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Revelation Chapter 3.
Will be done, the first one positive.
Unto the Angel of the church in Sardis, right.
These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
I know that I worked, but thou hast a name that thou rivers, and art dead.
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die.
I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Remember, therefore, how thou has perceived and heard.
And hold fast and repent.
If, therefore, thou shalt not watch.
I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in fight.
For they are worthy.
He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white Raiment.
And I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my father.
And before his angels he that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit said unto the churches, and unto the Angel of the church in Philadelphia. Right these things said, He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth. And no man shut it, and shut it, and no man openeth. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door.
And 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 to lie the whole. I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee, because thou has 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 flash which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Him that overcometh will I make a filler in the temple of my God, and 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. He that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit said unto the churches.
Brother.
Marked out with a special exercise of the Saints in Des Moines.
To have us listen to what the Lord was saying to us this morning in prayer, we asked the Lord too, that we might hear what He has to say concerning those various matters that we prayed about, particularly somewhere souls were in fraud and tribulation. I think those remarks relate very directly to Revelation chapter 3, because.
In Revelation 2 and three, seven times we have the Lord speaking, and there is a common way in all seven in which the Lord speaks, and just like to make a comment or two about it at first, in every single occasion He begins by saying something about himself.
Now we speak about having an exercise to listen to what the Lord has to say to us.
It's important for us to recognize, right at the beginning, the one who is going to speak. The way we receive a communication, the way we receive something that is spoken to us oftentimes depends very directly upon who it is that says it. Sometimes our ears are, you might say, turned off before the person even speaks, just because of who it is. And so we have here in Revelation 3.
On each occasion where the Lord speaks, he begins by saying something about himself.
His character as the one that is going to speak well, I believe brethren, the Lord has and intends for every single one of us that's here this afternoon at these meetings, something that he is going to want to say to you and to me individually. And so the first thing perhaps is for us to recognize that.
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And realize and accept who it is that wants to speak to us.
It's the Lord. He may use this brother, he may use that sister, he may use this circumstance, He may use that. But in every case it may be, and we should be listening, that it is actually the Lord himself that wishes to speak to us and recognizing who he is, certainly we want to listen, but the next thing he goes on in each case, he says, I know, I know, I know, Thy works.
And so it is with each one of us. Sometimes when someone wants to speak to us, we immediately in our minds we're listening to them. But at the same time in our hearts, we're saying, well, they don't understand. They really don't understand. And if they did, they wouldn't say that or they wouldn't present this to me. Well, isn't it nice for us, when the Lord is going to speak to us during these three days to recognize and to be able to say?
We know.
He knows everything about us. He knows exactly what he wants to say, and he knows how to say it as well. And then what follows? In each one of the seven times that he addresses, he tells them something about what he knows. Isn't it important for us to recognize that and accept it? Sometimes we can't listen to the message because we don't want.
To accept what is known and is being said, but we can't accept it from the Lord. And so he says He goes on to tell them what he sees. And so for each one of us, perhaps as as part of an assembly or individually, it's important to recognize that he knows what he says, and we want to listen to what he sees because he brings that out to his first.
And then in each case, he has something that he wants us to do in response to what he has to say. And so for us, brethren, as we listen in this reading meeting, perhaps for you it's one phrase, it may be one comment that is particularly suited to you, perhaps another to me. But let's be listening for that comment or that statement that we might say, yes, that's what the Lord is saying to me, and then to go on to see that there will be something.
Of a response that the Lord expects from us to that communication which He has given to us. I'd also like to notice too, that He always gives in every one of these seven cases some word of encouragement to us to do what He says, and then to recognize as well that the Lord has different ways of speaking and different needs to which He addresses, and so in some cases.
It's a word just to encourage us. In another, it's just to share his heart with us. In another, it's a word of rebuke. In another, it's a word of warning. It may be different for different ones of us here this afternoon, but for every one of us there is something he wants to say. And just to echo the last two, it says he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear. May the Lord give us hearing ears to actually be listening.
And then to respond to what he's going to say.
Explain.
You shouldn't read any Ministry.
It seems to me to indicate that we're the only ones.
That were supposed to interpret it.
I don't believe that that was quite good that way, that we should only read ministry that is put out by brethren. But the tendency is that the gathered things are turning more and more to the ministry of those who have not accepted the truth that has been brought out subsequently.
