Revelation Part 4

Revelation Part 4

"RICH POVERTY!"

Rev 2:8 "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the One who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

Rev 2:9 "I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.

Rev 2:10 Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

Rev 2:11 "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.

INTRODUCTION

In western society we have been raised to believe that wealth brings happiness and joy ... that poverty brings pain and ignorance.

video from Hee haw

Our lives are heavily geared around making more money, gaining more things, always looking for carefree living.

But the funny thing is those who are the wealthiest are far from the happiest people.

The Bible teaches that there are 2 kinds of wealth ... that of this world, and that of the Kingdom of God!

While the world's wealth is not easy to gain that of the Kingdom is available to all at any time!

Many times worldly wealth gets in the way of spiritual wealth, hence Jesus' statement to His disciples that

Mark 10:25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"

ILLUS:

One day a certain old rich man of a very miserable disposition visited a rabbi. The rabbi took him by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out this window and tell me what you see," said the rabbi to the rich man.

"I see fathers, mothers, children, and other people". Again the rabbi took the rich man by the hand and led him to a mirror in the room.

Again the question by the rabbi, "Now what do you see?" The rich man responded, "I see myself".

Then the rabbi made his point, "Both the window and this mirror are made of glass, the mirror however has been coated with silver, and no sooner than this silver has been added to the glass and it causes you to see no one but yourself ... how like this riches can be.

Wealth's addition to our lives can cause us to see only our own life ... and no one else!"

Do we seek spiritual riches with the same efforts that we are seeking worldly wealth?

The Bible teaches that true wealth often comes when we are without this world's wealth.

Some of God's great principles of life are best learned in the absences of worldly goods.

Suffering is a better teacher than prosperity!

Like the crushing of flowers; it is in the crushing that the fragrance is released to bless others nearby!

Rev 2:8 "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the One who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

Rev 2:9 "I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.

The city of Smyrna unlike some of the other 6 churches mentioned here is still one of the largest cities in that area (today in Turkey - name is Izmur)

The Church here has no word of condemnation by God ... this was a godly Church! Christ was giving them encouragement instead.

But the city had a large group of Jewish citizens that were very hostile to the Christians.

The Christians message was one that it was hard to be a middle-of-the-road person. It was very costly and dangerous thing to take a stand for Christ.

This was a Persecuted Church, the Pastor of the church, Polycarp was arrested and brought before the Roman governor, and the governor offered him freedom if he would curse Christ.

But he kept the faith, and this what he said, “Eighty and six years have i served Christ and He had done me nothing but good. How then could I curse Him , My Lord and Saviour?”

And because of this witness, they burned him alive.

Matt 10:32 "Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven.

Matt 10:33 But everyone who denies Me here on earth, I will also deny before My Father in heaven.

It was one of the few cities of the time to have a temple for emperor worship.

The name of this city, "Smyrna" literally means, "Bitter" or "Myrrh"

Myrrh was a perfume used for burials. It was made from a tree resin that was beaten to bring out its fragrance.

The city was known as the city "WHO DIED AND CAME TO LIFE AGAIN"

It had been totally destroyed at one point ... and much later resurrected back to life!

Jesus takes off of this idea in this verse:

Rev 2:8 "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the One who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

The citizens used this expression to brag about its new found life!

Now let’s remember the introduction of Jesus to this Church!! who was dead and but is now alive.

The city had powerful trade market ... major industries included idolatry, such as the great temple to Bacchus, the god of wine.

But they were standing on unholy ground, their money and success became their god.

So the uncompromising Christians were kicked out of the trade markets and it cause them to lose their means of living.

They gradually entered into poverty.

Many of them who once had thriving businesses were forced into bankruptcy or compromise ... they chose bankruptcy over compromise!

Rev 2:9 "I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.

Jesus tells them I know again and again, God wants us to know that He is watching and He know.

Those who had been part of the Jewish community were now declared, "Non-Jews" they were no longer considered by the Jewish community a part of "God's chosen people!"

They lost their cultural identity because of their commitment to Christ. They lost their means of living. They lost their wealth. They lost their acceptance by others outside the Church.

These Christians were experiencing bitter suffering and loss without reasons of sin in their lives, struggling with the issue of why a loving and good God would allow this in light of their obvious faithfulness to Christ!

Think about us? How would we respond to this type of treatment?

I think about this often because these guys were getting killed for their commitment, but they continue.

How do we handle attacks, trials, hardships, losses?

See,they were under stress and there was no hint what-so-ever that they were complaining or bitter! -- in fact the evidence in this text suggest the opposite!!

There was no light at the end of the tunnel coming ... God even adds that more persecution lay ahead of them in fact!

Rev 2:10 Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

The stress level had increased ... and the persecution was now moving toward even death for those Christians.

As God's people it is very clear that we are not immune from suffering, but we can avoid it's NATURAL consequences such as anger and bitterness!

You can have the attitude of get better or bitter, which is it for you?

You see, for this church and for every Christian pressing circumstances will sharpened our perspective of what really matters in life.

ILLUS:

Bees undergo an interesting process to ensure the healthy development of their young. The queen lays each egg in a six-sided cell ... it is then filled with just enough pollen and honey to feed on until the egg reaches a certain stage of maturity.

The top is sealed with a capsule of wax. When the baby bee has matured to a certain stage, its resources gone, it must struggle against the wax plug, twisting, digging, straining to poke an opening through it to get out.

Even after a hole is created the baby bee must squeeze through it with great difficulty ... but this squeeze allows its ability to fly later!

Squeezing though the tight opening scrapes off a membrane on its wings that would not come off later in any other way ... taking off the wax plug to allow it an easy release would doom it to earth, to never fly upward!

God allows struggles in order to help us fly too!

Let’s look at Rev 2:10 again:

Rev 2:10 Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

The secret to surviving this kind of stress is proper focus!

They had to see beyond the present troubles. Proper focus is to know that God doesn't allow suffering without purpose! Failure to focus right leads to despair!

Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

God's Word to this church and to the church through history there is a need for proper focus:

James 1:2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

James 1:3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

James 1:4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

So we must try to look beyond the trails and look to the future and be grateful for trials because of the fruit of what can come from the experience.

We must know that it is these experiences that focus us on God and spiritual realities leading to maturity!

This maturity enables us to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might!

The secret to surviving spiritually in those moments of suffering and loss is the knowledge of more than just the moment ... it is the knowledge that God works all things for our good.

God will make a purpose for the suffering. Sometimes the purpose is to benefit others, or it may be to benefit us.

It may just bring glory to God or encourage someone else who suffers! BUT, it is never without some purpose, God's plan is good for us!

Jerm 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

They would be stronger spiritually because of what they went through and so would their testimony and this proved to be true, even up to today!

Because of that church commitment to Christ even today there is a thriving community of Christians within this same city, one of the largest cities in Turkey today!

That Pastor who was killed from that Church still has his grave within this modern city as a testimony of his faith!

Their strength has given strength to others throughout generations to hold fast to Christ!

Trials are never intended by God to destroy us, but to make us stronger!

James 1:12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

The great surprise is that though poor by this world's standards we are becoming rich by God's standards!

It is also important to note that God says, "you will suffer...for 10 days..."

God would limit the duration of that suffering, it would not go on forever!

God is in control of all things, even pain! Their loss was very real and very painful.

But the great surprise is that they were really not getting poorer but richer!

If they were faithful, even to death, they still would be ahead for their faithfulness they were promised the "crown of life"

This meant eternal life ... billions of years of existence with all of God for the faithfulness of a few dozen years on earth!