The Church of Philadelphia – “All You Need Is Love” (Church Part VI)

Sermon Title: The Church of Philadelphia – “All You Need Is Love”

Good News Statement: God Requires Us to be His Church

Preached: Sunday, February 18th, 2024 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Revelation 3:7-13 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is filled with hope, beasts, seven trumpets, seven stars, seven lampstands, seven seals, seven churches, seven bowls, and a lot of symbolic imagery that gets people confused and at times a little scared, which is why Jesus tells John in the opening chapter, “Do not be afraid” (Revelation 1:17). When writing to the Seven Churches, we get a glimpse of what church we need to be—a church without fear but filled with love. Our reading comes from the Book of Revelation, Chapter Three, Verses Seven thru Thirteen. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding and meaning to your life.

 

The Message to Philadelphia

⁷ “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:

⁸ “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. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one takes away your crown. ¹² 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. ¹³ Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

 

Introduction:

We are continuing our study of the seven churches John addresses in the Book Revelation. We’ve already looked at the Church in Ephesus, who had forsaken their first love; the Church at Smyrna, who experienced persecution and were encouraged not to fear but to remain rich in their faith; the Church at Pergamum, where some appeared to be seduced and were displaying a morally compromised lifestyle but realized how powerful—life-saving, life-changing, and life-healing—the word of God is; the Church of Thyatira, where some believers were tolerating sin and false teaching but were reminded of what they must do to become the Body of Christ—work, show love, express faith, do ministry, perform acts of service, and embody endurance and patience; and last week we visited the  Church of Sardis, a church that looked alive outwardly, but inwardly was spiritually dead.

The Church of Sardis taught us four valuable lessons as a church in which we related to the Super Bowl. First, the Church of Sardis was spiritually lazy and overconfident which is why they didn’t take their warm-up routine seriously: as a church we must spiritually warm-up—read and study the Bible, pray, be and get involved in the life of the church, share ideas, and be loving and mindful of others. Second, during the first half of the game, the Church of Sardis was spiritually asleep or dead: they thought they had everything under control, and they thought they could do things all on their own. Third, the Church of Sardis received a pep-talk from their coach to become spiritually healthy: wake up, remain strong, remember the teachings of Jesus, and obey Jesus’ commands as you repent of your sins. And fourth, because the Church of Sardis woke up, they became overcomers during the second half of the game and found victory in Jesus. As a church we need to be both spiritually alive outwardly as much as we are spiritually alive inwardly. We need to wake up and do what Christ needs us to do.

After finding victory in Christ, we gain a better understanding that victory in Christ is not just about repentance and salvation; it is about embracing, embodying, and experiencing the love of Christ in our life. The Church of Philadelphia, where we are going today, is the church of love. Of all the seven churches of Asia Minor, Jesus offered no criticisms to Philadelphia. Nevertheless, Jesus wrote to them anyway to instruct, encourage, and warn. Why? Because, they were still exposed to frailties and faults. Even though when things are still going well, we need constant instruction to remain faithful.[1]

Like the believers in Smyrna, the believers in Philadelphia had no warning to remain faithful to keep from falling away. There was no reason to; the believers were remaining faithful even in the face of opposition. The believers had no reason to fear or worry at all because they kept the command of God and were patiently enduring whatever suffering or attack came their way. The Church of Philadelphia, meaning the “city of brotherly love,” is the church we long to be: full of love, guided by love, and open to God’s love even when we are under attack.

Body:

In 1967, in a song just shy of four minutes, the Beatles simply told the world, “All you need is love…Love is all you need.” In their song “All You Need Is Love,” you will hear the world love either sang or spoken approximately 83 times. I guess the Beatles saw back then what we still need to find today: we still need to find love. And what better way to find love than to focus on Christ’s love for his church.

