To the Church in Smyrna
In this series on the seven churches of revelation, we will be examining the commendation and condemnation of each of the seven churches and learning the lessons that is meant for our Church. Today we will look at the 2nd church of revelation, the church in Smyrna.
Let’s read:
Rev 2:8-11
8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
9 I know your afflictions and your poverty-- yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
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 the crown of life.
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
(NIV)
The City of Smyrna was located about 40 miles north of Ephesus. It was a very old, beautiful city. Today it is called Izmir and has a population of over 300,000. It is the third largest city in Turkey. Smyrna was nicknamed "Port of Asia" because of its excellent harbor on the Aegean Sea. It was part of the trade route from India and Persia to Rome. Smyrna was very patriotic to Rome and built the first Roman temple in honor of Tiberius and accepted the principle of Caesar worship. Each year every Roman citizen had to burn incense on the altar to the godhead of Caesar and say, "Caesar is Lord." Because the Christians at Smyrna refuse to participate in this act, they suffered tremendous persecution. Smyrna also had a large population of apostate Jews, who didn’t practice their faith and hated the Christians.
Let’s now look at the message to the church in Smyrna.
Rev 2
8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
Jesus is reminding the Pastor and the church in Smyrna, that He is the First and Last. Jesus is ensuring the church that He was the one that spoke the world into creation and that He will still be their God after Satan is thrown into the burning lake of fire. Jesus is also ensuring them that He did die on the cross for their sins, but also rose on the third day and He sits at the right hand of God the Father. This is not only a message of comfort to the Church in Smyrna, but also to us. God is in control then and He is still in control today and will be in control tomorrow and always.
The Commendation:
Rev 2
9 I know your afflictions and your poverty-- yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
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 the crown of life.
Christ is telling them that He knows that they are being persecuted and that they are very poor. The Christians were being thrown into prison and even killed because they refused to worship Caesar. Because of their refusal to obey the Roman laws, they were not allowed to belong to the labor guilds of that day, thus they were not able to obtain decent paying jobs to support their families. They were in extreme poverty. God never promised any of us that we would be wealthy or famous. He did promise that He would provide for our needs; food, clothing and shelter. I watch a lot of TV preachers on the Sky Angel satellite system and I get so upset when I hear some of them telling their congregation that if they would tithe then God would bless them with large houses and expensive cars. We are required to tithe, but we are to do it with a feeling of love and not out of obligation and not expecting anything in return. Even though they were in poverty, Christ said they were rich! You can have all the money in the world and be the most liked and famous person in the world, but without Christ you are nothing, you are dead. Having Christ has our Savior and Lord is greater than any riches that we could every hope for. If you have Christ in your heart and are living a true Christian life, then you are the richest person in the world.
Christ knew that the Romans were not only persecuting the Christians of Smyrna, but the non-believing Jews were also persecuting the Christians. The apostate Jews would instigate lies concerning the Christians and have them killed or thrown into prison. These Jews of Smyrna were not practicing the true Jewish faith, because they were also worshipping Caesar. This is why Christ called them a synagogue of Satan. These Christian had persecution from all sides, yet they did not turn away from their faith.
Christ even told them that the devil would put some of them into prison to test them and would suffer persecution for a short period of time. Satan wants more than anything to have a Christian turn away from God. He thinks that Christian will blame God and turn from the faith, if they are persecuted and imprisoned for false reasons. Many Christian have turned from the faith when this has happened even today. The Christian of Smyrna stood firm no matter what Satan threw at them.
The Condemnation:
Did you notice that Jesus did not have any condemnation for the Church in Smyrna? They must have been doing something right even in their trials and tribulation. Is our church like this one or would Jesus have some condemnations for us?
The Reward:
Jesus told these Christians to be faithful even to the point of death and He would reward then with the crown of life.
James 1:12
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
(NIV)
God promises the crown of life for all that perseveres under trial. I have told you before, that we are to take up our cross and follow Christ and in doing so, we will (not maybe) be persecuted. If you don’t have trials in your life, then maybe your faith isn’t as strong as those in Smyrna. Maybe your faith isn’t great enough for Satan to be concern about.
Rev 2:
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Christ is telling us that we had better listen to what he is saying to the churches of Revelation. His message is just as reverent today as it was in the time of the Smyrna. Jesus claimed victory over death and we can too by accepting Christ as our Savior.
Let’s read:
1 Cor 15:55-57
55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(NIV)
We must accept Jesus Christ has our Lord and Savior and follow all of His teachings. I have also told you before that we should not fear death. We should be able to look death in the eye and know that we will instantly be in the presence of God when we die.
We can claim victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan has no claim on us and we need to start living as the Christians in Smyrna.
They willingly endured all kinds of persecution because they loved Christ more than the world around them. Can we say that? Paul rejoiced when he was persecuted and thrown into prison. What would we do? Would we rejoice in the Lord if we would lose our job? I have written a sermon on faith, which I think we all need to hear. God is in control. Everything that is happening in the world today should be of no surprise to us. The Bible says that these things must take place, before Christ returns for His church. Why do we worry? Why do we fear? Is it that our faith is lacking?
Let’s read:
John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
(NIV)
Jesus promised us His peace and told us not to worry. God never breaks a promise. Have faith that God will provide for your needs no matter what happens. God will be with you and comfort you in all of your trials. Trust in Him and obey Him and do His will (not your will) in your life. Then maybe we can become like the Church of Smyrna and receive a commendation instead of a condemnation.
If you don’t have that peace that Jesus promised, then there may be something in your life that you need to change. Maybe there is some unrepented sin in your life that you need to confess to God. Maybe you are doing your will in your life instead of God’s will. Let God lead you. Jesus is the shepherd and we are His sheep. Just like sheep we are to follow the voice of our shepherd. Yes, Jesus talks to us, but we are to concern with our own desires to listen. When we pray we forget to listen for the answer. Get your life right with God today. Recommit your life to Christ today.
If you don’t know Christ as your Savior and Lord then you have no power over the sting of death. If you would die today, then you will spend eternity in Hell. Some people don’t believe this. How can a loving God sentence a person to eternal torment in Hell? When I was in Dallas last week I heard a Christian commentator say that God will figure out some way to save everyone. This isn’t true. God had His plans long, long ago. He gave us a way out. He gave us His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day. Jesus lives and sits at the right hand of God in Heaven. God is a loving God and that is why He gave us a way out, but we have to make that choice to accept God’s gift of salvation. It is so easy. All you have to do is call upon the name of the Lord, confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. You don’t have to turn you life around first; Jesus will help you with that. Just open your heart to Christ and you will experience a new life; a life that we call being born again. Most importantly you will be guaranteed eternal life in the presence of God in Heaven. What better riches can you have than this? All the money in the world cannot buy salvation. It is a free gift for the asking, but you do have to ask for it. Come now. You may not have another chance.