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And that has a adverse effect upon the Saints and will confuse their minds.
There was much truth revealed or given back to the Church, to those who walked the path of faith before brethren were raised up. But there are those who have refused and rejected truth that has come out, and we should consider that.
Lest we be influenced and confused, I don't think anybody said that nothing but veterans ministry should be read. But I believe it is a fact that minds of the Saints of God are confused as a result of exposing themselves to truth which does not meet the full revealed truth of God as it has come out.
I think we see today.
There's been a lot of industry and Christendom because the church one body, you know, the gift of the church isn't all here, is it?
The majority of the gift is with our scattered brethren, and they're ministering to the hurts of a hurting body.
I feel that in my own soul I can go and get some help sometimes on practical things. But when it comes to the truth of where the Lord Jesus is in the midst and on the ground of the gathering and then doctrinal issues, it's most important for me to recognize where that I would find that master it came from, where the Lord was in the midst. It's the Lord Jesus himself is the object amongst the truth discovered by our early brethren and were gathered to the Lord's name.
Well, the truth of the rapture that many believers and Christendom hold today as well as eternal security with liberty. And if you look at verse two, it says strengthen the things which remain. There are two truths that are being let go Christendom today. The one truth is eternal security of the believer.
The other truth is the rapture of the church. And those truths will be given up on hand in hand and side by side all through Christendom today. And I never thought that I would see the charismatic movement and the pretense and gifts of the Holy Spirit move into the Baptist. But it's not only there, it's all over today, and that is not the truth of the word of God.
Our third verse says remember therefore.
How thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent.
The greater the privilege, the greater the responsibility.
And in sovereign grace, God has given us these precious truths.
The truth of the Lord's coming, the truth of being gathered to his precious name.
The truth of the one body.
That every redeemed child of God is a member of all these precious things have been given to us. And it says hold fast and repent.
Let us not give them up, beloved brethren.
It has been said.
That we can only put forth the truth that we're walking in and I believe possibly that is why.
When it comes to the truth of the assembly and the ground of gathering, you don't get that among system.
We don't really come to that until we get to the address to the Philadelphians in the next the next assembly. We're still on Sardis, and I really don't think we should spend too much time on Sardis, which answers to the Protestant Reformation. And really, as it says in verse one, thou has to name that thou liveth and art dead.
As Brother Heinz pointed out this morning, the IT it Sardis really represents Protestantism. After that it had settled down not in the first energy of the power of the Spirit of God where the truth was recovered, but what it settled down into. And that's what we see today.
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A kind of a dead, lifeless formalism in the established churches.
Which originated in the Reformation, and that's what that's what Sardis represents. It represents Protestantism as we see it today, pretty much a dead, lifeless, formalistic thing. And it's it's solemn to think that when the Lord presents himself as coming to this assembly in verse three, he says, If therefore, thou shalt not watch.
I will come on thee as a thief.
And thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Well, we're not looking for the Lord as a thief.
That's the way he's going to come to the world. And what does that tell us? It tells us that Sardis has settled down to the level of the world. You can't really tell by the life of most of those who are in Sardis any difference between their way of life and a mere world life, because they're living on the level of the world, those who are inside us.
And yet there was reality there. He talks about that in verse 4. Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments. They are they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. So there were those there that were maintaining a measure of purity, and keeping themselves from the defilements which characterized Sardis.
There were those there who were true and real, and the Lord recognizes that. And then he says.
He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white Raiment.
And I will not blot his name out of the book of life now, those that were.
In the Reformation.
Were stigmatized by Rome as being heretics and those that were true to the Lord in that movement. It's hard for us to relate to that because Philadelphia and Laodicea are here. But let's in our minds, let's go back to that point in time before Philadelphia, before the recovery of truth in the last century. Let's go back into the 1700s.
And there we are. That's Sardis, And there were those that whose names were blotted out of an earthly church register. Here the Lord says, I won't block your name out of the book of life. The only book that really counts is the book of Life, not whether you've got your name on some earthly church role. That name may be blotted out there by man, but the Lord assures.
The Faithful and Sardis I will not brought his name out of the book of life, and that's comfort to one who was not defiling his garments, who was maintaining a path of separation when the mass of the Sardis movement had settled down into complicity and fellowship with the world. So much so that the Lord's coming is presented just like he's going to come to the world as a thief.
