The Revelation to Smyrna - Words to the Suffering.
A little boy was leading his sister up a mountain path and the way was not too easy. ¡§Why this isn¡¦t a path at all,¡¨ the little girl complained. ¡§Its all rocky and bumpy.¡¨ Her little brother kept on up the mountain, pausing just long enough to call out ¡§Sure, but the bumps are what you climb on.¡¨
Remarkable isn¡¦t it that we can look at problems and difficulties with such different perspective¡¦s. To one, they are obstacles, as big as a mountain - almost impossible to overcome, but to another they are an asset and merely a mole hill. We all suffer and we all face problems in life - every single man on earth has - even the successful and godly ones. Think of the heroes of the faith - Abraham had some pretty major bumps to overcome. He was told to leave his homeland and all he held secure. He arrives in Canaan and no sooner had he pitched his tent, than he was in the midst of a famine. Then he had problems with his greedy nephew who took all the best land, he had wars to fight, his wife couldn¡¦t bear him a child and so he agreed to have a child with his maidservant. Finally the clouds rolled away and things were looking up - Isaac was born. But then Abraham was told to go and sacrifice him. Abraham¡¦s life was not easy, neither was Joseph¡¦s, Moses¡¦, David¡¦s, Daniel¡¦s, Paul¡¦s or anyone else you¡¦d care to mention.
How about you? How is the road you are travelling? Does it seem rough and windy? Well take heart, because Christ has a message for you - a letter of encouragement, a personal message for you to take to heart and lift you up.
But before we start, let¡¦s pause and ask God to speak to us individually right where we are at today. PRAY
In the last book of the Bible - Revelation, there are recorded 7 letters written to 7 churches. The last time I spoke, we looked at the first of these letters and today we are going to focus on the second. We¡¦ll end up covering them all in the next months as we have opportunity. You¡¦ll find the second in Revelation Chapter 2.
Before launching into the second letter, I think we¡¦d better have a bit of a recap, since most of you probably don¡¦t remember anything about the first. We read previously part of Chapter 1 which sets the scene for us.
Here we find out that the following revelation was actually a revelation given to Jesus Christ from God (vs 1) which was given to
1) To show his servants what is to come (vs.
2) bless those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it. So listen this morning and take the words to heart and you will be blessed because this is what God has promised.
Who Wrote it, Where and When?
John apostle and the servant of God (vs 1, 4, 9) wrote the messages down while he was on the Island of Patmos. John had been banished to the Island of Patmos and was likely in a labour camp working the mines because of his faith. It was during a period of intense persecution of Christians - likely during the reign of Domitian (90-95AD).
The First vision & The Command to write
We see John having a vision. He was in the spirit on the Lord¡¦s day and all of a sudden, his thoughts were broken by a voice like a trumpet which commanded him (vs 11) ¡§Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.¡¨
So John Wrote - 7 letters direct from the mouth of the risen Jesus Christ. They were addressed to 7 churches in particular, but also to us as the wider church.
So that¡¦s the background are you ready to get into the second and see what it has to tell us?
Chapter 2 vs 8 lets read it ...
Letter to Smyrna - ¡§I understand your suffering¡¨
The second church on God¡¦s list was Smyrna, just 35km from Ephesus and in many way was like Ephesus.
Smyrna literally meant ¡§myrrh¡¨ - a fine perfume and this was quite fitting for Smyrna which was a wealthy and beautiful city. It was destroyed in the Seventh Century, but was rebuilt in the Third Century by Rome and was one of the few planned out cities in Asia Minor. It was a modern and architecturally asthetic city. It had an excellent harbour, lavish temples, a famous stadium and one of the largest public theatres in Asia Minor. It still exists as Izmir, Turkey
Though it was a beautiful city, it was also a pagan city with worship of many of the gods of the Roman and Greek pantheon including Zeus, Hermes, Apollo, Dionysius, Mercury. In addition to this, it was a staunch ally of Rome and was one of the first Asian cities to require its citizens to worship the emperor. Emperor worship had been around for a couple of centuries to some degree or other. All people in the Roman Empire were required to worship and pay homage to the emperor. To refuse this led to persecution or even death.
