Hold Fast to What You Have – Rev 3:7-13
Hold Fast to What You Have
Rev 3:7-13
Revelation 3:7-13 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘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. 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. 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. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
From everlasting to everlasting, our Lord is holy. He is without blemish, and it says there is no shadow of death in Him. The Lord, who holds the key of David, came to the church in Philadelphia today and said, “I am holy. Therefore, the words I speak are also holy and true.” The Lord, who has the holy and true key of David, who shuts and no one opens, opens and no one shuts, and once He entrusts the key, never takes it back—gave this blessed word: “Hold fast what you have.” I hope you will believe this and say, “Amen.” And I believe that the promise to grant victory over Satan and to keep us from the hour of testing has also been given to us today.
Then He exhorted them again, saying, “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have.” This means that the Lord will return soon. Therefore, He exhorts us not to let go of His word, but to hold fast to whatever you possess.
What the church in Philadelphia pos- sessed was an open door.
Revelation 3:8 says, “Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut.” This means that those who believe in Jesus will surely receive blessings. Once you believe, the doors of blessing are all opened before you. It is the opening of the gates.
For example, if it is said, “Your son will become a person of outstanding faith in the world and a figure renowned for his spirituality,” do not doubt by thinking, “Could a child born to someone like me, from a family like mine, really become a son with outstanding spirituality in the world?” Rather, since He said, “I have set before you an open door,” believe that your sons and daughters will prosper. This is precisely why He tells us to hold fast what we have and not doubt.
The open door is the door of faith, the door of salvation.
Be assured that you have received salvation, and never doubt it. Do not worry just because you had a drink or smoked a cigarette. That will not close your door. While smoking, you might think, “Can someone like me really be saved?” But what does smoking have to do with salvation? You only need to believe that, in time, you will no longer smoke. Jesus knew that His disciples were unable to believe in Him. But He did not believe in what they could not believe. Rather, He believed in what they would believe. And it came to pass according to that faith. Even though all twelve disciples betrayed Him and fled, He believed that they would all return. When you believe in this way, your heart will be at peace.
The Lord referred to Himself as the door to eternal life and blessedness—that is, the door to salvation and heaven (John 10:7–9). He is the door to the eternal bread that gives the salvation of life, and He said that He alone is the way and the truth. Our Lord alone is life. Only by opening that door that is Jesus can we receive the bread that never leaves us hungry and the living water that never leaves us thirsty (John 6:35ff.).
Who has blocked the door of salvation from you? The door of salvation is always open. You and I freely go in and come out. When we feel good, we enter; but when we become upset over some trivial or minor misunderstanding, we come back out of the door of salvation. Yet just because we have come out, God does not become offended and say, “I have no need for someone like you!” and shut the door of salvation. The door is always open. Therefore, do not let go of the faith you first had, but hold fast to it. Remember the confession of your first love that you made years ago or even decades ago. Restore the standard of your heart to that time once again, take hold of it with the hand of faith, turn back, and enter the door of salvation right now. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you may become such a person of faith.
It is said that the door of salvation has been opened even to the Gen- tiles (Acts 14:27).
I believe that all of you have the wisdom to evangelize. If the door of evangelism has been opened even to the Gentiles, then why do you not evangelize? Is the door closed? Know that the door of evangelism remains open until the end of the world, and that you have been given the mission to evangelize. I hope that you will firmly hold fast to that mission and walk through that door.
That door is the door of the missionary calling, the door of love. Without love, one cannot evangelize. It is clearly stated that if a person does not believe in Jesus, they will enter the lake of burning sulfur. If you could hear, with the spiritual ears of faith, the cries of those suffering in the fires of hell, you could not bear to not evangelize, because your heart would be moved with pity for those perishing in the lake of burning sulfur. Heaven and hell certainly exist. When each of us truly knows this, we cannot help but evangelize. Those who evangelize are those whose love is burning. The Apostle Paul said to the Corinthian believers, “When I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and a door was opened for me in the Lord” (2 Cor 2:12).
