them and to help us patiently endure. Whatever. Whatever we come through in the Christian life. We can patiently endure because Jesus deeply knows all things and provides for all things. He knows exactly what’s happening in our lives. And he means to provide for each and everything that happens in our lives.

Jesus says in. Verse nine, excuse me, verse eight.

I know your works. I know your works. Behold, I’ve 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 not denied my name. You know, I think it’s as often as you and I face trials. We were so prone to forget that comforting truth, aren’t we? We’re so prone to forget Jesus. He knows. He knows. We come to things right in life. We come to sin struggles. We come to two big, you know, no impasses. And we think, oh, my gosh, pull the alarm. God, didn’t you know about this? What’s going on? And we run to God as if we’re the first ones to tell him something’s going on. God, did you know this is happening in culture? God, did you know about that illness? God, did you know about that money problem? God, did you know I’m struggling with this sin? And like our hair is on fire and we forget. God says. God says, I know, I know. God deeply knows what’s going on in each of our lives. And because he knows exactly what’s going on, he knows, does he not, how to deal with it. Now, that’s been bad news for some of these churches because Jesus says, I know your works. And then he’s got this laundry list of problems like y’all are lazy. I don’t care. You’re slipping into immorality. And it’s, you know, disciplinary. It’s for a good purpose, but it’s disciplinary. With this church, it’s different. Jesus doesn’t have anything negative to say about the church at Philippi. He doesn’t have, he doesn’t have some word of correction for them. It’s quite the opposite. He says, do, do more of what you’re doing. He says, patiently endure as you ought. Because they’re doing what? He says, they’re holding fast to his word. They’re not denying his name. They’re being faithful. Jesus says, hey, listen, I’ve opened a door. Nobody can shut the door.

I’ve opened a door. Jesus has given these Christians, Jesus has given you entrance into his eternal kingdom. And it doesn’t matter what any enemy might do. Jesus says to them, remember this. Nobody can shut you out. I’m the one who has that authority and power, and I’m keeping the door open. For you.

Jesus applies himself to their very situation. He says, you will enter in.

Notice he says that they have but little power. Little power. And it’s interesting. This is not a church that has like huge financial resources. This is not a church that like has its hands in, you know, you know, politicians pockets able to make things happen. They don’t have some huge influence. They don’t have some huge influence in the city. They’re just like this little church doing their deal. Right. And I think maybe that feels feels like close to home for us. They’re just like trying to be faithful. This is church, you know. And you say, well, surely Jesus doesn’t care about a little church. You know, a little backwoods church doing whatever, blah, blah, blah. You know, there’s surely bigger, better when it’s flashy ones. He needs to be worried about. And that’s not the case at all. Jesus says that he’s very aware of what’s going on and he wants them to know. He approves of what they do. Why?

He says, because you’ve kept my word and you’ve not denied my name. You’ve kept my word and you’ve not denied my name. And the ones making that difficult for them is the Jewish community. So there must have been a substantial Jewish community in Philadelphia because he mentions them as the major opponent to the church. And that’s not uncommon. Is it New Testament? You see. Going all the way back to Jesus, his ministry, the Jews constantly, you know, revolted against Jesus, his message against, you know, his claim to Messiah ship. Obviously, Jesus is crucifixion. When you come to the New Testament, it’s the Jewish community that time and time again gives gives the apostles trouble as they’re preaching the gospel, as they are doing ministry throughout the known world. Some of them just straight up hated Jesus. Some of them wanted a mixture of the gospel and the law of Moses.

But it’s interesting that Jesus turns it on on their heads and Jesus says they say they’re Jews, but really they’re just they’re the synagogue of Satan. And those are really strong words, aren’t they? To say they’re a synagogue of Satan. Ignatius has said by their slander and persecution of Christians. They have shown. They have shown themselves to be the synagogue of Satan. So they think they’re protecting God. They think they’re the keepers of true religion. But Jesus is reminding them, I’m the one that opens and no one shuts and I’m the one who shuts and no one opens. And what does Paul tell us? Who really are God’s people? It’s not people that keep the law of Moses and obey all the rules. It’s the people that have faith in Jesus. It’s the ones who are circumcised in heart. Paul says that’s that’s truly the Jewish nation. That’s truly the Jewish nation. So Jesus comforts him and says, you are truly my people, not those who think they’re on my side working for me. And really, he says, what they’re of the synagogue of Satan.