Biblically, the word love appears throughout the scriptures in several commandments, letters, scenarios, and teachings. Depending on the translation you read from, the word love appears in scripture 731 times.[2] Love appears at least once in sixty of the sixty-six books of the Bible: it does not appear in 2 Kings, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Haggai, or in the book of Acts. Furthermore, we are called to “love our masters,” to “love our neighbors,” to “love our enemies,” to “love ourselves,” to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul,” and to remember that the Lord’s love is steadfast and “endures forever.” Additionally, we are called to live out and practice the following definition of love as shared by the Apostle Paul, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends….” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

When using the word love, the New Testament, which was originally translated into Greek, tends to favor four different words to define love. First, stroge. Storge is defined as “familial affection.” This type of love and affection exists between family members, friends, or companions. One of the Ten Commandments shows what storge love can look like: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).  The Apostle Paul reminded spouses of God’s order to seek and show this type of love as well: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:25).

Second, phileo. Phileo is defined as “friendship”, hence Philadelphia, the city of brotherly or friendship love. Phileo most often describes a relationship between people focused on a common bond of shared beliefs, values, or interests. An image that comes to mind as an example of this is good friends who look out for each other, who are there for each other, who support one another instead of tearing each other down, and who as the Apostle Paul notes, “[are] kind to one another, tenderhearted [toward one another], and forgive one another” (Ephesians 4:32). Romans 12:10 and Hebrews 13:1 demonstrate this kind of love. Romans asserts, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” And Hebrews notes, “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.”

Third, eros. Eros is defined as “passion.” This kind of passionate love is meant to describe a healthy, sensual love between those that are married. God gave us this kind of desire with the clear instruction to express it only within the bonds of marriage. Song of Solomon states, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine…” (Song of Solomon 6:3). Scripture clearly tells us that he cares about what we do with our bodies. Believers are cautioned to avoid showing eros love to anyone but our spouse, so that choices we make honor God.[3]

Lastly, agape. Agape is defined as “charity or unconditional.” Agape love is probably the most talked about of the four kinds of love. It is the highest, most complete form of affection. Jesus gave us many lessons about and examples of agape—a strong, selfless, and sacrificial love—during his earthly ministry. Jesus reminded his disciples over and over again that we are called to show this agape love to God and to other people, whether they are friends or enemies. Jesus tells us, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:27-39). Prior to these words of love, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:43-46, “’You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.’” Agape is between us and God, between us and Christ, and between us and others. This love will make the world a better place.[4]

The Church of Philadelphia, a church associated as a brotherly or friendship love, sought to change the world for the better. They are defined as an agape church: a church that exemplifies, embodies, and lives out the love of Jesus Christ in all that they do, in all that they say, and in their ministry, service, and works. But I have to ask us, here today, what type of love are we living out as a church? Are their factors in our personal lives and in the life of the church that are preventing us from showing and sharing Christ’s agape love? How can we become like the Church of Philadelphia in Oblong, Illinois? To answer these questions, let’s explore the letter to the Church of Philadelphia.

Movement One: THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS LETTER

Revelation 3:7 states, “ “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…” Philadelphia was a city located on a hillside about 30 miles southeast of Sardis. It was founded by the King of Pergamum named Attalus II. As a result of the king’s devotion to his brother, the city was named “brotherly love”. Philadelphia’s residents kept barbarians out of the region and brought in Greek culture and language. And the author of this letter sees no fault in the Church of Philadelphia. In their works, ministry, service, and faith the author sees his agape love. But who is this author?

The author of this letter is Jesus Christ. Jesus is defined as being “holy” and “true”. Christ shares the holy, sinless and righteous nature of His Father. He goes on to say that He is the one “who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”. This speaks to Jesus’ sovereign authority; He is the one who controls entrance into the Kingdom. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus is described as the one who holds the “keys of hell and death”; and here He is seen as the one who has the keys to salvation and blessing. Christ is the rightful “Son of David” according to the genealogy of Matthew Chapter One; and therefore He is the only one who is qualified to open and shut the door in the Davidic kingdom. The Jewish enemies of the church and the pagan cults did not have the power to shut the open door that Jesus had opened. This “open door” refers to the opportunity to preach Christ to all who will hear.