Introduction
The church of Smyrna was probably an off shoot from Ephesus and to these believers Christ writes.
Christ begins his letter to Smyrna as always, by introducing himself to the church. Here he shows his relevance to the church in their current situation. His introduction to the Smyrnaeans is two fold.
1) He begins with a description of the one who is the First and the Last. This is nothing more than the title given to God. Isaiah 44:6 says
¡§This is what the LORD says¡X Israel¡¦s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
It has the same meaning as ¡§I am the Alpha and Omega¡¨ which John had heard God say just a few moments earlier in Chapter 1:8
I am the Alpha and the Omega,¡¨ says the Lord God, ¡§who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.¡¨
The significance is that God is eternal, he¡¦s always been there and will be always there into the future. He is the first and the last
2) But that is not all, Christ is also one who has died and come back to life. He is the living proof that resurrection is possible and that there is a life after death.
We¡¦ll see clearly the significance of this introduction soon.
Strengths of the Smyrna Church - Commendations & Comfort
1) Suffering for Christ¡¦s name
Now Christ goes onto commend the church. He actually has no condemnations for the Smyrnaeans - the only church which isn¡¦t condemned for something. Christ had only glowing words of commendation for this church.
Vs 9 : He says, ¡§I know your afflictions and your poverty¡Xyet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.¡¨
These people were suffering. The words here speak of pain and real pressure. See where it says affliction or your version may have suffering of tribulation. That¡¦s the greek word ƒáƒÜƒÙƒàƒãƒÙƒã. It literally meant pressure or crushing. The church in Smyrna was feeling pain and distress from outward circumstances which were pressing in on them, wanting to crush them. Can you relate to this? Do you ever feel that sometimes the outward pressures are just getting too much? These guys at Smyrna were.
The word for poverty used here is ƒàƒäƒçƒÓƒÕƒÙƒÑƒnwhich meant extreme poverty as would characterise a beggar. This was real poverty. The other word used for poverty in the New Testament was ƒàƒÕƒÞƒØƒã which meant the absence of anything superfluous. The church in Smyrna didn¡¦t just lack riches (ƒàƒÕƒÞƒØƒãƒw, but they lacked even the bare essentials (ƒàƒäƒçƒÓƒÕƒÙƒÑƒwƒ|
From what we know about the political and religious situation of the day, it is quite probably that many of the Christians were slaves or from the lower classes of society which might account for the financial state of some. But for others, it was outwardly imposed. What I mean by this is that Christianity in the roman empire was illegal - it wasn¡¦t one of the recognised religions and was illegal up until Constantine became the emperor in 313AD. Because Christianity was illegal, Christians were easy prey for Jews and pagans. They were open to abuse and persecution - especially those that would not submit to the worship of the emperor.
They were suffering because they were Christians and were commended by Jesus for their readiness to suffer affliction and poverty. It is a challenge to us to think how far we would prepare to suffer for the gospel. To the point of death? Well maybe just to the point of a severe beating. Okay, how about a bit of name calling - that¡¦s what I call real suffering. Or how about someone not sharing their packet of chips with me - now that¡¦s real persecution. How much suffering would be willing to bear and who from?
The persecution of the Christians by the Jews was an extension of their rejection of Christ as the Messiah. Jesus wasn¡¦t right and so how could these his followers be. Here they are described as Satan¡¦s henchmen - hindering God¡¦s work in the church, persecuting those who would seek to do good and doing everything possible to create disharmony.
I wonder whether there are any people in this church who Christ might identify as belonging to Satan¡¦s synagogue or as being his tools to disrupt the work of the church. Don¡¦t look around and point the finger at others, but look at yourself. Have you been hindering the work of God in this church, at your work place or in this city by slandering the work of others? Have you been making it difficult for them to carry out the work God has laid on their hearts? Are we getting behind the leaders of this church or are we just continually complaining about what they are doing? Are we criticising the work of other churches just because they are not Baptists?
