The first door lock, as we imagine door locks, was invented by an Egyptian 3,000 years ago. There was little improvement on locks until the Romans invented a kind of notched key. The next major improvement on locks was not until the 1700’s. A man by the name of Yale invented the tumbler lock. After this development in the opening and closing of doors, came more quickly.
The combination lock followed the tumbler lock. A series of memorized letters or numbers formed a coded combination. The time lock was invented in 1873. The combination could not be used until a certain time.
Safes began to build doors with a stair-step design. This prevented wedges from being forced in and prying the vault open. Thieves began to use blowtorches. Safes were designed to disperse the heat. Copper alloys were put into the door of safes and vaults to disperse the heat of an acetylene torch. Relockers were added. When someone tried to jimmy the safe, tumblers fell into place. Today, we face electronic theft.
The history of locks and safes reveal that people have found a way to open doors that others wanted closed or to close doors that others wanted open. In the letter to the church at Philadelphia, our Lord tells the church He is the One that opens doors, and no one can close the door. When He closes a door, no one can open it. The reason is that He holds the key.
This is the sixth letter of the seven letters to the churches of Revelation. Each church has highlighted a characteristic of the church. A church is characterized by love, suffering, holiness, truth, and reality. The church of Philadelphia reveals God has opened a door of opportunity to share and serve Christ. This letter calls the church to boldly act on the opportunity to share and serve Christ.
Only two churches of the seven are not criticized. The first was Smyrna, the church that was suffering and being persecuted. The second church is the church in Philadelphia.
There are three metaphors the letter is built around: a door, a key, and a pillar. The door speaks of the church’s opportunity to share the gospel. The key speaks of Christ’s authority. The reason they have this opportunity is Christ is in charge not the government or culture. Finally, the pillar speaks of the Christian’s security. Opportunities can be risky, but we are secure in Christ.
John writes what Jesus says to the church at Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7. He says:
(7) “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: (8) I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. (9) Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you. (10) Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. (11) I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.
(12) “The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God — the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God — and my new name.
(13) “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
I. DOOR—THE CHURCH’S OPPORTUNITY (REVELATION 3:7-8)
Jesus said to this church, “I have placed before you an open door that no one can close” (v. 8). What is this door which has been opened wide and can’t be closed? Often in Scripture, an open door is a door of opportunity. When the door is closed, the opportunity has passed. John Stott says the metaphor is used in two main senses.
The first open door is the opportunity of salvation. Some commentators think this is what John is speaking of, but others disagree. However, this picture is so clear in other parts of the Bible that it needs to be considered. Jesus used this picture to speak of salvation. In Matthew 7:13-14, He said: (13) “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. (14) How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.
Jesus says before everyone of us are two gates and both are open. One opens to a wide and crowded highway which ends in destruction in hell. The other is open to a narrow path with few travelers. The journey is rough and demanding but it leads to eternal life.
At the end of this message, I’m going to give you the opportunity to enter the narrow door that leads to eternal life. If Jesus delays His return so that I finish this message and you turn away from your sin by making Jesus God over your life, you will receive forgiveness of sin, be reconciled to God, and promised a home in heaven. This means for those who have not repented that they have accepted the world’s invitation, and they are on the road that will end in destruction. This service is your exit ramp off the road of certain destruction. I am the flag man warning you of the danger ahead.
A second kind of open door is the opportunity of service. People who have received the free gift of salvation provided by Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave are deeply concerned about the material and spiritual welfare of their fellow human beings. We no sooner answer the Spirit’s appeal to come to Christ that we hear the Spirit compelling us to look for others who need Christ.
Philadelphia was a frontier city. It was established where three countries came together: Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia. The purpose of its founding was to be a missionary city for the spreading of the Greek language and culture. 150 years later, the people of Lydia couldn’t speak their own native language. Philadelphia was called the “Gateway to the East.” In this gateway city Jesus is saying to this little church that He has set before them an open door of salvation and service for Him.
This opportunity didn’t come without its challenges. Jesus acknowledges that they have little power. This may mean they were small, or they were made up of people from the lower classes of society and had no influence in the city. This was not to slow them down when it came to sharing the gospel and serving Christ.
In addition, they had a fierce opponent. He refers to Jewish opposition in Philadelphia. Jesus calls them the synagogue of Satan. They claim to belong to God’s family, but they do not. We know from Paul’s travels recorded in Acts that some Jewish leaders opposed his teaching with violence about Jesus being the Messiah. They sought to turn city officials against Christians with lies. Apparently, the same thing was happening in Philadelphia to this church.
