Revelation 4:1-3 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once the Spirit took control of me. There in heaven was a throne with someone sitting on it. 3 His face gleamed like such precious stones as jasper and carnelian, and all around the throne there was a rainbow the color of an emerald.”
 
SUDDENLY the scene shifts. Jesus has spoken to John about the current state of his church on earth. “After this” means it’s time for something new. Jesus now  wants to show John – and his church – the future. Now it’s time to learn of the heavenly realm.
    Chapters 4-8 are one vision. Keep this in mind as we read through this. These chapters reveal the Lord God’s great assurance that he is on his throne. His purposes will be accomplished as his holy perfection triumphs over evil.
     Note first the Lord’s authority. When he says to John, “Come up.” John has no choice. He can’t say, “When I get time, Lord.” or “When I feel I’m ready, I’ll come up there, Lord.” It’s true our Lord often gives us this option to wait on his Word. But generally this should not be our response. Jesus speaks God’s declared will here. The Bible tells us many times that what God wants done will happen immediately when he decrees it. How does it happen? Through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit took control of John to accomplish what the Lord Jesus had decreed.
    The Lord’s will here is to display his magnificent splendor to the church. Forty times in Revelation we will read of God’s throne room. Jesus reveals God’s throne here for two reasons. First, the church needs to know the Lord God is greater than any earthly ruler. Remember how worldly desires strive to elevate man above God. This is certainly true in pagan cultures. Rome’s emperors, for example, sat on the world’s most beautiful thrones to indicate their god-like status. God’s power and glory, of course, is above any earthly ruler. The Lord’s bejeweled throne establishes the highest power of all.
    It’s true, isn’t it, that the visible world continually intrudes into Jesus’ visible church on earth? Jesus must continually remind us and demonstrate to us that he is Lord of all.
    Second, the throne’s pure stones and wealth signify God’s perfection and provision. All we have comes from the earth he created. He has distributed his wealth throughout the world, so all people and nations may benefit from the natural resources. We are to properly use them for our care. To waste or ignore God’s natural gifts is to neglect his creative authority.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for a view of heaven’s holy throne room. I pray we understand your sovereign benevolence to rule your earth with ample provision for your people. Amen.   

Revelation 3:20-21 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
 
SOME Bible translations begin this with “Behold!”. Another says, “Listen!.” “Here I am!” His message is urgent. He’s coming through the door in power and strength. See this, too, in Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” Yes, open that door! Let him completely into your life. HIs truth will transform you. His glorious love will make you new.
    Perhaps you’ve seen the painting of Christ knocking on the door, awaiting, it seems, for someone to open up and receive him. Many teach this is Jesus knocking on the door of every person’s heart, anticipating their decision to open it or not. But remember, Revelation is Jesus’ message is to his church, those already confessing faith in Christ. The Lord is coming to his own. The Bible teaches we have no power within us to decide to open our hearts to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit, who births our faith to open the door and welcome the Jesus into our lives. John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘'You must be born again.’”
    Do you confess Jesus, “Lord. Savior”? Then thank God that the King of glory has come in!
    Thus, in the context of this Scripture, Jesus is knocking on the door of his church. Inside are people who have confessed he is Lord and Savior. He is calling his church to see, to behold, his glory, to listen to his teaching, to live fully into his power.
    Church doors go shut against Jesus when a church’s heart become lukewarm and forgets its first love. Doors shut when false teaching enters, and sexual immorality is accepted as normal. Church leaders lock out Jesus when they turn their eyes from his glory to advance their own agenda.
     Behold, then, and listen to the Lord’s great love. God’s story from Genesis to Revelation is to tell you he has “prepared a table before (you) in the presence of my enemies. (He) anoints you r head with oil; (your) cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow (you) all the days of my life, and (you) will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (from Psalm 23).
    Receive the Lord’s glorious salvation and his true promises. Be eager to open wide your heart’s door to see and hear the King.
 
Prayer: Thank you for your overflowing cup of glory, Lord Jesus. Hallelujah! Amen.