You know, I think oftentimes feel small, powerless, fatigued in life and the Christian life. There’s always a voice. Hear me say it. There’s always a voice. There’s always a representative of the synagogue of Satan, the kingdom of Satan that really wants you, that really wants me, that really wants the church to deny the gospel or at least to compromise on it just a little bit. Can we can we compromise on it just a little bit? That’s always the case. But Jesus, Jesus knows and Jesus promised. If if you patiently endure, guess what? Whatever you come across, whatever your difficulty, your pathway into my kingdom, it’s open and no one can shut it. And Jesus believes in telling us that it’s worth enduring for. And so you see what Jesus says. He says, these people that say that they’re going to come and they’re going to bow down before you. And you kind of get the picture in the image of remember Joseph in Exodus. His brothers did all those horrible things to him. And he said, someday. You’re going to all bow down before me. And the thing is, that’s not happening. And there Joseph is, you know, the second in command in Egypt. And all of his brothers are bowed down before him. And that wasn’t to to worship Joseph. It was just for his brothers to see, wow, Joseph really was God’s man. God really did love Joseph and was using Joseph in a special way. And so on the same the same token, Jesus is saying to us here. Here, all those who were against us, all those who are against you in the end, in the very last, they will see that you are my people and that I have loved you and I have loved you.

The fact that Jesus loves you and he knows you and he promises you’ll never be shut out of his kingdom. Is that enough for you to patiently endure? Is that enough for you to keep going when going is difficult, when going? It’s tough. I would hope the answer is yes. I think I think on the one side of it, there’s a reminder in this passage that we probably don’t pray for the salvation of the Jewish nation enough. Jesus really loves the Jewish nation. The Jews, while it’s true, you know, we’re spiritually Israel now. Paul talks a lot in Romans about the in gathering of the Jews at the end of time. So it’s. It’s something to hope for. It’s something to pray for. But it’s something, friends, at the same time to remind us that we may not be dealing with that issue. But I need to be faithful and praying that even my enemies that persecute me, they’re not my enemies. And I hope that God destroys them. I hope that God saves them. And I hope that I can be a faithful witness to them, whatever, whatever may come in the now. And that’s that’s tough and that’s hard. But that’s kind of that tension. The Christian life between, OK, my enemies persecute me and it’s tough, but God doesn’t want me to wish the worst on them. God wants me to be faithful, to stand for him in hopes that through my faithfulness, God changes their heart.

So, friends, I want to ask you this evening. Do you believe that you’re known? Do you believe that Jesus loves you? Do you believe that Jesus allows for you to walk through the things that you do? And that Jesus is using everything that you’re going through for his purposes to bring you into his kingdom?

I want you to see, secondly, Jesus knows all things he provides for us and all things. The second thing here that he says is that he keeps us from ultimate destruction. He keeps us from ultimate destruction. In verse 10. He says,

So you know, like the very cultural moment that the Philippians find themselves in, it’s not a happy one. They’re socially marginalized. They’ve probably been thrown out of the synagogue. They can’t work. They can’t worship there anymore. It’s kind of like they’re the Christians. Stay away from them. And the Jews have just made it really hard for them to exist in Philadelphia as a body of believers. And so it’s an indicator. God is allowing us to walk through really hard things. You think about previous letters to the other churches we’ve looked at. They dealt with some really, really difficult, hard things. When you read the account of the apostles in the New Testament, what did they deal with? Really, really difficult physical persecution. All sorts and varieties of suffering and pain for what they believed. Physical persecution, social marginalization, poverty, hunger, death. Remember what Paul says in Corinthians. He says, To the present hour, we hunger and we thirst. We’re poorly dressed. We’re buffeted. We’re homeless. We labor. We work with our hands. When reveled, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. We’re slandered. Yet we entreat. We have become and still are the scum of the world. Paul says, we’re the scum of the world. The refuse of all things. So suffering for Jesus is usually a common experience of Christ followers in Scripture and in just life, even to the modern era. You know, I try to be faithful about sending out things. They’re going on in India and Nigeria. I think I sent the one out recently about Nigeria is expected in India are expected to climb on the persecution list globally. I met a guy from Nigeria Wednesday and I can tell you an accent. So I was like, where are you from? And he’s like, Nigeria is like, I pray for Nigeria every day in my church. We pray for Nigeria and I send out things about Nigeria all the time. And it probably like freaked him out. But it was amazing to meet someone from Nigeria because, you know, Nigeria is so persecuted. I mean, just. It’s the most brutal and cruel slaughter of men and women and children for believing in Jesus. I mean, it’s a big deal. And I think if we as 21st century people imagine somehow we’re exempt from some serious degree of hardship, you know, like if there’s a radar, I’m hoping under it in terms of like severe persecution. Think again. I think you have to think again. And. Hard times, you know, things are increasingly hostile against Christian doctrine and even just basic fundamentals and morals. There was a there was a news story just last week about a woman in the UK. Maybe you saw this. She was standing silently outside a pregnancy center and an abortion clinic. She was standing silently, standing there praying. She wasn’t doing anything. She was just standing on the sidewalk praying. And she was arrested. She was arrested. Someone didn’t like she was doing it. So they arrested her.