This is not an anti-Semitic statement. Jesus and John are both Jews. To call these Jews the synagogue of Satan is to say they are actively opposing the teaching of Jesus as the Messiah. Remember Peter confessing to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16). Jesus immediately begins talking about the cross. Peter rebukes Jesus for such talk. Jesus doesn’t say, “Get thee behind me Peter.” He says, “Get thee behind me Satan.” Opposition to the only way of salvation through the cross is doing the work of Satan. I’m suggesting to you that this is what is meant by this statement. It is not being anti-Semitic
There is no way anti-Semitism can be justified by Christians. We have shameful history around this topic. It is on the rise in the West. Christians are to be the first to oppose it and defend the Jewish people. We owe them our Savior and the Scriptures and so much more.
On the horizon was the threat of future tribulation (v. 10): Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. There’s debate on whether this is talking about end time persecution or hardship coming in their lifetime. Nearly all the commentators agree that the thrust of this promise and the testimony of scripture is that the believer is not removed from hardships, but we are protected by Christ in the hardship. The hardship may result in the loss of life or goods but never the loss of the presence of Christ and our eternal life.
One of the greatest missed opportunities in history was the sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked them to stay awake and pray with Him. They fell asleep. He repeatedly tried to stir them to be alert. It was a miserable night of failure and missed opportunities to share Christ and to serve Christ. Desertion, denial, and despair describes the disciple’s response to that opportunity. We are told Peter wept bitterly. I imagine the other disciples did too. I’m sure they believed they missed the best version of their life.
Do you remember what Jesus did? He says to the sleeping disciples, “Rise, let us be going” (Matthew 26:46). He said to Peter who had denied him three times, “Feed my sheep” three times (John 21:17). To those disciples that scattered like cowards, He didn’t tell them to sit in the corner and think about what they had done. He flung open the door to the world and told them to go and get it. He gave them another opportunity. They were to act boldly on the opportunity to share and to serve Christ.
In my work, there’s a lot of talk about what is going to happen to attendance when people are free to return to church. Will attendance increase or decrease? One article said Greg Laurie may be able to preach to 1.3 million people online, but he and his church certainly can’t meet their day-to-day needs the other six days. This gives churches an opportunity to connect and build caring relationships with members. The thought is that the pandemic has revealed the need for churches to have systems for small care groups like Sunday School classes. Everyone knows the difference between a lukewarm Christian and an engaged follower of Christ is what happens between Sundays. This may be our opportunity to share and to serve Christ. Could this be the opportunity that God is going to revive His church in America?
If you don’t belong to a Sunday School class, join one. Every class I know of needs help in caring and encouraging other members. They will help you the other six days of the week.
At the end of WWII, General Douglas MacArthur called on American Christians to send as many missionaries as possible to Japan, thousands of missionaries if possible. The devastation of the war had left the Japanese open and hungry to the truth. Do you know how many the churches of America sent to Japan? Less than a hundred. Today, with a population of 150 million, there is less than 1% of the population that is Christian. Materialism and not the Messiah is the god of Japan. They have the largest suicide rate in the world. The church failed to step through that open door.
Let’s be alert to the opportunities God is giving us congregationally and individually to share Christ and to serve Christ. Let’s not miss this opportunity. Boldly act on your opportunity to share and serve Christ.
II. KEY—CHRIST’S AUTHORITY (REVELATION 3:7-8)
Before Christ told the church at Philadelphia about the door of opportunity which He set before them, His letter began with this powerful description of Jesus.
(7) “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens:
Jesus takes to Himself the description of deity. This is seen in the statement “the Holy One.” This is a title which God gave to himself in the Old Testament. For example, Isaiah 40:25 says, “To whom will you compare me, or who is my equal? ”asks the Holy One. Jesus takes this title to Himself. Jesus is not only holy; He is true. He hates all evil and error. He is the perfection of righteousness and the fulfillment of all prophecy. One of those prophecies He has fulfilled is this key of David. Jesus possesses the key of David. The reason the church has an open door is because the key is in the hand of Christ.
In Isaiah 22, the Lord demands that Eliakim replace Shebna as the chief steward of King Hezekiah’s household and that he be given “the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” In Isaiah, the text meant Eliakim had access to the king and his palace. This came to be understood as Eliakim being a type of the exalted Messiah who controls entrance into God’s kingdom. The opening and shutting in Isaiah pictured the absolute power and authority of Eliakim. Here it means more. The Jews had probably excommunicated the Christians in Philadelphia from the synagogue, but this declares unequivocally that only Christ has the authority to exclude people from the family of God. He alone can open and shut the gates of heaven. His decision is final. When opens heaven to the believing Gentiles, no one can alter His decision. When closes the door to unbelievers, this decision too is final and cannot be altered.
Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:19, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” Peter is using this authority to share Christ and open the door of salvation in the book of Acts. In Acts 2, Peter preaches on the day of the feast of Pentecost. Two thousand Jews from all over the Mediterranean confess Christ as Savior and Lord. Later in Acts 8, he and John investigate the despised Samaritans responding to Jesus in great numbers. He prays for them to receive the Holy Spirit. The Samaritans have their own Pentecostal experience with the Holy Spirit demonstrating His acceptance and indwelling of them. Then in Acts 10, Peter is called to a Gentiles home, a Roman centurion. He preaches and again the Holy Spirit comes upon them in a Gentile Pentecost. In all three, the door of salvation was opened to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles. Those keys are now back in the hands of Jesus Christ and we use them to tell others about Jesus and the Holy Spirit unlocks the door to the kingdom of heaven for all who repent and believe.
Right now, this door is open. No one can shut it. It has been unlocked for you to go through.
Have you noticed how often movies use doors as entrances to indescribable blessing or horrifying terror? At the end of the movie Gladiator, Maximus dies in the arena having vanquished the evil emperor Commodus. He pushes open a door to heaven and waiting for him is his wife and son. They are standing in a field with tall wheat. Maximus had been a farmer. This was a perfect heaven for a farmer.
On the other hand, maybe the most frightening scene in movie history is where Norman Bates opens the door to the bathroom and rips back the shower curtain of Janet Leigh and stabs her to death. Alfred Hitchcock shows us the blood going down the drain. I read that many stopped taking showers after that 1960 movie.
Hollywood is just child’s play in depicting the indescribable blessing to those who open the door of salvation and gain entrance into heaven. It hasn’t scratched the surface of the terror awaiting those who open the door of hell. I know that offends people today, but the truth often does that. There is One who opens the door of salvation and no one has the authority to shut it on you. He is Jesus Christ. Before they shut the lid on you, open the door to Jesus Christ. Open it today.
Many are offended by preachers who say people will be excluded from heaven. I understand. There is no pleasure in stating this reality. I’m not asking you to believe me. Listen to Jesus’ own words in Luke 13:24-29 in the Message paraphrase:
(23) A bystander said, "Master, will only a few be saved?"
He said, (24) "Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life — to God! — is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you'll sit down to God's salvation banquet just because you've been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. (25) Well, one day you're going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you'll find the door locked and the Master saying, 'Sorry, you're not on my guest list.'
(26) "You'll protest, 'But we've known you all our lives!' (27) only to be interrupted with his abrupt, 'Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'
(28) "That's when you'll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You'll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God's kingdom. (29) You'll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God's kingdom. And all the time you'll be outside looking in — and wondering what happened.
Those are chilling words from Jesus, the One whom holds the keys into the kingdom of heaven. You may be a church member but are you a member of the kingdom of heaven? It is possible to be a baptized member of the church and remain outside the door of salvation. Yield to Christ and step through the door before it is too late.
In our desire to see others know Christ as Savior and Lord, we can force open doors. Sometimes we get in a greater hurry than God to see our children or friends invite Christ into their lives. Our role is to share. The Holy Spirit’s role is to convict and convert to Christ. I’ve told many parents of children whose child is being baptized if their child comes to them as a teen and says they now understand salvation and want to be baptized, that’s great. We don’t lose sight of the goal, which is leading them to Christ. Maybe they were truly saved as a child or maybe we picked the fruit a bit early.
What closed our church from meeting for congregational worship? Authority. What is opening the doors to businesses and schools? Authority. What causes you to risk your finances by tithing? What makes you endure doing the right thing when it would be so much easier on you to let things slide? Authority. Who sits on the throne of your life? You will know when you examine your response to the opportunity to share Christ and to serve Christ.
III. PILLAR—THE CHRISTIAN’S SECURITY (REVELATION 3:11-12)
Christ is not content to exhort. To His admonishes He adds promises:
(11) I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.
Stand firm. Don’t let anyone rob you of your reward. Then, Jesus makes a pledge to the overcomer:
(12) The victor: I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God—the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God—and My new name.
If you resist the temptation to live a lukewarm Christian life, then in the next life in God’s temple, heaven, He will make you a pillar so stable that even Samson won’t be able to move them. It is a picture of security.
Philadelphia was an area of earthquakes. An earthquake in 17 A.D. practically destroyed the city. The people slept in the countryside for fear of the buildings falling on them. One visitor said there wasn’t a wall in the city that wasn’t cracked. Rome gave them a five-year tax break to use the money to rebuild the city. Jesus says nothing will shake them when they stand as pillars in heaven.
