A Message To The Church In Smyrna Series

Revelation 2:8-10 (NKJV)

“A Message to the Church in Smyrna”

11-20-2022

When Jesus comes to this church, He comes as “the first and the last”. He comes as He “which was dead and is alive”. We serve a LIVING Savior! He Lives! Amidst the Problems, He lives! Amidst the Poverty, He lives! Amidst the Prison, He lives! In Revelation 1, Jesus says, “I am the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega.” He is the One Who is in control of all things. The people in the church in Smyrna might have thought things were out of control, but they were in the hand of the Lord. He is telling these saints that He knows what they are facing because He has already faced it. The people hated Him. They persecuted Him. They crucified Him. They poured out all their wrath and anger upon Him; and yet He prevailed! - Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” The city of Smyrna was located some 35 miles north of Ephesus. It was a prosperous city with a population of over 100,000. It was a seaport city where ships from all over the world came to buy and sell goods. It was called “The Flower of Asia.” When the city chose a motto to be imprinted on their coinage, they chose “First in Asia in Size and Beauty.” In this beautiful, wealthy pagan city, there existed a struggling Christian community. The Lord sends Smyrna a word of comfort for their dark days. He tells them that even though they appear to be poor, they are, in fact, rich beyond measure.

I Know Your Problem - This church was going through intense problems because of their witness for the Lord Jesus. They were letting their light shine in a dark world, and they were being persecuted for it. The word “tribulation” means “pressure.” It refers to the stone wheels that were used to crush wheat to separate the kernel from the shell. This church was paying the price for their allegiance to Jesus. This persecution did not come from the pagans in Smyrna alone. Verse 9 tells us that they were also suffering at the hands of the Jews. The Jews in Smyrna joined hands with the idolaters in that city to defeat and destroy the Christians by whatever means necessary. Jesus calls them “the synagogue of Satan” and accuses them of blasphemy against these believers. Christians were accused of being atheists because they did not worship the many gods of the pagans and because they used no statues in their own worship. Christians were accused of being political enemies of Rome because they refused to say, “Caesar is Lord!”

One example of their suffering comes to us from history, just a few years after they received this letter. In 155 AD, the Bishop of the church of Smyrna, a man named Polycarp, who was a disciple of John the Beloved, was martyred for Jesus. This man was arrested at the request of an angry mob. The old preacher was given the opportunity to renounce Jesus. The magistrate asked, “What harm is there in saying, Lord Caesar?” But Polycarp refused! When they entered the stadium, where the executions took place, they tried again saying, “Swear, and I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ.” To that, the old man cried, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” So they led him away to the stake to burn him alive. They were about to nail him to the post and Polycarp said, “Leave me as I am; for He that giveth me strength to endure the fire, will also enable me, without your securing me by nails, to remain without moving in the pile.” So, they left him loosely bound and they lit the fire. He then prayed aloud, "I bless you, Father, for judging me worthy of this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ." As the flames rose around him, he was heard to pray and rejoice in Jesus. He died for his faith and in doing so he left an indelible imprint on the fabric of time.

I Know Your Poverty – This word speaks of being “absolutely destitute.” These poor people had nothing of this world’s goods because of their relationship with the Lord Jesus. They were denied jobs and promotions because of their testimony. These people had nothing in a city that possessed everything. Imagine how Satan must have mocked these people. As they passed the ornate temples and walked down streets of commerce, surely he said, “Serving Jesus has cost you everything!” Can you hear him whisper to them, “Look at you! You are nothing and you have nothing. Give up on Jesus. Deny Him and prosper!”