Life in the Margins

There is an old saying that says, “Nice guys finish last.” This saying implies that to really win in life you will have to abandon kindness or being accommodating. Instead, you will have to be bold, aggressive, or assertive. To be successful at work, or in relationships you have to be willing to do what it takes, even if it means compromising on some core values.

That’s not actually true. You can be nice and be successful, but have you ever been passed over for a job you knew you were qualified for? Have you ever been passed over for a promotion? Did you ever lose out on a date because you thought you didn’t have whatever the other person had?

Have you ever looked around and seen wicked people prosper while you have been faithful but feel like you have been left behind? Have you ever been in that position, turned to God and asked, “Where are you?”

The church in Smyrna had a tough road. This is one church where Jesus does not have a rebuke. This doesn’t mean, though, that the church doesn’t receive bad news. Something is about to happen to them that Jesus is going to warn them about.

Revelation 2:8–11 NASB95

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’

There is a deep desire in all of us that it will go well with us all of the time. Yet, the Bible repeatedly reminds us that to be called out of darkness and into light is to be hated by the world around us. The more you live for Jesus, the more you will suffer. The question is not if we will suffer. It is when will we suffer?

The letter to the church in Smyrna reminds us:

We have courage to face persecution when our hope is anchored in eternity.

The church in Smyrna was facing extreme opposition. In particular, they faced persecution from a group calling themselves Jews who were not. Jesus called them a synagogue of Satan. In the early days of the Christian church, Christians were thought of as a religious sect within Judaism. There were theological debates regarding the identity of Jesus, but the book of Acts shows us that some Jews were extremely hostile toward Christians. Smyrna was a place where this hostility showed up. It is one thing to be called names and asked to leave a place. It is another to be physically attacked for your beliefs.

In addition to the religious persecution they faced, they faced social persecution. Last week we talked about Ephesus being the home of the temple of Artemis, the epicenter of worship to this goddess. Smyrna had a temple built for the Roman Caesar. The temple was not built to simply pay homage to a man, the top leader of the ruling empire. The people of Smyrna made the Roman emperor out to be a god. They worshipped him like they would worship a god.

Historians tell us that Smyrna was home to a Caesar cult. Their religious dedication to the worship of Caesar as a god filtered into the local government and economy. If you lived in Smyrna at the time this was written, and you wanted to do business, you would need to join what they called trade guilds. A trade guild was a group of tradesmen who controlled the buying and selling of goods and services. So if you were a blacksmith, you would join the local blacksmith trade guild. If you were a seller of fine linens, you would join that guild. If you sold pottery, there would be a pottery guild.

The problem for the Christians in Smyrna was it was extraordinarily difficult to conduct business unless you were a member of one of these trade guilds. Because of the heavy emphasis on Caesar worship, to join such a guild, you had to make a declaration: “Caesar is Lord.” Do you see the problem?

No Christian can declare Caesar is Lord while also claiming Christ is Lord. There is only one God and the Roman Caesar wasn’t him. To make that declaration was to align your allegiance with him, something a Christian cannot do. So the choice was declare Caesar as Lord or have no business. If you can’t make money, you will live in poverty. This is the choice Christians in Smyrna were forced to make.

If you had to choose between loyalty to Christ or have a thriving business, would you still choose Christ? If it meant you were going to suffer, would you sign up for it? Christ is Lord is the core of our declaration. We can’t turn our backs on that for the promise of making money.

Our hope is in something greater than money. Our hope is anchored in eternal life. There is a concerted effort to push Christians to the margins of mainstream society today as it was in Smyrna. The key to living life in the margins is two things.

Christ meets you in the fire.

Often times when we are going through a trial, the question we naturally ask is, “Where is God?” Trials feel lonely. It can be hard to hear God on good days. On tough days it is even harder. But Jesus says in verse nine, “I see your tribulation and your poverty.” Jesus saw the work and the perseverance of the of the Ephesian church. He sees the tribulation of the church in Smyrna.