However, Titus was not there. When Apostle Paul arrived at Troas, many people had gathered. But Paul’s heart was set on Titus, and Titus had not come. Without saying anything else, he simply asked, “Where is Titus?” and departed. In Apostle Paul’s heart, it was not the Corinthian believers but Titus who occupied that place. The same is true for you. If you go to meet someone and that person is not there, you sit for a while, exchange a few words, and then leave. Even if your friends beside you say, “Why are you leaving so soon? Stay and have lunch with us,” you reply, “No, I’m busy,” and leave. If you explain that you came to see a particular person, you worry that others might misunderstand, so you simply say, “No, I was just passing by,” and go on your way. Do you think the heart of the one leaving would be at peace?
Everyone, to whom is your heart open right now? If there is someone whom God is pleased with and has placed in your heart through faith, then your heart should be open to that person. If you were friends with someone until yesterday, but because of a small misunderstanding over money, you shouldn’t think, “If I ever see that guy again, I’ll lose my temper. If he goes to church, then I won’t go.” When misunderstandings over material things have closed your hearts toward each other, God says, “I have placed before you an open door.” Believing that promise, you should open your heart even toward the person you dislike. Whenever you meet that person—or even when you don’t see them—you should pray to God in your heart and have a welcoming attitude, saying, “Please come.” When someone you like rings your doorbell, you immediately run to the door, greet them with a hug, pat them on the shoulder, and warmly welcome them. Even if they say they’re only stopping by briefly, you insist they come inside, seat them in the living room, and try to feed them before they leave. But when someone you don’t want to see comes, even if you’re not busy, you pretend you’re about to go out by putting on your clothes and acting as though you have an appointment. Then the visitor has no choice but to leave. That’s how people drive out those they closed the doors of their hearts to.
It is you and I who have died in our sins and transgressions. We were dreadful sinners who deserved no forgiveness. Among our ancestors were murderers, and whoever hates another person is a murderer. We are the descendants of Adam, full of schemes and deceit, trampling on others and filled with envy and jealousy. If you have heard the voice of God, who sacrificed His own Son to be crucified on the cross, opening wide the door of eternal life, salvation, and heaven, inviting anyone willing to enter, then today we also ought to entrust all right and wrong to the Lord and once again experience the opening of our doors.
Looking at Colossians 4:3, it is written, “Pray that God may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ.” When you are in business and choose business partners, business matters and financial matters are secondary. First, when you meet a business partner, I bless you in the name of the Lord that you would first open the door of evangelism with the heart, “I must lead this person to the Lord,” and only then open the door of business. If you do so, I believe that God will be pleased, and your business will know only prosperity, success, and progress.
Considering that the church in Philadelphia received from the Lord both the assurance of faith and the mission of proclaiming the gospel, I hope that you also will have confidence in salvation and the proclamation of the gospel, open every door, and welcome everyone without discrimination—whether Cushite or barbarian, rich or poor, those who have much or those who have little.
The church in Philadelphia kept the Word at the cost of their lives.
Verse eight of today’s passage says, “You have a little power, and have kept My word.” Some people think that there are those with great power and those with little power, but that is mistaken. A single word of God created the universe and all things—so where is there such a thing as stronger or weaker power? That is not what this passage is saying. Rather, at that time, the church in Philadelphia had only a small number of believers and was unable to build a magnificent church. Here, you must not think that “a little power” means insignificant power. To do so is to commit a great sin before God. Every word of God is holy and possesses all the might, power, and authority of creation. When Jesus forgave sinners, did He shout so loudly that the whole world could hear, saying, “Very well! I forgive your sins!”? Was that the only way for great power to forgive sins? No, He spoke softly. He said, “Daughter, take courage. By My word your sins are forgiven.” In this way, what is called “a little power” went forth. Must one shout at the top of one’s lungs for great power to be released? I say this lest anyone misunderstand. Some people regard “a little power” as insignificant power. But it is according to your faith that it is done. Even when hands are laid lightly upon someone’s head, if they only believe, it is accomplished. It depends on the faith in one’s heart. What is needed is a believing heart; as for spiritual power, there is no distinction—it is the same for all.
