The Sermons to the Seven Churches: The Church of the Persevering Persecuted (1)

Job 12:13-15                           Isaiah 22: 21-22              John 14:1-7               Revelation 3:7–13

The Sermons to the Seven Churches: The Church of the Persevering Persecuted (1)

Sir Michael Costa, the renowned Jewish Italian-born British composer and conductor, was once leading a rehearsal with a full orchestra and a large choir. During a powerful movement, the choir singing at full volume, trumpets blaring, drums rolling, and strings soaring, a piccolo player grew frustrated. The sound of the ensemble was so overwhelming that the piccolo could barely be heard. Feeling insignificant, the player stopped playing, though kept the instrument to his lips.

Almost immediately, Sir Michael halted the rehearsal and asked the piccolo player whether he would care to join the rest of the orchestra. While no one else seemed to have noticed the absence, the conductor had. Neither size nor volume was the issue. The missing piccolo disrupted the harmony of the entire piece. Its contribution was as essential as any other instrument or voice.

Similarly, the church in Philadelphia may have appeared small, weak, and ineffectual. Yet, unlike five of the other churches addressed in Revelation, it was free from heresy and free from internal division. In this it closely resembled the church in Smyrna: both received no rebuke from Jesus, both endured intense persecution, both were told that their opposition was ultimately satanic in origin, and both were promised vindication, a new name, and a victor’s wreath or crown.

Philadelphia, known as the gateway to the East, was strategically located at a junction leading to three major Roman provinces: Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia. Of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation, it was the most recently founded.

The city was established in 189 BC by King Eumenes II of Pergamon, who named it after his brother Attalus II Philadelphus, famed for his loyalty and affection toward his brother. Philadelphia was intentionally founded as a “missionary” city…a cultural outpost designed to spread the Hellenistic language, values, and customs into the surrounding regions. Settlers from Pergamum were encouraged to relocate there for this very purpose. That original mission echoes powerfully in the message to the church: just as the city had been founded to spread Hellenism, the church was now called to spread the gospel.

When Attalus III Philometor, the last of the Attalid kings, died without an heir in 133 BC, he bequeathed his kingdom, including Philadelphia, to Rome. The Romans subsequently formed the province of Asia in 129 BC, incorporating Philadelphia into the administrative district of Sardis. The region was situated in s seismically and volcanically active zone and consequently the volcanic soil produced fertile vineyards, but it also brought instability. Earthquakes were frequent. After a devastating earthquake in AD 17, Emperor Tiberius relieved the city of taxes, earning deep civic gratitude and public honours. And so, as can be expected, an imperial cult took root in the city.

What is remarkable is that, although the church in Philadelphia was small and outwardly fragile, it was the only one of the seven churches to remain faithful and intact well into the fourteenth century AD, long after the others had faded.

Now, when Jesus addressed this church, he first described himself as “the holy one.” This is an obvious allusion to his divinity as only God is described as “the Holy One” in the Old Testament Scriptures. However, in Scripture, the state of holiness refers to being set apart by God for himself and for his divine purposes. Holiness is not something intrinsic to creation; it is derivative. God alone is holy in and of himself. He is the uncreated creator, wholly other, morally perfect, and sovereign over all things. Therefore, holiness is not merely a separation from what is common, but it is also a participation in what reflects the character of God.

It is crucial to see that the holiness of God undergirds the holiness of all that he consecrates. To that end, Scripture often uses different language to distinguish between God’s holiness and the holiness of his people. God’s holiness belongs to his very being. When the word holy is applied to God, it describes his absolute moral perfection. As such, his character becomes the standard by which all ethical purity is measured. This standard is revealed supremely in his law. For this reason, those whom God sets apart are therefore called to mirror his character through obedience to his expressed will. The implication is unavoidable: as God is holy, so those who belong to him must share in that holiness.

And so, when this title is applied to Jesus, it speaks not only of his divinity and moral purity, but also of his complete and unwavering consecration to the will of his Father. He pursued holiness in the face of relentless opposition and temptation. He did not merely teach holiness, he embodied it. As such, he is not only our example, but also our guarantor. His holiness is imputed to us through union with him.

Holiness, then, is both a gift and a calling. It is granted to believers by virtue of their union with Jesus, but it is also cultivated in believers as they are progressively conformed to his likeness through obedience to his word, empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit. A fitting prayer for us, therefore, would be that God would cause us to love what he commands, to desire what he wills, and to live as he requires.

At its core, being “set apart” means freedom. Freedom from our sinful inclination toward narcissistic self-interest, pride, and self-centred rebellion against our creator’s law and freedom for cooperative and Spirit empowered service to God and others, guided by his will rather than our own.

So, by calling himself “the holy one,” Jesus reminded the weak and persecuted church in Philadelphia not only of who he is, but also of who they were because they belonged to him. The pursuit of holiness…the quest of being conformed to the image of God, is never optional, even when we are under pressure. The temptation to “loosen up,” to blend in, or to compromise is powerful, especially when faithfulness brings social exclusion or hostility. Few people enjoy being ostracised.