As a thief in the night, well.
I even hear, I've even heard preachers today that talk about the Lord's coming for the church as a thief in the night.
They don't understand the force of the expression. That's not the way we're looking for them. We're looking for them as a bridegroom coming for his bride, Even so, come quickly, while you don't say that to a thief you're not looking for. You don't want him to come ever. And so the view from between Sardis of the Lord's coming and Philadelphia, where it's he says, behold, I come quickly, hold fast. What? Thou hast that. No man take thy crown. That's the whole fast that Brother Judd was really talking about.
The truth was recovered to us, but in our study we were still in Sardis. I think we should so we don't confuse the difference between Cyrus and Philadelphia. We should keep that clear until we get into Philadelphia. And that brings Philadelphia truth into Sardis, because you don't find it there. All I had in my brother is, does this not bring before us those that did sink to the level of the world.
And if there are those that have previously sunk to the level of the world?
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Is there not danger for us sinking in the same way if we give up the truth?
Let us hold fast.
That is what happened to Utica's when he went to seek the false doctrine as a warning about that. If we go to sleep to Paul's doctrine, we're going to drop down to the level of the world.
That for the clamor, that would be like falling from Philadelphia back into Sardis, wouldn't it? No, it would be. That's what's happened to many who have lived, who are living today with Philadelphian Truth available, and then to go back. That's what Heinz was warning against, and I think it's a very needed warning of going back and feeding in the pastures of of just Sardis Truth.
I think that's probably what you had in mind, Brother Judd at the end in your last comment.
There was someone that didn't understand that in the sense in which you gave it that to feel feed in the field of Boaz. And the thought there is, is what Boaz has been pleased to recover to us as the truth that is distinctively Christian see much that is given out inside us.
Is not distinctively Christian truth. It's given out by Christians. That doesn't make it Christian.
I can teach Judaism and be a Christian. The point is, what is taught in Philadelphia is the present truth of Christianity. That's what was recovered and defeated in that field, is to feed where all the truth of God has been brought out. To leave that field and feed in another field, like go back and feed in the Sardis field. You're going to do damage to your soul to do that you will.
You will only go so far. Let me give this illustration a Sister Garrett in Colorado Springs. Back in the days when Brother Chapter Brown was around, he used to visit them and heard that they were interested in the truth. And she had a Schofield reference Bible, and he kind of looked down upon that. He didn't want her to use that because of course he knew that she would only rise to the level of the notes. And there's more, there's more. And then he heard her. She heard him.
Make this comment when he was talking to another brother about someone else totally outside of the gathered Saints who had just gotten saved, didn't know anything about the Bible, and the brother said she's using a Schofield reference Bible brother, Brown said. Good.
That's good. And she looked at him. Sister Garrett did and said, now wait a minute, it's not good for me, but it's good for her. How come? Well, because that other soul needed the help from the notes of the Schofield Reference Bible. Excellent as far as they go. We're thankful for it, but they'll only bring you so high. And he felt Sister Garrett being amongst the gathered Saints.
That she would enter into more truth. So not to limit herself to those notes. You know when we have the notes like that.
We tend to rely upon the notes, so that's the sum total of all the truth there is there, and that limits us. And so for the one, he was thankful that she had that help. But for those, for the sister that was amongst us, he he he wanted her to go beyond that.
And I believe that there's a lot to that. It's not that we're any better, but there's more truth. There's more land to be possessed. And let's not limit it. It's all available to us. It's all there, open to us. How hungry are we and how far can we progress in these things? Let's go to Hebrews 6 and get a reference from the Bible that teaches the same principle very clearly, I believe.
Hebrews Chapter 6.
We know that Israel was God's chosen people. We know that they were told about the Messiah and many things about Him.
And we know that.
He came, he was presented to them, and he's brought in the better things. And so this Hebrew 6 begins.
Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, or the beginnings of the Christ, you get that in the Old Testament.
And we have in our hymn book. Hymns are written as early as in the nine hundreds and gone down in 15. Sixteen 1700s before brother never got the full name recovered truth. And truth is truth no matter when it came. But there's such a thing as progress in it now the spirit of God is writing to these Christians. Hebrews Christians said leave that, don't, don't say it's no good, but go on graduate, come up a little higher.