The believers in the church of Philadelphia were few in number, and even considering the members who made up the church, they were people of no outward distinction. Were there any wealthy people? Was there anyone capable of giving large offerings? Yet with that small number, they ranked first among the seven churches of Asia. Whenever God spoke through the apostle John, they regarded their own lives as secondary and kept His word with a faith that was ready to cast away life itself as though it were nothing. Do you know how much the church in Philadelphia was subjected to schemes and persecution? God Himself came and said that they were a little flock. There were no officials of notable reputation in society, no influential wealthy men, no intellectuals, no holders of master’s or doctoral degrees. They were people who earned their living through manual labor. They made a living by doing errands and working for others. As I said earlier, outwardly it was a humble church, without a magnificent building or impressive facilities. Look up what the Apostle Paul says in detail about the church’s members (1 Cor 1:26–29). They risked their lives to keep the Lord’s word. In every aspect of life they gained victory, and they lived lives of contentment.
The expression, “held firmly to the promise and kept it,” means that they held on to it amidst unspeakable tribulation. It means they continued to hold on even in situations where they were bound to lose it. Just as Moses’ mother hid him for three months and then, having no other choice, placed him in a basket of reeds and set him afloat on the Nile, they were in such a desperate situation. Yet the church in Philadelphia did not let go but held fast. This is what the Scripture means when it says that they “kept” it.
Are we holding fast to the Word un- til the very end?
I hope you will believe that, by not letting go of the Word given to you—but holding it firmly and keeping it—whether in your personal life, your family, or your church, the doors of every blessing and prosperity will be opened wide wherever you go. That is the way to live. Why would you let go of the Word? Considering how this Word has been delivered to you, how could you possibly cast it aside so carelessly?
The original meaning of the word “keep” signifies “eternity.” You may think that you only need to keep it until the day you die as a temporary measure, but it means that God has granted us eternity and we must keep it forever. I urge you in the name of the Lord not to lose the grace you have received through the Word, but to keep it to the very end, so that your faith may become astonishingly strong.
For six thousand years, ever since Adam sinned, the descendants of Abel and the descendants of Shem were driven into the wilderness because of the “crime” of believing in God. They hid in caves, surviving by eating leaves, yet they did not let go of or lose the word God had given them. Then, when they reached the age of sixty or seventy and were nearing death, they passed the faith they possessed on to the next generation. This faith, sustained through fasting and prayer, enduring hunger and lack of clothing, being beaten by their parents, driven from one place to another, has now been handed down to this day to you and me. If you allow the Word to be taken from you, it is not you alone who will perish. For the sake of the kingdom of God and for you and me in these last days, our forefathers in the faith fought with desperate determination and did not allow the enemy Satan to take this Word from them. Instead, they handed it down to us. How foolish it would be if we were to let it be taken away now.
You must grab the baton and run.
Suppose there are three teams in a relay race. When the starting gun is fired, each runner runs with the baton. No matter how far ahead a runner may be, if they drop the baton on the ground, have you ever seen the next runner simply continue running without it? Even if they finish first, since they ran without the baton, they are not recognized as the winner. Countless people, shedding tears, being pursued, going hungry and without proper clothing, enduring misunderstanding and persecution, and having their lives brutally torn apart, preserved this Word of God without allowing it to be taken away and handed it down to us. If you fail to keep it to the end and allow it to be taken away, what a great traitor to history you would become. I hope you will believe that when you hold fast to the word God has given and keep it to the very end, the doors of every blessing from the east, west, north, and south will be opened to you. If you possessed a diamond worth millions of dollars, who would fail to guard it? As parents, do you not protect the child you gave birth to? A wife protects her husband, a husband protects his wife, and parents protect their children. Just as you protect the money you have earned through sweat and toil, often going without food and sleep, I hope you will believe that by keeping the Word of the eternal kingdom of heaven to the very end, doors will be opened wherever you go.
