Revelation 2:8-11

Mark Smith preaching from Revelation 2:8-11.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Our reading stays from Revelation chapter two, verse eight to eleven. It's on page one zero two nine. To the church in Simna and to the angel of the church in Simna, write the words of the first and the last who died and came to life. 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. 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. 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. And so reads God's word.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Please take a seat, everybody, and if I can invite you to turn up uh that reading from Revelation chapter 2, uh, the letter to the church in Smyrna. We're in a mini-series at the minute looking at each of uh these letters from uh the risen, alive Lord Jesus uh to his church, to various churches uh back in the day in uh modern-day Turkey, what was then known as Asia Minor. But it really in these seven churches gives us a rounded picture of what Jesus says to the church at all times and in all places and in and in every age, and so they remain relevant uh to each one of us. And uh this short little letter uh which contains no criticism, uh, it is Jesus loving on the church and encouraging them uh to persevere. Uh last week, as Ben prayed, uh we uh we picked the wrong Sunday for baptisms. Uh it should have been today, right? Uh, because last uh last Sunday the uh the rain was going horizontally into our faces while we were waiting all together as as five people uh stood in public profession uh with the risen Lord Jesus, identified uh themselves with him and their trust in him, testified to their faith in Jesus and brought friends and and family along, uh, some of whom uh are Christians, and many of whom who who uh didn't describe themselves uh as followers of the Lord Jesus, as indeed that might be you here this morning, in which case we're really glad that you've you've come. I do wonder in those moments that when we're all standing in the rain and the cold, getting into the sea, uh, what those who aren't followers of Jesus uh make of us. Uh Christians are inherently weird, you've got to make your peace with the weirdness. Uh, in some senses, we believe in a homeless guy that came back from the dead. There's a weirdness about that, and so you just gotta embrace it. Uh, but it is weird to go out into Bull Island in the rain and think, right, I'm going to uh, with all my clothes on, show that I identify with Jesus and to be baptized. I wonder to people ask, well, why are they why is my friend doing this? Why do they love this guy, Jesus, so much? If you think about it, it's actually not so strange a question. You could ask yourself, why do you love Jesus? Why do you identify with him? Why are you placing your your trust in him? What are your expectations of a life with him? Because a lot of us start with this assumption that if we become a follower of Jesus, we place our trust in him, then life would be better. Not perfect. Not without its hardships, but just a bit better. Just a bit easier. Maybe that's what we want in following Jesus, not a perfect life. But we make choices and decisions because they think that they might make our lives richer, fuller, better. And then suffering comes. Trial comes our way. Not minor inconveniences, but the kind of situation that begins to unsettle everything. We're under pressure, we've suffered loss, disappointment, there's doors closing, relationships straining, things are not turning out the way that we would have planned for. The way that we wanted. And suddenly those assumptions of why was I following Jesus maybe begin to be uh exposed. Questions bubble to the surface, like why is this happening to me? Have I done something wrong? Have I failed in some way? Is any of this actually worth it? Is God doing this to me to spite me or to punish me? Why is he doing this to me? And all of that begins to expose, well, why am I following Jesus? You can actually follow Jesus because you find him useful. You can follow Jesus because he's useful to follow in order to get the things that you actually want. And so you trust him as long as things are going well. But as soon as stuff starts to go wrong, you think, well, why am I following you? If you're just punishing me all the time, that's what it feels like. But the other way to follow Jesus is not because he's useful, but because you find him to be beautiful. Not just as a means to an end, as someone who's going to give you your heart's desire, but as someone who is worthy of your life in and of himself. And if suffering comes your way in that sort of context, and Jesus remains that beautiful thing to you, even though life is hard, that is what will cause you to endure. See, the Christians in Smyrna, they had nothing. Smyrna was a reasonably wealthy city, and they were poor. They were facing opposition, imprisonment, even death. And Jesus doesn't come to them in this letter and say, Don't worry, guys, I'm gonna stop it all. He isn't the useful solution to their problem. He says to them, No, you're gonna go through