End Game, Part 6 - The Church at Philadelphia

 The Church at Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13 (NIV) “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.  ⁸ I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  ⁹ I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

¹¹ I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

This is perhaps my favorite church.  Not JUST because it is the home of the National Champion Philadelphia Eagles, (FLY EAGLES FLY) but because it is filled with hope and optimism.  Set in front of them is an open door, an effectual door of ministry.  Jesus said they had received the “Key of David,” with which they could open doors no one else could open.  

This “Key of David” is pretty significant.  I want you to notice that the word “key” is only mentioned a few times in the Bible.   One, which is strikingly similar to our text, is Matthew 16:18 (The Message) ¹⁸ And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. ¹⁹ “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”

This term key, as we see here, has an obvious reference to power or authority.  This is clear because whoever has the key to something has the ability to access the area available through that key - places that without this key would otherwise be inaccessible.  Now look at the one specific phrase, “The Key of David.”  We know from association that the text in Revelation 1 and 3 are referring to the same thing, the same key or authority, the Key of David.  This actual phrase “Key of David” is only mentioned twice in the entire Bible.  We have just read the first account in Revelation 3.  The second account is in Isaiah 22.  This text records a riveting account of a battle between Persia and Jerusalem.  It describes the pitiful plight of Jerusalem.  After Isaiah painted this picture of total and utter devastation God quickly told him who was to blame for it all.  Isaiah 22:15 (NIV) ¹⁵ This is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says:  “Go, say to this steward,  to Shebna, who is in charge of the palace: ¹⁶  What are you doing here and who gave you permission  to cut out a grave for yourself here,  hewing your grave on the height and chiseling your resting place in the rock? ¹⁷  “Beware, the LORD is about to take firm hold of you and hurl you away, O you mighty man. ¹⁸He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a large country. There you will die and there your splendid chariots will remain—  you disgrace to your master’s house! ¹⁹ I will depose you from your office,  and you will be ousted from your position. ²⁰ “In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.  ²¹ I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.  ²² I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 

God pointed out a guy named Shebna as the root of the problem.  You see, Shebna was the keeper of the house of David.  He was the treasurer, the steward, but he had set himself up as king because the king had become very sick.  He had the treasury of the house of David under lock and key, but he did not understand the value of the treasure he had.  Shebna was not even a Jew.  He was not born into the bloodline.  He had no business being where he was.  So, God told Isaiah to get him out of there.  He said I will bounce him like a ball.  He said, I want him out, I’m going to drive him down and thrust him out.  It is pretty bad when you have God after you, but Shebna was causing God’s people to be beaten in the war, and God wanted him out of the way!

How he got there in the first place, I don’t know, but he was an impostor.  He had the key of David, yet he knew nothing of the treasure he possessed.  Today, we had better wake ourselves up.  There are some impostors in our churches.  They are keeping them under lock and key and God is going to put somebody in that will use the treasure that has been provided.  God is going to eliminate the Shebnas and he’s going to give the authority to somebody that will use it.

Here is what God told Isaiah he would do to Shebna.  God said he would take away the robe of authority, the girdle of strength, and give them to somebody who would use them.  The last thing he told Isaiah he was going to do was take the Key of David and place it on the shoulder of Elikaham, the son of Hilkiah the priest.  We already know that possessing a key gave a person access to a normally inaccessible area, but in ancient times the size of the key would denote the value of the object it provided access to.  Isaiah 22:22 says that the key of David was to be placed on the shoulder of Elikaham.  It was so big it could not fit into his pocket because there was a lot more to the treasure than Shebna realized.

The key that Shebna had gave him authority over five things.  The first was the palace.  This is where the king lives. The Key of David gives you access to the very throne-room of the king.  In his presence there is fullness of Joy.  “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, then will I be in the midst of them.”  The Key of David will give you access to the very presence of God.

The second thing was the fortress - The strength of the city.  Psalm 27- the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteousness run in it and are safe.

The third thing was the armory. The weapons.  II Corinthians 10 - The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And brings into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

The fourth thing is the treasury.  The unsearchable riches of his grace.

The fifth thing is the banquet hall.  It will get you into the marriage supper of the lamb.  “Be glad ye children and rejoice, and give honor unto him for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb has come and his bride hath made herself ready.” *

If there was ever a time to shake ourselves and to move in the power and authority God has given us as Christians and as churches, it’s now. It’s time we take the key from the hands of Shebna, and put it in the lock and use the power God has given us.  What is the key?  The key is the Word of the Lord.  The Word of the Lord is what gives you access to the things God has for you.  Everything you need is accessible through the Word of God.  So, my encouragement for you today is to open the doors in front of you by reading, believing, and speaking the truth of God’s Word.   In turn, I encourage you to reject the fear, doubt, division, and unbelief of the world.

When the enemy says you can’t, God says you can.  When the world says, “There’s no cure,”  God is the Great Physician.  When the world says there’s no way, God is “the way the truth and the life.”  Go to the Key of David and turn the word into worship.  David was the master at using the words of God from the Old Testament and turning them into words of worship to God.  When you are down, read the word; when you are low, open your Bible and see what God says about the situation.  The Key of David will open every door that is closed in your life.  



*Portions adapted from the message "Key of David" by Mike Williams, preached at Because of the Times, Alexandria, LA