SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/20/2015
12:21 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Commendation
PT-2
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation
3:8-11a
Message of the
verses: 8 ’I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open
door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have
kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 ’Behold, I will cause those of the
synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie-I will make
them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. 10
’Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from
the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to
test those who dwell on the earth. 11 ’I am coming quickly.”
Since there is no condemnation for this church we see
that the Lord had many good things to say about it and we will proceed with
looking at these commendations He had for this wonderful little church in Philadelphia. We will begin to look at the promises that He
gives to this church in today’s SD.
”I
have put before you an open door which no one can shut,” is the first
promise that Christ gives to this church.
John MacArthur believes that first of all this is speaking of their
salvation, something I have never heard said about this verse, but something
that I cannot argue with either, for their salvation was secure and Christ was
giving them an open door to enter into heaven along with to enter into the
kingdom age which we will get to later in the study of Revelation. Next we see from this section that Christ is
giving them an open door to tell other about Jesus Christ. I believe that Christ gives this open door to
them because of their faithfulness. This
reminds me of a section from the book of Acts where Paul has a similar thing that
happens to him. 7 Then he left there and
went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house
was next to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in
the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard
were believing and being baptized. 9 And
the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any
longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you
in order to harm you, for
I have many people in this city." 11 And he settled there a year
and six months, teaching the word of God among them (Acts 18:7-11).” This is the second time that this happened to
Paul as seen in the book of Acts and it shows that he too had an open door to
present the gospel and that God would honor it by saving many people. Paul also writes the following in 1 Cor.
16:8-9 “8 But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; 9 for a wide door for
effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”
The next blessing Christ gives to them is found in verse
nine “9 ’Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that
they are Jews and are not, but lie-I will make them come and bow down at your
feet, and make them know that I have loved you.” We have seen in our study of the church at
Smyrna that the Jews had been hostile to the cause of Christ and so we see it
here. Now if a synagogue is teaching
things that do not go along with the teachings of Christ then it can be said
that it is a synagogue of Satan as seen in this verse. The people who went there were physical Jews,
but not spiritual Jews. In Romans
2:28-29 we see Paul’s description of a true Jew “28 For he is not a Jew who is
one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But
he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the
heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but
from God.”
As we continue to look at this verse we see that Christ
promises this church that one day the Jews would bow down before them at their
feet, and know that God had loved them.
MacArthur writes “Bowing at someone’s feet depicts abject, total defeat
and submission. The Philadelphia church’s
enemies would be utterly vanquished, humbled, and defeated. The imagery derives from the Old Testament,
which describes the yet future day when unbelieving Gentiles will bow down to
the believing remnant of Israel (cf. Isa. 45:14; 49:23; 60:14). The Philadelphia church’s faithfulness would
be rewarded by the salvation of some of the very Jews who were persecuting it.” It is very difficult to witness to a Jewish
person, and takes a lot of time and energy, but God always has a remnant of
true Jews in the world and as Paul writes there is coming a day when all Israel
will be saved.
I believe that I will wait until tomorrow, God willing,
to write about the third promise, for it will take some time to talk about this
last great promise that Christ gives to the church at Philadelphia, and it also
has to do with us today.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I like to read
about promises that Christ has given to the churches as we are now looking
at. There is no real future without
Christ and there are promises in His Word that tell how a person can come to
the understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as a person is born into this world they
need to be born-again as Jesus said in John chapter three. How does this happen? First of all by admitting that you are a sinner,
then that you recognize that you need a Savior to care for the sin problem that
you were born with and still have. Next recognize
that Christ died in your place on the cross to pay for your sins and receive
His free gift of salvation.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To love the Lord with all of my heart, soul,
mind, and strength, and to better understand the love that Christ has for me.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Because he had gone in and
eaten with Gentiles” (Acts 11:1-3).
Today’s Bible
question: “To whom did Jesus say ‘Today
thou shalt be with me in paradise’?”
Answer in our next SD.
2/20/2015 1:02 PM
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