Revelation: Smyrna
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Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here in 1942 Nazi Germany was marching its way across Russia and winning and Russia was consistently retreating and being pushed back they the the Nazis had stalled out a little bit in the winter of 1941 but by the middle of 1942 they were moving and they made it to Stalingrad which is a strategically located City on the vulga river and it became clear to the Russians that they couldn't lose Stalingrad that.
If they did they would have lost a very strategic position that the Germans would have gained a very strategic position and so they said we we we can't we can't lose here they issued order number 227 which is it had more to it but basically it's known as the not a step backward order they just said can't cannot lose here does doesn't matter how how much it takes how hard it is how much suffering there is we don't take one step backward and the battle.
For Stalingrad lasted 5 months and cost 2 million lives but at the end of it the Russians held Stalingrad and Germany had broken themselves on their Eastern front and as I read is we're studying together the Book of Revelation and we're working our way through it we're in Chapter 2 today we're going to go from verses 8 to verses 11 if you have one of these blue Bibles it's going to be on page 595 and as I read this letter this address of.
Jesus to the Church in Smyrna it feels a little bit like that he's telling the Church you can't lose you can't take a step backward even though it it's going to be difficult even though there's hardship even though there's death you have to hold on and so the hope today as we read this letter to the Church in Smyrna is that we would be emboldened and incouraged to hold on to remain faithful to not Retreat to not fall back but to.
See how gloriously good Jesus is and hold on that's the hope for this morning let's take a moment to pray and then we'll begin reading the text Lord we ask for your grace we ask for ears to hear what the spirit says to the churches and we pray that as we Face tribulation and difficulty that you would help us to be faithful faithful to you in the midst of whatever we face and we ask this by your grace and by the work at the cross and in.
Jesus name amen chapter 2: 8 the the whole book of Revelation is a letter that's written to seven churches and then in the Book of Revelation there are specific addresses to the different churches we are looking at Smyrna and the way these letter letters are written is that it would have most likely traveled kind of the route you would have taken to deliver the letter so it goes to Ephesus which is the first letter the first address goes to Ephesus.
Then up to Smyrna and there's a road that runs Ephesus was the chief Port of Asia Minor at this time goes Ephesus up to smyna then up to pergam and then on around and there's a road that runs that Loop so it seems as if it was just basically the way you would have delivered it Smyrna is the only one of these cities that still exists it's ismir now and it's written to Smyrna it says and to the angel of the Church in Smyrna right Smyrna probably had about 200,000 people it was a beautiful prominent City they actually have coins printed that we found uh that have been discovered that say Smyrna.
First in Beauty and in size which is just bold but that's a pretty good like if you're going to if you're going to have a city slogan that's a pretty good one like Chicago was like we're windy good anything else n that's it stick with that one Casey's is it's it's a time for Life whatever that means Columbia is famously hot which would be a good way to sell chicken but it doesn't sell a city very well it doesn't make me want to live there.
But Smyrna first in Beauty and in size sounds nice it was a very prominent City it was a wealthy City and we're going to see that the Christians got none of that they got to participate in none of the goodness of the wealth and the prominence of this city because this is what he says we're going to see in just a moment but first Jesus begins by referring to himself he says to the angel of the Church in smyna write the words of the.
First and the last who died and came to life Jesus begins by telling them who he is but also it's a little bit of why they should listen we're going to see in all of these addresses to the different churches that he's going to talk about himself but it's out of his nature and character and goodness and who he is that his commands are going to be able to be founded it's where they're going to stand it's going to be based off of who.
Jesus is some of what we talk about as a Church is we want to be Gospel fluent which is that we want to remember that everything's about Jesus and what he's done and that the reason that we do the things that we do come from him they come out of him or they they find their meaning in him and that's how these are written that Jesus is saying this is who I am it's like if you went to a conference they always tell you before someone gets up and speaks who they are what they've done and in some ways they're saying here's why you should.
