Jesus Says: Endure!
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Today, we're going to talk about the church in Smyrna. And the church in Smyrna is unique among the Seven Churches in a couple of ways.
Reminder about Q&A
Ways Smyrna is Unique
Ways Smyrna is Unique
1. Only Smyrna and Philadelphia receive no condemnation from Jesus.
2. Smyrna is the only one of the Seven cities in which there is a church to this day.
Modern day Ismir.
Jesus doesn't have a whole lot to say to the church in Smyrna. You'll notice that it's only four verses. But for the next few weeks, we're going to be in these letters, in a miniseries that I'm going to call Jesus Says: and today, to the church in Smyrna and to his church today is "Endure!" Let's read the letter to Smyrna and look at some of their background to understand more deeply the message of Jesus for his church today:
“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:
“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. 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.
“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.
Smyrna was completely destroyed in 625 B.C. They became known as "the city that died and came to life." In fact, the name "Smyrna" is the same word as myrrh in Greek. Remember, myrrh was given to Jesus at his birth and is used in his burial. This was common. So Jesus is using the language they used about their own city to talk about himself.
Smyrna was the center of the imperial cult in the Roman empire. In A.D. 26, the Smyrnans petitioned the emperor Tiberius to worship him and build a temple to his name. So they became rather prominent in emperor worship. This means suffering for those who reject it.
“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.
They have been suffering! This is a theme throughout all of Revelation! The Church will experience persecution! This is a part of what it means to follow Christ. I don't want to understate this. People think that if they just give Jesus their life, it will get better, and that's just not true. A lot of times, it gets harder. But we have a saying that is true: "Nothing worth doing is easy."
How are they rich? They are standing strong. Their reward is so secure it's like they already have it.
The Jew have made their case in Smyrna that Christians are not Jews and have won the legal battle. As a result, they are outcasts. They can't practice a trade (trade guilds), they can't make money.
Why are they not Jews? Who are the Jews? Look at what Paul says in Romans:
For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
Do you see how he's defining Jew? A Jew is someone who follows Israel's messiah. You cannot be a true Jew and reject the Messiah. Jesus made this point with the pharisees:
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”
“Our father is Abraham!” they declared.
“No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. No, you are imitating your real father.”
They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”
Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”
There is no ordained protection or blessing for Israel beyond that through their ethnicity, they brought about the Messiah. They are a mission field as much as (if not more so than) muslims, pagans, buddhists, and EVERYONE who rejects Christ.
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.
Do not be afraid is rendered by Greek grammatical structure as "stop being afraid." Suffering is part of the christian life.
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Chinese Christians: Do not pray for the suffering to be taken away, pray for a stronger back to bear the load.
Ten days comes from Dan. 1:12-14
“Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.
The question that always comes up is, "is this a LITERAL 10 days?" Most commentators say no. Many commentators suggest that John may not be referring to a necessarily short time, but that the emphasis is on its limitation. (kill the body and do no more). But in terms of eternity, it is incredibly short. This life is but a breath. A vapor. And any suffering we endure in this life will seem short compared to the eternity of being in Jesus' presence.
When faced with the imperial cult, you have one option only: die. When faced with the options of compromise and social acceptance or faithfulness to Jesus and ridicule, you choose ridicule.
Crown of Life: Athletic crown.
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
And the beautiful thing is that John's disciple in Smyrna, Polycarp took this message and ran with it. He was faithful until he died. They tried to get him to deny Christ, and he responds:
"Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?"
When they tell him they're going to burn him, and they go to bind his hands, he tells them they don't need to do it. That he would remain in the flame. And he does. And the flames would not consume him. So they had to stab him. And he received the crown of life.
Reminder about Q&A
“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.
He who has an ear... but also he who does not have an ear, let him not hear. Jesus told parables to reveal and conceal the kingdom. Don't forget that.
How does the church conquer/overcome?
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much
that they were afraid to die.
What is the second death?
“But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
If you're in Christ, you don't need to fear this because you aren't in danger of going there.
So Jesus message to the church today is ENDURE! Hold on. Sometimes it feels like all you can do. Sometimes we feel awash in a culture of insanity and violence. And Jesus says, "Stand fast! I love you! And I'm coming back for you. Hold on!"
Q&A
Q&A