Skip to content The Open Door of Opportunity | Revelation Part 10 | Rev Paul Jeyachandran Apr 10 · 59 min ...more
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Rev. Paul Jeyachandran leads the Intentional Disciple Making Church (IDMC) Movement, which is all about calling churches back to its disciplemaking roots. Visit us at idmcmovement.com
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The Open Door of Opportunity 0:01 Shall we give the Lord a clap offering church? Hallelujah. It is always a joy and a privilege to bring God's Word into your homes. I'm not sure whether you are in a lockdown or whether you have0:13 freedom of being able to gather together in your local churches. But today, we're going to study the Word of God, and the Word of God reminds us that even if the world is0:24 in lockdown, the work of God continues. The work of the Spirit of God, the work of the Word of God continues, and it gains momentum, gains ground, and it0:36 glorifies God. Hallelujah. Today we're going to study from the book of Revelation chapter 3 verses 7 to verse 13. It is Jesus' letter to the church in Philadelphia.0:49 I'm titling this sermon The Open Door of Opportunity. I want us to read the text and then we will look to the Lord in prayer. Verse 7 says, And to the angel of the1:01 church in Philadelphia write, The words of the Holy 1, the True 1, who has the key of David, who opens and no 1 will shut, who shuts and no1:13 1 opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no 1 is able to shut. I know that you have but little1:24 power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not,1:37 but lie. Behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I1:48 will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the world, on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you2:00 have so that no 1 may seize your crown. The 1 who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on2:12 him the name of my God, the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven and my own new name.2:25 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this moment. We acknowledge that Jesus Christ is2:37 our Lord and our Savior, that he has written a letter that we are studying this morning, and we want to apply this. We ask that you would help us apply this2:48 into our context, into our lives, into our churches. Holy Spirit, I pray that you quicken within us a response of faith that we will obey what we hear.3:00 Today, Mighty God, we commit everything in your loving hands. We thank you for speaking to us this morning. In Jesus' name, the people of God said, Amen and Amen. Today we3:12 are studying Revelation chapter 3 verses 7 to verse 13. I'm titling this sermon, The Great Door of Opportunity. The story was told of 23:24 friends, Walt and Art. Walt wanted Art to get involved in a business deal, so he took him on a3:36 car ride 25 miles outside of the city. They went past some fields where there were some horses. Occasionally they would see some sheds, but obviously no3:48 1 really lived in those area. After they reached the 25 miles interior from the city, this Walt gave him a4:00 beautiful plan of what he was planning to do in that expanse of land. He said, I'm gonna build the magnificent amusement park here. And 1 day people from4:11 all over the world will come and spend their entire vacation here. And then he turned to his friend Art and gave him this suggestion: Why don't you buy up all the4:23 land that is surrounding this amusement park? Because in a few years' time it'll be filled with hotels and malls and4:34 restaurants for the hundreds and thousands that will come to my amusement park. Art heard about all these grandeur, plans of grandeur, and Art said to4:46 himself, I think my friend lost his mind. And so he refused, and he said, I'd turn this down, and he walked back to the car. Years later Art4:58 record this and this is what he says, Every step I took back to that car I lost a few hundred millions on that deal. Walt is no 1 else other5:10 than Walt Disney and Art is his friend Art Linkletter, a 1950s radio personality. Now, you and I know there are people who have5:22 opportunities in front of them but they don't take it because of opposition, because of obstacles, because they can't see the blessing that is in disguise.5:34 I want you to pay attention to this letter because this letter, Jesus speaks to the church in Philadelphia. The church in Philadelphia is a church that is5:46 loyal. Loyal to Jesus, loyal to his word, loyal and faithful to the commission that Jesus gave. And it's not only a loyal church, it's also a missionary5:58 church. The Bible says that Jesus says in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 8, behold, I set before you an open door. In other words, Jesus gives them an6:09 open door. What does this open door refer to? It's an open door to serve him. It is an open door to