Listen this person has three phds they've been in this field for 30 years they're never just like here's some guy they always tell you what what it is that would make you want to listen and and Jesus says the words of the first and the last who died and came to life we should want to listen in in these two phrases we have such Ain and beautiful doctrine of Christ he's the first and the last the beginning and the end he was there at the beginning through whom all things were made all things hold together and all things are returning back to him at the very end of days we will.
See him because he's the end of days he's the Ancient of Days he rules over all things he's the first and the last and he's reminding this Church of his sovereignty we're going to see that this Church is in the middle of difficulty and it's really good for him to look and say I'm in charge I rule over all of it and we believe that as Christians if you don't know that we believe that about Jesus if you're new to this we believe that.
Jesus is God who rules over all things but it's not just that it's not just that he's the first and the last but he died because he took on flesh specifically to pay the debt of our sin if you don't know much about Christianity it's Poss possible for you to think that what Jesus wants from you is morality he wants you to be good that this whole point is that we would get together and learn the rules and do them and be good people.
But the reality is we're sinners in need of Grace and Jesus came to live on our behalf and to die in our place so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in him and then fulfilled for us because of the work of Jesus so if you think it's just about morality and you learning some rules then the death of Christ makes no sense but if you understand that you are a sinner in need of a sacrifice then the death of Christ makes perfect sense.
So this is the ruler of all things the first and the last who died and came to life so that in the resurrection of Jesus we see the confirmation of God's work in him and the truth and reality that we can actually be forgiven of our sins see if he just died we might still have some question marks but he came to life how do you know you're forgiven Jesus Reigns the sacrifice was accepted he died in my place he rose again I get to be dead to my sins and alive in Christ and that's all right here as.
Jesus describes who he is he says this I know your tribulation and your poverty but you are rich meaning that they are materially poor but spiritually wealthy uh Jesus tells a story when he's on Earth and doing his Earthly Ministry he tells a story about a man who was the opposite who was had material wealth and spiritual poverty but he says to this Church they're blessed that they're uh actually physically Earthly poor but eternally spiritually rich I know your tribulation tribulation is difficulty I know that you're facing trouble I know that things are hard which is beautiful.
Because in the middle of trouble sometimes it's easy to think does he even know what's going on and he starts off with I know what's going on I know what you're facing I know your tribulation and your poverty but you are rich and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan that's a reference to those who would be ethnically Jewish but that do not worship or follow Jesus that's what he means by those who say they are Jews.
But are not this this idea is brought out in the as Jesus is the Fulfillment he's the the promised Messiah he's the true son of Israel he's the true Israel then all of those who are belong to Abraham belong to Abraham by faith Roman Romans tells us this Jesus talks to a bunch of Jewish men and he says that they're not really Jewish they're not following their father Abraham they're following their father the devil it's the same idea that because they don't worship.
Jesus because they don't follow Jesus they're not really included in the Covenant people because he has come to fulfill the Covenant and they have rejected him so they are ethnically Jewish but not spiritually included in the Covenant he says that there a synagogue which is the like a Jewish Church but they they would say it's a synagogue of God and he says no they're actually on the other team which is similar to what he tells them in John chapter 8 the Christians in Smyrna it didn't matter.
If you were Greek or Jewish things were not going well for you if you were Greek originally Greek and became a Christian Smyrna was not a good place for that it was a place that had a lot of worship of other Idols worship of other gods it actually had won the right to be the place where they put the temple to Roma the temple to tiberias the temple to Caesar where they would worship Caesar as Lord in SM when you became a Christian it messed up your ability it's one of the reasons why a lot of Christians were poor it messed up your ability to work.
Because in order to be in the guild to be a silver smith to be a carpenter you had to worship that God it'd be like if if Amazon had the God of Speedy package delivery and you had to and when you clocked in at Amazon burn some incense to the to the package delivery God in order to clock in that's how it worked or in order to keep my dad build swimming pools and I grew up in in a family where we built pools.
But it'd be like if in order for him to keep his licenses he had to to worship the God of the ocean or the God of floating or whatever but he had to somehow do that or otherwise he would lose his licenses that's what happens for Greek speaking Greek people who they they they're Christians now and they can't worship these false gods anymore they can't burn incense to them and and suddenly they said well you can't work and so there's no real place.
