SundaySeptember 11, 2016 Phone: 570.829.5216
Pastor David Miklas e-mail:
Message: Book of Revelation 1-5Text: Revelation 2:8-11
The Suffering Church at Smyrna
INTRODUCTION:Today we come to the second of the seven letters to those churches mentioned in Revelation chapters 2-3. The Bible records Revelation 2:8-11,
“And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; (9) I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. (10) Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (11) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
For the most part, the American church is in a comfort zone, knowing nothing of religious persecution, and the suffering of 100's of 1000's of believers around the world.
Let me ask if you can imagine this scene happening in an American church today?Armed soldiers bursting in during the service giving everyone five minutes to either renounce their faith in Christ and leave or stay and keep their faith and be shot. What would your decision be?Think about it!
By the way, at the founding of this nation religious persecution was fierce. The church was state-run, state-controlled and state-funded. It was the early Baptists, not the Protestants, in this nation who paid the price of persecution, imprisonment and death to bring about the first amendment to the US Constitution which secured our freedom of religion without government intervention. This nation owes a great debt of thanks to those early Baptist preachers who risked it all for our past 200 years of religious freedom here in America.
However,religious persecution of Christianity is on the rise in “our free America.” The very US Government and US Constitution that should be our protection has now become our adversary in the courts. Unless the Lord comes soon, our children and more so our grandchildren are going to face a great deal of persecution for their faith in Christ. So don’t pass this portion of scripture off as being mere history. Remember,history repeats itself unless we learn from history to avoid it.
The city of Smyrna was a very prosperous city. It was called "the pride of Asia."It is considered by historians as the most exquisite city the Greeks ever built.
However, it was a dangerous thing to be a believer in this city, because of the intense persecution against those who were the children of God. By the time the Book of Revelation was written, emperor worship was compulsory. The churches were persecuted because they wouldn’t bow down to Caesar.
The Christians who refused to obey this decree were marked men, traitors against the government. The tortures inflicted on these believers were despicable. Some were put on the rack where their limbs would be pulled out of them; others were thrown into boiling oil or mangled by hungry lions in the coliseum.
Now as you read down through these verses, note the accent on the types of suffering.
Verse 9 "and TRIBULATION, and POVERTY"
Verse 10 "which thou shalt SUFFER"
Verse 10, "shall cast some of you into PRISON"
Verse 10, "that ye may be TRIED"
Verse 10, "be thou faithful unto DEATH"
It took courage to stand for the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet of all the seven letters this one is expressed in the most continuous and unbroken tones of praise. There is NOT ONE word of rebuke given to the church at Smyrna, which in itself suggests a great lesson.
Someone said, "A church or individual suffering persecution for his faith is usually more DEVOUT and FAITHFUL than a comfortable untested believer.”
Another said, "The fires of affliction cause the lamp of testimony to burn all the more brightly and the trials of affliction cause no lack of fervency for Christ."
The Lord of the candlesticks has a message for you. In verse11 He says, "FEAR NONE of those things which thou shalt suffer..." Verse 8 gives us the reason not to fear -because Jesus was here before there was anything to fear, and He will be here after all things you fear have passed away. He says, "I am the first and the last…I was dead and alive."
The suffering of Christ is our inspiration. Jesus is saying, "They put me on a cross and killed me, but I rose again and today I am alive." What an inspiration to these saints, Jesus is encouraging them to say, "You can persecute me, you can ridicule me, you can throw me into prison, and even kill me, but bless God His people will always come out triumphant."
Now to these saints in Smyrna the Lord Jesus Christ is mindful of three things.
First: He was mindful of their tribulation. Now this particular word "tribulation" does not mean the common trial to which all of us are subject. This word carries the idea of "beating." These believers were taking a beating because of their faith in Christ and their stand for Christ.
Because they were believers, perhaps they were being passed over for jobs or job advancement.
Because they were believers, perhaps they were being ostracizedin their communities.
Because they were believers, perhaps they were being thrown into prison for their faith.
Second: He was mindful of their poverty. The word indicates these people were beyond being poor, they were in extreme poverty. You hear the expression, "it pays to be a Christian."Well it does in terms of our peace and hope, but at times it does cost to be a Christian. History tells us the Smyrna Christians had been persecuted by the Jews who had in turn incited the pagans against them.
