The Church at Smyrna
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
What a wonderful day my friends, here we are getting close to the end of October and the weather has changed a lot, we have had warm days and some chilly fall days as well.
The seasons are changing and we know that the plans and will of God are continuing on course, one season gives way to another just as He has set forth in creation. His sovereign hand continues in this world.
But we know the future tells us that will change one day. But for now we are to remain faithful and keep pushing forward until we see Jesus.
My friends Jesus is coming again....
So for today, we return to the messages Jesus is sending to the 7 churches of Asia minor, these seven main churches of the world at this time.
Last week we looked at the message to the church at Ephesus. Jesus commended the church for their hard work, for thier faithfulness to the Kingdom of God but he reminded them that service for the sake of service is not enough, there has to be love.
He told them they had left their first love, their affections had grown cold. It was time for them to rekindle that love and push forward.
Love is essential, essential in all that we do and say my friends.
And today we turn our attention to the second church named, the church of Smyrna.
So lets look at the text here in Revelation chapter 2, verses 8-11
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
This without a doubt is a great message that is important for all Christians to hear and bare witness off… Jesus is at work in the church, and no what you face, He is there, always faithful and always ready to help, intercede and lead his people.
Now for a little history, Smyrna was a major city on the west coast of Asia minor, it still stands today and is known at eh modern city of Izmir in Turkey. It was a profitable area, a good harbor, a major road ended there and it was surrounded by rich farm lands.
The city itself was very loyal to Rome, and it was often rewarded as such. It was the head quarters for the imperial cult of emperor worship in that area of the empire.
For a long time Christians enjoyed a little freedom and rest from any persecution being counted by Rome as connected to the Jewish community. But with the rise of more wicked Emperors, They are singled out and persecuted, by Rome and by the Jewish people and their synagogues.
As a side note, they are one of two churches that Jesus did not say anything negative about in his message to them…
Many Christians are martyred there, including the bishop if the church Polycarp in the second century.
As we begin looking at the text, consider this....
There is a commonality of the message the Lord is speaking to these churches and that thought is His knowledge of them and what is happening in their midst.
1. His Greeting to Them....
1. His Greeting to Them....
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
What Jesus does for them is something every common in our lives as well. He greets them.. And he greets them with the truth as to who they are...
Now right off the bat we see the message is directed to the angel of the church, which we discovered last week refers to the pastor of that congregation of believers.
So we know the message is directed to the under-shepherd and then he will give the message to the church itself.
And as Jesus opens this communication to them, He makes sure they know and understand who is speaking to them
Look back at the text… there in verse 8
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
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So what is the Lord telling them here. Two points are mentioned here...
A. The first and the last - It ties back we know to the Alpha and the Omega that He was identified as in Chapter 1. He is the One, the One who precedes all things. Before the creation of anything, before , He was there and He will be there when all is gone. The heavens and the earth will pass away at one point before a New heaven and a new earth come into existence, but Jesus remains. Listen to Rev 21:6
Essentially He says t
6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
He has no beginning or ending.
B. Then Jesus says “…Who died and came to life.” - The expression is a very rich one, literally it says the one who became dead and is alive again. His death was not something that took him by surprise, it was the planned purpose of God that Christ might be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
He has no beginning or ending.
And through His resurrection we see that He is alive for evermore, never to die again and because He lives we shall live as well.
Let me share with you
9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
I love that, Death has no dominion, no power, no hold, no victory … over who, over Jesus.
And friends, since He is the first fruits from the dead, the first to come from the grave never to die again.. all those who follow him will never die again as well.
It doesn’t mean as long as His advent, his second coming is delayed we wont see death, no it means that when we rise up, death will be no more in us as well.
We are just waiting on Jesus....
That’s good news my friends, good news.
Here is a question to consider in light of that good news....
Do you know this Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and are you walking correctly with Him? That is important to know..
Now lets consider this ...
2. He says Do Not Fear....
2. He says Do Not Fear....
Like us today, faith in Christ is a blessed event in our lives, it is a relationship to be cherished in all aspects of life.
And without a doubt the believers there in Smyrna loved the Lord, but being a Christian was a dangerous position to live in… it was one that was lived by faith.
You see for years the early church had a relative amount of safety in some of the areas, they were often treated like the Jews for the most part, but there came a time as different Roman emperors come to the throne, that they lost that sense of relative peace.
This is what we are seeing here, so lets go back and see what is happening in their midst...
Rev 2
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
So the Lord identifies what is happening, He says I know your tribulation, and your poverty, the slander you face from those Jews, persecution, imprisonment and maybe even death.
There is so much there.. but again let me remind you - He is omniscient, all knowing… The Lord knows the events of your life… He knew their sorrow and suffering and He knows yours as well my friends, no matter how big or small you consider it, He knows.
What a blessing my friends.
But lets take a minute and consider what is happening there. From what scholars think, these events are ones that are taking place after AD 70, the Jews have been in rebellion, the temple in Jerusalem as been destroyed...
AD 72 there is a mass suicide of Jews at Masada in wake of the Roman troops about to take over their fortifications there. There are other rebellions taking palace and the sense of well being that the Jews enjoyed has disappeared.
As such in a effort to take the heat off of them, they bring accusations against the Christians, they slandered them…They seek to hurt even those they know…who have lived among them...
In fact these Jews and slandered these believers, the Lord here doesn't even count them as part of Israel, he called them a synagogue of Satan. They are in league with the devil against the church instead of being kind to others around them. Instead of loving all who were around them. In their effort to remain Jewish, in a effort to make themselves look better, to profit themselves they broke the laws God had set forth for the treatment of others.. So the Lord called them Synagogue of Satan… they belonged to the devil..