bring the gospel to the nations. And they were a missionary church. They were a6:21 small church. They were a struggling church. They were a church that was filled with little power, little resources, and yet, the Bible says, they had a6:33 great door that was open in front of them. See, Chuck Swindle says this, The size of a congregation, the limitations of its location, or the restrictions of6:45 its budget should never determine its vision. Instead, churches should set their vision based on the power of their God. God is infinite,6:56 magnificent, awesome, mighty beyond description or comprehension. When he chooses to open opportunities, the possibilities are endless. All7:08 we need to do is trust and follow Him wherever He leads. I want you to pay attention to me this morning. It doesn't matter what size the church7:20 is. It doesn't matter how feeble our resources are. We shouldn't look to ourselves, we should look to Him, the 1 who is the head of the church, the7:32 1 in whom all things exist. Hallelujah. And he's the 1 who says, behold, I set an open door before you. Hallelujah. The church in7:44 Philadelphia was a loyal church and a missionary church. So what can we learn from them? I want you to take this question down. What can we learn from this letter to remain7:56 loyal and missional in this pandemic situation? Uncertain and troubling times. When I look at this text, 3 things stood out for me. You know there8:08 are so many ways you can divide this text, but there are 3 things, 3 key words that I want to take and then apply a principle to each of them. The 3 words are the key, the8:20 door, the crown. So I'm going to give you 3 principles. 3 things that we must do to remain loyal and missional in uncertain and troubling times. What are they? Number 1,8:31 understand the key. Secondly, enter the door. Thirdly, secure the crown. Let's look at it 1 by 1. Understand the key. The Bible says in verse8:43 7, and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write. The words of the Holy 1, the true 1 who has the key of David, who opens and no 18:55 will shut, who shuts and no 1 opens. See, the letter always begins with a revelation about Jesus Christ. Jesus9:07 always reveals something about himself. Now, in most of the other letters that we have studied, Jesus usually referred to something that he has revealed to John in9:19 chapter 1. But rather, in this case, to the church in Philadelphia, he gives a unique revelation. And he calls himself the holy 1, the true 1,9:31 and the 1 who has the key of David. See, you and I, we need to understand what does this mean, to understand the key. See, the9:43 problem I see today is many people, many Christians live life without understanding the power of the key. See, they don't look to Christ for power. They9:55 don't look to Christ for their resources. They don't look to Christ for the vision, for the church, for their family, for their ministry, for their life. They look to themselves. You know, years ago I was10:06 reading this poem that was written by a 10 year old. She's a daughter of a missionary, a couple that lived in China. Her name is Betty Stem. And when she was 1010:18 years old, she pens this poem, and I want you to listen to this poem. I cannot live like Jesus, example though he be, for he was strong and selfless, and I am10:30 tied to me. I cannot live like Jesus, my soul is never free, My will is strong and stubborn. My love is weak and weak. But I have asked my10:42 Jesus to live his life in me. I cannot look like Jesus. More beautiful is he in soul and eye and stature than sunrise on the sea. Behold his10:54 warmth, his tangible, his dear humanity. I want you to think about this. 10 year old captured the essence of the problem that we face today in discipleship.11:06 I'm actually amazed that this little girl at 10 years old could have such a depth of understanding. The problem that she describes is in the first line.11:17 Jesus is strong and selfless, yet I am tied to me. See, instead of us being tied to him, many times11:29 we are so much tied to ourselves. That's the chief problem of discipleship today. When we are not tied to the 1 who's the head of the church. We're not tied11:41 to the 1 who is the holy, the true, and the 1 who has the key of David. Instead, we are tied to ourselves. In other words, we are more self centered in our orientation rather than being11:53 Christ centered. We look to ourselves and what we have and what we can do rather than look to him who has everything in his resources and power. Hallelujah.12:05 So the first thing that Jesus addresses here is give a revelation about himself. Why is this important? Because we need to return back to an exalted view of Christ. We need to12:17 come and build a lofty view, an exalted view, a high view of who Christ is. And the Bible says here that he reveals himself as the holy 1. Let me give you 312:28 things that he reveals in verse 7. 