Persevering Persecuted

Dearly loved people of God,

Dr. Jeff Weima of CTS, described similarities in messages

To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

Smyrna: pop. 100 000; size of Brantford

Loyal to Roman Empire for generations: temple to “Roma”

Large Jewish population, probably grew after Jerusalem and temple destroyed 70 AD.

Q: How do you talk to a child facing major surgery? She’s afraid; doesn’t understand. Scared it’ll hurt. What do you say?

· assure her of your love

· assure her that she’s in good hands

That’s the situation Jesus faces. His dearly loved people in Smyrna face opposition and trouble. They’re small, poor, and afraid of the suffering ahead.

So, when Jesus introduces himself, he gives strong assurances that the church is in good hands.

Christ Title

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.

Connected to John’s vision in

He placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.

(NIV)

First & Last – controls everything. It’s the way the Lord talked of himself in the OT. Jesus speaks as God Most High. Yes, Jesus is completely human, but also fully God.

As the church faces imprisonment and death, Jesus speaks of his suffering for them. Jesus isn’t a heavenly aristocrat in white robes with no clue what life on earth is like! He knows what’s happening. He knows what it is to stand up for what’s right, what’s true, and suffer the consequences.

It’s why God became human. Something went terribly wrong in his good creation. Bullies have power to make people miserable. Being wise isn’t always appreciated; telling the truth doesn’t always lead to success.

God can’t tolerate the brokenness and suffering that spoils his good creation. He decided to do something. God the Son entered his creation. He lived in the messy brokenness. Mind-boggling idea: God the Son identifies so closely with people who are bullied that he endured bullying himself. He was mocked, spit on, slapped, cursed, beaten and killed.

But he rose again. When someone dies and is buried and then rises 3 days later, just as he promised; you ought to pay attention to him. That’s how Jesus identifies himself when he sends this message to the Christians in Smyrna: I am he “who died and came to life.”

Commendation

I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!

I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Jesus knows what’s going on in Smyrna. Of the 7 churches, it’s the only one identified as “poor”.

I don’t know why this church was poor. Perhaps a large number in the church were slaves. At the time, some Christians couldn’t get work, especially if the trades had secret societies requiring vows that that conflict with their allegiance to Jesus; the same reason most Reformed Christians don’t join lodges.

Maybe the Christians’ property was confiscated. It happened in the Roman Empire. There’s a reference in NT book Hebrews:

You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

(NIV)

In both Heb. and Rev., contrast made between poverty on earth and the riches of citizenship in God’s Kingdom. Wouldn’t trade God’s loving-care for a pile of gold!

Earlier, we noted the large Jewish population in Smyrna. Some Jews made trouble for the church in Smyrna. “Slander” has a general meaning and a specific meaning.

trash talk, make the Chr. look bad, ruin reputations

report them to Roman or city authorities and testify against them as done in AD 155 to Polycarp:

Jews in Smyrna denounce Polycarp publicly before the governor, saying, “This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians and the overthrower of our gods, he who has been teaching many not to sacrifice, or to worship the gods.”

Martyrdom of Polycarp 12:2

Jews among those who denounced Chr. in Smyrna.

Jesus’ commendation acknowledges that being a Christian in Smyrna was challenging. There’s a price to pay. Yet I think all Christians daydream about being heroes of the faith. “I’d never deny Jesus! I’d never betray my faith!”

Real life is harder than daydreaming. Standing firm, resisting the temptation to cave in to pressure – that’s hard.

It takes deep roots to hold a tall tree up in a storm. It takes deep faith to let you stand strong when you face trouble or opposition. The time to grow deep roots is before the storm! Grow faith!

Complaint

[No complaint!]

No complaint for 2 of 7 churches. Jesus is pleased with them!

The worst that can be said is: there’s a possibility they will be afraid when the suffering begins. Because the only correction Jesus offers is:

Correction

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.

Like a child facing the unknowns of surgery or a cancer patient about to start chemotherapy, I think most Christians would feel some anxiety if they knew there was trouble ahead.

Jesus reveals the devil is the source. Even if the magistrates, Jewish leaders, or Roman soldiers are involved, at root, the battle is between the forces of darkness and Jesus’ Kingdom.

I don’t know if Jesus spoke of 10 days or if the 10 days are figurative. Either way, the suffering is looming. The silver lining in this cloud is the assurance the persecution won’t last forever. The end might be a long way off, but it’s coming!

Consequence

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

There’s a paradox here. Death/Life

Smyrna’s ruling council has the authority to imprison and execute Jesus’ followers. But Jesus introduces himself as the one who died and came to life again.

Because of Jesus’ resurrection by faith in him, all believers are raised to life. Jesus spoke of it to his followers in the gospel:

Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

(NIV)

Jesus echoes that in his message to the church of Smyrna promising “life as your victor’s crown.”

And that’s the point of Jesus’ message, isn’t it?

The gift of life – humans had it. Our first parents enjoyed a perfect creation before the fall. They walked and talked with God in the garden in the cool of the day. They had each other: open, loving, and vulnerable relations without shame or fear.

But it all blew up when people broke faith with God. Instead of trusting God’s instructions, following God’s plan for them, they plotted their own course – even though God had told them death was the result. They chose mistrust and disobedience, for themselves and generations of offspring.

It’s where humankind got stuck. I, you, all of us, mistrust God’s instructions and fail to live up to his instructions. Some days WE are the bullies: mocking, slandering, making people created in God’s image feel badly about themselves. Instead of affirming their value in God’s sight, we repeat the lie that they, or we, are worthless. It cuts deeply; those words are murder.

And it’s false! The truth is that God loves his world. He loves each person. Sin and brokenness sadden him. God is especially fond of each of you. So the penalty for telling lies, the penalty for acting hatefully towards your neighbour, the penalty for murder is death: both physical death and damnation.

In Jesus, God affirms his love, his concern, for each person. God the Son, humbled himself and became human, offering himself in exchange for sinful humankind. At the cross, God the Father puts the punishment for sin on Jesus. Jesus is stripped and spat on, he’s mocked and cut off from the goodness and love of God to redeem you from sin and shame and death.

On the 3rd day, after his death and burial, Jesus rose to life. His resurrection verifies all the things Jesus had been saying and teaching. It verifies that Jesus is God the Son. It verifies the promise that all who trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour will receive life as a crown of victory!

Who wouldn’t want such a gift?

In exchange for a life of rebellion, stuck in a system where people who are humiliated and bullied, and in turn we bully those weaker and more vulnerable than us – in exchange for that cycle of meanness – Jesus assures you of God’s love for you. He picks you up of the heap, washes you clean, and assures you of his deep, deep love for you. Instead of death and eternal suffering, Jesus offers victory and life! What’s not to love about Jesus’ offer of life?

The final section of Jesus’ message to church in Smyrna:

Conquering Formula

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Each message has this formula: whoever has ears . . .

Don’t miss this! Listen closely to God the HS!

“The one who is victorious” – in every message. Greek root word: Nikao – overcoming, victorious. A sportswear company took this name, have you heard of Nike?

In case anyone missed it earlier, Jesus reminds the church:

The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

It’s in the song we’re about to sing.

In Europe, in the 1500s, those who preached the gospel in the common language were hunted and persecuted. If caught they faced prison, beatings, and being burned at the stake. They could relate to church in Smyrna. Martin Luther gave them an anthem to sing to defy their persecutors:

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;

the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still;

his kingdom is forever!

We don’t face death penalty, but your faith will get challenged. Jesus urges you to prepare and stand strong. He has won the battle!