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Let us go on into perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance. From dead works and a faith toward God of the doctrine of baptisms. You find baptism in the Old Testament.
And laying on her hands and of resurrection under eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit, and so on. We're now coming back and taking up perhaps in our chapter a little bit about Philadelphia. We've been exhorted to do that. And I think if we go to this seventh verse of our chapter.
To the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right these things saith you, that is holy, he that is true.
He that hath the key of David.
He that openeth and no man shutteth shutteth and no man openeth. Notice the large way the Lord describes himself as the one who is discerning amongst these 7 golden candlesticks.
And he that is holy is the way it begins. There were comments about that this morning. Let's go to.
First Peter chapter one and see how clearly.
The Spirit of God.
Rates through Peter.
To the scattered believers of the Jews. Then in that day, which applies to us too, in verse 16 of chapter one, Hebrews First, Peter 116, it is written.
Be ye holy, for I am holy.
And then it talks about people that call upon the name of the Father. Do you do that? Of course you do. What are you to be like? What am I to be like? If you call on the Father who without?
Respect a person, Judgeth according to every man's work. Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. Fear God. Honor the king. Be holy. The Lord says I am holy. So he presents himself to Philadelphia as he that is holy, he that is true.
He is the truth. He bears witness to it and he's given us now all truth. The Bible is complete. We even have John's prophecy or the revelation of Jesus Christ. We're reading. We don't have, we have all truth. There's nothing left to give. The next statement is very remarkable. He that has the key of David.
I want to connect that with what it says in.
The end of verse 8. Thou hast a little strength. I believe that's the Lord in the midst of this company.
Now it's kept my word and that's not denied my name.
Now I think it's very remarkable that we have this statement he that hath the key of David.
If we go back to what Stephen said in Acts Seven, I think we'll get the appreciation of the Lord expressed for what Philadelphia has done.
You remember back in the days of the kings that the Tabernacle and the ark.
And lost their place. And the Ark was carried by the Philistines from here to there. And David had a desire, and expressed in the 7th of Acts.
And the 45th verse of Act 7.
Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Joshua should be. He's giving a history here into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God gave out before the face of our fathers unto the days of David. That carries us right on to the days of David. And then what does he say? Who found favor before it? Gone. David found favor before God and desire to find a Tabernacle.
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For a dwelling place for the God of Jacob Now brethren. In effect, that's what the Lord appreciates. In Philadelphia, they desired to have a clean place for the Lord in the midst of a company here on earth. That's the key of David.
It's most precious when we see that that the Lord does come into the place in the midst of those who keep His word and don't deny His name.
So I believe this key of David comes in in a remarkable way here in this first verse where Philadelphia is mentioned.
Philadelphia means rather.
Laodicea, the next one and the last means the people's rights.
The people's rights.
How do we best show brotherly love?
Which is the meaning of Philadelphia.
By keeping his word and not denying his name, those are the moral features. Verse 8 of Philadelphia. Here's a company that is characterized by little strength.
It's it's not a company that is registered.
Before the masses, it does not. This movement that's represented by Philadelphia let's.
Let's get out of our minds that we are Philadelphia. Let's get out that thought out of our minds, if anyones entertaining that because that's going to hinder your understanding of what we have here. Let's just see what the moral features are of what is called in Revelation 3, Philadelphia.
And when we see what the moral features are, then we would be less likely to say we are Philadelphia.
We might desire after it with all our hearts, but first of all, what are we desiring after?
What is it that we we desire? There's only two of the seven assemblies that the Lord doesn't find fault with, and that's the second one from the front. Smyrna time of great persecution. And this second one from the last, which is Philadelphia. He has nothing but commendation to give to those two assemblies. So Philadelphia represents something which the Lord commends, only He only commends it. He doesn't call upon it to repent.
There was that which he could command, that which answered to his mind and to his thought. So what are the moral features that are brought before us in Philadelphia that answers to his mind? The first thing is the way the Lord presents himself to Philadelphia.
We noticed this morning that the way presents himself to the first five churches all has to do with.
The vision of the Lord in the first chapter taken from that, and it has to do with the state of the Assembly.
And so he presents himself suitable to that. But here he presents himself as the holy and the true.
