PREPARE YOUR HEART FOR THE SERMON BY LOOKING THROUGH THESE SUGGESTIONS THAT WILL ASSIST YOU IN MAKING THE MOST OF OUR TIME TOGETHER HEARING GOD'S WORD.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read Revelation 3:7-13. What has been the “theme” of the letter to the church in Philadelphia?
•  What does Jesus promise in v. 11? How does Jesus’ promise in v. 11 relate to v. 10?
• What is the command in 11? Looking at the previous verses, what do you think Jesus means by “what you have”?
• List the promises that Jesus makes in v. 12. Who are these promises for?
• What is the instruction in v. 13?
• How would you summarize John’s/Jesus’ intent in the letter to the church in Philadelphia?

Prayerfully Meditate

• Where else in Scripture are there promises of the imminence of Jesus’ return?
• How would this promise have encouraged this church? What does the imminence of Jesus’ return have to do with believers’ security?
• Why does Jesus tell them to “hold fast what you have”?
• Why would Jesus write the name of God and the name of the city of God on his people? Where else in Revelation are names written on people?
• What do these promises in v. 12 have to do with security?
• Why does Jesus conclude each letter with the instruction to hear?
• In what ways has the letter to the church in Philadelphia impacted you?