These believers were victims of what was called the “ten-percenters.” Both pagan and Jews would report the Christians to the Roman government and in turn were rewarded with 10% of the believer’s property. The believers were then wiped out financially and many ended up martyrs or in prison.
History tells us these believers were given only one choice, bow to Caesar as lord or be put to a horrible death. Faithful believers answered with the vow, "Jesus Christ is Lord and none other."
The Lord was mindful of their tribulation.
The Lord was mindful of their poverty.
Third: He was mindful of their being reviled.Verse 9, "I know the blasphemy (slander) of them who say they are Jews, and are not..." The Jewish community in Smyrna was against these Christians, and they sought to destroy them by spreading rumors.
In Matthew 5:11 Jesus said,"Blessed are ye, when men shall revileyou, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my name sake."
Back in Revelation 2:9 Jesus sees these antagonists as belonging to another church and He calls that church the synagogue of Satan. These workers of iniquity were being controlled by the Devil himself. Furthermore the Lord tells them the situation is not going to get better, rather it is going to get worse. In verse 10 he says, "Fear none of those things which thou SHALT suffer..."
Tribulation, poverty, reviling-slander was the lot of the saints in Smyrna. But there is a little parenthesis in verse 9 that speaks volumes, "But thou art rich."
Laodicea was a poor rich church in Revelation 3:17.
Smyrna was a rich poor church in verse 9.
Our Lord's word for "rich" in this passage is the source of our English word "plutocrat." which means “wealthy.” These Smyrna saints were the Lord's "plutocrats."
They were rich in the eyes of the Lord of the Lampstands.
They had no money in the bank, but plenty of treasure in Heaven.
Now of course a church is not rich spiritually because it is poormaterially. But we must be humble in Spirit as though we had nothing, willing to lose it all for Christ if need be.
Not every Christian is called upon to sell out and follow Jesus, but we should be willing to do it. Unfortunately, in our day of prosperity, it is not easy to interest a well-fed, well-clothed, well-housed Sunday morning crowd in this kind of Christ-loyalty.
You know it doesn't cost much to be a Christian in America today. We sing about "The Old Rugged Cross" and then hurry home to business as usual, a big dinner and to watch our favorite sports show.
REALLY what have we given up for Christ?We are not interested in what it costs to be a Christian, but in what we get by being one.
To many in our day, Christianity has become simply a better way to get rich or have a big time.We have made a bellboy of the Lord and a Santa Claus of the Almighty.
The saints at Smyrna had not been given a pep-talk on how to have "Health, Wealth, and Happiness in ten easy lessons or money refunded." They were promised tribulation, poverty, and reviling, even prison and death. Allow me to pause and make an observation here of what is not expressed.
Our Lord's silence in this letter is eloquent. He does not explainwhy they must suffer so. He does not answer their question. But if, in your case this very day, there are cloudy skies, with no explanation, and no deliverance, remember Smyrna.You will not be loaded with more than you can bear.And adversity is not always a mark of God's displeasure.
No church suffered more than Smyrna, yet He said, "but thou art rich." Holding your place here in Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, please turn back to Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament. We come to a similar period of religiously dark days for the people of God. There we find a group of people who feared God. Please notice Malachi 3:16-17.
“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. (17) And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”
Please take special note in verse 17 the word "jewels." It comes from the word "segula" which means "God's peculiar treasure." God is saying, "These people who think about me, live for me, and talk about me will be my peculiar treasure."
In Revelation the Lord of the lampstands called the Saints at Smyrna "Plutocrats, but thou art rich."
In Malachi, God calls these godly Jews "His Jewels, His peculiar treasure."
What made these people God's peculiar treasure?
Number 1: These people stood in DARK days. On every side was corruption, filth, profanity and sin. But they stood for Jesus, and stand they did.
They stood in the face of corruption and opposition.
They stood in the face of persecution and ridicule.
God looked down and said, "They are my peculiar treasures." Do you know what this world is waiting to see in you and I? They are waiting to see if we are for REAL, if Jesus REALLY means anything to us. It's the difference that makes the difference!