It is a comforting thing to know that we belong to the One who is in complete control of the universe! We serve the one who possesses all authority. This was certainly a great comfort to the Christians in Philadelphia, and it should bring us comfort as well. In the opening verses of this letter, we learn a valuable lesson: to be a church like the Church of Philadelphia, we must acknowledge that Jesus is the one who is in control of our life. He is the one that will open and shut doors in our life. He is the one who demonstrates how we are to live our life. He is the one who guides our church to uphold the words of Luke 6:37: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven…” He is the one who sees our struggles and provides us strength and support (Isaiah 41:10) to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He is the one that rules with love and encourages us to do the same. Are we putting the love of Christ first in our life and first in the ways and mission of our church so that our doors are open and not shut?

Movement Two: THE PRAISE IN THIS LETTER

After informing the Church of Philadelphia of who is writing this letter and essentially reminding the people that without Jesus in their life they are missing a key component to their ministry, Jesus offers a word of affirmation and praise. Revelation 3:8 asserts, ““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.”

As I mentioned earlier, the Church at Philadelphia only received words of praise from the Lord; there is not even a hint of rebuke in this letter. It’s almost as if Jesus was telling them about the parable of the talents which informs the disciples to use their God-given gifts in the service of God, and to take risks for the sake of the Kingdom of God: “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and [faithful servant]; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:23).

Jesus finds no faults in the Church of Philadelphia because these Christians had been zealous for the Lord; they were faithful and persistent in their trust of Him: they were faithful servants. In the midst of pagan influence, Jewish opposition, and the worship of the Roman Caesar, these Christians refused to deny Christ. They believed God’s word and their faith in Him resulted in good works. Because of their devotion to him, Jesus said, “I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it”. This open door likely is a reference to their admission into His Kingdom. We are able to enter His Kingdom because he opened the door; and we are able to serve him and advance his Kingdom, only because he opened the door. Because Jesus opened the door to his kingdom, our hearts have been opened to his love. Through this love, we are called to become good and faithful servants not just when we want to be, but to always be faithful servants.

As a church we need to be good and faithful servants so that Jesus will praise us for our works. How do we do that? Well, as individuals, we pray, we read and study the scriptures, we partake in devotionals, we check-in with one another, we support one another, we recognize that we aren’t perfect but want to be made perfect, we acknowledge that we sin and seek forgiveness, and offer forgiveness when forgiveness is due. As a church, we pray and study the scriptures, we support one another, we perform acts of service both within and outside our church walls, we make it a point to find ways to keep our church alive for generations to come, we seek to create ministries that exercise our faith, we cater to the needs of the congregation, we cater to the needs of the community, we search to do works, and we find ways to be the Body of Christ not just on Sundays but every day of the week. If we want to be a church that is like the Church of Philadelphia, then we must become a good and faithful servant for and of God that acts with love in our heart, mind, body, and soul. After all, as a hymn suggests, “They will know we are Christians by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love.”[5]

Notice also what Jesus said in verse ten, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10). [6]Today, millions of Christians are suffering and dying at the hands of godless tyrants throughout the world. To them, the time of testing has already begun. What we can take away from this verse is that whenever Christians suffer, Christ promises protection of their eternal souls. (Inc., Tyndale House Publishers. NASB Life Application Study Bible, Second Edition (p. 9113).

Today, let’s make a promise to not be a church that pushes people away, but welcomes them to experience the presence of Jesus Christ. The Church of Philadelphia didn’t shun people, but saw them. The Church didn’t ignore people, but heard them. And the Church didn’t push people away, but loved them. Jesus wants us to be a church in which he seeks to praise today and every day. Jesus was well pleased with the Church in Philadelphia and He praised them for their works, then he went on to instruct them to remain faithful to Him. This leads us to Jesus’ command and promise to the church.

