Standing Strong In The Face Of Difficulties

Have you ever been scared? I mean scared to the point that you were afraid for your life. There was a group of missionaries that were on a mission trip in London. They were in prayer walking one afternoon in an area that was full of mosques and protesters were in the streets.

As they walked and they prayed for God to move in that area they begin hearing shouts from a group of men across the street, “Kill the Christians! Kill the Christians!” And they were pointing at that little group while shouting those words.

Needless to say, that was a frightening moment for them. The group hurried along and left that area quickly. As they reflected on what had happened, they realized they didn't have to be afraid because we are told in the Bible that for those who follow Jesus, they would face times of persecution, but He would be with them.

In today's message, Jesus gave the Church of Smyrna a recommendation. We're going to learn today that we can stand strong in the face of any fearful situation. That's because we are truly rich in the grace of God. PRAYER

Smyrna was a large and beautiful city about 40 miles north of Ephesus. It was a wealthy cosmopolitan City that was a center for science and medicine and education. It was surrounded by farmland and had a good harbor. It was considered by many to be the greatest city in Asia. In fact, Smyrna's citizens called their City the “first in Asia.”

Smyrna was an ally of Rome even before Asia was annexed into the empire. Because of that historic relationship, it enjoyed the imperial status as a free city, meaning it had a degree of self-government. In John's day, Smyrna was also renowned as a center for Roman emperor worship. The city also had temples that were dedicated to many pagan gods.

So Jesus tells John to write this in Revelation 2: 8-9 – ““Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life: 9 I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”

Now remember that this is Christ himself who is speaking to the believers at Smyrna. He reminded them at the very beginning that He is the first and the last, the one who was dead and came to life. In this statement of who He is, Jesus identified with them showing that he too had suffered and been rejected but was victorious in the end. He is encouraging them to stand strong as they face these difficult situations.

Even though the church at Smyrna was a poor Church in material resources, they were rich because of their relationship to Jesus. When someone's in a relationship with Christ, nothing can bring greater satisfaction or joy than being in that relationship. We are rich in Christ. I am rich in Christ, are you? We can have all the money and resources in the world, but they pale in comparison to the riches that can only be found in Christ.

Jesus knew how poor the church was. But Jesus was also well aware of the persecution and difficulties they faced. They were being slandered. The Jews in Smyrna hated the Christians and spoke blasphemy against God's people. The Jews may have been Jewish by heritage, but they did not have a heart for God or the people of God. They're blasphemous actions had turned their Jewish gathering place to a synagogue of Satan.

So, the church is Smyrna definitely faced some harsh persecution, but they were rich in spiritual blessings because of their relationship to Christ. SEBC has faced a lot of persecution over the years, but still God tells us that we are rich in Christ. God still continues to pour out His spiritual blessings upon us. And the world can’t take that away.

God wants us to know and to remember that the same spiritual blessing and richness that the Christians in Smyrna had is ours today as we too trust Christ and walk with him. It's not enough just to be religious; we have to have a relationship with Christ in order to lay claim to the riches of Christ.

And if we just step back and think about it for a minute, in times of difficulty, it's good to know God has not forgotten us, isn't it? So, Jesus said in verse 9 “I know your affliction and poverty.” Now our government defines poverty in terms of falling below a minimum amount of income needed to cover basic needs. But the word that Jesus used for poverty is much harsher. It refers to being utterly destitute. Impoverished without anything.