Do you create within others a thirst for God?
Do others ever wonder why you are so thoughtful, unselfish, and caring or notice your courtesy?
Do others notice that you stop to thank them and apologize when you are wrong?
Do others see every visible manifestation of Christ's life and being lived out through you?
Is our aim to make us look good, or is what we do to glorify our Father who is in heaven?"
Number 2: They depended on the Word of God. These saints in Smyrna were God's plutocrats because they meditated upon the Word of God. His Word was their treasure, their delight and their joy.
Remember Psalm 1:1-2, "Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners; nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his DELIGHT is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night."
Number 3: They spoke about the Lord.They were excited about Jesus. As the chorus goes, they said "let’s talk about Jesus more and more." People who are God's peculiar treasure who are God’s plutocrats stop talking about people in gossip and slander and start talking about Jesus. Amen!
Our Lord gives these suffering saints in Smyrna two statements of encouragement in verse 10,
1.“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer…"
2."…be thou faithful unto death…"
He told them to be fearless, just as David wrote in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Again notice in verse 10the Lord said to beFAITHFUL not FEARFUL;literally be faithful to the point of dying. Here is a note that is lost today. We are so busy making the saints comfortable and happy that we forgot how little the New Testament says about all that.
Oh, yes it is true, it does pay to serve Jesus, but may you and I be reminded it will also cost to live and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
It cost John the Baptist, James, Peter, Paul, Apostle John and many in the early church their lives to stand for Christ.
It cost 1000's, even tens of 1000's of lives to stand for the cause of Christ down through Church history.
Even today, unbeknown to the average church goer in America, around the world believers are facing tribulation, poverty, ridicule, even imprisonment and death for their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The rich Laodicean crowd in Revelation 3:14-22 fared well, but they nauseated the Lord while the poor saints of Smyrna were His plutocrats. This does not mean that ADVERSITY is necessarily the hallmark of godliness. But loyalty to Christ at any cost is. In the case of Smyrna the cost was tribulation, poverty, reviling.Pastor, doesn't all this sound out of date.
Christians aren't supposed to run into trouble today. We are to be diplomats, not soldiers, and we are to specialize in negotiation, not war.Aren't we expected to get along with everybody and go along with everything including the devil himself?
The saints in Smyrna were steadfast
They would rather stand for Jesus than have a conference with Jews and pagans.
They would rather stand for the cause of Christ, thancompromise with the world.
They would rather risk losing everything to maintain their spiritual integrity.
Let me ask you a question.Without raising your hands, how many in this audience would stand for the cause of Christ, if today,
You risk losing your job and even your business unless you renounce your Christ?
You risk being expelled from your home and community unless you give up your faith?
You face the prospect of being tried and even imprisoned for taking a stand for the cause of Christ?
How many of us would stand loyal to Christ?Seriously think about it before you answer. The Lord says, "Fear none of these things."
They may be able to take away everything you have, but they can't rob you of your priceless, eternal blessing in Christ.
You may not escape the first death, but as a believer, praise God, we don't have to face the second death mentioned here, which is the lake of Hell fire.
These believers were FAITHFUL.
Good and faithful servants are at a premium today.Multitudes receive the Word of God with joy.But when persecution arises because of the Word, they are offended and fall away.
There is nothing so needed today thanold fashioned, loyal, and faithful Christians. A Smyrna Christian was true to Christ.Whatever happened he was a plutocrat in the eyes of the Lord. Out of the church at Smyrna there is perhaps no better example than the life of Polycarp. From history we know Polycarp was one of the early church fathers, and pastor of the church at Smyrna.
It was the custom once a year for all the citizens to give allegiance to Caesar by saying "Caesar is Lord."
The year was 155 AD in which Polycarp refused to do this. When he entered the Olympic arena the proconsul gave him the choice of cursing the name of Jesus and making a sacrifice to Caesar or face death.
Here is Polycarp’sfamous reply, “Eighty and six years have I served Him and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my Lord who has saved me? You threaten the fire that burns for an hour and then is quenched: but you know not of the fire of the judgment to come, and the fire of the eternal judgment. Bring what you will.”And with that Polycarp was burned at the stake.