The Church That Was Moving In The Direction
Revelation 3:7–13 (NLT) — (7) “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open: (8) “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. (9) Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love. (10) “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. (11) I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. (12) All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name. (13) “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
I) Jesus Describes Himself.
Leviticus 19:2 (NLT) — (2) “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
John 8:32 (NLT) — (32) And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 14:6 (NLT) — (6) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Isaiah 22:22 (NLT) — (22) I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.
John 14:6 (NLT) — (6) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
II) The Church Of Philadelphia Was Dedicated to their Savior.
Matthew 15:34–36 (NLT) — (34) Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.” (35) So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. (36) Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.
III) Jesus Comforts Them.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NLT) — (13) And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. (14) For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (15) We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. (16) For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. (17) Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. (18) So encourage each other with these words