If we risk our name and life for Jesus in this life, then three names will be permanently engraved on our pillar: The name of God, the name of the city of My God, which is the New Jerusalem and stands for the church triumphant, and the third will be Christ’s own new name. One interpreter said this means we will belong forever to God, to Christ and to his people. We shall continually grow in our knowledge of them. This is Christ’s pledge to every believer who goes through the doors of opportunity Christ gives us.
Charles Spurgeon’s grandfather, James, was a believer. When he lay dying, someone reminded him that the promises of God were as firm as the earth. James Spurgeon said, “That would be sorry comfort now. The earth is slipping away from me. No, firm as the throne the promises stand.”
The letter is the strong witness to the person of Christ is at the beginning of the letter. The promises of Christ are the end of the letter. The open door of opportunity in in between. The power and presence of Christ and our secure relationship with Christ is what gives us confidence to risk and endure sharing and serving Christ.
CONCLUSION
Ed Young, the pastor of Second Baptist, Houston, told this story. Dr. John McGuire was a professor at Howard Payne Baptist College in Brownwood, TX, about a 2 ½ hour drive southwest of Ft. Worth. The president of the school called him to his office and said there was a new student he wanted Dr. McGuire to help. John McGuire agreed. When this student turned in his first paper, there was not one complete sentence in the entire paper. The grammar wasn’t poor; it was outrageous. From that start, John McGuire patiently helped this student. The student said to Dr. McGuire, “When I get to be a great doctor, you’ll be a part of it.”
Of course, that was laughable, but the professor saw something in the young man. He was ambitious and hungry to learn. He decided to invest copious amounts of time and energy into this young man. The faculty began to ask John how he was coming along with his hopeless case. Numerous times colleagues told him to give up. They reminded him that the student was so far behind it was an impossible task. Would you believe the young man was accepted into Baylor Medical School and graduated? He sent John McGuire an invitation to his graduation. At the bottom he wrote, “When I get to be a great doctor, you’ll be a part of it.”
He left Baylor Medical School and was accepted into a prestigious medical program at a school in the east. Some years later, John opened his mail and there was another invitation with the same message at the bottom. At the time, I heard Ed Young tell the story of this ignorant college student that the faculty told Dr. McGuire to give up on was the chief surgeon at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. When he became a great doctor, John McGuire played a part in it.
Before every church and believer, God sets an opportunity to share Christ with your witness and life and to serve Christ. It may seem a little thing to others or a waste of time. They may even discourage you; but, step through that door confidently and enduringly. You have the person of Jesus Christ who has made promises to you when you act on your opportunity. Boldly act on the opportunity to share and to serve Christ.
I have asked the men to put a famous picture on the screen. This famous picture is by William Holman Hunt. It is called “The Light of the World.” It illustrates Rev. 3:20. It’s been referred to as a sermon in a frame.
I want to point out one thing: there’s no doorknob on the outside. If Jesus is going to enter, the one on the inside will have to open the door. This picture tells what is happening this morning. For some it is to open the door to salvation. You are a sinner. You want to turn from your sin and receive the forgiveness of the Savior. Tell Him this. Do it now. You must give Him the throne of your life. All I knew was that I needed forgiveness and I needed God. To the best of my knowledge, I gave what I knew of myself to all I knew of Him. It worked. He saved me. He will you too. Meet me at the front and tell me you want to be a Christian.
You will see next week that the Rev. 3:20 passage is for Christians. Have you locked Jesus out? Do you have a room which Jesus is forbidden to enter.? Open the door. Invite Him in to be the Lord of your house. Boldly act on the opportunity to share and to serve Christ.
PRAYER
Father, we are reminded that the church has always faced tough times. We seem to be swept up by forces far more powerful. However, this letter reminds us that behind all of that there is a Sovereign God who is accomplishing His purposes. Give us eyes to see the opportunities to join you in your great eternal purposes. More importantly give us the faith to trust You and obey You.
Your Word tells us that today is the day of salvation. Please help those who need to step through the door of salvation to seize the opportunity to do so now. Rev. 3:20 says you are knocking at the door of every Christian in this room. Please unlock new doors into our life this morning. We’ve missed and wasted opportunities to share and to serve You in the past. Forgive us. Please Holy Spirit let us not add this Sunday to that list. We boldly act in obedience now. Amen.
1. What Christ Thinks of the Church, John Stott, p. 96.
2. Ibid., p. 102.
3. Revelation, Grant R. Osborne, p. 187-188.
4. Stott, p. 104.