We need to be operating as a body and supporting the various and diverse work of God in this church and beyond. God is bigger than Gladstone Baptist church. Just because we feel uncomfortable with something doesn¡¦t automatically mean it is not of God. I encourage you not to slander and play down the work of others in the extension of the gospel, but to lift it up and support it and support those doing it (that includes Pastor Roger and all the missionaries we support too).
Another thing to notice here is that although the Smyrnaeans were afflicted and poor in material things, they were described here by Christ as being rich spiritually. It is surprising how often this is the case. Spiritual wealth does not depend on physical wealth, but on an attitude and a relationship with God. How is your bank account spiritually - if it is low, you may need to look at your attitude to and relationship to God.
2) Jesus Knows what we¡¦re suffering
There is something else interesting in the words of Christ here. Listen again, ¡§I know your afflictions and your poverty¡Xyet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.¡¨ How does he know? Well just look back to the introduction
1) He knows because he is God - the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. There is nothing that happens to us that God does not know about - he is always there.
2) He knows because he suffered too. He was one who died, who under went intense suffering. He understands. He was persecuted and rejected by the Jews. He was poor and died on the cross a pauper. He knows because he shared in their sufferings.
Who do you turn to when you have struggles or when you are in the midst of suffering? Who is best to comfort you?
There is a story about a boy who had lost his right hand in an accident. He felt so badly about it that he did not want to see anyone. His father said, ¡§I¡¦m going to bring the minister in to see you.¡¨ but the boy said ¡§No, I don¡¦t want to see him.¡¨ The father brought him anyway. When the boy looked up, he saw that the minister had no right arm; there was an empty sleeve. He came over to the boy and said ¡§ I haven¡¦t any hand either. I lost mine when I was a boy, and I know how it feels.¡¨ It wasn¡¦t hard for the boy to get acquainted with the minister who knew how it felt.
Who would be best to comfort a newly diagnosed cancer patient? Most likely a cancer survivor who¡¦s been there. How about a couple struggling with their kids, their marriage, their workplace? Well probably someone who knows what it is like to struggle in the same way is the best comfort you could hope for. Christ is one who has suffered much - probably more than we could imagine. And even though you could argue that he hasn¡¦t been in the same situations as you, he knows you so intimately that he knows what you are feeling and what you are going through - better even than another person who has had a similar experience.
4) Do not be Afraid
Christ continues in verse 10 ...
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.
The implications of this verse would have been worrying for the church of Smyrna. Instead of Christ saying, trust me and I¡¦ll make all your troubles go away, he is saying, you will be facing more troubles in the near future, some of you will even face death.
How could a loving God sit by and let his people suffer? It is the same question ¡§Why do bad things happen to good people?¡¨ Notice who is causing the bad things though. The devil. We live in a world where Satan is the prince. He has influence and control - for a time - and this influence can be brought to bear on us. Remember the afflictions that the Smyrnaeans were suffering was brought to bear from outside - from those who were controlled by Satan.
God allows Satan to have his way, sometimes to refine us, sometimes to strengthen us and sometimes because that is what is appointed for this time. This doesn¡¦t mean that God ceases to maintain control. He does have control over the world and of Satan. See that it says - ¡§You will suffer persecution for ten days.¡¨ Though probably not a literal 10 days, it was a defined period. The suffering wasn¡¦t going to be eternal - it was temporary and had an end. And that end was near. The period of suffering was just 10 days, fairly short in the scheme of life. and eternity.
