SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Address (8a).
(2). Attribute (vs 8b).
(3). Approval (vs 9-10a).
(4). Accusation.
(5). Advice (vs 10).
(6). Assurance (vs 11).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• “We don’t look alike, we don’t act alike.
• We don’t dress alike.
• We have different tastes in the food we eat.
• The books we read, the films we watch, the cars we drive and the music we enjoy.
• We support different football teams or have different leisure interests;
• We ascribe to different philosophies and differ over politics.
• Our weights vary, our heights vary,
• So does the colour of our hair and skin.
• But we all have one thing in common;
• We all know what it means to hurt!”
• TRANSITION: Suffering is a universal language.
• We all know what it means to hurt.
• And at some-time in our lives we will all ask the questions “Why me, why us?”
Suffering and persecution have always been the experience of the Church;
• Just think of the disciples of Jesus:
• According to tradition only the apostle John died of old age;
• All the other disciples were martyred for their faith.
Ill:
• And today, according to the Christian organisation Open Doors;
• Each month 322 Christians are killed for their faith.
• 214 Churches and Christian properties are destroyed.
• 772 forms of violence are committed against Christians
• (such as beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests and forced marriages)
Ill:
• According to the United States Department of State,
• Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments;
• Or surrounding neighbours simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ.
Quote: I am reminded of Amy Carmicheal’s poem:
• Amy Carmicheal (1867-1951):
• Missionary in India for 55 years;
• Author of 35 books,
• Worked among girls who were victims of sexual-abuse, or temple prostitution.
• Help with the babies born as a result of the temple prostitution.
• On numerous occasions she faced legal charges of kidnapping,
• And often faced physical threats.
• Following a serious fall;
• She spent the last the last twenty years of her life as an invalid.
“Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?
Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spend,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?
No wound, no scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And, pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has no wounds nor scar?”
• TRANSITION: The church at Smyrna understood such language.
• They had experienced first-hand hunger, loneliness, fear, and pain.
• So as we open this short letter;
• Feel the heartache and remember their pain as we try to grasp the message.
(1). Address (vs 8a)
“To the angel of the Church in Smyrna write…”
Question: What do we know about Smyrna?
Answer:
(a). It was a beautiful city.
• Smyrna was a seaport located thirty-five miles north of Ephesus;
• In fact the two cities rivalled each other.
Note:
• History records that Smyrna was given a number of titles;
• They were called the "Pride of Asia," & "Glory of Asia” & the "First of Asia,"
• In 700BC the city was destroyed and lay in ruins for three hundred years;
• Then it was then restored, raised from the dead.
• So the city had died and come back alive again!
• At the time of Jesus Smyrna was nearly 100,000 in population.
• Today it is Izmir, Turkey, the third largest city in Turkey;
• With a population of over four million.
• So the city “was dead and is alive again”;
• No doubt you noticed that expression in the letter.
• Verse 7: Jesus described himself as the one: “…who died and came to life again.”
Smyrna was a beautiful city:
• They boasted of an excellent harbour, lavish temples,
• A famous stadium, and one of the largest public theatres in Asia Minor.
• It was one of the few planned cities of antiquity.
• In the middle of the city was a famous thoroughfare called the Street of Gold,
• Which was from beginning and end full of temples.
Ill:
• In Blackpool (in the UK) they have ‘a golden mile’
• The seafront that stretches between the North and South piers,
• A ‘Golden Mile’ of sandy beach;
• As well as a ‘Golden Mile’ of amusement arcades, family attractions, theme pubs,
• Fish-and-chip shops, souvenir stalls, and in the winter the famous illuminations.
• For visitors it's pretty much mandatory to walk the length at least once;
• Or to jump on the tram if you want the easier option.
• TRANSITION: Smyrna had a special street;
• In the middle of the city called the Street of Gold,
• Which was from ‘First to Last’ full of temples.
• Once again I wonder by using that title, ‘the First and the Last’
• Jesus is saying I was before all this man-made idols;
• And I will be around long after they have disappeared.
Note:
• Towering above the old city was a magnificent hill;
• It was called "The Crown of Smyrna."
• Around the summit of the hill was a ring of beautiful temples;
• These temples were dedicated to the false gods of the day,
• But this ring of temples made the hill look kind of like a huge head;
• With a crown on top.
• TRANSITION: Once again that word ‘crown’ is picked up and used by Jesus;
• Verse 10: “I will give you the victor’s crown.”
(b). It was a wealthy city.
• Today Smyrna is known as ’İzmir’ in Turkey.
• The modern name "İzmir" is the Turkish rendering ;
• Of the original Greek name "Smyrna"
• It is still a wealthy city, the third most populous city in Turkey,
• After Istanbul and Ankara
• But the ancient city was also wealthy;
• Trade poured into this city via the harbour;
Ill:
• Smyrna had a great harbor.