1, he says, I'm the holy 1. In other words, he talks about his righteousness. It talks about how pure he is, his morality, his purity. He is the holy12:40 1. What does holy mean? Holy means set apart. You are set apart. Not only you're set apart, you are on a class of your own. I want you to think about this.12:52 He is separated from creation as the creator. He is separated from sin as the savior. He is not like us. You cannot compare him with any13:04 other human being. He said it himself in Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 25. To whom then will you compare me that I should be like him, says the holy13:16 1. See, in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah is a mini bible, 66 chapters. Right? And in that, the bible calls God the holy 1. In fact, Jesus is13:28 described as the holy 1. You know, Isaiah saw vision of Jesus in Isaiah chapter 6, and he saw in heaven that the Seraphim were calling Jesus holy13:40 holy holy. More than 20 times, the holy 1 is used in the text of Isaiah referring to Jesus, referring to Yahweh. Even in the13:51 gospels, we see Jesus referred to as the holy 1 of God. In Mark chapter 1 and verse 24, the Bible says, what do you have to do with us? The demons said, what do you have to do with us, Jesus of14:03 Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the holy 1 of God. In other words, Jesus is the holy 1. He's the righteous 1. In his morality, he's pure all around.14:15 And this God who is pure, he's not only holy, he's not only pure, he's not only righteous, he also does right. That's why the Bible14:27 describes him as the true 1. What does true 1 mean? True 1 means that he's a faithful 1. He's a reliable 1. He's a dependable 1. It speaks about his reality. It it He speaks about14:39 his reliability. He's dependable. He's trustworthy. See, in Revelation chapter 6 and verse 10, these 2 words are used together to describe the sovereign Lord. The Bible says, they cried out with a14:51 loud voice, oh, Sovereign Lord, holy and true. God, the Father, is called holy and true. Jesus is also holy15:03 and true. And not only he is righteous, but he also has rightness. In anything that he does, there is always truth. What he says15:15 becomes truth. What he does becomes righteous and truth. The reason why I want you to think about this is because you want a God who is righteous and you want a God who is15:26 reliable. Because if he's only righteous on a few days and not on the rest of the week, you'll be in big trouble. But he's dependable. He's trustworthy. He's reliable. In other words, what he15:38 begins, he's able to complete. What he starts, he will finish. He's God from everlasting to everlasting. Hallelujah. So, not only it speaks about his righteousness and his rightness, which15:50 is his reliability, his purity and his reliability, but it also speaks that he has the keys. The Bible says he has the keys, The key of David. Why I said16:02 keys? Because in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 18, Jesus already described that he has the keys of death and Hades. Now, in this16:14 passage, he says he has the key of David. What is the keys of death and Hades? Do you know death cannot take anyone and at at its own will? Jesus16:25 controls death and Hades. In other words, Jesus determine who dies, if they die, and when they die. It is Jesus who determines who lives, how long they live, and when they live.16:38 Listen to me carefully. While he was walking on earth, he he proved this by healing the sick. He raised the dead. He brought some people back to life, and he brought himself back to life to16:49 display to us that he has the key to death and Hades. Here Jesus says, I have the key of David. What is the key of David? See, you and I, we need to17:01 understand this is referring to something in the Old Testament. In Isaiah chapter 22 and verse 17, the Bible speaks specifically about a man by17:13 the name of Shebna. Now Shebna was a man that was lifted in the kingdom of Judah and he hold the key to the treasury of the kingdom. He was the king's17:25 treasurer and he had the key to the treasury. In other words, it it had a delegated authority, and this authority, he can open the kingdom to anyone. And the Bible says17:37 Shebna was actually under the judgment of God. Why? Because he was lifted up in pride. And the Bible says in the, the end of Shebna was that he was, he had17:48 leprosy and he had been kicked out from his role and from the kingdom. God demoted him. And in place of Shebna, God says, I'll promote another man. And his name is Eliakim.18:01 And the Bible says here in verse 17, behold the Lord will hurl you away violently. I want you to think about how God will deal with the proud 1, the wicked 1, the unjust 1.18:13 The Bible says, he will hurl them. In other words, it's like almost like throwing a cricket ball or a baseball, and