Sunday April 7, 2024 | Greg Boyd
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are 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. Look, I have set before you an open door that no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not but are lying—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 of endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one takes away your crown. If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
In the last letter to the seven churches, Jesus speaks of the endurance of the Philadelphians. They endure in times of trial and Jesus promises to keep them so that they might overcome and remain faithful. In this sermon, Greg challenges us to remain faithful in the midst of trials so that we might live in love, even when we face resistance.
This is the letter to, Philadelphia, the seventh and final church. The primary focus of this sermon is on verses 10 and 11. Jesus knows the “works” of this church, which refers to their faith, their loyalties, and most of all, their character. Because they kept the word of endurance, Jesus will keep them. This speaks of a partnership between God and humans. We can’t do life in the Kingdom without God, and God won’t advance the Kingdom without us. We rely absolutely upon God’s grace, but God’s action depends upon a partnership with us. It is not a contradiction to say that our lives depend upon the life of God, while also saying that we are called to give our all to that life. We can do the second because of the first.
Jesus says that if we keep his word, then he will keep us. This does not mean that we will escape the trials and tribulations of the world. If that were the case, then there would not be a need for endurance. Christians have suffered persecutions throughout history and are still suffering persecution in parts of the world. Rather, this is a promise to protect us from succumbing to the trials, to protect us from the evil one who is always trying to get us to give up.
Why will we face testing? First, testing discloses our character. Testing makes clear what is true about our character and reveals who we are at the present time. Secondly, testing builds our character. Character is developed as we choose between loving and not loving. If we remain faithful, we grow in the character of love. Whatever we do, the better we get at it. The testing will move us forward or send us backward, depending on how we respond to the test.
There are two applications of this time of testing. First, in apocalyptic literature, it is assumed that a time of global testing would take place prior to the appearing of the messiah at the end of age. Circumstances would get increasingly difficult, and the world would come undone prior to the appearing of the messiah. The New Testament tells us to live expectantly, as if this could be coming at any moment.
The second application is for everyday life. A hardship is only a test if there is some kind of goal toward which we are moving. Our life goal is to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
Since life can only be lived moment by moment, and character is formed by what we do in those moments, our call is to be the most loving version of ourselves in each of those moments. Everything that might tempt us to be anything less than our most loving self is a test, and it’s a test that Jesus promises to help us endure if we commit to enduring.
This means that every situation presents us with a choice. Paul wrote, “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). Will we pursue love or will we invest in our own agenda? The goal to love tops all other goals. And every time we face a challenge that causes us to question whether or not we love is a trial. Will we endure? To endure we need three things. First, we need reminders. Secondly, we need spiritual friends who will challenge us to live in love. Third, we need to belong to a community that is committed to move in this direction.