• In fact it was a very safe place for merchants to take their ships,
• Because it could be completely shut off by a huge chain,
• That could be pulled across its mouth.
• So the cruise ships and tankers that came into Smyrna;
• Knew they were secure and didn’t have to worry about pirates!
(c). It was a cultured city.
• They had a splendid library, a theatre and a stadium.
• And the poet Homer was born in this city;
• And if you go on the tourist trail, you can see a monument to him today.
Smyrna had been destroyed twice, once by Alexander the Great himself.
• But when Smyrna was rebuilt the last time, they built it in style.
• Smyrna of the 1st century wasn’t haphazardly thrown together like other cities.
• It was a PLANNED city with large wide streets;
• Streets that were made of stones laid down in beautiful patterns,
• It was a designed, sophisticated city.
(d). It was very patriotic.
Quote:
• The Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, Cicero once said,
• “Smyrna is one of our most faithful and most ancient allies.”
Ill:
• Patriotism ran high in those broad cobble-stoned streets!
• To give you an idea how patriotic they were;
• In the Asian campaign against Mithradates in 88 B.C.
• Things had gone badly with Rome
• So badly that the soldiers of Rome were suffering from hunger and cold.
• It is said that when the people of Smyrna heard this, they sent food;
• But these citizens went even further;
• And they also stripped off their own clothes and sent them to the Roman soldiers.
Rome rewarded their patriotism:
• In 195B.C. Smyrna was the first city in the world;
• To erect a temple to the “goddess Roma”
• A temple for the worship of the spirit of Rome.
• And then in A. D. 26, when all the cities of Asia Minor were competing;
• For the privilege of erecting a temple;
• This time to the godhead of the emperor Tiberius,
• Smyrna won!
• It was selected for that honour,
• Overcoming even her closest city and greatest rival, Ephesus.
Loyalty to Rome also meant loyalty to the Roman emperor:
• And therefore Roman worship of the emperor.
• In a.d.26 they were the only city in Asia;
• That Rome allowed to build a temple for the Roman Emperor to be worshipped;
• In this case it was the Emperor Tiberius.
• This city full of civic pride and loyalty to Rome;
• Was bound to cause problems for the Christians:
• Who refused to worship the emperor;
• And would therefore be seen as traitors, enemies of the state..
Question: What do we know about the Church at Smyrna?
Answer: Very little.
• It was probably founded 40 years before this letter;
• When converts from Ephesus came down the coast and evangelised the city.
• What we do have are records of a man called Polycarp.
• Who was a key leader in this Church.
• You may know the story of his martyrdom, if not you will find out later!
(2). Attribute (vs 8b).
“These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.”
I love the beginning of this description; “First and the Last”:
• Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end;
• The Alpha and Omega.
• Everything started with him, and everything will finish with him!
Ill:
• At the time this letter was written the Romans ruled the world;
• But before the Roman ruled this city, the Greeks had ruled these people.
• Before the Greeks ruled the city, it was the Persian’s who ruled the people;
• And before the Persian’s ruled the city, it was the Lydian’s who ruled.
• TRANSITION: This title Jesus uses reminded the Church at Smyrna;
• That Jesus was there before all these civilisations rose up;
• And he will be there long after all these empires have gone!
• He alone is ‘The First and the Last’
Note: Jesus then adds an additional description of Himself?
“…who died and came to life again.”
• This again shows to us the uniqueness of Jesus;
• With every other human being you have to put those words the other way round;
• “I was alive but now I am (or will be) dead”.
• i.e. Plato “was alive but now is dead”.
• i.e. Alexandra the Great “was alive but now is dead”.
• i.e. Augustus Caesar “was alive but now is dead”.
• i.e. Emperor Tiberius “was alive but now is dead”.
• With every other human being you have to say that;
• Except for Jesus Christ, who could say: “I was dead and came to life again”
Now this description was just what these believers needed to hear:
• If you've ever suffered deeply, you probably already know:
• i.e. Who would best comfort a newly diagnosed cancer patient?
• A cancer survivor who's been there.
• i.e. Who would you want alongside you if you lost your spouse?
• Someone who's gone through a similar experience,
• Someone who knows the hurt and how to help you through it.
• Question: What did these hurting Christians at Smyrna need?
• Answer: Not just a letter, ink on paper;
• They needed someone who had been where they were,
• Someone who understood the universal language of suffering and,
• In particular, the dark prose of persecution and poverty.
In those first few words, "who was dead," Jesus communicated volumes:
• He is saying; “I've been where you are, I know what you're going through,
• I understand the pain and the fear”
• These are words of reassurance and comfort.
• Jesus speaks with experience as well as with authority!
Notice: too, the hope tucked away in the next phrase, "has come to life."
• For persecuted believers facing martyrdom,
• No one had to point out that that word ‘life’ in this letter!