God says, I'm gonna throw him out. Then in the verse 20, it goes on to say, in that18:25 day, I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and I'll clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a18:36 father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Verse 22 says, I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. Hallelujah.18:48 He shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and none shall open. Now, this is a messianic prophecy. Even though it's speaking about 2 characters, Shebna and19:00 Eliakim, Eliakim is a picture of Christ. And he says, 1 day the Messiah will come from the house of David, and this Messiah will be given the authority. He will have the key19:11 to the kingdom. He will have the key to the treasury of the kingdom. In other words, he holds the key. And the Bible says, he When he shuts, when he shuts, nothing shall be able to open it.19:23 And when he opens it, nothing can shut it. Hallelujah. In other words, he holds the key to the entrance of the kingdom. 1 commentator said this, Jesus is the19:35 Davidic Messiah with absolute power to control entrance to the heavenly kingdom. In other words, Jesus is the 1 who determines who comes into the kingdom of God, who19:47 exits the kingdom of God. Jesus is the 1 who permits and excludes. Jesus is the 1. In indeed, that's what Jesus said in John chapter 10 and verse 9.19:58 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. See, you and I, we need to understand Jesus is the key. Not only Jesus is the key,20:10 Jesus is the door. That Jesus is the 1 who opens the door and and people walk through into the kingdom of God. And I want you to listen. If you are a pre believer who haven't placed your faith in Christ,20:23 but you're seeking, you're searching, that's why you're watching this video. I want you to listen to me carefully. You cannot enter into the kingdom by your works. You cannot enter into the kingdom by your morality. You20:35 can't enter into the kingdom because you are an intellectual or you lived a morally good life. You can only enter into the kingdom because you placed your faith in Jesus who died for your sin and he20:47 took your place so that you can be forgiven and accepted into the kingdom of God. The Bible says in John chapter 14 and verse 6, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No 1 comes to the20:58 father except through me. Hallelujah. The invitation is now given to everyone. What is the invitation? The cross is the invitation. The cross is the open door for you and me.21:10 Jesus says, I'm the door. Come. Any other way you try is a dead end. So that's why you and I, we need to recognize that Jesus is the 1 who has the key. He is the 1 who opens21:22 the kingdom of God to us. He is the 1 who has the resources of the kingdom. See, this is why I said earlier that you and I are not limited by the resources that we have. Philadelphia is a21:34 The church in Philadelphia was a church that was little power, filled with little resources, but yet the Bible says they just needed to look to Jesus, and he has the key to the21:46 treasury of the kingdom. Can I humbly say this? Where there is vision, there will always be provision. If the vision is from God, it'll continue to have the provision of21:58 God. Why? Because Jesus holds the key, and he determines who is permitted and who is kept out. Now, you also have to understand this, that Jesus not22:10 only opens the door, but he also has the power to shut the door. In Luke chapter 13 and verse 24 to 28, the Bible says this, strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you,22:22 will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door saying, Lord, open to us, and22:33 then he will answer you, I do not know where you come from. Listen to me carefully. Now the door is wide open. Today is the day of salvation. If you have always22:45 hearing the gospel and you have never placed your faith in Christ, today is the day for you to repent of your sin and to place your faith in Christ and to receive entrance into the door into the kingdom of22:57 God. Because Jesus is the only way, truth, and life. But if you keep denying him, keep rejecting the the the open door, 1 day, the Bible says he will shut the23:09 door, and you will not be able to walk in. So, what is the key of David? The key of David is that Jesus controls who comes into the kingdom and who is excluded from the23:21 kingdom. So, you and I, we need to understand this. Why? Because even in troubling times and uncertain times, if you understand the 1 who holds the key, he is the key man. He is the23:33 keeper of the key. The moment you understand that he is the 1 who controls the doors of destiny of your church, of your family, of your life, that he's the 1 who brings you into the kingdom,23:45 and he's waiting to bring more of his people into the kingdom. You and I can boldly be loyal to