Revelation 3:7 “To the angel of the church of 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.
The way we are defined by others tells us a lot about what others believe about us. I’m not saying they have an accurate perception of us, or that their opinions are unbiased. But there can be things learned from hearing the opinions of others about our life and character.
Our lives are filled with opinions of other people. We hear it on every news media and social platform. And there is rarely a positive opinion out there! And most of it isn’t true! Most of it is just invented or exaggerated in order to raise profits.
Notice the words of the angel recorded in our text. The angel introduces us to someone who is “holy and true.” When was the last time you met someone who was “holy and true?” We don’t use these words to describe people these days, do we! Deceitful and liar are much more a part of our vocabulary.
I am wondering what would happen if we began looking for the holy and true that exists around us today. We would see glimpses here are there. But I can bet that, over time, we would see more and more of it.
But this representative of God introduces Jesus as the one who is holy and true. He doesn’t just do holy and true things, He IS holy and true. His nature and character, what He is in His being and what He does in His interactions, reflect the nature and character of God. We don’t!
Jesus is also the One “who holds the key of David.” Here the speaker makes a clear reference to Isaiah 22:22 which speaks of a key David holds to open and close doors. For people who have been kicked out of their community because of their faith in Jesus, they get an encouraging word that Jesus welcomes them into His house. He has the key to the door.
This picture of the Messiah opening access to those who seek entrance is a powerful one. Entrance is not based on who we are, or what we have done. Entrance is based on the One holding the key, Jesus. And He has opened the door for us to enter.
We don’t necessarily know who or what the “angel of the church” is. Some understand it to mean the pastor of the congregation there. Some understand it to be a literal angel whose role it is to guide and protect the congregation. Either way, the key figure is not the angel, but Jesus Himself. Jesus is the one in the important role.
So often we get sidetracked by our perceptions of other people. Once we have made up our minds about someone, it can be very hard to backtrack, admit we were wrong to ourselves, and then move in a different direction. We tend to continue to move in the same direction. Change takes effort.
Why not follow Jesus, the One who is holy and true, who can open any door He wants us to enter, and can shut any door we shouldn’t enter. He will never lead us astray. He will always be faithful. He will never abandon us, no matter the circumstances.
The Arnold Journey 