• They caught it, clung to it,
• And it sent a glorious shiver of hope to the very depths of their souls.
(3). Approval (vs 9-10b)
“I know your afflictions and your poverty – yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.”
• Three times in verse 9, Jesus will say to this Church, “I know”.
• “I know you afflictions”
• “I know you poverty”
• “I know about the slander…”
That phrase “I know” has of course a double meaning;
• It can mean “I know, I am aware, I have knowledge of your situation”.
• But it can also mean “I know, I empathise, I identify with, I have been there!”
• And both meanings are applicable and true.
Note: These believers had been afflicted in two ways:
FIRST: FINANCIALLY.
• “I know you poverty”
• They are living in a wealthy city and yet they are among the poorest of the poor.
• The Greek word used here means, ‘beggery’, ‘destitution’, ‘extreme poverty’.
• Many Christians in Smyrna may well have been converted slaves;
• Or simply belonged to the lower classes of society.
Ill:
• The Christians in Pakistan came to mind.
• Their unofficial nickname is ‘the Sweepers’.
• Because of the policies that; 'Only non-Muslims will be recruited as sweepers,'
• Christians account for around 2% of the almost 180 million population.
• However, representation of Christians in the occupation of cleaning and sweeping;
• Is extremely high.
• Lahore is the capital of the Punjab, the largest province in Pakistan.
• Its population is estimated at more than 10 million.
• According to Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC),
• There are 7,894 sweepers working there and most of them are Christian.
• In Islamabad, the capital, there are about 1,500 sanitation workers,
• According to the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA);
• Sanitation Directorate figure. CDA Workers’ Union General Secretary;
• Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin says all the sweepers are Christians.
• Even today the Christians in Pakistan are the poorest paid;
• And are forced in to doing the worst of the jobs.
• TRANSITION: God back 2,000 years in time and ditto!
• There is a cost to be paid for following Jesus;
• And for many Christians there is a financial cost as well.
• To succeed in business you needed to be part of the guilds;
• These were a cross between a chamber of commerce and a trade union.
• These guilds had their religious ceremonies steeped in idolatry and idolatrous worship;
• And you could not be part of the guild and not participate.
• And if you did not belong to these guilds, then you could not get business;
• And people would not do business with you!
SECOND: SLANDER.
• Every religion had to be registered with the Roman authorities;
• And once you got registered you became a ‘Religio licita’,
• That is a permitted, an approved, a legal religion.
• But if you could not get registration you became a ‘Religio illicita,
• An illegal sect.
• And therefore you were not protected by law.
• And anyone could take advantage of that i.e. persecution would not be punished.
• Which made it easy for Jews and pagans alike to plunder their businesses;
• And ransack their homes and reputations with impunity.
There was at Smyrna a large population of Jews:
• Now the Jews had managed to get registration for their religion;
• Despite the fact they would not worship the emperor.
• They were granted immunity from that law.
• And as these Jews realised that Christianity was not another branch of Judaism:
• But something new, something different;
• And these Christians actually embraced Gentiles!
• Well, that is when the Jews slandered the Christians;
• They were willing and able to report them as illegals,
• These Christians are not of us, they are not Jews, they are illegals.
Notice
• In verse 9b:
• Jesus addresses the slander instigated by the Jewish community.
“I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”
• Those are strong words Jesus spoke against his own people;
• Remember Jesus chose to be born a Jew.
• So what did he mean?
Quote: Commentator Michael Wilcock writes of this:
“The persecution at Smyrna was made especially poignant by the fact that the great enemy was the local community of Jews. These were God's people racially, but not really (Rom. 2:28), and were in fact blaspheming God as they persecuted his church under the guise of doing him service (Jn. 16:2). Perhaps it was economic pressure from these Jews that brought the church to poverty, and slanderous accusation by them (for "Satan" means "slanderer") that led to imprisonment and death.”
Ill:
• You might remember that Jesus said exactly the same;
• To the faces of the Jewish religious leaders in John chapter 8;
• When he debated with Jewish religious leaders who opposed him.
• He looked them in the eye and said;
• “If you were of the Father then you would love me cause I’m his Son, but you don’t”
• Jesus went on to say;
• “Your Father is the devil, that is why you tell lies about me,
• Cause lies are the devils native language”.
Ill:
• The devil’s name is (from Greek: ‘diábolos’;
• Actually means; ‘slanderer or accuser’.
Note: Jesus then offers these believers a glimpse of hope:
• He reminds them that their true riches in heaven (see also 2 Car. 8:9).
• Notice that He doesn't deny their physical poverty;
• Rather, He provides them with a perspective for perseverance.
Ill:
• At a funeral service for a multi-millionaire;
• Somebody asked the question, “How much money did he leave?”
• The answer came back; “Everything!”
• Jesus provides them with a perspective for perseverance.
