Smyrna - Beaten But Not Broken Pt. 1

Introduction

Last week, we began our journey studying the letters sent to the seven churches of Asia Minor. We looked last week at the first letter, which was to the church in Ephesus. We learned that each of these letters hold something for us personally, but also something for our church today. Ephesus had lost the wonder of it all…it had lost it’s first love. What was the first love? It was love for Christ…Ephesus had everything right, except their passion, and they lost everything because of that.

Today, will look at a church that beaten, but not broken…the persecuted church - the church of Smyrna.

The letter to the church at Smyrna was the shortest one of the seven, yet, it is filled with praise. There is no condemnation from the Lord of this church.

The church at Philadelphia was the only other church that escaped the Lord’s rebuke. Let’s see why the Lord was pleased with Smyrna.

The Assembly

The name Smyrna means “myrrh.’

Ya’ll have hear of myrrh haven’t you?

Myrrh was used in perfumes, it was an ingredient of the holy anointing oil for the priest, it was used for the purification of women, and it was used for embalming...

Ya’ll remember wise men brought myrrh to Jesus when He was just a child…Let me throw this to you while we are talking about it:

The wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Christ at His first advent:

Gold was a picture of His royalty - Frankincense was a picture of His deity and purity - Myrrh was a picture of His suffering humanity...

When Christ was on the cross, Mark 15:23 says:

Mark 15:23 KJV 1900

23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

You know why I think He wouldn’t receive it? Myrrh was a painkiller if ingested.

Let me tell you a little something else....When Christ comes again, He’s going to be presented with gold and frankincense again...

Isaiah 60:6 KJV 1900

6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All they from Sheba shall come: They shall bring gold and incense; And they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.

Look at that…no myrrh on the second time around, why??? His suffering is over!

Myrrh was produced by crushing a fragrant plant. This was what happened to the church at Smyrna…It was crushed, beaten, and persecuted, and in it’s suffering, it gave off the beautiful fragrance of Christ!

Smyrna was a seaport city of the first century and the city is still a seaport city today. The city had a thriving seaport and trade and commerce flourished in the city.

Smyrna was built by Alexander the Great. Smyrna was known as the gateway from the east to Europe. This city was a wealthy city and a beautiful city. The buildings in Smyrna were architectural masterpieces. The city was considered the most beautiful city the Greeks ever built. It was called “The Glory of Asia.”

The city was a noted center for science and medicine. Because of its loyalty to the Roman Empire, the city was granted freedom and they were a self-governing city. The city had the largest public theatre in Asia. There was a famous stadium in Smyrna and a great library. The Greek poet Homer was born in Smyrna. Smyrna was a hot bed of religion. Many pagan, ungodly, and false religions were in the city of Smyrna. Smyrna had many pagan temples.

• The temple of Cybele was the most prominent in the city.

• They had a temple of Zeus,

• a temple of Apollo,

• a temple of the god Asklepios,

• and a temple to the god Aphrodite.

• And of course they gave their allegiance to the Roman Empire and Emperor worship.

Smyrna also had a prominent Jewish population that had their worship in the Jewish Synagogue.

Today it is the third largest city in Turkey with a population of around 3 million people. The name is now known as Izmir.

In the midst of this pagan ungodly city, just as He did with Ephesus, God planted a church and established a witness for Himself in that city.

We learn from this passage that Smyrna was a beaten church, but they were not a broken church. They were a persecuted church, but they were not a powerless church.

The Author

Revelation 2:8 KJV 1900

8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

If we could learn to meditate upon, and look to, Christ with believing hearts, rather than meditating upon our earthly woes, the problems and difficulties we face on this earth would give us far less trouble.

Everything on this earth is temporary. Christ, who is the first and the last, is eternal, and he has secured for us an eternal inheritance in glory. Let every troubled believer look to Christ, our eternal, unchangeable Saviour, and his troubles will seem insignificant.

The Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, is the first and the last. He is the first, for by him all things were made. He is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Christ is the first, for he is himself God, from everlasting to everlasting. And he is the last, for all things were made for him. All things will be brought to their final end by Christ. All things will be judged by Christ. And all things will show forth the praise of Christ.

Christ is the first, for he is the foundation laid in Zion. And he is the last, for he is the top-stone, the chief-cornerstone, and the head-stone of the corner in his spiritual temple, the church.