A hospital administrator was once startled to see a patient fleeing down the hall out of the operating room, his loose hospital gown flapping the breeze behind him. He stopped the fleeing patient and said, ¡§ Do you mind telling me why you ran away from the operating room?¡¨ The patient looked at him with startled eyes and said, ¡§It was because of what the nurse said.¡¨ The administrator said ¡§Oh, what did she say?¡¨ ¡§She said, ¡¥Be brave! An appendectomy is quite simple.¡¦¡¨ The administrator looked a bit confused and said, ¡§Well, so what? It is quite simple. I would think that would comfort you.¡¨ The patient said ¡§Are you kidding, the nurse wasn¡¦t talking to me; she was talking to the doctor.¡¨
Some fears are well founded, but the fear of suffering isn¡¦t. Christ has control of the circumstances and was urging the Smyrnaeans not to be afraid of Satan or what he could do, but rather worry about the one who controls the future.
5) Reward for Faithfulness - A Promise
Note also Christ¡¦s promise (vs 10) ¡§Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.¡¨ A crown - of Life if there was ever a suitable reward for a poverty stricken people it was riches like a crown and for people facing possible death, the reward of life must have been fairly appropriate. If this weren¡¦t clear enough, Christ repeats it (vs 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.¡¨
There is another life beyond this earthly life which is far more important because it is eternal. Christ is saying, worry about that life, not your short one here. For if you overcome and keep the faith in the face of these temporary persecutions and afflictions, yours will be the crown of life for all eternity.
What is the crown of life? In short, we can¡¦t be exactly sure, but we do know some things about it ...
The crown here is a ƒãƒäƒÕƒÖƒÑƒÞƒßƒã crown - the victors crown given to a victorious athlete or military conqueror. It is not the ƒÔƒÙƒÑƒÔƒØƒÝƒÑƒn the royal crown worn by kings. The ƒãƒäƒÕƒÖƒÑƒÞƒßƒã crown is a reward given to those who are victors. What form it takes we are not sure, but it seems to be an additional reward given to the faithful.
There are 3 victors crowns mentioned in the bible for believers. All are rewards for faithful stewards and all are given by Christ presumably when we are called to account for our lives.
1) Crown of Life (Jas 1:12 and Rev 2:10) - ¡§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¡¨
2) Crown of Righteousness (2 Tim 4:8) - ¡§7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day¡Xand not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.¡¨ - this is given to people who long for the appearing of Christ.
3) Crown of Glory (1 Pet 5:4) ¡§Be shepherds of God¡¦s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers¡Xnot because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.¡¨ - given to faithful shepherds. If you are faithful in leading and caring for part of Christ¡¦s flock, you will be rewarded.
How faithful are you? To know and trust God is enough to give us eternal life, but for the high achievers in faithfulness, God has other special rewards in store. Be encouraged, your efforts for God won¡¦t be unnoticed.
God will reward those who stand firm despite difficulties, we can be assured of that. We can also be assured that he will not make us bear more than what we and he can bear together.
Summary
Now cast your mind back to the introduction of Christ in this letter. He said ¡§These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.¡¨ We can now begin to piece all the pieces of the puzzle together. The Smyrnaeans were facing suffering even to the point of death and were being encouraged to look beyond the present circumstances to the eternal life God can offer.
1) To face the suffering, they needed someone who understood. Who knew what they were going through and who had been there - The First and the last knew. He was able to relate to them through his own suffering and death.
2) And for the promise of resurrection and a second life to have any meaning, it had to come from one who knew what they were talking about (i.e. someone who had come back to life already) and someone who was able to carry through with the promise. This narrows down the field doesn¡¦t it - the only person who has died and come back to life is Jesus and the only one able to give life is God in the person of Christ Jesus.
So the introductory words take on a huge significance ¡§I am the first and the last, I was dead and came to life again.¡¨ I am able to sympathise with you in your suffering and am able to deliver you from this world of suffering into a life eternal so don¡¦t be afraid
Are you suffering today, feeling that the outward pressures are too much to bear? - Well Jesus has a message for you - it is the letter to all those who suffer. In this letter, he says ...
1) I knows what you are suffering and can sympathise because I¡¦ve been there.
2) You do not have to be afraid, because I have everything in control.
3) If you stand firm, I will give you a reward - eternal life and a crown of life.
If you have ears, listen to what I am saying - if you overcome, you will not be harmed by the second death.