• Because a shroud has no pocket!
Jesus reminds these Christians the real test is how much are you worth after you die?
• These Christians were richer than the wealthiest pagan worshipper or atheist;
• Because they lost everything;
• And in Christ we gain everything!
(4). Accusation
• Out of the seven Churches listed in Revelation chapters 2-3;
• Only two Churches Smyrna and Philadelphia have no accusation against them.
• Now these two Churches were not perfect because no Church is;
Quote: The Perfect Church (Author Unknown)
The Perfect Church
I think that I shall never see
A Church that’s all it ought to be;
A Church that has no empty pews,
Whose Pastor never has the blues;
A Church whose Deacons always Deke
And none is proud but all are meek;
Where gossips never peddle lies
Or make complaints or criticize;
Where all are always sweet and kind
And all to other’s faults are blind.
Such perfect churches there may be,
But none of them are known to me.
• TRANSITION: Now the Church at Smyrna was not perfect because no Church is;
• But all their troubles and problems were external;
• They were spared the internal problems;
• That some of the other Churches were experiencing.
(5). Advice (vs 10)
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”
• Interesting that Jesus did not promise them that their troubles would go away;
• He never promised them riches;
• That would not go down with certain ‘health & wealth’ preachers.
• Notice, he did not even promise them help with their sufferings.
• Notice there is not one word of practical relief!
In fact he predicts their situation will go from bad to worse!
• They had already lost two things:
• They had lost their money – they were now poor.
• They had lost their reputation – they had been slandered by the Jews.
• Now they were going to lose another three things:
• (a). They are about to lose their freedom and experience prison.
Ill:
• Imprisonment here isn’t what we think of, languishing in a jail for months or years.
• The Romans wouldn’t be burdened with the custody of criminals.
• This imprisonment was only for as long as they stood trial and could be executed
• (b). They are about to lose their security.
• There will be a ten day period of persecution.
• A ten day ordeal.
Ill:
• Like many of the numbers in the book of Revelation;
• This number should be read symbolically rather than literally.
• Ten days here probably means an undefined;
• But definite and relatively brief period of time.
• It is not permanent.
• (c).They are about to lose their lives.
• This persecution will be so severe that some will need to be
• “Be faithful, even to the point of death,”
Ill:
• For some believers their lives will be taken;
• But for the believer death is never the end!
• It is the start of a brand new, even better chapter!
• Jesus said to these faithful believers;
• “Do not be afraid” because he would give them, “the crown of life”.
• Just like Jesus promised the thief on the cross that he would be with him in paradise;
• So he promises these martyrs they will receive the crown of life!
• Christianity is a way to die as well as a way to live!
• For the believer death is never the end,
• It is the start of a brand new, even better chapter!
(7). Assurance (vs 11)
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
Ill:
• The pastor of the church of Smyrna was a man called Polycarp.
• Was a former student and disciple of the Apostle John.
• When he grew up he became a leader, the Bishop of Smyrna,
• But he was martyred in A.D. 155.
• The Church had hid Polycarp in the country;
• Because his life was in danger.
• During the Roman games, the riotous crowd shouted,
• "Away with the atheists! Find Polycarp!"
• Christians were called “Atheists” in those days;
• Because they only believed in one God;
• And not the many gods of the Roman and the pagan religions.
Under torture, a poor slave told where Polycarp was hiding:
• And the Roman guard came to arrest him.
• Polycarp realised these soldiers were thirsty and hungry;
• And he actually offered a meal to his enemies;
• He then asked that he might be granted one last hour for prayer.
• The soldiers permitted this and after an hour they arrested him.
• Polycarp was taken before the Roman proconsul:
• Who said to him:
"What harm is there in saying, 'Caesar is Lord'
and offering a sacrifice to save your life?"
• As long as Polycarp put Caesar first;
• The Romans would grant him freedom to go away and worship Jesus or any other god.
• But for Polycarp, there was only one Lord, Jesus Christ.
• He would not deny him and he refused.
Polycarp's ministry and life came to a noble end in A.D. 156.
• Polycarp was marched into a 20,000-seat amphitheatre;
• Where a mob anticipated a final showdown.
• The proconsul again told him to, “Choose Caesar and live,
• Or choose Christ and die.”
Polycarp told him and the crowds listening:
• "Eighty and six years have I served Him . . . and He has done me no wrong.
• How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"
• The proconsul threatened him with burning,
• And Polycarp replied:
"You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. Why are you waiting? Come, do what you will."?
• They did, and Polycarp was burned alive.
• But can you not read between the lines of his story;
• And you read what Christ wrote to the church at Smyrna years earlier?
• "Do not fear ... be faithful ... overcome . . . no second death."
• Polycarp lived this letter and personalized these principles;
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=Q0pRh68YjvXXLQrSqulZXiKBkCm9tBF4
