February 25, 2024
The Underdogs in Philadelphia
Revelation 3:7-13
We are getting ready to head into the month of March and we all know what March brings with it… basketball. It’s the NCAA tournament, March Madness, and with it comes the rise of the underdogs that Americans love to root for. It’s just something about those Cinderella stories that are present each and every year in the tournament that always grab the nation's attention. Studies tell us that over 88% of the time, if we don’t have a favorite team in a game, we will find ourselves rooting for the underdogs. Our love for the underdog goes beyond just the NCAA Tournament, it is easily seen in media as well, especially in the majority of sports movies. One of my all time favorite sports movies is the Christian film called “Facing the Giants”. It's a story of an underdog high school football team (The Eagles) with underdog players being led by an underdog coach. When I think of this movie, I really don’t see it being one of my favorites if the Eagles were a football powerhouse instead of the loveable underdogs. It’s only a good movie because they were the underdogs who had to overcome all sorts of obstacles in order to face the Giant’s in the state championship game. Their kicker named David ends up… well I don’t want to spoil it. Think about it. How much fun would the movie be if it was about a football team that hasn't lost in 3 years and they are going for their 4th undefeated season? Would it be worth investing emotionally in a movie that was about weekly team meetings, normal practices, and lopsided victories throughout the season with very little conflict along the way? “Facing the Giants” is a great movie because we find ourselves cheering for the underdog the entire time. We hope they overcome the obstacles in their way and conflicts that present themselves. If you are like me and love a good underdog story, you are going to love the church we are looking at this morning ― the church in Philadelphia.
This church was located in a very busy city that was the main gateway for trade between Rome and all of the other cities in the east. Because of this they were surrounded by the hustle and bustle of tradesmen selling their wares in markets of all kinds. The city also had many temples to false gods and temples dedicated to emperor worship. Compared to the other religious activities surrounding them, the Christian church in Philadelphia was a seemingly small fish in a very big pond. Christian persecution was very present in the city as well ― physically, emotionally, and financially. It was all just as bad as it was for the church in Smyrna that we spoke of a few weeks ago. They even had the same group of people that were trying to beat them down as the church in Smyrna did. On top of all of these hardships and shortcomings that surrounded the church, Jesus called this church weak. It would seem like everyone would have considered this church to be an underdog based on their situation there in Philadelphia. We are going to see that they were, in fact, the exact opposite. This church was on Jesus’ side.
We are never an underdog when we are on Jesus’ side. - Revelation 3:7
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:
Again Jesus starts His letter to the church by introducing and revealing Himself in a way that the church desperately needed. You see there is a danger when we start defining ourselves by our temporary circumstances and by letting the world tell us who we are. Like it’s been said, if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, everyone starts to believe it. If we start to believe the lie that the world and the ruler of this world (Satan) says about us, we will let that start to impact our behavior. Just think of all the Cinderella stories that have been in sports over the years. If any of those teams thought they weren’t as good as the other teams they played, they would have been right. They would have failed miserably and their memorable victories would have been non-existent. This church was in a similar situation ― they could have listened to what the world said about them, or they could have listened to Jesus. This church did not have what the world thought it needed to accomplish the goal Jesus set before them (we will discuss this in a moment), but Jesus doesn’t mention any of that. Instead He tells them what they do have. They have Him and in Jesus we are never underdogs.
The first thing Jesus says is that He is holy and true. In the Greek these are not combined in a single statement, but rather they are two distinct declarations by Jesus. The first thing He says is that He is holy. There is only one who is holy and that is God. He is the one who is set apart, and is unlike anything we have ever experienced. He is the one who is greater than anything because He is the creator of it all. It’s hard to describe exactly what holy means because it’s the essence of who God is and God is indescribable. Jesus wanted those in the church to know, they were His. They were His children, they were His church. He is greater than anything that they would ever encounter. He is the Holy One.
The next thing Jesus mentions is that He is true ― this literally means He is the very nature of God. What this church knows of God, they know the same of Jesus. Jesus is saying He is everything that God is revealed as in the Bible. He is Almighty, Awesome, Benevolent, Caring, Compassionate, Dedicated, Faithful, Forgiving, Gracious, I AM, Jealous, Judge, King, Kind, Life, Loving, Master, Mender, Merciful, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Peace, Patient, Powerful, Protector, Refiner, Resurrector, Righteous, Savior, Sacred, Sincere, Steadfast, Strong, Truth, Tender, Unchanging, Unflinching, Victorious and The Way. To quote S.M. Lockridge, “I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable”. That’s just a few things Jesus is telling this church they have in Him. Folks, when we have Jesus we don’t need anything else!
