Part 5 - Smyrna: The Church Rich In Christ Series

Smyrna: The Church Rich in Christ

Watch this message at https://youtu.be/J2xJJ2xzEKQ

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What do you say to somebody who is suffering? How do you counsel people who are going through great times of sorrow and tribulation? We’ve been party to suffering in our country lately. What do you say to someone who lost a job, is struggling to pay their bills, or is sick? How do you counsel a person who lost a loved one because of this pestilence? Words can seem insufficient unless you’ve shared something similar.

What would you say to an individual whose family has been torn apart because of the stand they have taken for Christ? A village in Nigeria where hundreds are beaten nor murdered because they would not denounce Christ?

We come to the second church in our 7 churches of Revelation series. The churches in the second and third chapters of Revelation were recipients of a message from the Risen Jesus Christ himself through the Apostle John. John was exiled by the Romans as punishment for his unwavering loyalty to Christ Jesus.

It is a time of tribulation for Christianity. As we will see today, the Romans were barbarically brutal to Christians. Radical Islamic groups like ISIS or Al Qaida may pale in their barbarianism compared to how the Romans treated the Christians. During the time of John's writing Revelation from Patmos, Dominican was Caesar. He was god and he demanded every person worship him as a god.

Last week we looked at Ephesus. The church that was faithful in doctrine, but lost its zeal for Christ. Ephesus was known as the church that lost its first love. Christ Jesus told the Ephesian church to repent or he would remove their lampstand. If you go there today, there is no church of Ephesus. There is no city of Ephesus. The harbor has been filled in with silt over the centuries and all you will find are ruins of the town.

Smyrna was a different story. before we get too much further, let us read the entire message from Jesus, and then we’ll break it down verse by verse.

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’ (Revelation 2:8)

I. The City of Smyrna

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus told his disciples that the gates of Hell would not prevail against his church. The Church in Smyrna is probably the closest example of how Christ’s church prevails, even in the most brutal of persecution. It seems that Smyrna received the greatest amount of persecution. They had not lost their first love and zeal for Jesus. The testimonies of the church’s perseverance in the time of John’s delivery of this letter from Jesus is powerful.

We should not be surprised by the world’s disdain for our faith. The world hates God and therefore is enemies with those who are God’s children (1 John 4:5). Jesus promised to us that we as his disciples would experience tribulations (John 16:33). What we have to understand is that persecution doesn’t destroy the church, it strengthens and purifies the church. Those who capitulate their faith in order to avoid discomfort or persecution really have no faith at all.

Smyrna is located about 40 miles north of Ephesus. It is an anti-God and anti-gospel city. It is a Roman city and the center of Domitian’s fury against the Christians? If you were a Christian in Smyrna, you were an outcast in every way and received brutal treatment. Why? With some historical context, we begin to see the significance.

In those days, Smyrna was a great city with an inland harbor. It was a very pleasant and beautiful place to live with beautiful buildings and landscapes. It was also the center of pagan worship of gods like Apollo, Zeus, and other gods with glorious temples including one to Homer, who was born there. Every year, every citizen had to burn incense to Caesar and declare “Caesar is Lord.” Upon doing so, you would receive a certificate. Christians, of course, can only say that Jesus is Lord. But to be without a certificate was death.