him, boldly be missional in reaching out23:56 even in this lockdown. The Bible says, He who has ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Now, in this24:08 moment, I want to take a moment to also talk about this. The church is not powerless. The church actually has all the resources that Jesus has. Christ is the24:20 head of the church, and the Bible says he has given us a delegated authority. In fact, there are scriptures I can give you. Luke chapter 10 verse 19, he says, behold, I have given you authority. What is this24:31 authority? It's a delegated authority. He has authority, and he has given us authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing and24:43 nothing shall hurt you. Listen to me carefully. When you are proclaiming the gospel, when you are advancing in the kingdom of God, when you are taking bold steps of faith to be a missionary church and a24:55 missionary people, missional family, missional individual, and you're staying loyal to Jesus Christ, he gives you the authority, his authority. Not only that, in Matthew chapter 10 and25:07 verse 1, the Bible says, he called the 12 disciples and gave them authority to over unclean spirits, to cast them out, to heal every disease and every affliction. In Matthew chapter 16 in verse 19, he says, I will give25:19 you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Hallelujah. What is this? It is the25:30 keys to the kingdom of God. In other words, when you take the authority that he has given you and you bind something on earth, it is bound in heaven. When you lose something on earth, it's loosed in heaven. The Bible25:42 says, you and I have power. That's why church, the Church of Jesus Christ can continue to advance even in this season of pandemic. How do we advance?25:54 We advance on our knees. We come back to prayer. We come back to praying in our small groups. The Bible says, where 2 or 3 are gathered, Jesus is present. Even if you gather26:06 online, he's present in your midst listening to you. And when 2 or 3 agree on earth, it's agreed in heaven. What you bind on earth is bound in heaven. What you lose on earth is loosed in heaven.26:18 In other words, you bind the works of darkness, you release the work of the gospel. You release the power of God over your family, over your neighborhood. I want you to listen to me carefully. When people do26:29 not hand understand the power that is available to us in the key. When we don't understand the key, when we don't understand him, when we don't know him that intimately, we26:41 cannot we cannot experience that kind of power, that kind of breakthrough. But the moment you come back to that place where you recognize, oh, I can be loyal in the midst of trouble26:53 and uncertainty. Why? Because I have Jesus, the 1 who holds the key of David. Hallelujah. Secondly, the Bible says enter the door. I have27:05 set before you an open door. In Revelation chapter 3 and verse 8, he says, I know your works. Stop right there. What does Christ know? Christ knows the works. He27:16 says, I I know your works. What does it mean? Here, he says, I know your works, and then immediately says, I have set before you an open door. So in other words, the works and the open27:28 door are connected here. So when he says, I know your works, the works somehow are related to the open door. So he says, I know your works. I know your works. I know the27:40 kind of work you do. I know the quality of works you do. I know the context and the conditions that are affecting the work you do. And Jesus says, I have Behold, I have set an open door27:52 before you. Now, what is this open door referred to? The open door refers to an open door of service and an open door for salvation. I want you to listen to me. What is the open door for service? Look at28:03 how this, word, the open door, is used in other texts in the New Testament. In first Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 8 and verse 9, Paul writes and he says, I will stay in Ephesus until28:15 Pentecost for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. A wide door of service. Paul says that a wide door of service is open for me.28:28 Open door usually refers to opportunities to serve the gospel, opportunities to plant the gospel, opportunities to proclaim the word of God, to be faithful to the mission of Jesus Christ.28:40 And he says, an effective wide door has been opened for me. And then he also notes there are many adversaries. I want you to listen to this principle. The door28:52 to the opportunities swings on the hinges of opposition. Sometimes when the oppose opportunities are there, opportunities will also bring29:03 opposition. So you and I, we need to pray. In Colossians chapter 4 and verse 3, at the same time, pray also for us. That's what Paul writes, that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the29:15 mystery of Christ on account of which I am in