Sunday, October 20, 2019

“Smyrna: Suffer Well” Revelation 2:8-11

Idea: Remaining faithful trumps everything even life itself.

Intro: Show “Sang Chul: North Korea” video from Voice of the Martyrs.

This video was produced by Voice of the Martyrs to highlight Christian suffering as we approach the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on November 3rd. Like Pastor Han and Sang Chul, following Christ and sharing the gospel is a dangerous way to live for millions of believers in many places around the world. Christians are excommunicated from families and communities. They are arrested and imprisoned. They are beaten and even executed at times.

The freedoms we enjoy in America make it difficult for us as believers to understand and relate to the suffering that so many are experiencing. We do not face the kind of violent persecution they do. In many ways it is easy to be a Christ-follower in the U.S. And in many ways the easiness can lull us to sleep. The greatest dangers we face are not imprisonment and martyrdom but pleasure-seeking and complacency. As a result, when the slightest push back against our faith occurs we do not know what to do. Unfortunately, some give into the pressure and compromise. They walk away or hide in the shadows. Others become disillusioned. This was not true of the believers in Smyrna. Much like the Ephesians, they lived in a strong, wealthy, imperial city of Rome. Smyrna was a harbor city with a thriving export trade thirty-five miles north of Ephesus. The city still exists today as the Turkish city Izmir. It was renowned for its beauty and civic pride. It was a city full of architecture, famous temples, and boasted to be the birthplace of the great poet Homer. Emperor worship was pervasive in the culture of Smyrna. It was the first city to construct a temple in honor of Dea Roma. Then in 23 B.C. a temple for the worship of emperor Tiberius was erected. The city also contained a large Jewish population that staunchly opposed Christians.

As we look at the church of Smyrna, I want you to see that Jesus’ message to the church was “Suffer well.”

Read Revelation 2:8-11.

Inquiry: More than likely the gospel was brought to Smyrna during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. It was heard and received by many. It changed their lives, and as a result the church began to cause an uproar within the city. The Gentiles accused the Christ-followers of being atheists because they had forsaken the gods of Rome and refused to participate in emperor worship. The Jews hated this apostate movement that many in Rome regarded as another sect of Judaism. Therefore, the Jews joined the Gentiles in the persecution of the believers. Their hopes of extinguishing the church and its influence in Smyrna, however, only spread and solidified their faith. Throughout history, the seemingly paradoxical truth has been that the more the church has been persecuted, the greater has been its purity and strength. Last Sunday I shared this great statement by G. Campbell Morgan: “It is a very remarkable thing that the church of Christ persecuted has been the church of Christ pure. The church of Christ patronized has always been the church of Christ impure.”

If we compare the letter to Ephesus with the one to Smyrna, we discover that there is a strong contrast here between a church who had become satisfied with their religious activity and one who remained committed in their pursuit of spiritual vitality in the face of severe suffering. Therefore, I believe it is significant that this is one of only two churches (the other being Philadelphia) with no weaknesses. The Smyrna and Philadelphia churches were the least significant of the seven churches in terms of numbers and influence. Both faced strong persecution, but their suffering strengthened their faith and resulted in greater sanctification. We see in them that it is more important to be faithful than to be powerful.

The Lord’s message to the Smyrneans was to suffer well. How can we do that in our own lives and church?

1. Keep your eye on the prize. (vs. 9)

The Lord knew the situation that the believers in Smyrna faced. He again used oi\da (“I know”) instead of ginnwvskw. This speaks of a complete and full knowledge rather than a progressive acquisition of knowledge. He uses this same verb with each of the seven churches as an indication that He fully knows and understands the condition of the church as well as the challenges each one faces.

The Smyrneans were experiencing tribulation (qli:yiV). The term literally refers to pressure. The tribulation the church was facing was the direct cause of their poverty (ptwceiva). The term used speaks of abject poverty. It is the idea of possessing absolutely nothing. In an antagonistic environment it would be difficult for Christians to make a living, and thus many were economically destitute. Materially they were impoverished, but according to Jesus, spiritually they were rich (plouvsioV). They were laying up riches in heaven (Matt 6:20). Another aspect of their tribulation involved slander from the Jews. It is interested that Jesus points out that these people refer to themselves as Jews (the people of God) but the reality is that they are of the synagogue of Satan. Being a part of the family of God is not physical or racial issue; it is a spiritual issue (Rom 2:17-29). And to be part of God’s family one has to by faith acknowledge Jesus Christ as God the Son. The Jews in Smyrna refused to do so; therefore, in reality they were none other than the synagogue of Satan working against God and His people.

The tribulation the Smyrnean believers faced was intense, harsh, and devastating. Nonetheless, the Lord’s message to them was, “Keep your eye on the prize and remember why you suffer and what it is doing.”

Appl: Today, we too must keep our eyes on the prize (Phil 3:14). God knows your situation, so remember why you suffer and what it is doing to grow you in faith. We suffer well by keeping our eyes on the prize.

2. Do not fear what comes against you. (vs. 10a)

Jesus instructs the church to not be afraid of what they are about to suffer. This was not a new revelation for the early church. Many times, Jesus and His apostles had instructed the church to not fear (Matt 10:28; 2 Tim 3:12). Still, the church needed to be admonished lest the threat of persecution and martyrdom cause them to shrink back in fear. Jesus specifically informed them that the devil would soon orchestrate events in such a way that some of them would be imprisoned for a short time.

