Stay faithful to God. Don’t let disappointment and pain draw us away from Him.
?The church in Symrna was in suffering, under great persecution.
?But the Lord reveals Himself to them as One who is on their side, fighting the same foe.
?Despite the evil they see around and the hardship they are facing, Christ is still in control.
The Lord says He is the “First and the Last?and He knows “their afflictions and their poverty.?
?Nothing that has happened in this city was outside God’s watchful eyes.
?He knows what the devil is doing, and He knows how much the Christians are suffering.
?Everything is still within His plan and His control.
This is what we must understand today.
?We do not define God on the basis of our experiences.
?Suffering and pain does not negate a loving and powerful God.
?Our disappointments in life are not God’s fault. He is in them with us.
The Christians in Smyrna were persecuted, forced to worship the Emperor.
?The first temple erected in honour of the Emperor in the Roman Empire was in Smyrna (sometime in AD23).
?Later after AD81 the Emperor Domitian made emperor worship compulsory for every Roman citizen, on threat of death.
?Once a year, a citizen had to burn incense on the altar to the godhead of Caesar, after which he would be issued with a certificate.
Most Christians refused to do this and were put into prison as a result.
?Some Jews were coming against them, inciting hatred for the Christians.
?The Lord describes them as from the “synagogue of Satan?
One of Apostle John’s students Polycarp, who was ordained as the first bishop of this church, was arrested and given the chance to deny Christ.
?He refused and said, ?6 years have I served Christ, and He has done me nothing but good. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me??
?He was burned alive at the stake.
The Word says they were persecuted and they were in poverty.
?There seemed to be some form of sanction against the Christians who refused to participate in the emperor worship.
?They were not given the freedom to live a normal life.
Yet despite all these, the Lord says, “Yet you are rich.?
?In Christ, they were blessed. The Lord honours those who honour Him.
?He will give “the crown of life?to those who are “faithful, even to the point of death.?
The Lord says He is “the First and the Last, who died and came to life again?(2:8)
?In essence: “I died. I know what it’s like to suffer. I was persecuted even to death. BUT I came to life again!? Death cannot be a threat to us.
?Despite all that is going on, the Lord is in control.
Don’t be deceived by the appearances of evil. Don’t be overwhelmed by disappointments in life.
?The Lord knows. This is the striking mark of all His 7 letters to the churches.
?“I know…” your deeds, your afflictions, your poverty, I know everything!
?Therefore, “do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.?(2:10)
And then He tells them what they can expect:
“I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for then days.?(2:10)
?Amazing, right? We expect Christ to say, “Don’t worry, I will free you. You’ll be saved. No more pain.?
?Instead, the Lord tells them of more trial and suffering, even “to the point of death.?
?The reward is there ?“the crown of life? Even death cannot be a threat to us.
We need to STOP BEING AFRAID. We need to trust God in the midst of our pain.
?It is a test, the Lord says. Just like Job’s experience.
?The devil wants to fight us. And we will fight him and win it for Christ’s glory.
?Remember the CNY day message, Rev Samuel Goh shared on Job’s experience.
(1) ²»ÒªÃÔÐÅ,ÒªÏàÐÅÉϵ۵ÄÖ÷Ȩ trust sovereignty of God
(2) ²»ÒªÈÎÃü,ÒªÏàÐÅÉϵÛÖ÷ȨµÄ¸ÐÐÔ trust love of God for us
(3) ²»Òª·ÅÆú,ÒªÏàÐÅÉϵÛÖ÷ȨµÄÃÀÒâ trust the good will of God
We are not subject of luck or fate. God is watching over us.
?That’s why we do not want to read the zodiac signs or horoscopes.
?We may find them interesting but don’t read them. You’ll be influenced.
?Although we say we do not believe it, but subconsciously you’ll find yourself acting accordingly out of fear.
?Even if Satan is at work behind the signs, don’t fear it.
When we fear, it means we believe in its power more than in the power of God that is at work in our life.
We put our trust in God and God alone, in every aspects of our life.
?…in good times and bad times; in joy and in pain.
This is exactly what we see here in Revelation.
?On one side we see the 7 churches under persecution, in very difficult times.
?On the upper side, we see the glorious Christ reigning as Lord and King, overseeing all things, telling John what is to come; fully in control.
And He says in 3:19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.?
?Everything is done out of His love for you. It is permitted because of love.
?You need that, because He loves you.
And everything is done for our good. Eventually God’s plan will be fulfilled.
?Everything in Revelation was moving according to His plan, in His time.
?God sees the end from the beginning. He already knows the end. He is just giving us a glimpse of the end.
That is what it means to believe in God’s sovereignty.
?This is not easy. It takes FAITH.
?It is not just to trust that He is in control, but that He always do everything right, even if it does not seem to be so to us.
A prayer by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and a Catholic saint:
"I ask you neither for health nor for sickness, for life nor for death; but that you may dispose of my health and my sickness, my life and my death, for your glory?
You alone know what is expedient (useful) for me; you are the sovereign Master; do with me according to Your will. Give to me, or take away from me, only conform my will to Yours.
I know but one thing, Lord, that it is good to follow you, and bad to offend you. Apart from that, I know not what is good or bad in anything. I know not which is most profitable to me, health or sickness, wealth or poverty, nor anything else in the world. That discernment is beyond the power of men or angels, and is hidden among the secrets of your Providence, which I adore, but do not seek to fathom."
God is like a sculptor working on us.
?He has this very beautiful, perfect picture of you in His mind.
?Through trials and pain, He chips off slowly what ought not to be there.
?It is uncomfortable and often painful, but soon the Christ-like image emerges.
Remember Christ’s words, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.?
?For those who overcome, the promise is that they “will not be hurt at all by the second death.? Second death refers to hell.
?Precisely, we will all die one day, physically. But the devil cannot rob us of the hope we have in Christ ?eternal.
?Like Christ, we are going to “come back to life again?
Jesus says in Luke 12:4-5 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.?
Death was a real possibility for these believers in Smyrna.
?But they have nothing to worry; their lives are in God’s hands. They will live again.
?What the Lord wants is to see that they remain FAITHFUL.
?Stay faithful to God, through thick and think.
?God is not the One to blame in our suffering. He is on our side, fighting the same war and helping us stand strong.
In Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," Ivan endures all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp. One day he is praying with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner notices him and says with ridicule, "Prayers won’t help you get out of here any faster."
Opening his eyes, Ivan answers, "I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God."
This is the cry of our heart - no matter what happens, we stay faithful to Christ!
Put our trust in the absolute sovereignty of God over our lives.
?Either God is in absolute control of all things or he is not.
?If He is not in absolute control of all things, then he is not God and does not deserve to be worshipped as God.
?C.H. Spurgeon wrote, “There is no middle ground between the absolute sovereignty of God and total atheism.?