Movement Three: THE COMMAND AND PROMISE IN THIS LETTER

Revelation 3:11, “I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one takes away your crown.” Jesus uses his imminent return as motivation for the saints at Philadelphia to remain steadfast and endure whatever troubles may come their way. The victors crown was near; they were not to let anyone take that away from them. In this passage, Jesus encourages his followers to persevere in their faith and in their service to him. He would want us to do the same today. Just as he praised the Philadelphian Christians for their obedience and devotion, he sees, knows, and will reward your faithfulness as well.

As a church we are commanded to hold fast unto the lessons, mission, parables, teachings, and words and works of Jesus Christ so that we are able to persevere in our faith. Jesus wants us to hold fast to him so that we can “bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and set free those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18). Jesus wants us to hold fast to him so that we can truly be the church he needs us to be. Jesus needs us to follow his commands because through his commands people will know we are Christians by our love because the love they see is the same love that flows through the very blood of Christ which has made us clean.

Revelation 3:12 reminds us of the promises that we will gain if we hold fast to his commandments. Jesus wrote to the Church of Philadelphia, “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” (Revelation 3:12).

Jesus declares that those who “overcome or conquer” will be made “pillars in the Temple of God”. This is a promise of strength, honor, and permanent security. The overcomer will have three names written on him; Jesus said “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 I will write on him my new name.” This means that we belong to God, we will enjoy eternal citizenship in Heaven and we are and forever will be in Jesus Christ. We are His Bride and He will give us His name!

However, we must be willing, here on earth, to live like, to act like, and to be like Jesus Christ. If we do these things, we will gain more than the promise of being made a pillar in the Temple of God. We will gain the following promises from Jesus: I know your deeds (verse 8); I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut (verse 8); I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name (verse 8); I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who are liars, to fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you (verse 9); I will keep you from the hour of trial (verse 10); I am coming soon (verse 11); I will make a pillar in the temple of my God (verse 12); I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (verse 12); and I will also write on them my new name (verse 12).

Jesus wants to make and keep promises with us, but as a church we must be willing to receive his promises and find ways to fulfill those promises in our daily life. And how do we keep and fulfill those promises? We act with love in our heart. What we do should be done with love. What we say should be said with love. And what we preach should be preached with love. Without love we are nothing: we are not the Church of Philadelphia and we fall short of his promises.

Movement Fourth: ACTING WITH LOVE

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:2, “And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.”[7] We need to be a church of love otherwise we are nothing.

However, some of you may be telling yourself right now, I don’t have time to love the way God needs me to love. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed today. Maybe you are feeling alone and spiritually tired. Maybe you have begun to realize that your love for God is not what it used to be. It’s not that you don’t love God, but you know your love for God could be better. Life happens. Stuff hits the fan. Clouds cover the mountain. Valleys seem comfortable. Bad news just won’t stop coming across your phone. I get it. I’ve been there. Tears keep falling and pain and hurt and sorrow and stress and uncertainty just won’t go away. Loving God is hard to do when life doesn’t seem fair. But if we don’t love God, then we can’t move mountains. We can’t overcome what is keeping us from God. We need love in our life. The Beatles got it right when they sang, “I’ll you need is love…love is all you need.” The church needs love.

Dwight L. Moody once said: “Show me a church where there is love, and I will show you a church that is a power in the community.” In Chicago a few years ago a little boy attended a Sunday school I know of. When his parents moved to another part of the city the little fellow still attended the same Sunday school, although it meant a long, tiresome walk each way. A friend asked him why he went so far, and told him that there were plenty of others just as good nearer his home. ‘They may be good for others, but not for me,’ was his reply. ‘Why not?’ the friend asked. ‘Because they love a fellow over there,’ he replied.” Moody went on to say: “Let love replace duty in our church relations, and the world will soon [become a better place]” (Moody’s Anecdotes, pp. 71-72).