prison. I want to have an opportunity to preach the word. Let the let God open a door for the word of God to be proclaimed. And he says, pray.29:27 Church, I'm gonna invite you to pray. Pray for the ministries to advance even in this digital age. Everything is moving digital, and the church world ought to move digitally as well. But as we continue to move in29:39 the digital world, there are opportunities for us to proclaim the word of God, but we need to know how to disciple people in the digital world. So please pray that God will give us an effective door. He will open an29:50 effective door for us for service. He will open an effective door for us for the word of God to be proclaimed. You know, in the context, the reason why Jesus says to them, I'm giving you an open door for30:02 service, is because Philadelphia was considered as the gateway city to the east. It was a city where there were30:14 major roads that came and went through the city. So it was a major focal point for connections to various cities and towns. So it was a strategic city, and30:26 God says this strategic city is a city which also becomes a missionary city. See, the city was actually a missionary for Greek culture. Yeah. The the Greek culture was30:38 advanced from there. The Greek culture, the language was was being promoted from Philadelphia to the region around. And God wants to use that same church and that same In that city to be a missionary's30:50 church to advance the kingdom of God, to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. And this is why he says, I know your works. I know your works. I know how little power you31:01 have, and you're struggling. Therefore, I'm gonna give you a great door of opportunity, an opportunity to serve. Not only that, there's an opportunity, the open door, he's also referring to31:12 salvation. People are being rejected from the community, but God says, I'm gonna bring you into my family. Look at this. In Acts chapter 14 and verse 27, he says, when31:24 they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that the God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. Opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. The Gentiles heard31:36 gladly the gospel and they came through the open door that God had given them. Hallelujah. Second Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 12, the Bible says, when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though31:48 a door was opened for me in the Lord, when he went to Troas, when he went into that city of Troas, an open door God had given him to proclaim, to preach32:00 the Gospel of Christ. I'm gonna take a moment to pray that God will give you an open door right now. That whatever whatever situation you're in, in your workplace, that God will give32:12 you an open door for service. That God will give you an open door of salvation. That God will open a door for you in your neighborhood. You know, we we As a IDMC church, we always ask people to write down a32:24 list of names. And my prayer is that every life group that that you will be burdened with this in this season, that you would take down all the names that each 1 is writing in your life group32:36 members are writing. And then you pray for them every single time you meet. Whether you meet online or on-site, you come together and you pray for the people in your blessed list. These are the people that I'm praying32:47 that God will give me an entrance into their heart. That God will give me an opportunity to share the gospel. There'll be an open door to serve them in the gospel. There'll be an open door to give them the faith of the32:59 gospel. Hallelujah. I want you to pray because the Bible says, you and I can ask God. He's the 1 who holds the key. When you understand the key, you gotta enter the door now. You gotta come33:11 before God and you say, Lord, give me the grace to walk through this door. Hallelujah. You know, we always say that there's a friends network, F R A N S.33:24 Friends, relatives, associates, neighbors, and service providers. I want you to take, think about these people, your friends, some pre believing friends,33:36 your relatives, people who could be near or far, but in this digital age, you can reach them digitally. Associates, people you work with. They could be in the same building, or they could33:47 be somewhere out in the world somewhere else because now the all corporations are people are located everywhere, anywhere. You can work from anywhere globally. So it doesn't matter who you33:59 are, but if you're relating to that person on a day to day basis, he's your associate. People who Where you live in your neighborhood, your neighbors, people who help you with services, take these people.34:12 Ask God, God, give me inroads into their lives. Help me to plant gospel conversations. Help me to plant the word of God. I can just send them a link to invite them to