The object of the Lord’s prayer was the church.
John 17:6 records the scene of the Lord praying just before His final journey to the cross. When the Lord prayed to the Father, the object of His prayer was the church— that is, you and me. He did not struggle for Himself, saying, “Why must I die on the cross? I want to live.” Rather, He prayed, “According to the will of God, I will bear the cross to atone for the sins of mankind. I do not desire to save My own life.” Originally, we—the human race who can receive salvation—belonged to the Father, but we were taken away by Satan. This passage describes Jesus coming again to recover us and present us back to the Father. You and I originally belonged to God, but because of sin and transgressions, Satan took us captive. However, by shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus took us back from the power of death, and He prayed as He presented us once again to the Father.
The prophet Hosea took a prostitute and made her his wife (Hos 1–2). When he intended to marry a virgin, God did not permit it. Instead, God revealed to him, “Go to an immoral woman.” Suppose you had educated your son and hoped to find him a good, virtuous bride, but a revelation came telling you to send him to an immoral woman. What would you do? Many people would probably stop speaking, say, “What kind of God would command such a thing?” and even stop attending church. But God commanded the prophet Hosea not to marry a virgin, but to go to a prostitute.
So Hosea paid money to buy the prostitute and brought her home. But do you think the Word of God entered her heart? Every time she opened her eyes, she saw her husband, the prophet Hosea, praying. Hosea had received a calling through God’s word, so he would go out and proclaim it. Left at home by herself with nothing to do, the immoral woman could not break her old habits. She went out again and returned to her immoral way of life.
The prophet Hosea was so grieved that he wept bitterly and prayed, “God, why have You given me such a woman as my wife? I bear the name of a prophet, a servant of God. How can I live with a wife like this?” But God commanded him, “Take money and buy her back again.” So Hosea went a second time, paid the brothel keeper, and brought the woman back. Just consider what must have been in his heart as he brought her home. The woman’s name was Gomer.
Humanity failed to realize what was happening while Satan was at work, and sin and transgression entered the world. He took everything away in order to make everyone fall into sin. Through the prophet Hosea, isn’t God showing us His love which reached down to pull us out from the darkest depths of hell, even going so far as to sacrifice Himself on the cross to pay the price of our sins Himself, in order to save us?
“Were they not originally the Father’s? But they have been taken away, so I must restore them to the Father once again.” This was the kind of prayer Jesus prayed as He faced the cross. Behold the Lord’s love. While you and I knew nothing of God’s kingdom, living as though we would remain on this earth forever, committing every kind of sin through slander and deceit, deceiving our parents, our spouses, and our children… the Lord, through such a prayer, drew you and me out of the darkness and made us once again the children of God. Therefore, I hope you will believe that, when you know you are children of God for whom there is never a closed door, you will abound with open doors.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for opening to us the door of eternal life and blessedness, the door of salvation, and the door of life, and for causing us to enter through that door. Through the name of Jesus and by the blood He shed on the cross, You have forgiven all our sins. We first give You thanks that You have bestowed upon us Your righteousness as a gift, declared us free from sin, made us righteous, restored us to our original place as Your sons and daughters, and graciously enabled us to bear Your image.
We ask and pray that, since You have given us today both our calling and the Word of grace, the Holy Spirit would work powerfully in us so that we may have a deep and steadfast faith to hold fast to it and keep it. Once we have entered, may none of us ever turn back and go out again. Rather, may we press on day by day and hour by hour toward the heavenly city, continually entering into it.
Remember each life that has offered worship before You today. Bless us so that this may become a time in which each of us once again makes a firm resolve before You. Though the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak, and we are so easily overcome by the world. Therefore, open the windows of heaven, pour out upon us grace like a mighty waterfall at this very hour, and by the work of the Holy Spirit strengthen our minds and our hearts. We believe that You will grant us the work of being filled with the Holy Spirit. As we ask and pray all these things, we offer this prayer with thanksgiving in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
August 19, 1997 Tuesday Service
Rev. Abraham Park
26년 7월호