this, but hold on to me. I'm gonna give you reasons to hold on. I wonder whether you're a Christian or just exploring Christian faith, what do you hold on to when life's going wrong? What do you reach for? And is it a sure handhold or does it begin to shake? Where do you run when life isn't working the way it should? Because for the Christian, the reality is that Jesus doesn't always remove our suffering. Sometimes he leads us on a path through it. And in doing so, he gives us and these Christians in Smyrna something better, something more sure. As we sang about the sure and steady anchor. He gives us firm handholds to hold on to when everything else seems to be fading away. And the very first thing that he gives us and gives these Christians is not an explanation. Look at the very first verse, verse 8 of this letter. He begins by saying, These are the words of the first and last who died and who came back to life. Before he says anything about their suffering, he reminds them who he is. You see that? Because if you're going to endure suffering, and I don't know what season you're in right now, but I know that's all you have to do in order to suffer is just live long enough. Welcome to church. But if you're going to endure suffering as a Christian, the first thing that you need is not a change in your circumstances, but a right view of Jesus. And that is exactly what he gives them, and that is our first point. Our first point is hold on to who Jesus is. Now, imagine you get a you get a text from someone or an email from someone, you haven't heard from them for maybe for a little while, and uh they're just describing that they're going through it a bit. They've just broken up, work's not going well, fighting with their parents, the career that they hope for, it's not panning out the way that they they might have thought. Things are going wrong. And it's up to you to offer some comfort, some solace, some encouragement. What would you do? What would you say? I imagine that nobody here in this room would say, Well, the first thing that I would do is I would tell them about myself. Well, I, but that is exactly what Jesus does. And it's exactly what the Christians in Smyrna need to hear. Because these descriptions strengthen them in suffering. He describes himself firstly as the first and last. This is the language of power, of control, of divine sovereignty. Jesus is deliberately picking up language from the Old Testament, from the book of Isaiah, or Isaiah, if any American brothers and sisters are in. Isaiah 44, 6 says, Thus says the Lord God, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, right? So he's like, This is the king, this is the Lord of all. Lord of hosts means the God of armies. I'm going to speak to you. This is what he says. I am the first and the last. Besides me, there is no God. And Jesus says, That's me. I'm that guy. That is the kind of sovereignty I exercise over this world and over the circumstances of your life. He stands at the beginning of your story, he will be there at the end of your story, and he holds everything in between in his sovereign hands. Nothing in your life has slipped from his grasp. Smyrna prided itself on being the first city in Asia. That's what the uh uh the travelsmyrna.com website had on it. First city in Asia, come and see us. Jesus says, I'm the first, but I'm the last also. Don't pride yourself in your circumstances, don't pride yourself on your location, don't use that as your security. I'm the only sure foundation that you can build your life upon. And then he says, Not only am I the first and last, but I am the one who died and came to life again. The Lord of all time is also the Lord of every circumstance, every season that befalls you, seasons of gladness and seasons of grief. He is the one who has emerged victorious from the grave. He has defeated death by his resurrection. And so he says to these marginalized, anxious, suffering Christians, there is no road that you can tread that I have not already walked. Do not lose heart. Hold on to me. Imagine that you're hiking up a mountain and the fog rolls in, and it's impossible to know which way to turn, what way to go. What do you need in that moment? You don't need more strength. You need someone who knows the way. When the fog of suffering closes in and blinkers the view of your life and the circumstances around you, you don't just need to be stronger. Just have more faith. You need to hold on to the right thing. You need to hold on to the right person, to the person who died, who walked the path of suffering and death, and who's come through it to life. He sees you in that fog and says, grab a hold of my hand. I've been here before. He is the one who is both sovereign and alive. If Jesus is not in sovereign control, then your suffering feels random, purposeless. And if he is not alive, then your suffering could feel final. Like it's just gonna wipe you out. But if he is the one who is both sovereign and living, he is the one that you can hold on to even when you don't understand why he would lead you down the path that you are walking. Suffering makes us feel