Sermon Series: Revelation 1-3--Evaluate, Change and Restore

Getting You Ready for Trouble

Revelation 2:8-11

2/25/01

In a nutshell: The crown of life is given to those of us who persevere, even when trouble and suffering come our way.

I Introduction

A. The Story of Polycarp

He stepped forward, and was asked by the governor if he really was Polycarp. When he said yes, the governor urged him to deny the charges that were being brought against him.

"Respect your years!" he exclaimed: "Swear by Caesar's fortune; change your attitude ..." The governor pressed him further: "Swear, and I will set you free: curse, and denounce Christ."

"For eighty-six years," replied Polycarp, "I have been his servant, and he has never done me wrong: how can I blaspheme my king who saved me?"

"I have wild beasts," said the governor. I shall throw you to them, if you don't change your attitude."

"Call them," replied the old man ...

"If you make light of the beasts," retorted the governor, "I'll have you destroyed by fire, unless you change your attitude."

Polycarp answered: "The fire you threaten burns for a time and is soon extinguished: there is a fire you know nothing about--the fire of the judgment to come and of eternal punishment, the fire reserved for the ungodly. But why do you hesitate? Do what you want...."

The governor was amazed, and sent the crier to stand in the middle of the arena and announce three times: "Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian. Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian. Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian." Then a shout went up from every throat–"burn him alive!"

The rest followed in less time than it takes to describe: the crowds rushed to collect logs and branches ... When the pyre was ready ... Polycarp prayed ... When he had offered up the Amen and completed his prayer, the men in charge lit the fire, and a great flame shot up. (From: Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity, pg 81)

B. Who Polycarp was

Polycarp, as a young man in his 20's and 30's..., knew and studied under the apostle John, who is writing these words of the book of Revelation, that we're studying in this sermon series. Polycarp grew in his faith and his leadership, and eventually became the senior pastor–or the bishop–of the church of Smyrna, located just 35 miles to the north of Ephesus, where John had pastored.

It's this very church, that we're going to hear about from the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, Himself, this morning, as we continue this process of evaluation, change and restoration that Jesus wants us to go through by studying these first three chapters of the book of Revelation.

If you have your Bibles, please turn to Revelation chapter 2, starting at verse 8...

As you're turning to this passage, let me tell you some things about Smyrna...

C. Background of Smyrna

Like I said, the city of Smyrna was about thirty-five miles north of the city of Ephesus. It had a protected harbor, located on the western shore of what is today called, Turkey. Because of that harbor, Smyrna was an economic center in the trading business. This was also the first city in the empire to erect a temple to the goddess Roma and the spirit of Rome (195 BC).

Then in 25 AD this city was chosen by Rome to build a temple to the emperor Tiberius. It became the center of the cult of Caesar–which was a movement that had spread across the Roman empire. This cult held up the reigning Caesar as a living god.

As you might expect, this cult naturally came into conflict with the Christian community. If a person refused to sprinkle incense on the fires before Caesar's image at that temple, and declare him the Lord, and the living God, it was considered a lack of Roman patriotism and disruptive to the unity of the empire. Because of this, Christians through out the Roman empire, but especially in Smyrna, experienced financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual suffering because of their loyalty to Jesus as Lord.

So, let's listen to what Jesus has to say to this church...

II. Exposition

A. The Titles of Who is speaking

Rev 2:8
"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.

1. First and Last
Jesus addressed the church in Smyrna using one of His titles He claimed in chapter 1. The title "First and the Last", as we saw a few weeks ago, came from the prophet Isaiah (44:6). It exclusively describes the sovereign and mighty God of Israel.

By using this title, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, informed the church at Smyrna that He is the same as His Father. All of creation, all of life–past, present, and future–is in the mind, heart, and hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only living God, the King of Israel, the believer's Redeemer and life. Outside of Jehovah, as revealed in Jesus, there is no other source of life, wholeness, joy, or peace that is lasting.

2. Who died and came to life again

But also notice that this letter is also from the One "who died and came to life again." This had to be a very encouraging word from Jesus to the people of Smyrna, who were being threatened with death on a daily basis. In this title, Jesus related to their suffering, out of His own experience. In the history of all humanity He was the only person who came to this earth from heaven. And He came with the express purpose of dying for the sin of a created humanity who had rebelled against their Creator.