That's what he was morally as a man down here in this world. That's not taken from the vision in the first chapter. It's what he was himself, his moral glories. He was the holy and the true. And then it speaks of another feature he has the key of David.
And we can get into that. But then Philadelphia represents, in the history of the church, a movement.
A condition, a moral feature, the moral state that met with his approval, and it occurs towards the end, after Sardis. So it's something that would take place after the recovery of the partial recovery of the truth of the Protestant Reformation. Thyatira representing Romanism, Sardis, Protestantism, or at least it was sunk down to then Laodicea, is clearly represents the very last.
Final lukewarm state of things. So Philadelphia comes in between Sardis and Laodicea. Was there anything in the church that answered to that? I think there was, and I think it was the recovery by the spirit of God.
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Not by brethren.
But the recovery by the spirit of God, beginning in the last century, I believe, though there were Philadelphian movements in individuals all through, but there was an actual recovery of truth and a suitable spiritual state that was found in that which answers to Philadelphia Now this, this is very important to see.
Where this is, and what we have to ask ourselves, does my spiritual state answer more to Philadelphia or to Laodicea?
Do I care about the word of God? Is the truth of his word that which means more to my soul than anything else can? Can it be said of me? Each one of us has to ask ourselves that question. Thou hast kept my word and not denied my name. There's many ways that we can fail to keep His word and to deny his name. But these are features. These are moral features of Philadelphia.
How much so today, is that true of us?
An empirical thing here is that he says to this church I have set before the an open door. I think we ought to rejoice in that. He says that to her I have set before the an open door. There's no no shortage of opportunities for works. It reminds me what we read in Second Timothy 2, and I think we just ought to notice it because when sold individually, are coming to the truth of Paul's doctrine.
Personally as to a place of congregation today.
Often it's difficult to leave their former associations because they feel they'll lose opportunities for good works. But it's not so. It's not so. I have sat before thee an open door, and then Second Timothy 2 to the one who who purges himself from vessels to dishonor.
And we would have to say from what God says about Sardis, that there's plenty of vessels to dishonor in that system.
But the one who purges himself in Second Timothy, 2 verse 21. If any man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. There will be no shortage of opportunities to please God and do good works. There is an open door, and there's a field in the gospel. Big One, Isn't it him?
It's a big one.
It's all over.
We've been saying and I like to say that we should not claim Philadelphia, that's that's an Amen. But individually we're saying we should aspire to be on that ground in that state or so. But what about assembly? Should not an assembly at least aspire also for the same? I believe so, not calling ourselves that, but two things we've been mentioning.
Not deny my name, take none other name but that blessed name.
Not only not deny, but exalted magnify it. Doesn't that name give the place that he's chosen for us, where he is in the midst and that's aspiring as an assembly. I believe we should always be sure of that, that everything we do exalts that one, that name and none other ever. And then of course my word, everything should be according to his word.
Assembly. We should aspire for that. And he has a promise. Matthew 1820. I believe it all fits together. Not that we say in a boastful way where Philadelphia, my brethren, Let's never cease aspiring for that ground. As assemblies, I believe it's awfully important. And we've been mentioning the truth and how wonderful the spirit in the last century.
Worked with those men, I believe, chosen vessels to give us this ministry and we are now, in a way, if we go back in to that Sardis situation or the field as you have it, Chrysanthemum to get things because they sound good.
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We're taking time when we should be putting it to this precious ministry and I'll have to confess I haven't got 10% of it and can absorb it.
So wonderful. And so we can aspire for more and more of it. And when I little I've gotten that's being written today. Can't hold a candle to the true light. Well, I just say Amen to what's been said about that. But there's also the danger of poison. There's also the danger of things that are not true, and they'll lower all of us. So I think we should all keep in thought.
We don't claim to be this in a pretentious way, but we aspire.
There is an aspect ministry that is being written that really needs to be considered and that is that those who write.
In the professing Church today of things that are true and things that are real, they learn from the instruments that God raised up to open up the truth. So in one sense, beloved, if we go back to the ministry of those, or if we go for the ministry of those outside of those who are walking in the light of the truth to give expression to the one body who holds the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who understand the heavenly character of the assembly. When we talk about these things, that's what we're talking about. The distinctive Christian blessings that God opened up through special vessels in the last century. And what is written that's good. Our beloved brethren are writing them, have learned it from the brethren who got used to open it up. So when we come to any ministry, we must realize that it is only a guide to keep us going on with Christ.