Maybe you’re familiar with Kirk Cameron. You know, he’s in growing pains and all that. He’s a believer now. He came out with a little children’s book recently. And the book, you know, is based off the fruits of the spirit. But it’s just a book on general morality and just how to be a good person. Even it’s, you know, and he was banned from over 50 libraries that allowed drag queen story hour.

Recently. The Denver Post out Denver, Colorado. If you remember this, this was, I think, just last year. They were coming after Valor Christian High School because they wouldn’t allow LGBT teachers in their schools. And they called them regressive. They also called for consequences for those who had discriminatory beliefs. So friends, the public has been in is rapidly. Pushing Christian thought. But out of society quick and it’s happening at a quicker and quicker rate. And I’m not being like doom and gloom. Go hide under a rock. They’re coming for us kind of a thing. I’m not trying to do that. I’m just saying, if you read the times, it’s apparent that things can and probably we will overnight become severe on all four corners of the globe. And Jesus says this. In John 17, 15, he prays for his disciples. He says, I do not ask that you take them out of the world. But that you keep them from the evil one. So notice what Jesus is and is not asking for. He’s not asking that his true disciples don’t walk through difficult times for his name’s sake. His prayer is that they would be kept from being given over to evil. That’s Jesus. That’s his heart for us. Just as Jesus endured all suffering and persecution. So we are, if we’re to come after him, we must take up our crosses and follow him. So what we need to do is ready ourselves, not like cross my fingers and maybe I’ll die before things get bad in America. That’s not how we’re called to live. We’re called to prepare ourselves. We’re called to preach the gospel, even if it’s offensive. And, you know, it’s funny how. Um, this culture is like kind of hardwired, like offending people. It’s like the cardinal error. If you offend someone, what have you done? I mean, you might as well just kill somebody if you offend somebody. I mean, that’s the feeling of it. And I think I think it’s probably very tactful on the part of the enemy because it keeps Christians, I think, cowed down. Like, I can’t be out there offending people. The gospel is offensive. It is offensive. And that’s what largely what Chase was talking about when you’re worship. You can’t. Follow Jesus. You can’t really be for the kingdom of heaven. You can’t exist in this realm and think somehow maybe I can get through it and I won’t have to offend people. I’m not saying I go up and just be hateful to people, but preaching Christ is offensive. And there’s no way to sandpaper off like the rough edges of the gospel is there. There’s not like you are a sinner. You deserve hell. Right. Unless you surrender and give yourself up. God will be your judge. Jesus died on a bloody cross. He is Lord. He is Savior. Just him alone. There’s no two ways about it. And that’s something that you have to choose to put your feet down on or say, well, maybe I can compromise so I can get along a little better. And that’s everything from, you know, the exclusivity of Jesus as the only way to Jesus’s deity as God to the inerrancy of God’s word to a man is a man and a woman is a woman. Right. I mean, it’s it’s getting to the point where you’ve got to be laser specific on. No, this is truth. And this is from God. And this is what I have to stand on because I love Jesus and Jesus has loved me and I want to be faithful.

So, friends, I want to just say to us on this point.

It’s because.

