The Reward of being Faithful

Introducton

Beloved, one of the hardest things for people to talk about is dying. We talk about a lot of things but for some reason death is something we do not want to talk about. Yet we must understand that death is a part of life.

Background

This letter to the church in Smyrna is all about Jesus. It may seem like the letter is about the suffering and persecution that the church in Smyrna is about to undergo, but from what Jesus says about that, it becomes clear that the suffering and persecution are just a stage built for the enactment of the drama that displays the worth of Christ

Jesus is Bigger than death (2:8)

Jesus Knows his People in their Suffering

Jesus Calls his People to be Faithful unto Death

Jesus Promises HIS People Life