And if Christ is not the one who keeps us an affection for him going on.
Even the precious things that have been recorded for us and preserved are not going to be much help. They are simply guideposts to point us in the direction of keeping our mind and the truth. And Christ before our souls is that for which even our brethren in the last century aspired for us.
That I just bring out two verses in John Seven that may help because I think some of this ministry we're speaking about.
That's being written today in criticism. You have to ask what's the goal and who does it exalt? But here in the 1St 17 of John 7, if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. And now J&D in that translation has from myself I read the next verse he that speaketh from himself.
Seeketh his own glory. Now, there may be truth in a lot of it, but if it's exalting the writer, if it's speaking from himself, according to the Bible, we don't need that. We only need what glorifies Christ, and that's the ministry we need, and that, and that brings us right back to his word. And brethren, we have the word of God and we have the Spirit of God. We're not lacking.
We don't have to search.
Brother Hendrick mentioned that the meaning of Philadelphia was brotherly love. Is that right, brother? And here we have Thou has kept my word.
On first John 5 and verse 2. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments.
True love.
Well.
Seek to lead others into the truth cannot be palatable. True love will not Passover that which brings this honor on the name of the Lord, and it means separation very often.
But we would seek to honor the Lord and thereby see others brought into closer and proper relationship with Him. What a pop. I like to come back to previous state that you made in connection with Philadelphia as an assembly desiring to answer to Philadelphia. You know, I believe that there is a position that answers to Philadelphia.
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We have to be careful that we don't claim to be that, but I believe we cannot really individually.
Be a Philadelphian, without keeping also that aspect of the truth of God which speaks of the ground of gathering.
And the truth of the body of Christ, the edge of Christ, the Spirit of God, to be sovereign, to guiding the assembly to youthful so ever he will.
And so on. So really, if we want to be Philadelphians, which is a correct desire, we would also have to be exercised about these aspects of the truth. The careful to be at all times not to claim that we are. Because if we do, Mr. Darby, I believe, makes the statement that would be approved that we are laudicia, because that is what is characteristic of laudicia.
I am rich and increased with goods. Some of the popular teachers in Christendom make that materialism. I do not believe that that is the case. That is boasting of Philadelphian truth and as Mr. Grant has made the statement that.
Philadelphian truth becomes the intellectual knowledge of those in Laodicea. That's what they're boasting of, you know. And so I believe we have to be careful.
That we don't fall into that snare. But we could not possibly be a Philadelphian if we wouldn't be exercised about these aspects of the truth of God which have to do with the assembly. There is an analogy to this in the very use of the word Christian in the Bible. To take a name is a serious thing.
But Christians in the Bible doesn't come in that sense.
The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. That is, somebody else put that name on them.
In preaching to Agrippa.
He said almost. I'll persuade us me to be a Christian.
It was a group that was known, but they didn't call themselves that, Peter says. If any man suffer, as a Christian, have you?
Have I? That's the way to find out whether you're a Christian or not. You don't just come along and say I'm a Christian. I am a Christian. You're a Christian. I would confess that I belong to Christ, but it's not a title. It's not a that. And so with Philadelphia, we don't take that as a name. We cannot. And I like what it was said this morning. It's a state who knows my state. Who knows your state? God does. Let him decide who and where Philadelphia is, even if there are assemblies that I.
Earnestly believe do seek to keep his word and not deny his name, but God is the one that says.
I see Philadelphia. We don't have to say that.
I just want to back up a minute.
To verse seven we commented on the Lord presenting himself as the holy and the true. That's what he was personally, morally, himself as a man down here. And then he says he that had the key of David turn back to Isaiah 22 for a moment.
Verse 15.
Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, go get the unto this treasurer even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say.
I have a little note here. In my Bible, Shebda is the type of the Antichrist.
And then verse 20. It came to pass in that day that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah. And I put a note down this Eliakim is a type of Christ.
And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle.
And I will commit thy government into his hand. Into whose hand Eliakims.
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Here is a type of the Messiah, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the House of Judah.
Now the government is committed into his hand.
Remember that Sardis failure was resorting to earthly government for protection.
And now the Lord Jesus presents himself to Philadelphia. Whatever answer to that as the holy and the true, That's what he was himself morally and holding, having the key of David.