 Revelation 3:14-19 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm –  neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”
 
WE come to the seventh church that Jesus speaks to specifically in the context of Revelation. As with the others, our Lod uses images of the church’s physical surroundings to teach and encourage his church into a firm, true faith with the Lord God.
    Jesus’ use of “lukewarm” relates to the city’s water supply. The city of Heliopolis to the northwest was famous for its hot mineral springs. An aqueduct was built to bring the water to Laodicea. But, as you can imagine, it was only lukewarm when it arrived. The water that was flavorful and therapeutic at its sources, lost its value. It was not cold enough to taste good to drink; nor was it hot enough to be good for healing baths. The salve Jesus referred to was produced by a medical school in Laodicea to care for eye diseases.
    Thus, Jesus writes, “I wish you were either one or the other!” This is his rebuke to the church to live in the eternal value and passion of the Lord Jesus Christ. His image is to awaken the church to have good, cold refreshing purity of purpose (as refined gold). And he desires they have a hot – an effective, transforming – love for God and each other. They need the salve of obedience, repentance and forgiveness to see the full flavor of Jesus within them.
    This is a very common issue in our own lives, isn’t it? So easily we lose the flavor and comfort of Jesus’ incredible love for us. Life’s realities can birth the question, “Where are you, God?” Waiting on the Lord can blind us to his eternal love as we watch loved ones suffer.
    Are we waiting for life to be “perfect” before we can offer God’s refreshing grace and love to others? Does our sin disrupt our desire and ability to see Jesus’ healing salve to a blind and broken world?
    Let’s then look to Jesus, who is “the Amen the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.” He is true and faithful. His truth cools our anguished hearts. His sacrificial love enflames our faith. Jesus is not impressed with our worldly wealth. He loves you too much to leave you lukewarm. “Be earnest,” he says, “and repent.” Be rich in a bounteous love for the one who loves you. Wear the robes of a redeemed, love-empowered disciple. Jesus’ lifeblood has cleansed you.
    
Prayer: Forgive me, Lord Jesus, for the times I’ve been lukewarm, complacent in my salvation, comfortable in my worldly life. I love you. Amen.
 
 

Revelation 3:12-13 “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
 
DO you trust God is holding you firmly in his grasp, even when troubles strive to shake your faith? Is God your “refuge and strength, and ever-present help in time of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)? This is Jesus’ unshakeable promise to his church in Philadelphia.
    Philadelphia was an earthquake zone. Sometimes after an earthquake, pillars of a building would be the only structure standing. When Jesus promised to make a pillar in the temple of my God, he is assuring his everlasting, unmovable presence. Nothing can remove him from his church. His people will know that he is forever their God. Once in God’s temple – in his presence – his faithful followers will always remain in his presence.
    This sure promise reflects God’s words to his people in the exodus journey. As he was preparing the people to leave Egypt, he said to them: Exodus 6:7-8 “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.” He was moving them from the bondage of slavery and pagan worship into his full, protective presence. This now available to all who enter into faith in Jesus. Jesus is the Promised Redeemer, who is the sure way to heaven.
    One thing I hope you’ve learned in Revelation to this point is a greater understanding of the Lord’s love. He chooses to call and then keep his own securely with him. When the Spirit quickens your heart to faith, you can believe you are in faith’s Promised Land, God’s eternal presence.
    Be always awake to the Lord’s extreme love for you his church. He died, so the Spirit would enter and be formed in you and in the world. Heaven is prepared for all his church to be one day in the new Jerusalem, where God will perfectly be with you. You will have a new name that correlates with your citizenship there. Indeed, in Jesus you are a new creation. The new is prepared for you.
    I pray you live in joy and peace with an unshakeable faith in your unshakeable Lord. Worship the one who has said to you, “I will be your God, and you will be my child.”
 
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your message of extraordinary love for me. Amen.
   

Revelation 3:9-11 “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars – I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon 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 will take your crown.”
 