But once we recognise that we bear the name of the holy one, and that holiness is not negotiable for those who belong to him, such temptations are exposed for what they truly are: attempts to fracture our fellowship with our Lord. Holiness stands in direct opposition to the values of the world, and therefore it always carries a cost. As Paul wrote, all who desire to live godly lives will be persecuted. Nevertheless, we are called to be holy because the one who has called us is holy.

Then Jesus also described himself as “the true one.” Now, the Greek word here carries the sense of both truthfulness and trustworthiness, and it is likely that John intended both meanings. Jesus is true because he is the truth. And, because he cannot deny himself, he is therefore entirely reliable and trustworthy.

In John 14:6 Jesus declared that he alone is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to God except through him. The implication is unavoidable: if he is the way, all other ways ultimately mislead. If he is the truth, all competing “truth claims” are false. If he is the life, everything else leads to death. The presence of the one who is true exposes every falsehood. Therefore, for us, the most effective defence against deception is not encyclopaedic knowledge of every belief system, but rather deep, practiced familiarity with the one who is truth.

The church in Philadelphia, small and of little strength, was pressured from both sides. From the Jewish community they were tempted toward legalism. From the Gentile world they were tempted toward moral compromise and licentiousness. On one end of the spectrum, life was governed by man-made rules: and on the other, by man-made freedoms. Both are distortions of the gospel.

The only way to avoid these extremes is to fix our eyes on the one who is both holy and true. Holiness and truth are inseparable. What we believe inevitably shapes how we live.

However, perhaps the most striking title Jesus used here, was that he is the one who “holds the key of David.” In 2 Samuel 7:16 God promised David that his house, throne, and kingdom would endure forever and this promise found its fulfilment in Jesus. That Jesus was the heir of David’s line is clear throughout the Gospels. In Luke 1:31–33 the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that her son would receive the throne of his father David and reign forever, with a kingdom that would never end.

This image, of him being the holder of the key of David, speaks of Jesus’ eternal authority, dominion, and kingship. But what does it mean that he holds the key of David?

A key granting access to the king was entrusted only to someone deemed completely reliable. The holder of the key possessed the authority to admit or exclude. In the Old Testament, keys were given to stewards, the ones appointed to manage the household on behalf of the master. Isaiah 22 records the Lord’s removal of Shebna, a corrupt steward, and his replacement with Eliakim, a faithful steward. God declares: “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”

So, by invoking this imagery, Jesus was likely exposing the so-called synagogue of Satan as false stewards of God’s kingdom. They claimed authority yet opposed the very people whom God had welcomed. As Jesus said to the Pharisees, they shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces, neither entering themselves nor allowing others to enter.

In other words, by declaring himself the holder of the key of David, Jesus announced that he alone controls access to the heavenly throne room. He alone admits and he alone excludes. Now, this raises an important question, since in Matthew 16:19 Jesus tells Peter that he will give him the key of the kingdom. So then, who, holds the key: Jesus or the church?

I believe the answer lies in remembering that it is Jesus who builds his Church. The Church possesses authority only insofar as it acts in union with him. The Church cannot exclude those whom Christ has included, nor can it admit those whom he has not. Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades. Jesus alone is the door. And Jesus holds the key of David.

God’s sovereignty over all things is absolute. Job reminds us that when God shuts, none can open, and when he opens, none can shut. If this is true of earthly events, how much more of eternal realities?

Jesus is holy, true, and utterly sovereign. No Sanhedrin, no synagogue, no council, bishop, pope, Sanhedrin, or satanic power can override his authority. He alone sets before his people an open door that no one can shut.

He went to the cross to prepare a place for his people, so that where he is, they may be also. He calls his sheep by name, and they follow him because they belong to him by the Father’s gift.

The Lord Jesus Christ was set apart by the Father to accomplish the Father’s will, and he obeyed that will even unto death on a cross. Through his obedience, all for whom he died are themselves set apart for God, to walk in the good works God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in. He alone is the truth, utterly free from falsehood, and therefore completely trustworthy, even when we are tempted to doubt him. And he alone grants entrance into the New Jerusalem.

The church in Philadelphia may have appeared weak and insignificant in the eyes of the world. They were had pressed on every side by forces seeking to make them abandon the truth they confessed. Yet, as those set apart by the one who is true and absolutely sovereign, they remained faithful.

When a church is small, struggling, or marginalised, the temptation to compromise, or to give up entirely, is immense. But if we trust the one who is holy and true, the one who opens doors no one can shut, faithfulness is never wasted. So, dearest beloved brethren, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He is our supreme example of perseverance in obedience amid suffering.

We may feel insignificant. We may feel vulnerable. But never forget…even the piccolo is necessary to bring harmony to the orchestra.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2026