Verse 22 Says, And the key of the House of David will I lay upon his shoulder, and he shall open, and none shall shut, and he shall shut, and none shall open. Now that's what John is quoting in Revelation 3.
Well, what is the force of it? Eliakim was a type of the Messiah. He would have the government placed upon his shoulder, and the Philadelphian is the one who does not make the mistake that those in Sardis made, resorting to protection from the earthly governments of the Protestant countries like Germany.
The Lord presents himself that I have the key of David.
And the key of David would speak of the treasure House of all that was in the House of David.
There came a time. The Protestants made the mistake. The leaders made the mistake of thinking that.
The truth had to be preserved by resorting to protection from earthly powers. The Lord Jesus was now in Philadelphia is about to bring out the full truth is just going to use the key of David. He's going to open and he's going to bring out.
Albany has the Treasure House of Truth for his assembly. There came a time in the history of the church.
When all the truth that had long laid dormant was in the word, but it had not been recovered, and he was going to bring that all out, and he wasn't going to use any earthly power to do it. He wasn't going to use any earthly means to suppress an earthly enemy, to keep that from coming out. He says I'm going to open and none will shut and I will shut and none will open. All completely under the control and power of him that has the key of David.
When that time came for him to bring out the precious truths from the word of God that we so enjoy that we are the spiritual heirs of all the power of demons, and Satan couldn't stop it.
Couldn't stop it, some would say. Well, Brother Darby was the head of that movement. He's the one the spirit of God used, yes, but wherever he went.
In Germany, on the continent, in America and the islands in Canada, he found groups of Christians meeting.
Simply with their Bibles open in their laps because they were being starved to death in the established churches around that lifeless, formalistic church, that system of things that had a name to live but was dead, they were starving, and they were, together with their Bibles, open. Now he couldn't have done that.
1000 JND's couldn't have done that. Only the Spirit of God did that.
Mr. Darby traveled around, and he found that they were ready for the word of God, and he presented it to them and they received it. And there was something that just began with a little strength, just an insignificant nothing, just a few meeting together out of their own consciences before God, based on the word of God said, we're going to act on the Scriptures if no one else will act on it, we're going to act in obedience. We're going to keep His word, not deny his name.
And God the God bless that.
You think Mr. Darby did it not a minute. Not for a minute. He was used of God, yes, but he was just an instrument. It was the Spirit of God that did that. Only he could do that. Only the Spirit of God. Charles Spurgeon couldn't save a soul. He can only preach the gospel in a marvelous way. But the Spirit of God could save his soul. We're powerless to do anything when it comes to the work of the Spirit of God. He has to do it.
He asked to bring souls to Christ. He has to lead souls to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
So it was the work of the Spirit of God, and I think we we we wrongly present it when we refer to names of men. They may have been instrumental and mightily used, yes, but it was the Spirit of God that did this. And if it wasn't he working, I'm sure if that was a Mr. Darby going around today, he wouldn't get the same results because of the deadness of things in this Laodicean state of things that exist.
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Verse eight it says I know thy works.
There's been quite a bit of empathy on the work of the Spirit of God, as our brother Rana showed us the spirit of God. In Isaiah we saw where the Spirit of God is at, which is the spirit of knowledge, and we might read our brethren's writings, but I think to my own soul I've had to find out that God has to take and open those writings up to me by his spirit and teach and present to me out of that field.
A risen glorified heavenly Christ. A man in the glory, a heavenly man, and that I might set my affections on him and have him alone for my soul. And I think as I wonder in my mind what a Philadelphian might be, I think as a man or a sister in Christ, to emulate Christ in their life. And who I see the work of a heavenly man and their affections are attached to that heavenly man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I don't think they're aware of it. I don't think they're aware of it. The Philadelphia and I don't think is aware of it.
Their object is Christ.
What characterized Laodicea is self centeredness.
What characterizes the Philadelphia is Christ centeredness over Philadelphia's written Christ is everything over Laodicea is written. S is everything. It's a religion of humanism, a religion of self. Have you ever noticed that the so many hymns that are written nowadays are self-centered hymns? They have very little spiritual content to the message, Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.