When Jesus died, His death covered the sin of all of fallen humanity. So that any one who places their faith in Jesus, as the Son of God and as their personal Savior, will find their way back into the loving arms of God the Father. This reconciliation is possible because God, the Father, raised Jesus from the grave, and declares Him King of kings, Lord of lords, and the Head of His church.

About thirty years before this, the apostle Peter wrote to the parents of many of the Christians to whom John's Revelation was addressed, and said...

1 Peter 1:3-5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you,

So, the phrase, "Who died and came to life again" spoke of the hope of the resurrection, to a church in Smyrna, that was suffering and dying for their Lord. Then, Jesus spoke a word of encouragement to the people of this church...

B. Encouragement

Rev 2:9
I know your afflictions and your poverty-yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

1. Afflictions and Poverty

The Bible speaks of Jesus as being the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd knows his flock–their names, their hurts, and their struggles. And that's just what's happening here. Verse 9 pictures Jesus knowing who these people of Smyrna are; He demonstrates complete knowledge of where they are; what their circumstances are like; and what their enemies are trying to do.

The church at Smyrna is different from the church at Ephesus, that we studied last week.
-Ephesus had left their first love. Smyrna had not!
-Ephesus was having an easy time of things. Smyrna was not!

That word that's translated, afflictions, in this verse, means stress, pressure, trouble, and tribulation. Don't kid yourself, these Christians were going through tough times!

When Jesus mentions their poverty, He was speaking about a very real and extreme physical poverty for many of the people in this church. But the poverty didn't come because of a recession or a famine or an economic down-turn. No, it came because of discrimination and persecution.

Many of the Christians of the Smyrna church couldn't get jobs; or the jobs they could get were the lowest paying jobs available; the pagan merchants refused to trade with them; they were hindered from going to work by Roman soldiers; they were taunted as they walked down the street by their neighbors; some of their houses were confiscated by the Roman authorities; their worldly possessions were taken from them–all because they were perceived as being disloyal to their country–because their allegiance was first to Jesus, not first to Caesar.

Yet, despite this physical poverty, Jesus calls this church "rich". They were spiritually rich with the riches that are found in the eternal reality of the spiritual world. In other words, they were very rich in the things that mattered most to God, and counted the most in eternity.

2. Synagogue of Satan

Jesus goes on to say, I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Since the days when Jesus had begun His ministry on earth, the unbelieving leaders of the Jewish community had refused to accept Him as their Messiah. They were looking for a king to overthrow the Romans and set up an earthly kingdom in the place of Rome. But Jesus came as a suffering servant–He was not at all what the Jewish leaders wanted or expected.

There was one time when Jesus came face-to-face with some Pharisees who challenged His claim as the Son of God and were seeking to kill him. They claimed they were the true children of Abraham, but Jesus responded,

John 8:44-46
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!

When Jesus eventually was crucified for the sins of humanity, the Jewish community rejected Him again, as their Messiah, because they believed, based on Deuteronomy 21:23, that anyone who hung on a tree was cursed by God. Now, it's interesting that later, the apostle Paul would make the argument,

Gal 3:13
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

The Jewish leadership refused to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. So they began to persecute and slander this new sect that was called the Way. Therefore, when Jesus looked at the hearts of the Jewish leadership in Smyrna, He didn't see those Jewish leaders as His faithful people who were looking for their Messiah. Rather, He saw them as a group of men ruled by Satan and meeting in a synagogue to make plans to destroy His church. Jesus came to this earth to bring the gift of life, but they were trying to bring death on the Christian community, all in the name of God.

3. It's happening today

Friends, in every community and in every generation since the first century, we find suffering churches like the one at Smyrna. Chuck Colson, just a couple of years ago, broadcast the words that are on the fronts of your information guides this week... "In Egypt, both converts and ethnic Coptic Christians are being persecuted, their businesses looted, their churches burned. In Saudi Arabia, the government offers rewards of up to $8,000 for information about secret worship services, which are then raided to arrest believers" (Charles Colson, Breakpoint message, February, 1999).

More and more Christian people are suffering today because they refuse to give in to the political and social pressures of their immoral society, and bow their knee to a modern-day Caesar.

And it's coming home! This was one of the very issues that was brought up AGAINST John Ashcroft, our new attorney general, in his recent Senate confirmation hearings. He was criticized openly and publicly because he actually said in a chapel message at a Christian college a few years ago, that his loyalty was first to Jesus, as his king, even before his loyalty to country. Persecution is part of being a Christian! Expect it. I believe it will only increase, before Jesus comes again.