Jesus tells them He has the keys of David. The Keys of David allude to the authority that Jesus has and it’s a reference to the story of Shebna in the 22nd Chapter of Isaiah. Assyria had just invaded Judah (as Isaiah had warned), but the Jewish leaders were trusting Egypt, not God, to deliver the nation. One of the treacherous leaders was a man named Shebna who had used his office and authority, not for the good of the people, but for his own private gain. God saw to it that Shebna was removed from office and that a faithful man, Eliakim, was put in his place. Given the keys of authority, the Keys of David, Eliakim was a picture of Jesus Christ, a dependable administrator of the affairs of God’s people. Jesus was declaring Himself to be faithful to His children and He would not fail them.
Therefore as Jesus reveals Himself in this way to the church He is telling them, “You are my church, My people, My Children and you are on My side”. When you are on my side you have all of this and more, so don't listen to the world and think of yourselves as the underdogs. The opposite is true: the odds are stacked perfectly in your favor because Jesus never fails.
Our abilities don’t matter when we are called by Jesus. - Revelation 3:8
I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.
Remember when I said that Jesus had called this church weak? That wasn’t a bad thing. As a matter of fact never once does Jesus say a bad thing about the church in Philadelphia. He treats them like the church in Smyrna. Their weakness was a strength because they had to trust Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 1:27 we are told Jesus chooses the weak things to use in confounding the wise. Why? Because when we can do it in our own strength we can take the credit for it, however when we have to rely on Jesus, He gets it all. Jesus promises this church He is going to open a door, but what is that? In the New Testament an open door is synonymous with an opportunity to minister (Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3). That city might seem large and intimidating, but it was a great opportunity to minister. It’s not as simple as it seems because when it comes to ministry opportunities God presents to us. There is one major obstacle that tends to get in the way every time ― it's ourselves.
When we are called by God to minister we become ever conscious of our shortcomings and we dwell on that. Take the most basic of ministry that God has called all Christians to and that is the sharing of the Gospel. At the mere mention of it, we usually don’t think, “Ok let’s get to it”, but rather we come up with excuses why we can’t. “I don’t know what to say”, “I’m scared they will reject me”, “It’s not my job”, “It’s awkward”, “I’m not ready for hard questions” and that list can go on and on. What we don’t realize is that when God calls us to it, God will see us through it and give us what we need when we need it. This church didn’t have money, influence or strength in any form, but what they did have was faith and obedience to Jesus and Jesus was awarding them with an opportunity they never would have had if not for Him. Our abilities and resources don’t matter. When Jesus calls us to something He will see us through it. We just have to overcome our worldly fears by trusting in Him more and more.
Our adversaries are defeated when we are on Jesus’ side. - Revelation 3:9-10
Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love. Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
When it comes to serving God we cannot take on the mindset that we are the underdogs. We have God on our side! We cannot think that we lack the abilities, because Jesus will open doors and use us despite our abilities. We still have enemies to worry about ― right? No, when we are on Jesus’ side, He will take care of our enemies. The church in Philadelphia shared the same enemies as the church in Smyrna ― they were being persecuted by the Jews who had bent to the world. Jesus promises them, not that they wouldn’t have battles, not at all, but rather that they would be taken care of because of their obedience to Him. These people would one day have to acknowledge that this church was correct and that He would keep them from a great time of testing that was coming. If we take care of God’s mission, then God takes care of our enemies. When we don't, God will many times use those enemies to bring us back into line and correct us, just like He did with the children of Israel all throughout the Old Testament. God’s plans will not be stopped. When we are on His side following through in obedience, He will take care of our enemies.
We are rewarded when we are on Jesus’ side. - Revelation 3:11-13
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write my new name. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
Jesus encourages the church to keep holding on despite the circumstances that surround them. Because if they do they will finish strong and when they do Jesus will give them stability and status ― two things that they never had on earth. This world is full of shifting sands, however when we have Jesus we have a firm foundation and a promise of a hope for tomorrow. This church wasn’t going to gain power, fame, money, or anything else this world values while they were here on earth. That’s never what Jesus promised. His promise was for the future and it’s the same hope He gives all of us. When we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted into His family. We are on His side and He rewards our faithfulness and obedience to Him. Sometimes that is on this side of eternity. The best parts are on that side of eternity, where we are promised a home eternally in a place that no eye has seen nor ear has heard about. There is no imagination as to what He has in store. All we know is that we will be in a place with no more tears, no more sorrows, no more sin, and we will live with Him forever and ever. There is a reward in store for those who belong to Jesus.
I think one of the reasons we like an underdog story is because we can relate. We have all been in a place that we seem insufficient. We don't have the skills, the talent, the resources and we seem to have adversaries all around us that just want to beat us down. Just like this church in Philadelphia, God has set before us many open doors of opportunities. If He opens the door, we must not delay and get to work. If He shuts a door, we must wait. Above all, we must be faithful to Him and see the opportunities and not the obstacles. We have much more than we think in Jesus and we have to live that reality out each and every day.