For them and the rule in Rome was everybody everybody absolutely everybody worships the Roman gods except there was one group of people they made an exception for and that was the Jewish people because everybody else was polytheistic and when the Romans conquered them if you're willing to have a bunch of gods you could just build another Temple to another God didn't bother you and also since they conquered you that God might be better the Jewish people were the only people who didn't do this they were like oh y'all conquered us.
But you going to be in trouble this land doesn't belong to you it's coming that's what the Jewish people did and they wouldn't worship the other gods and so the Romans decided they were either going to have to kill every person who is ethnically Jewish or let them just have their one God and that's what they did so when Christianity started anybody who was ethnically Jewish Roman Empire just saw them as another form of Judaism you had Pharisees you had Sadducees.
Now you have Christians and so they just left them alone well the Jewish synagogue started saying no these Christians don't belong to us and actively turning them over to the Roman authorities to be executed so if you were Greek you lost family you lost prominence you lost your job it's what often happened especially in places like Smyrna and if you were Jewish you got kicked out of the synagogue you were uh actively being told on by other Jewish people that this person only worships one.
God and they're not part of us so they should be in trouble and you lost your family you lost your livelihood and suddenly you have this group of people who loves Jesus and loves each other and has tribulation in poverty and that's who Jesus is talking to he says I know what's going on and I know it's awful right now verse 10 do not fear what you are about to suffer okay that sentence would not help me that much like if you went to the doctor and they walked in and said don't worry you're about to suffer it'd be like they didn't teach you about this day in doctor school I think you're supposed to.
Word that differently this what does he mean honestly as I look at it I'm reminded of the way that my dad used to do stuff with us we would when we were little we would go and have to like get a shot we were going to the doctor we going to have to get a shot or something and we would ask cuz you you ask is this going to hurt and I think a lot of parents would say no it's not that bad that's not what my dad would say my dad would.
Look at us and go yeah it's going to hurt they're going to take a piece of metal about this big and Jab it in your arm it's going to poke a hole in your skin you are going to bleed it is unpleasant you ever been stung by a bee yes sir it's like that except you have to watch it happen and then he would say but you're going to sit there and you're going to be still and you're going to keep it together.
Because if you wiggle it's gonna be worse and it's worth it and it gave us courage I think that's what Jesus is doing he's encouraging the Church not the way we use encouragement like you did so good that's the kind of encouragement I like what you so good look at you doing the the good stuff this is the encouragement where he's actually giving courage you're about to suffer get ready don't be afraid look it in the face square up now I think he's going to tell us why they ought not to be afraid I think we're going to.
See that in this text and I don't think it's the type of answer that we want but I think it's the answer that Jesus so often gives and it's actually better than what we want so here's what he says do not be afraid do not fear sorry do not fear hear what you are about to suffer behold the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested and for 10 days you will have tribulation be faithful unto death and I will give you the Crown of Life all right we got to answer a few questions.
So that we can understand what's going on here he says behold the devil is about to throw some of you into prison how how does that work I don't know if y'all know this but we have three enemies the World the Flesh and the devil and the devil actively Works to oppose the Church and he does this in a lot of ways but one of the ways the enemy works is through sinful men through political powers and so yes it's going to be the synagogue it's going to be the Jewish leaders handing them over to the Greek authorities.
But what The Book of Revelation does is a revealing it pulls the curtain back and one of the things Jesus is pulling the curtain back on right now is to say that's the enemy at work the Jewish people they're not your problem they're not the issue like it's they don't know it but they're worshiping Satan by the way that they're going about this they're on his team and it's the devil that's at work against you here and so he's saying you're going to face opposition he's going to throw you into prison that you may be tested.
For 10 days that you may be tested sorry and for 10 days you will have tribulation now that and for 10 days at first makes you go okay well good it sounds fairly short and it is possible he means a literal 10 days but also in the Book of Revelation as we continue going we're going to see that a lot of numbers are used and most of them seem to be um symbolic and so 10 days here most likely means a fix fixed relatively short period of time that.