But, notice that no where in this message to the church at Smyrna, does Jesus give a word of correction to this suffering church . Do you know why? It's because in their suffering they had drawn close to their Lord. Because of that suffering, He gives them a word of exhortation.

C. Exhortation to the suffering

Rev 2:10
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 phrase, "do not be afraid", literally means, "stop being afraid". What we have here is another "unveiling" message to the church. Persecution is scarey stuff. It isn't for wimps. It will test your resolve and your allegiance. But, Jesus is saying, "Look into the realm of spiritual reality. Don't only look at the things you can see. Stop being afraid! Remember I am here. I'm going to take care of you. Whatever persecution you experience will only be temporary. Understand, I have given the devil temporary permission to persecute you, just like I did during the time of Job. But this isn't forever. It will end."

The term, "ten days" isn't to be taken literally, but was stated in order to put time into God's perspective. In other words, In the light of eternity, what's ten days?

Now, geography comes into play in the last sentence of the verse. You see, when these Christians of Smyrna looked up from their homes, they saw a hill, called Pagos, behind the city. Around the crest of that hill was a sight that brought great pride to most Smyrnean people. There, on the hill's crest, were a series of pagan temples, forming a rough circle. This circular grouping of temples looked like a crown, from the distance. Consequently, this hill crest was called the "Crown of Asia".

And Jesus is telling these people, that the persecution they have experienced up to this point, and will continue to experience in the future... was designed by God's enemy, Satan, to destroy the church. But it won't!
-Instead it will purify them.
-It will make their love for God grow stronger.
-And they will receive something far superior to the Crown of Asia. They will receive the Crown of Life!
...That puts things into a bigger perspective than what can just be seen and felt, right now. The Lord of the church is unveiling a reality of the spiritual realm, that will last for eternity.

III. Conclusion

Finally, after the encouragement and the exhortation, there's a promise...

Rev 2:11
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.

Jesus is saying here, "Folks, you are listening to the words of eternal life, don't take them lightly. These are not the words of men but of God. These are not just words to the believers in Smyrna but to Palm Springs Baptist church, as well. These words come from eternity, not from the earth; they come from heaven, not hell. The choice is yours–it's either life or death. What do you choose?"

When Jesus says, "He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death", He is making an incredibly powerful statement. He is saying that whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God, and follows Him as Savior and Lord, will have nothing in the future to fear.

-You see, every person in this room this morning, will physically die.
-And according to scripture, every person in this room this morning, will experience a spiritual resurrection.
-And scripture also teaches that every person in this room this morning will be given eternal life...

but here's the "kicker"...

Not every person in this room this morning will live that eternity in heaven, with Jesus Christ.

In fact, the only ones in this room this morning, who will live forever, in heaven, with Jesus Christ are those who have accepted Him as the forgiver of their sins and then, followed Him as the leader of their lives, here on earth.

Those who reject Jesus' forgiveness of their sins, and have refused to follow Him as the leader of their lives, will experience this thing called the "second death." in verse 11. The second death is eternal separation from God, alone and in torment. This is fully explained in...

Rev 20:12-15
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

These are difficult days for the church of Jesus Christ around the world. And friends, it's coming to the United States and Canada, in ever increasing ways. Are you ready for it? Are your children ready for it? Are your grandkids ready for it?

From this letter to the church at Smyrna, we've been shown what's going on behind the curtain of spiritual reality. Difficult days are here and are coming in our future, because Jesus is giving Satan permission to test His church.

This testing is not for God's benefit, it's for our benefit. This testing will purify the church and help the church to change, so it can be restored to the FORCE God created it to be in the world, to point pre-Christians men and women, boys and girls to a relationship with the God of the universe who proved He would rather die, then live without any person you make eye contact with.

The persecution we will experience may come from the government, or irate citizens, or the liberal religious community, or the media, or from the ranks of hypocritical church goers. We don't know where it's going to come from. We just know that it's going to come. So, the question we have to be prepared for is this, "Are you ready for the trouble that's coming your way?"

To answer that question, listen again to the words of Jesus, this morning, as I paraphrase them from His message to the Smyrna church...

"Stop being afraid! I am in full control of my church and everything that goes on in it and everything that happens to it. And I promise you, the gates of hell will not overcome it. So, Christian, remain faithful. You have just one job–to hold Me up! I am the Light of the world. You are my lamp stand. Hold me up, even right up to the point of death or until I come again. If you do, I will give you "the crown of life,"-- eternal life, in heaven, with me, forever."

Amen!