How would you respond if Red Lane received a specific message like this from the Lord? Would you show up the next Sunday? Would you actively share with others that you are a member of the church? Would you continue to share the gospel with others? Would you go into hiding? Would you cease any and all involvement with the church? Your response to such a threat says a lot about who and what you fear.

How can Jesus tell the Smyrneans not to fear? Jesus can say this because He is in control. He knows the danger that is coming against them. He has allowed it (Job 1:12; 2:6). The only way the devil can touch the life of a believer is if God has given permission or the believer has opened the door by giving into temptation.

Appl: Today, do not fear what comes against you. Remember the Lord knows the danger coming against you, and He has it on a leash. We suffer well when we do not fear what comes against us.

3. Be willing to lay your life down. (vs. 10b-11)

The Lord has tribulation on a leash, but this does not mean that the suffering is not severe or even deadly. There are times when suffering for the cause of Christ strips you of everything in life, even your life. Jesus’ instruction is “be faithful unto death.” The one who does so will receive the crown of life…the crown that is life itself. This is not a royal crown (diavdhma) but the wreath or garland (stevfanoV) that was awarded to the victor at games. Its value lay not in itself but in what it symbolized. The one who perseveres and conquers in the tribulation will not be and cannot be hurt by the second death.

What a counter-culture concept this is in America. We are inundated with the idea that pleasure and self-happiness is what is important and should be pursued. As we study the Scriptures, however, it becomes apparent that Jesus calls His followers not to the endless, exhausting pursuit of pleasure, nor to the evasion of pain, but to a sacrificial love. The contrast could not be clearer for us. As Vince Vitale has said, “In a culture that says be yourself, look after yourself, express yourself, trust yourself, and treat yourself, Jesus said, ‘deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow me’ (Luke 9:23), knowing that ‘if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also’ (John 15:20).”

Appl: Today, as a follower of Jesus Christ be willing to lay your life down for Christ. Lay it down in service to others. Lay it down for the gospel. Not matter the cost, lay your life down for Jesus and others.

Conclusion: The Smyrnean believers heard and heeded Jesus’ admonishment even as the persecution continued. A half century later, in the year 156 A.D., an 86-year-old man was brought before a Roman official and asked to renounce his atheism. He was no atheist by our standards. Rather he was the devout Christian and Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp. He had served Christ since his childhood. To the Romans however he was an atheist, for he refused to worship the emperor as a god along with the other gods of Rome.

Polycarp knew denial would mean a painful death – either being thrown into the arena with a wild animal or burned alive at the stake. Three times he was questioned, three times invited to renounce his “atheism”, but no renunciation of Christ would he make. “Swear and I release; curse Christ” urged the Roman official, to which Polycarp replied, “Eighty-six years have I served him (Christ), and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

Polycarp was not spared. A fire was built. Soldiers then grabbed him to nail him to a stake, but Polycarp stopped them: "Leave me as I am. For he who grants me to endure the fire will enable me also to remain on the pyre unmoved, without the security you desire from nails." He prayed aloud, the fire was lit, and his flesh was consumed. But his words echo down through the centuries to us: “Eighty-six years have I served him (Christ), and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Polycarp suffered well to the very end. He kept his eyes on the prize, did not fear, and was willing to lay his life down.

This is a letter especially for those who are going through hard times. There are two levels at which one can contextualize the Word of God: at the surface level of the text (here it would apply to persecution) or at the theological underpinning (here it could apply to trials, since persecution is one type of trial). The letter to Smyrna would be valid for both. As we read it today, we are not facing the kinds of suffering that other brothers and sisters are facing in the hard places of the world. What are our take-aways then?

There are four levels at which persecution can apply in a society like ours where overt persecution seldom occurs: 1) We can identify with the many Christians who are suffering around the world (Rom 12:15; Heb 13:3). 2) We can realize that such persecution could happen here in the near future and be ready for it. 3) We can ask ourselves how many compromises we have made in order to avoid any persecution at work or in secular society. 4) We can endure general trials that draw us away from the world and toward Christ.

Jesus reminds the Smyrnean believers to not allow this difficult situation to discourage them. Instead, they are to lean in to Christ and suffer well. How is your suffering today? The faithful disciple keeps his eye on the prize, does not fear suffering, and willingly lays his life down for Christ.

Good News – You are loved by God. He designed you. You were made by Him and for Him (Col 1:16). You were designed to perfectly relate and to be in relationship with Holy God. God’s design for your life was holy and perfect.

Bad News – Sin has broken God’s design. The sinful nature that overcame Adam and left God’s design in him broken has been passed on to us. It has separated us from God. Today, in our sin, we are on the wrong side of the great chasm. It has condemned us before God, so that we are deserving of His judgment. This brokenness should not surprise anyone; because if we are honest with ourselves, we recognize it. We feel it in our anxiety, fears, and broken relationships.

Best News - The gospel declares that God the Son has paid the penalty for our sin so that we can be set free (Rev 1:5). He offered His life as a substitute for you and experienced the wrath of God the Father against your sin. So that now, you can experience forgiveness for sin by placing your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You are given a choice to make? As a follower of Jesus, you have experienced His grace and forgiveness. And thankfully you can never exhaust His grace. Forgiveness is always available if you will repent and return.