Our Saviour particularly would have us dwell and meditate upon his most glorious work and most glorious character, as our all-sufficient, unchanging, exalted mediator and King. He is the one who ‘was dead, and is alive’.

There is no cure for discouraged hearts like the knowledge of redemption by Christ.

The cross of Christ is like the tree Moses cast into Marah’s bitter waters.

Take the blessed gospel doctrine of blood atonement and cast it into the bitter waters of your earthly trouble, and it will make your bitter troubles sweet to your soul. Whenever you look for something to comfort your heart, encourage your faith, revive your soul and cause your spirit to leap with joy, meditate on these two facts: first, he was dead; second, he is alive.

The Assurance and Affliction

Revelation 2:9 KJV 1900

9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

The Lord Jesus Christ has nothing negative to say about this church. Instead He has praise for His church in Smyrna.

Jesus says, I know your works...

This is a model church, a church that well pleased the Lord Jesus Christ. The church in Smyrna was a light in a pagan and lost city. Jesus did not warn the church in Smyrna about taking their lampstand. The Lord Jesus did not want to remove the church because the church was doing what the Lord wanted them to do.

The all Sovereign and all-knowing God again tells the church that He knows their works. He assures them of His constant care...

The Lord Jesus knows all things and He knows our labor, tribulation, and poverty.

Jesus says, I know your tribulation...

The Greek word for tribulation here means “pressure.” This word was used of a man who was tortured to death by being slowly crushed by a big boulder laid upon him. It was used to describe the crushing of wheat under the millstone. The Smyrna church was under great stress and pressure, being crushed by the Romans.

Jesus told them He knew what they were going through.

Jesus says, I know your poverty...

Poverty means abject poverty, possessing absolutely nothing. The word refers to beggars. This means that they did not have anything!

They lived in a rich city, but they did not have material riches. They lost jobs, homes, relationships, promotions, bank accounts and all material riches because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Every man that worked belonged to a trade guild. The trade guilds had a certain god or goddess that they pledged allegiance to and burned incense to. If you would not bow to the false gods you could not belong to the guild and if you did not belong to the guild you could not work!

The Christians in Smyrna would not bow or bend to the pressures to worship a false god.

→ They did not put their jobs before Jesus!

→ They did not put their livelihood before the Lord!

→ They did not put their careers before Christ.

And because of this they lost jobs—they would not worship Caesar as Lord! They stood and confessed that Jesus is Lord! Jesus knew their poverty! The word means that they were absolutely destitute.

Jack Hyles wrote, “They did not have a lovely building to draw folks. They had no carpets, no stained glass windows, no rich members, no prestige in the community, but they had the approval of God.”

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “They may not have enjoyed the approval of men, but they certainly received the praise of God.”

Jesus says, ‘You are poor, but you are rich!’

Adrian Rogers said, “The word rich here is the word from which we get our word ‘plutocrats.’ He’s saying they are the richest of the rich, the highest of society! This poor little rich church possessed a vast incorruptible fortune. And if you want to know how rich you are, just add up everything you have that money cannot buy and death cannot take away.”

Smyrna was the poor little rich church! They were poor materially, but they were rich spiritually.

Jesus says, I know the blasphemy...

This means slander...

The unbelieving Jews have always persecuted the church. These were Jews, but they were not really Jews spiritually.

They persecuted and crucified the Lord Jesus and they do the same to His church. These Jews blasphemed God because they were a burden to God’s church.

They slandered, ridiculed, condemned, and brought pressure upon the church of God. Because of their treatment of the church, they indeed were blaspheming Jesus.

A church of Jesus Christ consists of born again believers in Jesus that have His Spirit in them and His Scripture before them. The church of Jesus Christ honors the Lord Jesus Christ. A synagogue of Satan dishonors, discredits, dismantles the word of God, the work of God, and denies the Son of God.

Conclusion

I’m going to stop right here this morning and we will pick back up on this passage tonight...

Let me ask you…Are you suffering because of Jesus today? If so, rest assured that jesus knows, cares and understands - He knew what the church at Smyrna was going through and He knows what you’re going through today...

But, even better than this, He will go with you through your trials and afterward take you home to glory.

Are you saved? Are you willing to be persecuted?