Jesus knows the amount of time it's fixed he's not in the dark on this he knows the amount of time and it's fixed but he also if you said okay well it's going to be short he says be faithful unto death some of the shortness will be due to death not how we would describe escape and I think it's possible for us to look at situations like this and say why would God allow that what why is he letting Satan do that to this Church and I think there's times in our lives where we're saying that about our situation why is he allowing this why is this happening why is this working this way why.
Isn't this working the way it's supposed to I think it's also possible because of the way our culture thinks about suffering and difficulty is for us to say there is no good God who would allow us to suffer and so we're going to immediately run into problems in passages like this where he's telling them don't fear go suffer unto death and I think it's possible for us to to say well if I'm suffering I know that Jesus wants me out of it.
So that what he wants for me is to escape the suffering but a passage like this says Maybe not maybe he wants something so much better for you than escaping suffering and what that is is faithfulness that leads to life because that's what he says be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life now that's interesting and we're going to see as we keep going that that he has a specific way that he thinks about life and death a specific way that we are to think about life and death.
But he says go until you're dead dead and then I'll reward you with life that Crown there there's two words in the Greek that get translated Crown at times there's Stephanos and diadema diadema also gets translated as diadem at times but it's it's a way that we will take that word and translate it to Crown sometimes in Stephanos we translate to Crown but it also is a laurel that they would reward someone it's like a gold medal like a trophy it's what they would reward you with.
So he's saying I will reward you with life you'll earn life life now he's the first and the last so these Christians who were going to face execution you'd say the last thing they saw was the Executioner no Jesus is last oh he died yeah and was immediately crowned with life that's what Jesus is saying saying here don't fear go face death and I'll Crown you with life I'll be at the end the Executioner will show up at the end to meet me that's what.
Jesus says and don't fear to follow my footsteps because I went from death into life he died and came to life and so he's saying come follow me all the way to the end follow me be faithful all the way to the end come face death and be rewarded with life from the one who face death and owns life that's what Jesus is Calling them into he says he who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.
Now it's Jesus speaking but now we see it's also the spirit speaking because Jesus and the spirit speak together so this is the spirit speaking to the Church it's also Jesus speaking to the Church because 's Unity between Jesus and the spirit I also love that all of these passages say he who has an ear let him hear I think it's possible in our culture because of the way we've been trained to be consumers if I go to a restaurant and I don't enjoy the meal I don't once think that might have been my fault I think that's their fault the people who cooked it and I think it's possible.
Because we're trained in this fashion to somehow let that infect our approach to belonging to a Church to show up and consume you go hang out with your group and and things aren't good with your group and it's their fault not yours you you show up be a part of a Church for a while you gather on Sundays and you guys just don't like that how they whatever like they exist apart from you like you don't belong to them there are people who stand up here.
But they're part of the US you guys we've gathered to sing we've gathered to study the word and I I want to as graciously as I can tell you if you've moved from Church to Church to Church to Church it's quite possible that they don't have a mouth problem you have an ear problem and what we ought to be asking for his ears to hear and showing up here preparing ourselves to participate in what it looks like to gather with the people of.
God to sing with the people of God and to make much of the Lord Jesus but he says he who has an ear to hear Let Him hear and then he says this the one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death that word conquer is going to be used repeatedly in these letters and it is a violent word it is a word that calls for action it's a word that calls for grit it is a word to help you understand what is actually happening that you have a Real Enemy and that we are facing off in a real high stake issue and he says the one who conquers will not face will.
Not be hurt by the second death Okay so we've heard about the first death because he says be faithful unto death but now he's talking about a second death did y'all know that did you know that you can die twice Jesus knows it and this is what we get so often we don't get why does this happen what we get from Jesus is why it's worth it to fight through what he's he doesn't tell them why they're going to face suffering why they're going to face tribulation why he's not going to just stop it there what he says is here's why it'll be worth it I'll Crown you with life and you won't face the.