As I have said before, the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence in you. There is not a place where you can go that God is not. We are reminded when David wrote Psalm 23,

Psalm 23:4 NASB95

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

When we face hard times, we should turn to scripture for comfort, for guidance, and reassurance. The opening of Psalm 46 says,

Psalm 46:1–3 NASB95

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

There is something we have that nobody else on earth has when it comes to trials. We have the presence of God himself. I’m reminded of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery furnace in Daniel 3 only for the king to see a fourth man whose appearance was like a son of the gods in their midst. Christ meets you in the fire.

Christ is in the midst of your poverty. He is in the midst of your cancer battle, He is in the midst of any persecution you face. He is in the midst of the slander and insults you receive for his name’s sake.

Remember the words of Jesus in John 16:33

John 16:33 NASB95

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Future glory fuels present endurance.

We have been living in a post-Christian society for some time now. A Christian worldview is hanging onto a very narrow majority in America today. Even those who are recorded as churchgoers are buying into the claim that Jesus is not the only way to heaven. The political landscape is changing. The religious landscape is changing. Belief in the Christian God and adherence to ethics grounded in Judeo-Christian values has greatly diminished. That means that those of us who still hold onto a biblical worldview and a Christian view of ethics are pushed to the margins of society.

While we are not facing persecution on the level that the church in Smyrna was, we are feeling the effects of the moral fabric of our society eroding. The church in Smyrna receives a terrifying warning: Get ready. some of you are about to go to prison, where they will be tested and have tribulation for ten days. There is debate as to whether this is a literal ten day period, but most scholars seem to agree that even if it is not a literal ten day time period, it is a fixed time period.

More important though is the command not to fear. Be careful about what you read here. We are always tempted to read into a passage what we want to see, not what is being said. It makes us more comfortable. But look at the last half of verse 10. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” There may be some in this church who are going to prison and they will not be coming out. Persecution may take their lives. If you knew this was a possibility would you still do it?

The promised reward for those who are faithful until death is the crown of life. This crown may not be a literal crown that you will wear around heaven. Besides, two chapters from now we will fet a vision of the heavenly throne room where the elders are casting their crowns before Christ anyway, showing that he alone is worthy of all the credit and honor anyway.

But as we endure living in a post-Christian culture, and face living life in the margins of mainstream society, and persecution toward Christians in America may rise, we press on knowing that our lives are not our own. They belong to Christ.

We have nothing to fear because we will be rewarded for our faithfulness. We have nothing to fear because overcomers will not be hurt by the second death. This is a reference to the end of the book, so let’s take a peek at the end of Revelation for a moment.

Revelation 20:6 NASB95

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Of you belong to Jesus Christ, you will be resurrected and enter into eternity with him. Otherwise, there is a second death that awaits those who don’t align themselves with Jesus.

Revelation 20:14 NASB95

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

The second death is the lake of fire, eternal and final separation from God.

Revelation 20:15 NASB95

And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The condition for escaping the second death, the lake of fire, is to have your name written in the book of life. How does your name appear in the book of life? Allegiance to Jesus Christ and no other.

So the first question is are you sure your name is in the book of life? Have you recognized your own sinfulness? Have you come to Jesus, the one who died and came to life for the forgiveness of your sins? Have you come to Jesus for the cleansing power? Have you been washed in the blood of the lamb?

If the answer to those questions is yes, be encouraged that no matter what you face, Jesus is with you. In your fears, in your anxiety, in your suffering, Jesus does not just see you. He is with you in the fire. Your future is secure. Your name is written in the book of life. Endure today’s suffering with the hope of eternal glory.

If you are here today and you have not aligned yourself with Christ, today is the day everything can change. Maybe you have played the church game and have attended for a long time, but never surrendered control of your life to Jesus. It is easy to fake it. I did for 20 years. Or maybe this is your first time hearing that you have broken God’s righteous standard and stand condemned. Jesus offers forgiveness of sin if you will believe in him as the eternal Son of God, who offered his perfect life in exchange for yours by dying on a cross, being buried in a tomb, and raising to life again on the third day. He overcame sin and death and promises to deliver anyone who believes in him. Do you need to place your trust in Christ today and turn from your way of life to embrace his?

What would God have you do today?