The Philadelphian church, by way of example, it’s because they have patiently endured through. That kind of trial. Jesus is saying to them now, I will keep you from the other kind of trial. So, OK, so they had to endure that trial. What in the world is Jesus talking about now saying, I’ll keep you from the other kind of trial. See it again in verse 10, 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. The trial Jesus is talking about here in the context of the book of Revelation is the end times judgment of God on the unbelieving world. So this is this is and we’re going to get to it in a few weeks. This is the bowl judgments. This is the trumpet. So these are the horrible plagues that God will pour out on on the world in the end time. So I’m going to read a passage from Ladd’s commentary here. Because I think he. He says it succinctly. So there is the what we just talked about, the persecution that comes from being being Christians. So I’ll pick up here. He says in the time of the Antichrist, the martyrdom of the saints will prove their salvation in that very act. Quoting Revelation 15, it says that’s how we conquer. It’s through being martyred. But then he goes on to say this. On the other hand, God will pour out his wrath upon the followers of the beast to try to drive him. To repentance before it’s too late. The Greek. This is really important. The Greek expression translated those who dwell upon the earth. OK, that phrase. It appears several times in Revelation and always designates the pagan world. So that was in our passage. And it’s in all the other ones. It always references the unbelieving world. The outpouring of God’s wrath is pictured symbolically by the plague of the seven trumpets, the seven bowls. Before these terrifying judgments. The people of God are sealed upon their foreheads. That’s in chapter nine and seven, that they should not be hurt by these plagues. These fearful divine judgments are directed upon those who follow the beast. Those who have the seal of God will be divinely sheltered. Although the church will be on earth in these final terrible days and will suffer fierce persecution and martyrdom at the hands of the beast. She will be kept from the hour of trial, which is coming upon the pagan world. God’s wrath poured out on the kingdom of Antichrist and will not afflict his people. So what’s Jesus saying? Jesus is saying you may experience all kinds of suffering for Jesus in your time. And you look at every era of human history and there’s great suffering for Jesus. And it may be you and I are 2000 years removed from the ascension of Jesus. It very well may be that you and I are living in or coming close to. Living in the last days. And so the intensification of suffering and persecution, we may live through that. But what Jesus is saying to them here, and this is what keeps patient endurance going, is he’s saying you will not experience the worst kind of suffering that one could experience. God’s wrath. Whatever Satan does to you, whatever evil does to you, it’s bad and it’s and it’s hard. But nothing, nothing will be like when God. Finally opens up the heavens and he pours out judgment on the earth. And friends, what that should do in you and I is causes to praise the Lord. Thank you that by grace you have preached the gospel to me. Again, we read that in Colossians. You’ve let me hurt it. You have drawn me in to believe the gospel of Jesus so that I can. And this is what the apostles do in Acts. They praise God. Actually, they get to suffer, don’t they? They walk out of the Sanhedrin praising God. They got beat. But also I’m praising God in that. That you have secured me, that you will not turn your hand against me. I look to the cross of Christ and I see that Jesus suffered the wrath of God for me. So I don’t have to suffer the wrath of God. Whatever I endure as bad as it’s going to be, Jesus will. When I come into his kingdom, he’ll roll it back and he’ll show me that the grace that he has prepared for me. It far outweighs what I suffered. Doesn’t Paul say that? Doesn’t he said the weight of glory? It’ll far outweigh whatever suffering the momentary affliction of the now.

When you praise the Lord that Jesus is keeping you, he’s keeping you for what will come. Jesus has loved you with an everlasting love. If you ever needed, if you ever needed a call to a deeper, focused faith and discipleship, would it not be from this passage? Does this passage not remind you? us just how short time is? Does this passage not remind us of how high the stakes are when we all die or when time is up and, you know, Christ returns? Does this passage not remind us of how dreadful the wrath of God will be on the earth?

And then does it not at the same time this passage give us, motivate us to evangelism?

it’s difficult to say I believe this and then not talk about it. It’s difficult to believe that I can keep to myself the truth of the gospel knowing that that’s the only gospel that’s going to save a whole world of people who are soon to fall under the bowl and trumpet judgments. Friends, if I really believe this gospel, I’m going to be okay with the couple of uncomfortable conversations because if I have been loved by God, I have the love of God, which causes me to love sinners and I’m going to love someone enough to enter into an awkward conversation with them, which at this point, let’s be honest, is about, you know, the height of the persecution you and I are going to face at this point in time. Can we not go out and let the world know Jesus is coming? Will you receive him as friend or will you receive him as foe? Will you receive him as friend or will you receive him as foe? Jesus is coming. You’ll take one of two marks, the mark of the beast or the mark of God. Which kingdom will you be a part of? We can’t keep saying we have Christ, we believe this stuff if we’re not talking about it. Show me a version of discipleship where I can keep all that to myself and I never have to be a missionary, whether I’m going to India or whether I’m going across the street or whether it’s, you know, my grandma at Thanksgiving that I don’t want to upset. Friends, open your mouth. We’ve got to say it if you believe it.

You must patiently endure.

Go into verse 11.

Jesus says,

I’m coming soon. I’m 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, my own new name.

