THE SUFFERING CHURCH OF SMYRNA
Christ Wants His Churches Back No. 3 • Sermon • Submitted
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“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” So said FDR during his first inaugural address in January of 1933. The context for that fear was the Great Depression, which by that time had entered into its fourth year.
On the other hand a more recent person stated:
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1671 Epigram on Fear
Sometimes when I get in a nervous dither over such current problems as inflation, war, taxes, crime, pollution, political intrigue, urban sprawl, population, and whatever, I find myself yearning for 1933, when all we had to fear was fear itself.
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1640 Four Impelling Motives
There are four great impelling motives that move men to action: Fear, Hope, Faith, and Love—these four, but the greatest of these is Fear. Fear is first in order, first in force, first in fruit. Indeed, fear is “the beginning of wisdom.” Scripture summarizes the chief cause of sin and crime: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
—Prairie Overcomer
Fear is a very great paralyzing influence on people. Many of us, myself included, have a difficult time functioning when we are overcome by fear. Sometimes we become like a opossum and play dead. Other times we become like a squirrel or rabbit and freeze in our tracks hoping that what we fear won’t notice us.
Fear is also a strong motive for committing an act that would go against the very core of our values and character. Because King David feared discovery of his illicit one night stand with Bathsheba, he arranged the circumstances that brought about her husbands death. And then married her, hoping that everyone would assume that the child was born prematurely.
Sometimes our fear of the possibility of suffering can cause a church to act in such a way as to limit their effectiveness. The local church is called to be the light of world in which they live. But fear can cause them to hide their light under a bushel basket. And I believe it was because of this very thing that Christ wrote this letter to the Suffering Church of Smyrna.
Unlike the city of Ephesus, which has long since ceased to exist, the city of Smyrna still exists, though it is now called Izmir, in modern day Turkey. (By the way, in Maine there is a town named Smyrna; it located next to Smyrna Mills, and both are in the same county in which we used to live…)
Smyrna may be one of the oldest existing cities in the world. It origins trace back, possibly as far as 3000 BC. The city of John’s day was founded in 290 BC by the successors to Alexander the Great. Among many other forms of idolatry, Smyrna was known for emperor worship. Domitian was the Roman emperor at that time, and he established a law which stated that the emperor had to be worshiped. Once a year a citizen had to burn incense on the altar to the godhead of Caesar, after which he was issued a certificate. Failure to do so brought the penalty of death.
This was perhaps seen more as an act of political loyalty than religious worship. Yet for a true believer in Jesus Christ it would have presented them with a real problem. Would they be faithful to Christ until the bitter end, or would they compromise in order to save their skin?
It was in Smyrna, about 60 years later, that a disciple of John’s named Polycarp was burned alive at the stake for refusing to worship the emperor. Many begged him to deny Christ in order to save his life, but he refused. He stated: “Eight-six years I served Christ, and he has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
As we look at this letter this morning we will note five distinct reason Christ exhorted this persecuted church to not fear what they were about to suffer: because of who Christ is, because of His example of suffering, because their present circumstances were not what they appeared to be, because of who their opponents were, and because of the temporary nature of suffering.
As we look into the mirror of God’s Word, I hope that we will realize that these same things apply to us today as well.
Let’s read our passage together.
I. We should not fear suffering because of who Christ is
A. Christ is the Eternal God ()
“Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.
II. We should not fear suffering because of the example of Christ’s suffering
A. Christ Suffered for Our Sins (; ).
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;
and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
III. We should not fear suffering due to our circumstances
A. Physical poverty
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2
When cities had large concentrations of artisans and craftsmen, trade guilds or unions were established. These guilds often required their members to participate in certain pagan activities. The believers’ unwillingness to participate in these activities resulted in exclusion from the guilds and financial hardship.
B. Spiritual riches
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
IV. We should not fear suffering because of who our opponents are
A. The synagogue of Satan
B. Our true opponent is a spiritual one, and not a physical one
1.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
V. We should not fear suffering for it is temporary
Look at verse 10 for a moment.
In this society prison was the home of those awaiting trial
Once a sentence was rendered the punishment would be carried out quickly
On the screen you should see a picture of what a Roman prison looked like
The Romans did not consider imprisonment itself a form of punishment—prisons were used to hold those awaiting trial or the death penalty and often served as places of execution. Prisons were filthy and crowded, and prisoners were treated as little better than dead. According to tradition, Peter and Paul were both imprisoned here.
In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Romans 8:31-34
VI. We are over-comers who will not face the second death
Who are the over-comers? In his first epistle the Apostle John told us:
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
What is the second death? First we need to understand that death is equated with Hades, the abode of the dead. Jesus told His disciples:
I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Death cannot conquer the church because death could not conquer the Lord of the church.
But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
To Martha Jesus stated:
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
The idea of the second death is referred to in name only in the Book of Revelation.
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.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
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. When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
As we close today, I wonder if we truly have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Thus far in the first two letters we have learned that love for our brothers and sisters in Christ is essential, and that we should not fear the suffering that we may called upon to experience. Are we taking that message to heart?
Let’s pray.
Closing Song: Be Strong in the Lord
No. 734