Jesus, the Door, protects the Philadelphia church. He locks out false teachers (synagogue of Satan). And he opens the door for the church to do his work in the world. What work might he have planned for this church?
    Although a small city, Philadelphia was a center for Rome’s postal route. Travelers and traders moved through here from Europe to Asia. Faithful disciples would use the mail and trade routes as a means to communicate the gospel. God had opened doors of commerce to open people’s hearts to him.
    What is the door God has opened for your church? What ways is he pointing you as a church and as an individual to open gospel doors? Regardless of your church’s size, it has a kingdom purpose. Seek God’s wisdom. Understand his gifts. Awaken to the circumstances around you. Jesus’ words to Philadelphia and to each church is the same as he spoke to his disciples: Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore (under Jesus’ authority)  go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We call this the Great Commission. Perhaps another way to view this is the Great Purpose.
    A faithful church believes in God’s power. The people of God recognize the Holy Spirit enlightens their minds and empowers their hearts. Faithful churches believe Jesus’ promises that he will open the doors for their work.
    Jesus, then, urges the church to continue its stand against unbelief. His promise, “I will also keep you from the hour of trial.” is the same language as the Lord’s prayer: “Deliver us from evil (or Evil One).” “I am coming soon” likely means he would come soon in the Holy Spirit’s power to care for, protect and strengthen his church against a trial soon to come. This is also a reference to the Lord’s return at the end of the Age.
    Jesus is the Door. He will not let unbelievers steal away his church’s faith. He protects his people as they minister the good news. The Lord and Savior will turn hearts to bow down in worship of the one true Father. 
 
Prayer: Open my eyes, Lord, to see the doors you have opened for me to evangelize your gospel. Amen.
 

Revelation 3:7-8 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
 
IN John’s gospel, the apostle records Jesus defining one aspect of his character as the “gate” or “door” (depending on the Bible version you have). What does Jesus, the Door, do? (I have interchanged “door” and “gate”.) John 10:7-10 “I tell you the truth, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
    The Door protects. He locks in his sheep to keep them safely in his church as they believe in him. In turn, the Door locks out the thief who comes to steal away his church’s faith and security in the Lord God.
    Jesus promises he will be the Door for his faithful church in Philadelphia. First, he confirms he holds the key of David. This illustrates he alone opens the door for believers to enter his kingdom. And Jesus closes the door to unbelievers. The power of God is at the ready to defend his own.
    One essential theme of Revelation is to confirm what Peter preached in Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” This is the apostolic mission, the purpose of the church. We must be about this purpose. Close your churches doors that open to unbelief. Open your doors to faithful believers. Protect them in the truth. If someone says to you, “I can go to Jesus my own way.” open the Scriptures and show them Jesus is the way. They must know or perish.
    This is Jesus’ praise for Philadelphia. With, “I know that you have little strength.” Jesus acknowledges their large faith even though they are a small size. The church’s strength is not in its size. They are strong in the Lord Jesus Christ.
    We’ll see in our next lesson the reward Jesus has for his small, faithful church. He has put them in a strategic place to open more doors to the gospel of God.
 
Prayer: Protect the true churches of our land, Jesus, to be open doors of your salvation. In your name I pray, amen.
   
 

Revelation 3:3-6 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
 
IN verses 1-2 our Lord has rebuked the church in Sardis to wake up from their complacent response to false teachings. We can trust our Lord is good because he continually awakens us to our sins. Our Lord is also gracious. He gives to us the way to repent, so we may live in his blessed joy, love and truth now and forever. Jesus’ loving purpose here teaches the Sardis church five commands to enjoy God’s blessings.
    First is the admonition to, “Wake up!”  People who don’t “get it” need to wake up, don’t we? We may have said this to someone who was “asleep”. He refused to follow directions or to obey a request. To wake up is to open one’s senses to understand the truth. Awake, one is alert to correctly respond to what must be done.
    Second, Jesus urges the church to “strengthen what remains.” To renew and restore something that is broken or weak, we must often know the good things we already have. We can build on these. Jesus commands his church to recognize those who have not soiled their clothes – those who have remained true to Christ. They must be the pattern for rebuilding the church with true, uncompromised teaching. Otherwise, the church is about to die.
    Third, Jesus commands Sardis to “remember what you have received and heard.” To remember is not simply to recall. It is to faithfully cherish God’s gifts. The church has been given the Word of God, good leaders and some obedient followers. Cherished gifts must be used well.
    Fourth, then, we not only remember, we obey Jesus’ teachings. And fifth, we repent. We confess our sins and call on the Spirit to turn us spiritually in a new direction toward our Lord. Jesus commanded Sardis to turn from their complacent hearts to passionate, faithful disciples.
    Yes, Jesus loves his church – then, now and forevermore. His rebuke to Sardis is to raise up faithful disciples who will be with him in glory forever. You will eternally walk with Jesus. Your name will always be on the book of life.
    Thank God he confronts you with your sins. Rejoice he points the way to your salvation. Praise God he loves you so deeply.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for your truth that sets me free into your eternal life. Amen.