Why could you not patiently endure though following Christ may seem to be absolutely crushing? Though you and I may seem and we do a lot, I feel weak for it. I feel unprepared for it. I feel like I’m making a big mess of it. I don’t feel like I’m doing a good job at following Jesus. Jesus says patiently endure because I’ve opened the door and it can’t be shut. However weak you and I may feel, Christ is our power. Feel weak. Actually, Paul says what? In my weakness, Christ is strong. So yes, wake up every day and say, God, I am so ill-equipped for the task more than I was yesterday. And it’s at that moment that Christ says, I’ve opened the door and it shall not be shut. No wanting can take it away from you. No man can take it away from you. No devil can take it away from you. No government can take it away from you. It’s yours.

We can patiently endure because Jesus says, I will keep you from ultimate spiritual destruction. The wrath of God that you and I deserve, the punishment of eternal suffering that you and I deserve, that is our due. Christ took that for us on the cross and he promises eternal life to us for impatiently endure this short little life and receive that prize.

The holy one, the true one, the key of David, who opens and no one shut, he says hold fast and you’ll get a crown. You know, that’s kind of like anything like old school Greek Olympics. Somebody would win and they’d have that, you know, wreath on their head. It’s something to be, you know, excited and about.

Don’t get mad at me, Darcy. Darcy’s playing basketball right now and she’s her mother’s, she’s her mother’s daughter and when Darcy scores a goal she just explodes. She runs down the court like this to the whole fan base like and just goes absolutely nuts every time and she just says, oh, I did that. I can’t believe that happened and that just came to mind because I think it’s a picture of what it’s going to be like to bust through heaven’s gates with a crown on like oh my gosh, here I am. And just praising Jesus for it.

But Jesus says this other thing as if that wasn’t enough. He says you’ll be a pillar. Now here’s the interesting thing about Philadelphia. Philadelphia suffered a severe earthquake that practically annihilated the whole city in AD 17. So this is really, really poignant that Jesus would say, I’m going to make you a sturdy column in the house of my God and you’re never going to be taken out of it. You’re not going to be moved. In other words, when you come into my kingdom, the place where God resides, you will be the house in which the presence of God eternally resides. You’re going to be a pillar in the house of God. And then he puts even more on it with ownership. He says, I’m going to put the name of God on you. Then I’m going to put the name of the city of the new Jerusalem on you. And then I’m going to put my new name on you. I’m going to own you. This one is mine. This one endured. This one kept my word. This one patiently endured the hardest things. Never deny the name of Jesus. This one is mine. Friends, patiently endure because Jesus wants to own you and say, this is my son. This is my daughter. They’re a pillar in the house of my God. Jesus wants eternal blessing and joy for us, for his glory. Will you patiently endure for the joy, for the blessing and the heavenly places that awaits us? Christ has promised these things.

Jesus finished well.

Jesus finished well. And I think in our lowest moments, I can I can believe not because I think I’m doing well, not because I think I have some wit about me, but I can believe I’m going to finish well because Jesus finished well. And Jesus who finished well by obeying the Father in every part to the cross, to the grave, to the resurrection, it’s his spirit and it’s his power that lives in me. And the one who finishes well finishes all things well. And if he authored the beginning of my salvation and yours, be sure he’s going to finish it and bring it to completion and bring it to joy at the very last.

There’s a popular old C.S. Lewis quote that came to mind. C.S. Lewis says, If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only explanation is that I was not made for here. I was made for another world.

What world were you made for? Who’s your king? Who’s your Lord? Who do you love? For whom will you endure? Christ has endured all things for us. Amen. Alright, let’s pray together.

Father in heaven, we bless your name for you are the God who authors salvation.

You are the God who before time saw us

and knew exactly how you were going to save us.

And in the spirit, you are the God who saw us. You are here now giving us every confidence, giving us every promise, giving us every equipping we need to endure for you.

So Jesus, we just we just love you. We just ask that our hearts and our minds are fixed on you. Amen.

I pray,

you would help us know the joy of sacrifice.

We wouldn’t grudgingly

step out to proclaim your name. We wouldn’t begrudgingly try to force

knowing more of you and your word or being a part of your church because we think we’re supposed to, but we would just gladly, as Paul says, suffer the loss of all things that we would gain Christ. So just take our hearts, take our souls, take our minds, Jesus. Just wash them in your word, wash them in your spirit. Purify and renew us.

Let us be called dedicated to God alone as you are Jesus.

It’s in Christ’s name that we pray. Amen.