The Letter To The Church At Smyrna Series

THE LETTER TO THE CHURCH AT SMYRNA

Revelation 2:8-11

Throughout my time in the ministry I have struggled when preaching on passages that speak of Christian persecution. It has been difficult to draw an application that is relevant when preaching to an assembly of people in a country with freedom of religion. Some of our brothers and sisters all over the world are in the midst of extreme persecution as we speak. They are worshipping in hidden locations and if they are discovered they could be imprisoned, beaten or even killed for their faith in Christ. Many do not own a Bible because they are strictly forbidden in the places they live. Most of us own a stack of Bibles, we can profess our faith in Christ without fear of being arrested or harmed physically, we can gather to worship anytime we choose, and no one is going to try and stop us

This is a great privilege, and it is one that we must not take for granted. However, I have reached a place where I can absolutely see a day when we no longer possesses this freedom of religion that I speak of. One by one our religious liberties are under attack, and if certain people have their way, there will come a day when we may have to choose whether we deny Christ and appease the people of this world or remain faithful to Him and suffer severe consequences.

Our selected text contains a message of hope for Christians facing persecution. As we saw last week, these letters were sent to seven actual churches in Asia Minor. Jesus sent a message through John to the assembly of Believers who met and worshipped in Smyrna. We also mentioned last week that each of these letters have the same general outline. In almost every instance these letters contained praise, a rebuke, a command, a warning, and a promise.

The Letter to the Church of Smyrna contains a message of hope for those Christians who are persecuted for their faith. Though many of the truths we will consider do not currently apply to us, they will prepare us for what may come in the future. Furthermore, when we consider the persecution that Christians have faced throughout church history and are facing currently, it should motivate us to seize the opportunities we have been given rather than waste them.

- Let’s look to the letter to the church at Smyrna and begin by considering:

THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS LETTER

v8a "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write,

Smyrna was an important seaport 35 miles north of Ephesus. Smyrna was called “the crown of Asia”, it was a beautiful city in Asia Minor and it was the center of science and medicine. Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only churches that did not receive a rebuke from Jesus in these seven letters.

The word “Smyrna” means myrrh. Myrrh was a substance that was used from perfume and was often used for anointing corpses. There was a large Jewish community in Smyrna, and they were very hostile to the Christian church. The majority of the non-Jewish population was loyal to Rome and worshipped the Emperor. The Christians stood for everything that those around them were against and as a result they endured much suffering and persecution.

- As we move further we will see:

THE AUTHOR OF THIS LETTER

v8b 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life:

Like the rest of these letters, Jesus was the author. Concerning Smyrna, He refers to Himself as “The First and the Last.” Throughout history there have been many idols and false gods, but Jesus is the one true God, He was before them all and He will outlast them all. Jesus also references His victorious resurrection, He says I am the “one who was dead, and came to life”. This must have been a comforting reality to a group of Christians who were faced with the very real possibility of dying for their faith.

The world views death as the worst thing that can happen to us in this life, but for the Christian, it is actually the best thing, for Paul said, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”. Obviously we do not want to face suffering, persecution and death as we serve the Lord; but if necessary, we can face these things with full assurance that we belong to the one who conquered death, hell and the grave.

- After addressing the church and identifying Himself, Jesus begins to praise the people in the Church at Smyrna. Notice:

THE PRAISE IN THIS LETTER

v9 I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.