Harsh terms from the Lord!
In fact we know that things got so bad that in AD 90, The Jews published a document is called the Cruse of Minim (My nim) and essentially was an official effort to divest the local synagogues of any Christians who also claimed to be Jewish. The Jews hate the early church...
So these believers at Smyrna and others as well are despised, they are in need, they are poverty stricken, and it effected every area of their lives. it was a terrible condition. And let me take you back to the word poverty, that word isn’t just oh, they were poor… these afflictions are so bad, the persecution so hard, they are denied the even basic necessities of life.
They are hungry, almost naked, without shelter… They were suffering.. But the Lord reminded them, you maybe be poverty stricken, but you are rich. They may face injustice and evil here, but there is reward in heaven..
Oh can you imagine what awaits us...
By AD 81, Domitian comes to the throne of Rome and he expands emperor worship to the point of failure to worship the emperor as god, meant imprisonment and eventually death.
So much is happening but the Lord says do not fear…
They are hungry, almost naked, without shelter...
So much is happening but the Lord says do not fear…
I Love these words, Do Not Fear…
Why? The Lord knows the devils plans and He is the one who is in control of every situation… Amen.
He is in control of your life now, every detail. Trust him and not yourself.
Now I know That is easier said that done at times, there are times as we step out and live for Jesus, we are not facing death but we might face other considerations, and in any event it can be a little frightening, a little scary to step out.
That is easier said that done at times, there are times as we step out and live for Jesus, we well are not facing death but we might face other considerations, and in any event it can be a little frightening, a little scary to step out.
But the Lord knows us, cares for us and will see us through the struggle!
Let me ask you a question...
Do you believe the Lord knows every detail of your life?
Do you believe he is capable to deal with, handle and overcome every situation in our life if He so desires?
Then do not worry....
Trust the one who knows you and everything else.. Listen for His words and leading...
Now just one last thought today....
3. Be Faithful....
3. Be Faithful....
Truly this my friends is the call we are compelled to follow in every area of our Christian walk, regardless of what we face, we are called to faithfulness.
He tells us he will bless us as we remain faithful… giving more opportunity to see Him at work in and through us.
And even in difficult times,The Lord Jesus encourages us to remain faithful in all things.
Look back at our text, verses 10-11
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
So verse 10, do not fear, why? The One, Jesus who knows all things, He encourages them to stand bravely, why? What can truly harm them, they are HIS!
The tactics of the devil might cause them great trials, great suffering, but it will be brief… 10 days.
But do not fear him, the devil, Jesus as already defeated Him and his plans, Jesus works through these momentary problems, or sufferings to accomplish His will in history for all mankind.
We have already seen it play out in the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus He defeated the devil and is alive… the devil may have thought Jesus was dead and gone, but the grave could not hold him, death had no power over him and now,. and now we await his second coming into the world.
I was reading some commentaries studying for this and some thing given the language and that the testing or trials would be brief that perhaps these brave Christians had refused to worship the emperor and was not sentenced to face the gladiators in mortal combat,
But remember Jesus says do not fear.... Instead they were to be faithful.
They would have 10 days of testing,
Jesus tells them they would have 10 days of testing, it might be severe,, it might be harsh but the call was to stand for God.
It makes me think of Daniel and the three Hebrew children. Daniel did not want to compromise his beliefs and eat food that went against the Lord’s command, even if it was the best food from the kings own table.
So they were tested, they drank water and ate the vegetables that was prepared for them and they were faithful and better than anyone could have imagined... They stood for God and God honored them..
For those there, the church might suffer but they would be rewarded for their stand for Jesus.
What does the Lord say...
Verse 10b “… be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life.”
People may share the accolades here in life, maybe a statue built to a roman emperor or a past present president here in America, but that will not stand the test of time,
Consider all the roman temples and such that are buried under rubble or are mostly lost to history, not this crown, it would be a crown for all eternity given to those who love Jesus
This crown would be victor’s crown, like those who had won an event or a game. Jesus is inviting the people of Smyrna to see themselves in spite of sufferings as winners, the grandest of champions for they will see Jesus and all that has been prepared for them.
The call was to be faithful… steady and sure
And if you look at verse 11, you see a second promise tied to it.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’”
Jesus is saying pay attention…listen to what I am saying,
To the one who remains faithful, no matter what happens, there is no second death to harm you. For you remain safe in the arms of Jesus.
Those who participate in the first resurrection are promised that “the second death” has no power but that they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Christ for a thousand years (20:6).
6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
On the other hand, those who are judged at the Great White Throne judgment and found guilty by virtue of both their works and the fact that their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire, and this is “the second death.
On the other hand, those who are judged at the Great White Throne judgment and found guilty by virtue of both their works and the fact that their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire, and this is “the second death.
You see the first death is defined by separation of the soul from the body, the second death is separation from of the soul from God and is confined in Hell.
We might face persecution, we might face death, all we have to do is remain faithful and enjoy the blessings of being a servant of the Lord God most High.
You know at times is can be scary to follow Jesus. At times he calls us to step out of our comfort zone. At times it calls us to be brave and stand up for Jesus, it calls for to go and do regardless of the opinion of others and it calls for us to be sacrificial in our lives.
Are you faithful today?
Are you listening to where he is leading...
Do you trust Him with everything?
The New American Commentary: Revelation 2. To Smyrna (2:8–11)
Those who participate in the first resurrection are promised that “the second death” has no power but that they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Christ for a thousand years (20:6). On the other hand, those who are judged at the Great White Throne judgment and found guilty by virtue of both their works and the fact that their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire, and this is “the second death.