Unshakeable Possession

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 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. Him who overcomes are the faithful who stand firmly with the Lord Jesus Christ.
   Philadelphia was in an earthquake zone. Sometimes after an earthquake, only a building’s pillars would remain. When Jesus promised to make a pillar in the temple of my God, he assured the Philadelphia church of his everlasting, unmovable presence. Once in God’s temple – his true church – Jesus’ faithful followers will be marked “Overcomer” and always be with him.
   This sure promise reflects God’s words as he prepared his people to leave Egypt: Exodus 6:7 “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.”  Notice God’s loving and assuring truth: God possesses his faithful followers. With the phrase my own people the holy Creator God is saying, “my people” to Israel and now the church. In his grace, God has chosen particular people to be his own for eternal life. He possesses them forever, so they will not be lost to evil. Ephesians 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. When God owns you, who can touch you?
   Israel’s heavenly Father moved his children from slavery’s bondage and pagan worship into his full, protective presence. The Father has also moved you from sin’s bondage into his new Heaven and earth through Jesus’ blood. When God says, “You are mine.” you can completely trust he is your eternal refuge and strength.
   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, rose and ascended, so the Spirit would come to free you into God’s presence. 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.