How important then, that we sing spiritual hymns, those which have depth and meaning, those which unfold the truth, those which can teach us the very word of God. Oh, there are many hymns like that. There are some written today, no doubt, that have that character. But as compared with some that we're living in a Laodicean generation, you would not expect that there would be a great.
Spiritual.
Results from that kind of a state of things you'd you'd look for it to come from.
That which preceded us, where the Spirit of God was, was freer to a work in an ungrieved.
Ungrieved state. May God give us to to value what has been recovered and to hold it fast. One more comment.
That was kept my word.
It was commented that if you're true Philadelphian, what are the features of the Philadelphian keeping his word? Well, part of the word at a very, very significant part is that there's one body. So you can't be a true Philadelphian if you neglect the truth of the one body.
A true Philadelphia not only is an individual and values truth, that applies to him individually.
But he, as the loaf on the table speaks to us every Lord's Day morning there is one body.
And everyone who partakes of that loaf gives expression to that truth, that he is a member of that one body. Well, that's part of the truth. That's part of the word that we are to keep. And that's been recovered. Now to the to the church. The truth that we enjoy is not our truth. It's the church's truth. It belongs to the whole Church of God, and every believer can lay claim to it.
Every It's for every believer that he's a member of the body of Christ and so he's responsible to act upon that independency, whether it's individual or collective. And what do I mean by that? Collective independence as you go down the road and you see a sign that says another independent Bible church.
That's just adding to the confusion of division in the Church of God. The Bible says there is one body, not hundreds, not thousands of independent churches, but one body. Every local church being an expression of that one body in fellowship with every other assembly, that is an expression of that truth that eliminates independency, that eliminates.
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Independent.
Bible churches, I'm not saying that they they. I'm not saying that their existence.
Does not show that the spirit of God LED Christians to a certain point. I believe that many independent Bible churches exist because Christians were in some kind of a modernistic church or a church like I've just had some experience with up in Canada.
The United Church up there that that has sunk so far that they are considering ordaining to the ministry homosexuals and that's in the Church of God and those that can't tolerate that kind of abomination separate from it.
And they'll gather together and form a local church as far as the movement.
Away from the error towards the light is concerned. That's a Philadelphian movement. The sad thing is that they stopped short of the full expression of the truth of God that you and I hopefully understand and enjoy as gathered to the Lord's name on the ground of the one body. Protestantism was a movement of the Spirit of God from the darkness into the light, but they stopped short.
And what we have in Philadelphia is a full recovery. To what extent have we entered into that and others of our brethren elsewhere in system? How can we help them to impart some of the light that God has imparted to us, to them, to help them to move further into the Light and into the truth of God?
Ninth verse And behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but they lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Go back to the second chapter and the ninth verse. Speaking of Smyrna, I know thy works, and tribulation and poverty but our bridge.
And I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews that are not but are the synagogue of Satan.
The Jewish faith or belief originally given of God.
Christianity originally given of God, but they had sunk so low that now God has to say they are the synagogue of Satan.
Still professing that Jewish religion and yet turning out to be persecutors of those that were holding the truth and beloved. If we seek to hold fast to his word and not deny his name, we truly seek to do that. It's going to mean persecution, separation.
They won't have it. They'll separate from you if we hold past these precious truths.
But then it goes on to say, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. All the love he will in that coming day show that we are those that he has loved, go back to John 17.
John 17.
And verse 21. I know. And John, you don't get the church, you get the family, but I believe this applies Even so.
I will read from verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. The love will hear this afternoon, because we have believed His words.
That they all may be one, as thou father art in me, and I and thee, that they also may be one in US, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
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Or with his desire that there be that testimony of Oneness that the world might believe, and dear ones we have to own, that that testimony is in has been shattered, you might say, as far as the Oneness is concerned.
Divided up into their only knows how many groups. But it was the Lord's desire that the world might believe through the manifestation of that oneness. Then we go on. And the glory which thou gave us me I have given them.
That they may be one, even as we are one, I and them and thou and me, That they may be made perfect in one. And that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hath loved them as thou hast loved me. Oh there we have a coming day. In that day of his manifestation he will then display to the world.
That those who have kept his words and not denied his name, those of his redeemed, yes, all his redeemed They will know that he has loved them as the Father has loved him.
He not go for safety? Is that not making reference to those within the Christian profession?
Since it's the synagogue, I believe this is true.
And we sing #22.