Revelation 3:7-13
For a pdf download click here:
12.10.2017_Discussion_Questions_Philadelphia_and_the_Open_Door
(Describe your relationship with your earthly father? What about your Heavenly Father? How do they differ? In what ways are they the same?)
- What do you most long for from your Heavenly Father?
- Do you feel like you can trust Him to provide it? Why or why not?
- In what areas of your life do you most long for your Heavenly Father’s return?
- What do you think Christ’s return will be like?
- How will it look for people who have confessed Jesus as their savior?
- What will it look like for those who have not?
(Acts 4:12) “‘There is no other name under heaven by which a man must be saved…’ That’s entirely true! But Scripture is clear that every man will one day say the name, ‘Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father…’”(Phil. 2:10). —Peter Hiett
- Do you believe as Peter talked about in this sermon, that one day all will be saved? Why or why not?
“All will confess, ‘God is Salvation’ …because He is. And yet, you’re not fully saved until you do—until you believe ‘God is Salvation;’ until you believe you’re alone, in the dark, trapped in your own illusions like a homeless kid taking shelter in a cement pipe.”
- Is there any part of you that struggles to believe “God is Salvation,” that maybe believes “you are salvation”?
- In what ways does reliance on yourself leave you alone, trapped in the dark and in your own illusions?
“Your cement pipe is your power, your security, your shelter against the storms of this world, your attempt at salvation in the absence of your Father…your pipe might be made of brick and wood, with indoor plumbing and electricity. It might be your resume. . . It might be a name that you’ve made for yourself—like Professor, Doctor or Reverend. . . It might be a bank account. It’s security against the question “Is He coming back? And does He love me?” —Peter Hiett
- What is your pipe: your power, your security, your shelter against the storms of this world, your attempt at salvation in the absence of your Father?
Jesus addresses the messenger to the church in Philadelphia, “I have placed before you an open door. I know that you have but little power.” A more literal translation is “I have placed before you an open door, because you have little power.”—Peter Hiett
- What areas in life do you feel you have little power?
- What doors might God be opening before you because of that little power?
In John 17:15 Jesus prays for His disciples saying, “I do not pray that you should take them out of the world but that you should keep them out of the evil.” He uses the same phrase there in John 17 that he does here in Revelation 3. He kept them out of the evil, and yet they all suffered the evil. —Peter Hiett
- In what ways have you suffered evil and yet been kept out of it?
“Maybe power itself can be a closed door and seizing it the very act of denying His Name.” —Peter Hiett
- Can you think of any areas in which you have tried or are currently trying to seize power when God was/is desiring that you surrender it? Confess these times to Him and maybe a trusted friend.
Jesus had all power to calm storms, walk on water, heal the sick, create the universe, etc. And He emptied Himself, took the form of a slave, and humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. And in that place of utter weakness, hated and reviled by all humanity, and even feeling forsaken by God, reduced to “just Jesus”—just “God is Salvation” He cried out, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” —Peter Hiett
- Where do you think true power resides? How does God “make a splash” in this world?
In the story about the miraculous rescue of Mary, her father’s words: “Float on your back, Mary. I’ll swim to shore, and I will be back for you.” Created hope and faith in her.
- What words from your Heavenly Father can you hold on to in the midst of life’s storms?
~These questions were prepared by Kimberly Weynen