Revelation 3:11 "Look, I Am Coming Soon! Hold Tightly To The Little Strength You Have—So That No One Will Take Away Your Crown."

 Revelation 3:11 ¹¹Look, I am coming soon!^e Hold tightly to the little strength you have—so that no one will take away your crown.^[1] 

5. The Counsel: Christ is Coming Soon; Therefore, Hold Fast (Re. 3:11).[2]
G. The Message to Philadelphia: The Church That Is Faithful & Alive, Revelation 3:7–13
1.   The recipients a.   The messenger of the church b.   The Philadelphian church 2.   The speaker: Jesus	7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
3.   The commendation a.   They had made great use of the open door of evangelism & missions b.   They had kept Christ’s Word c.   They had not denied the Lord’s name	8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
4.   The two great hopes a.   There will be great vindication: The persecutors of the believers will either be saved or judged	9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
b.   There will be great deliverance: From the hour of trial, a period of great tribulation coming upon the earth	10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
5.   The Counsel: Christ Is Coming Soon; Therefore, Hold Fast	11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
6.   The promise: To the overcomers a.   Will be made a permanent part of God’s house b.   Will receive security c.   Will receive God’s name, belonging to Him d.   Will receive the name, be made citizens of, God’s city e.   Will receive the Lord’s new name, known only to God	12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
	13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.[3]

9. The Coming (Revelation 3:11)

“Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11). At least five things are said about the coming of Christ here.

• The priority of the coming. “Behold.” This word arrests our attention and puts a priority on His coming. This is important. It should be prominent in our thinking.

• The Person in the coming. “I come.” Jesus Christ Himself is coming back to earth (Acts 1:11). The literalness of the coming of Christ is true or the idea of His coming is fraudulent.

• The pace of the coming. “Quickly.” If “quickly” refers to a time period, we have to acknowledge that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). It has only been a couple days since Christ left. More likely the “quickly” refers to the pace of the actual event. When Christ comes back it will be speedy in action. Evil will be overcome quickly and Sinners Will Not Have Time To Repent (Matt 24:43-44).

• The preparation for the coming. “Hold that fast.” The best way to prepare for the coming of Christ is faithfulness. Stand true to Him and you will be ready for His return.

• The prize at the coming. “That no man take thy crown.” Being prepared assures one of obtaining the reward. The fact of a crown at His coming says when the Lord returns, it will be a time of honor for the believer. Not so for the unbeliever; it will instead be a time of horror not honor no matter what his status in the world is. The same is true when a person dies. The believer experiences honor, the unbeliever horror.^[4] 

5 (Re. 3:11) Hold Fast—Jesus Christ, Return: there is the Counsel. Jesus Christ declares time and again that He is returning to earth. Note the word quickly. Jesus Christ is coming soon. Scripture declares this time and again.

“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand” (Ph. 4:5).

“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (He. 10:37).

“Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (Js. 5:8).

“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Re. 3:11).

“Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Re. 22:7).

The point is this: since Christ is coming and coming soon, the faithful church must do something. It must hold fast …

Ø  to its evangelistic and missionary zeal

Ø  to the Word of Christ

Ø  to confessing and living for Christ and never denying Him

Note why: because the church and its believers could lose their crown. This is the clear warning of Scripture. Believers must hold fast. They can lose their crown if they deny Christ and commit apostasy.

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mt. 24:13).

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Mt. 25:13).

“Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” (Lu. 12:37).

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Ga. 6:9).

“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Th. 5:5–6).

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pe. 1:13).

“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Re. 2:10).

“Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Re. 3:11).

“And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus” (Re. 16:5).

“The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger” (Jb. 17:9).^[5] 

“Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.” ^{Re. 3:11 NLT}

For the churches in Ephesus (Re. 2:5), Pergamum (Re. 2:16), and Sardis (Re. 3:3), Christ’s coming would be a time for them to fear if they did not repent, for he would come as their judge. To the church in Philadelphia, however, Christ’s words “I am coming quickly” would not be threatening. Rather, they would be a promise to the believers of his imminent return. The word “quickly” should be taken as “soon” or “without warning” (see Re. 1:1, 3). In the meantime, they should hold on to what [they] have, referring to obedience and refusal to deny Christ (Re. 3:8). Their reward would be a crown—referring to the wreath awarded to winners of athletic contests (see 1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8). Philadelphia was known for its games and festivals, so the picture of the eternal crown awaiting believers was especially meaningful (see also Re. 2:10).

HOLD ON

Christians have differing gifts, abilities, experience, and maturity. God doesn’t expect believers to all be and act the same, but he does expect us to “hold on” to what we have, to persevere in using our resources for him. The Philadelphians were commended for their effort to obey (Re. 3:8) and encouraged to hold tightly to whatever strength they had. If you are a new believer, you may feel that your faith and spiritual strength are small. Use what you have (even if it’s small) to live for Christ, and God will commend you. [6]

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Revelation 3:11 "Look, I Am Coming Soon! Hold Tightly To The Little Strength You Have—So That No One Will Take Away Your Crown."

^e 3:11  soon, or “suddenly,” “unexpectedly.”

^[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

^[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

^[4] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.

^[5] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

^NLT Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

^[6] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation. Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.