Sermon Tone Analysis

SMYRNA

The Church that would face Persecution.

Revelation 2:8–11 (ESV)

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.’

Smyrna

A port city founded after Alexander the Great,

Smyrna was located at the end of the road that stretched through Asia Minor.

The road brought various commercial goods to the port of Smyrna, which were then sent and distributed throughout the Roman Empire.

Jesus Is Bigger than Death.

Revelation 2:8 (ESV)

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.

helps us know how to think

The death and resurrection of Jesus mean that death has no power over him.

He is bigger than death itself,

and given what the church in Smyrna faces, that reality is one they must keep in their minds if they are to be faithful.

When you think about the end of your life, do you apply to your contemplation the fact that Jesus has conquered death?

When you think about dangerous situations you might face—the noise in the night that means an intruder might be in your home, the thought that someone you love could fall into a rushing river or be in some other situation that, if you try to help, might end your own life—

When you think of life-threatening danger, do you apply to your thinking the triumph of Jesus over death?

My friends, this is what it means to

make connections between the good news of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen,

and all of life.

Applying to our fears the knowledge that Jesus is bigger than death will make us courageous.[1]

Courage is a great thing but courage is not our ultimate goal.

Our ultimate goal is to live in ways that show our confidence in Jesus.

you can be courageous for a lot of reasons

When we are courageous because we know that Jesus is bigger than death, we honor Jesus.

And when we put ourselves in harm’s way in order to protect others, or even to save their lives, because we love Jesus and know that he is in control and trust him to take care of us—even if we die—we are following Jesus.

[2]

Jesus Knows His People in Their Suffering

Revelation 2:9 (ESV)

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.

1. Jesus does not trivialize their suffering by telling them it isn’t really that bad.

He doesn’t demean them by telling them that if they were stronger it wouldn’t bother them so much.

And he doesn’t cheapen their experience by offering unsympathetic advice.

Rather, Jesus ennobles their suffering with the simple and comforting words, “I know your tribulation.”

One of the most discouraging effects of suffering is that we feel alone.

When Jesus tells the church in Smyrna that he knows their tribulation, he is reminding them of his presence with them.

2. Jesus knows their “poverty.”

The church was poor.

The tribulation probably resulted from the people of influence in Smyrna opposing Christianity because they perceived that this new religion was not going to appease the gods of the Greco-Roman pantheon,

it was not going to make Caesar happy,

and it was not going to raise the city of Smyrna to new heights of prominence in the Roman Empire.

In fact, the values of this new faith were at odds with the values of the Roman Empire.

So

The little church in

Smyrna was opposed by the power structures in the Empire

and had no financial resources

and no influence in society.

Or so it seemed.

(but you are rich)

We are rich because we have what will save life unto eternity.

When Jesus comes on that white horse, outdated clothes, beat-up cars, and houses where the appliances have not been updated will cease to be indications that we are not wealthy.

The only thing that will matter is whether or not you have the gospel.

And if you have the gospel, you are rich indeed.

This wealth is yours if you will trust Christ.

But you should not trust him to have a paradoxical version of wealth; you should trust him so you can be reconciled to God, so you can treasure God.

3. Jesus knows “the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”

Jesus denies the status of “Jew” to those who do not serve the Jewish King, Jesus himself.

He identifies true allegiance: there are those who gather in synagogues to celebrate Satan’s kingdom, not God’s.

God’s kingdom is advancing with King Jesus at its head.

All who oppose King Jesus are allied with the dark power in service to a rebel kingdom whose lord is a liar and murderer who hates those who serve Jesus.

Our Lord said that those who are not for him are against him (Matthew 12:30).

[3]

Rome had good reasons to tolerate the Jewish religion.

First, it was a well-established religion with a long history.

Most important, Rome wanted to keep the people of Judea from revolting.

Neither of these reasons applied to Christianity.

This new offshoot of the Jewish religion had little support at first among the people of Judea.

In fact, many Jews would have been pleased if Rome had suppressed it.

Jesus Calls His People to Be Faithful unto Death

Revelation 2:10 (ESV)

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.

The church in Smyrna is urged to be faithful “even to the point of death” (2:10).

Resurrection life will be their crown of life.

This crown alludes to the wreath given to the winner of an athletic event.

Shown here is Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, holding a wreath in one hand and a palm branch in the other, both symbols of victory.

Not only were the Christians in Smyrna persecuted for not worshipping the empower Nero, they were also unfairly targeted after Emperor Nero allegedly burned Rome and then blamed the Christians.

1.

The only thing that will keep the Smyrnan Christians from fearing what they are about to suffer is their living on what Jesus has said to them thus far.

He has announced himself as “the first and the last, who died and came to life” (2:8),

and he has assured them that he knows what they suffer and knows who their enemies are (2:9).

Because of who he is,

and because he will be with them through the suffering, they can be free from fear.[4]

note what he promises and what he doesn’t promise

2.

He identifies who is at work in their suffering—“the devil is about to throw some of you into prison” (2:10).

There is no question here about who is in the right and who is in the wrong.

There is no suggestion from Jesus that a change in strategy might palliate the adversaries of the church.

There is none of this namby-pamby nonsense suggesting that maybe if the Christians were less dogmatic,

or maybe if they were more open to the possibility of there being more than one right way, they would not be suffering.

None of that garbage from Jesus.

He recognizes who the enemy is, and it is clear that those who oppose his people are diabolical.

The devil is about to have them arrested.

3.

There is a purpose statement following the announcement that the opposition comes from Satan—“that you may be tested” (2:10).