Second death but we need to understand what the second death is the Book of Revelation in chapter 20 says this uh Jesus is Conquering everybody at the end we're excited to get to this part of the Book of Revelation it's excellent Jesus conquers Satan he conquers the Beast he throws them in the Lake of Fire and then it says says this in ch 20:14 then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire this is how much Jesus is the last of all things he kills death they were thrown into the Lake of Fire this is the.
Second death the Lake of Fire or again in Revelation 21 6-8 and he said to me it is done I the Alpha and the Omega that's the first and the last the beginning and the end to the Thirsty I will give from the spring of Water of Life without payment the one who conquers will have this Heritage and I will be his God and he will be my son but as for the Cowardly the faithless the detestable as for the murderers the sexually immoral Sorcerers idolators and all liars their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur which is the.
Second death everyone faces death but not everyone faces death faithful to Jesus and not everyone faces the second death which is eternal dying there is eternal life and there is eternal dying and so Jesus looks at this Church and says be faithful unto death and the second death won't touch you you focus on me you love me you follow me and the second death won't touch you that we get to look to Jesus who died and Rose to life and we get to die and rise to life that the Church in Smyrna gets to die and rise to life that they get to.
Look to him this is how he thinks about it this is why he says weird things when you're reading like the Book of Matthew The Book of Luke I want to read Luke 12 he says I tell you my friends do not fear Those Who Kill the body and after that have nothing more than they that they can do okay that's not a human phrasing if someone was like you don't want to go there it's really dangerous if you're telling somebody hey don't go to that that part of the city don't go to that place it's really dangerous it's really rough right.
Now and they looked at you and said what what do they do just kill the body yes exactly that's what they do well can they do anything else or is that it that's what else would what you know what go I don't I don't know what to tell you Jesus doesn't have death in mind y'all know everybody dies there are very few people who haven't and all of us are going to unless Jesus returns the first death isn't the thing he has his eyes on and it's not the thing he wants us to have our eyes on it's the.
Second death it's Eternal death Eternal dying Eternal punishment this is what fuels mission all they can do if we send missionaries to the hardest places in the world that don't want the Gospel all they can do is kill the body and create Victors that's all they can do we we support the international Mission board we support 1040 hope it's actually a member of our Church that started 1040 hope it's designed to send missionaries to the 1040 window which is the hardest place to send missionaries we want some of you by God's grace.
For him to get a hold of your heart and take you somewhere else to tell some other people about Jesus and we want you to do it without fear knowing that the worst they can do is kill your body and after that they have nothing more they can do that's what he says I'll warn you whom to fear fear Him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell yes I tell you fear Him and some of you right.
Now are so worried about your body what you're going to eat what you're going to drink what you're going to put on where you're going to live and you've given no thought to Eternal death but Jesus is more to be feared than anything else he's more fearful than anything else he's better than anything else but he's more be feared because he's the last this letter went to the City of Smyrna there was a young Christian there who was actually a disciple of John named polycarp polycarp eventually becomes a leader in the Church in Smyrna and is martyred in the City of Smyrna that's not in our Bibles it's in our Church history and we have.
Some of his sayings written down some of his letters written down and we've got an account of his death that does say that there were some miraculous things it happened since it's not in the Scriptures we don't exactly know doesn't have the same Authority but about 50 years after this letter went out six years after this letter went out they were uh again persecuting Christians in Smyrna he's known as the 12th martyr of Smyrna but they were coming they went and got him from his home he was about 86 years old they bring him in front of everybody and the authorities at that point seemed like they were a little bit felt a little bit.
Bad about executing an 86y old and so they said we just need you to recant we need you in front of everybody to make a sacrifice to Caesar and to say Caesar is Lord and polycarp says if you imagine for a moment that I would do that then I think you pretend that you don't know who I am hear it plainly I am a Christian not going to do it they keep pleading with him they say just recant just say that you don't follow.
Jesus just say that you Jesus that uh Caesar is Lord he says 86 years I have served Christ and he never did me any wrong how can I blaspheme my king who saved me they told him they would feed him to wild animals he said bring them out they got so frustrated with him they said we're going to burn you at the stake and he says you threaten with fire that burns for a short time and is soon quenched you don't know about the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment that awaits the Wicked.