My point in sharing this story is that there are several churches just within our community, but what draws people to our church? What brings you back here every Sunday? I believe it is the love we have for Christ and for one another. I believe people see a love and feel a love that encourages them to move mountains, that motivates them to want to get involved in the church, that pays attentions to their needs, that puts ideas into actions, that wants to be here for generations to come, and that says “I will walk 500 hundred miles” to worship in a place and space that I know God loves. Do you love this church? Do you love seeing people walk through our doors? Do you love how we are thinking about the future? What do you love about our church? There is love here…

Conclusion:

As I survey The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor if I had to pick one that describes our church better than the rest it would be The Church of Philadelphia. However, my assessment is not what matters, what matters is what Jesus sees when he looks into our congregation. I certainly hope that he sees a church that brings him glory like Philadelphia did. I hope that if he were to write a letter to us, it would contain much praise and little correction. I hope that when he sees our works, he is pleased. I hope that he sees a group of people who keep his Word and refuse to deny his name. I hope that he sees a church that has kept his command to keep his promises. And I pray that He will continue to open doors for us to minister for him and to advance His Kingdom of love.

We have love, but our love should continuously increase. We have compassion for others, but our compassion must increase. We have unity, but that unity must continue to grow stronger. We have many servants involved in good works, but there is a need for many more. Proverbs 3:3-4 asserts, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” Let the love of Christ shine in and through us today. Let us be a church filled with love because “love is all we need” to help make this world a better place.  Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear God, we want to be a church filled with love. Search our heart, and guide us in your loving ways so that we can, like your Church of Philadelphia, make this world a better place. In your Holy Name we pray. Amen.

Benediction:

We are a church filled with love, but I know there is room for more love. In order to be God’s church, we need His love, we need Jesus’ love, so that doors will be open to us as we help with making this world a better place. May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth finding ways to be the church God needs us to be. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] The city of Philadelphia was founded in 189 BC. Its origins were to spread the Greek culture into the ancient world of that area. It was sometimes called “Little Athens” because of the number of temples and public buildings present. Rome took the city in 133 BC, just fifty-six years after its founding.

[2] It appears in the Old Testament 413 times, in the New Testament 228 times, and in the Apocrypha 90 times

[3] 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 informs us, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

[4] In The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis explores the nature of love. He starts with the Biblical truth that God is love, and sets out to see how our lives can reflect the different aspects of that. In his book, Lewis wrote: “Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our natural lives.” As we become more giving in our spirits over time, more of the selfless agape love will naturally pour out of us. And that will lead to blessings for others, and for us. It is a wonderful cycle that can change the world for the better. He also talks of a maturing process we will ideally go through. First, we make the choice to show love, especially storge and phileo, to others. As we do, our hearts will align more closely with God’s.

[5] Jesus goes on to say in verse nine, “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie–indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” Jesus assures His followers that those Jews who had caused them so much trouble would one day be humbled before them. These Jews claimed to be God’s chosen people, but Jesus says they were actually a synagogue of Satan. One day, they would have to admit that it was those despised and oppressed Christians in Philadelphia who were actually God’s chosen people.

[6] There are many different interpretations concerning this verse. Here is what the NASB Life Application Study Bible has to say: Some believe that “I also will keep you from the hour of testing” means there will be a future time of great tribulation from which true believers will be spared. Others interpret this to mean that the church will go through the time of tribulation and that God will keep them strong in the midst of it. Still others believe this refers to times of great distress in general, the church’s suffering through the ages. We cannot interpret from this verse when or for how long Christians will experience “the hour of testing.”

[7] The Message Bible, a contemporary reading of the text, phrases this verse in this way, “If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, ‘Jump,’ and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.” I’m nothing more than the sound of rusty gate.