watch in our34:24 life group together online. I can invite them to a service online. I can invite them to a social that we do 1 day when the lockdown is lifted. Open your home. Bless them. Bring them34:35 in. Eat food together and pray that the Lord will do an open door for you. And I want you to do it together in your life group because when you do it alone, the burden34:47 is very heavy. But when you share the Lord among your life group, and as a group you reach out, as a group you disciple, as a group you obey the great commission, there is such an excitement because you pray and you see34:59 God move on your behalf and give open inroads into the lives of people. Hallelujah. The Bible says in verse 8, the second part, I know that you have but little power.35:11 See, the Philadelphia church was a small church. It was an unimpressive church. It was an uninfluential church. It was the opposite of the church of Sardis we studied the last time. This church in Sardis was a35:23 reputable church. It was a church that had a reputation. The people who are in leadership of that church were known worldwide. But but the church in Philadelphia is a small church with little resources. But you35:35 know what God says? I know that you have little power. I know that you Yet you have weakness, and I know that you have lax. But you know what? Even in the midst of all that,35:46 I'm going to show my power. Hallelujah. And then he goes on to say, Yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. See, the church was afflicted.35:58 They were ostracized. They were persecuted. They had They lacked resources, but yet, the Bible says, they kept his word, and they did not deny his name. Out of this verse, I want to36:10 give you 3 things. 3 keys to being a loyal church. It comes straight from this verse. It says, they were faithful in doing gospel work. Secondly, they were36:22 faithful to obey God's word. They kept the word of God. Hallelujah. How do you keep the word of God? I tell you what, how you keep the word of God is that you that you obey the word of God.36:34 Because why this is so important? Because the world watches your life. Your life is being monitored by people around you, in your workplace, in your neighborhood. People know you. People36:46 can see how you are every single day, how you act. And when they watch your life, can they see faithfulness to obeying God's Word? Are you faithful in displaying? That's the third36:58 thing. Faithful in being Jesus' witness. Hallelujah. You and I, we need to understand that to being a faithful church, to being a37:10 loyal church, a missional church, requires how we even conduct ourselves, how we obey the Word of God in our family life, in our work life, in every aspect of our life. You know, I'm reminded37:22 of the text in Titus chapter 2. In Titus chapter 2 verse 4 he says, Train young women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled, pure, working at home,37:34 kind, submissive to their own husbands. Now, if you're a young married woman, listen to me carefully. It describes how a young woman need to be trained in righteous37:45 living, Christian living, to be self controlled, pure, working at home, kind, submissive to their own husbands so that, that's the purpose, why you need to be all that, so that the Word of God may not be37:57 reviled. You and I, we need to realize the people look at your behavior before they acknowledge your belief. If you say, I believe in Christ,38:08 and your behavior is contrary to the word of Christ, then you lose your witness, you lose your testimony, you lose your power. I want you to listen. The reason is because he said, not only the young woman, he looks at38:20 younger men. Verse 6 onwards, he says, likewise, urge the younger men to be self controlled. Show yourself in respects to a to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech38:32 that cannot be condemned so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about you. Nothing evil to say about you. How? If you are living a self38:44 controlled life, you live a life of integrity, dignity, and sound speech. Why do we need to behave wholly? Why do we need to live right? The reason is because so38:56 that they have nothing evil to say about you, so that the word of God may not be reviled. He even goes on to talk about the bond servants in verse 9 and verse 10. Bond servants are the lowest of society, are to39:08 be submissive to their own masters in everything. They are to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God,39:20 our savior. See, it is not just saying, I believe in Jesus, and I'm faithful and loyal to Jesus. If you're faithful and loyal to Jesus, it shows in the way you live in your marriage. ItShow more In this video 0:00 The Open Door of Opportunity
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Paul Jeyachandran
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