But why are you waiting come do what you will and they burned him and stabbed him with Spears and he died and he was crowned with life and he's been alive ever since and it seemed that he had read the letter that was written to a city and he knew about death but he also knew about the second death until he face death without fear I'm I'm burdened as I teach this because I think there's a I think there's a couple of ways.
For us to hear this my My Hope Is that you would hear it and that you would be so convinced of the glory of Christ of the reality of death and Eternity that you would trust him with everything and that you would follow him with everything and that you would do whatever he tells you to do My Hope Is that a year from now two years from now 3 years from now some of you aren't here because you're somewhere else telling people about.
Jesus because you've gone to go plant a Church you've gone to go Pastor you've gone to go be a missionary that's that's my hope my hope is that some of you who are facing fear right now at work to to articulate this sort of things would begin to tell people how good Jesus Is My Hope Is that for someone who came here today because you think that what is needed from you is to be good is that you would trust Jesus and his sacrifice that he died and that he rose and that you would be made I think there's a way.
For us to listen to this though where we go neat and we go home because none of us are facing this kind of tribulation or persecution none of us have watched someone be burned to death and have a moment right before where they could have just burned a little incense and gotten sent home I think it's easy for us to just hear this and go that's great yeah Praise Jesus we'll sing a song and go home I think there's a way.
For us to sit right now and tell ourselves I would do that I'd be faithful into death but again you're going to leave and I don't think anyone's going to try to kill you today for being a Christian there's a there's a song by King's Kaleidoscope that's always stuck with me one of the lines in the song is Judas sold you for 30 I'd have done it for less and Jesus here says be faithful unto death and that's what actually all of us want is that in.
If facing death we would hold fast to Jesus and until we Face death that we would hold fast to Jesus but my fear is that none of us are close to death and that we're not going to be persecuted into faithfulness but we're going to be comforted out of it and then instead of being faithful unto death we're going to be faithful until money we got to raise and suddenly we just aren't going to follow Jesus The Way We Were faithful until relationship I've love.
Jesus I'm following Jesus until you get a boyfriend or a girlfriend and then well I I'll reject him here because the stakes don't seem as high but we're playing the same game with our souls will be faithful until difficulty suffering we won't stick it out in a marriage we won't stick it out with our Church faithful to following Jesus until suddenly your group is difficult and complicated and hard to deal with and they're Sinners and instead of being faithful to Jesus in those things and repentant to.
Jesus in those things and obedient to Jesus and those things we'll tell ourselves no I still love Jesus I'm just not doing that part and I feel like it's really easy for us to say booyfriend is Lord and burn a little incense money is Lord and burn a little incense Comfort is Lord and burn a little incense my time is Lord and burn a little incense what I want my preferences are LED and burn a little incense and not realize that we're doing it and the hope is that we would be people who with Clarity would.
See how good Jesus is and be faithful unto death and every step from here to there that's my hope that we would gain courage to face whatever the Lord has in front of us knowing that he knows the time he knows the situation he has it planned out and one day we'll stand before him as the last of all things and if you trust Jesus we're crowned with life and it will have all been worth it let's pray Jesus you are sovereign you're the.
First and the last you died and came to life so that we have hope in any circumstance that we're in for life and joy and peace and rescue we have hope in any circumstance we're in for forgiveness so Lord may we see you and Lord in so many ways we fear the first death we think about the first death build our lives around all the things that will protect the body and fail to see our hope is eternal Jesus we trust you in all the ways that we fail to forgive us to redeem us to help us we ask that you would give us ears to hear.
So that we might hate sin and love you that we might not compromise and Lord I pray that you would help us to be faithful unto death to the glory of Christ in Jesus name amen as the band comes back up I would encourage you to take a moment to ask the Lord to help you hear what the spirit has to say to just take a moment to Bow your head and say Lord what what do you have to say where do I need to grow where do I need to repent where do I need to believe where do I need to trust what would you have me do and just take a moment to.
Listen and then we're going to sing and Praise Jesus.