helpless. Jesus says, I'm right here. Hold on to me. Take my shoulder, I'll lead you through the fog. The other thing that suffering does is it makes us feel isolated, cut off from others and alone. And so, secondly, Jesus comes to these Christians and says, hold on. You are known. I see you. Verse 9. I know your tribulation, as your your affliction, I know your sufferings and your poverty, yet you are rich. Why does Jesus say this? He says it because Jesus knows what suffering does inside us. That even when we're surrounded by people, even if you're part of the church here, when suffering comes, you feel utterly alone. Nobody else sees this. Nobody really understands. I am carrying this on my own. And into that, Jesus comes and he says, I know. I know your tribulation, I know your affliction, I know your suffering, I see you. And say, Oh, I've heard about it. I'll look into it. Now he says, I know. I know. It's not just information, it's relational knowledge. Saying, I see you, I understand. I'm not distant from you in this. If you remember Jesus' life, you know that he himself was the one who was misunderstood, was rejected, was betrayed and falsely accused, who suffered great injustice. It is this one who says, I know, I see. And it's a tension here, isn't there, that Christ draws near and identifies with us in our suffering. He sees it and he knows it. But he doesn't immediately remove it. And certainly the reasons why Jesus allows suffering can be veiled from us for a very long time and painful to live in that uncertainty. But here's the thing to remember. That the absence of relief is not the absence of Christ. The absence of reasons is not the absence of Jesus. So can I encourage you, therefore, if you're in it right now, you know what I mean by that. Or if you remember what it's like to be in the fight. Can I encourage you not to interpret your present sufferings or circumstances as the measure of Christ's love for you or his nearness to you. Suffering makes us feel helpless, and Jesus reminds us that he is the one who has sovereign power. Suffering makes us feel alone, and Jesus says, I have come near to you. I see, I know, I understand. Suffering also distorts reality. It makes us feel as though we're we're losing, it makes us feel as though everything that we're striving for is pointless. It makes us feel as though our feet are slipping. Things are not as they seem, things are not the way that you would be tempted to interpret them. So that's our third point. Hold on, things are not as they seem. Now, on the one hand, Jesus says things are not as they seem. One of the things that he says in the letter to Smyrna is they're far worse. Great. Thanks, Jesus. Nailed it. He comes to them and he says, Well, you've been slandered, that is falsely accused, but just then you know that slander is going to turn into imprisonment, and that imprisonment is going to turn into death. And what's worse, the opposition, as we read in these verses, it isn't just physical. It isn't just that people have it in for them. He pulls the curtain back and he says, Satan's after you. That Satan is at work to slander and disrupt the lives of these Christians. The reference here to a synagogue of Satan isn't an expression of anti-Semitism, it's simply an explanation of where the suffering is coming from in that particular context. The opposition is coming from, and did a lot in the first century, from those who uh were Jewish. Because Christianity is arising from Judaism, and like Paul himself was a Pharisee and persecuted Christians before Jesus changed his life. And Jesus is saying that that opposition is not actually aligned with God, but is aligned with Satan. The same way that Jesus might turn to the Pharisees in John 8 and say, Your dad's the devil? You think it's Abraham? But actually, if you're opposing what God is doing in the world, your dad's the devil. Now, again, you're a Smyrning first century Christian and you're sitting down and you're thinking, gosh, I am just exhausted. You read this letter, and Jesus goes, Hey, do you know what it's going to get worse? And actually, Satan's got a target in your back. I imagine that one of the first things that you might ask yourself is, Why is any of that good? Why bring any of that up? Well, let me give you two reasons. The first reason is well, is it better to be comforted? By false platitudes, or prepared honestly, given a clear eye to what is is going on. Your false expectations and sentimental, I'm sure you'll be grand, thoughts and prayers don't actually make the suffering easier. Indeed, false expectations can make the suffering even more unbearable. Knowing what is to come can strengthen your legs to walk down that road. And the second reason, and I think this is maybe even more important. Jesus says, Satan's got it in for you. The devil's going to throw you in prison. Why is that good news? Here, listen. It's good because it reassures the Christian that the suffering that they are going through is not because of a failure in them. Indeed, it is because of their faithfulness that the enemy wants to take them out. Jesus says, when you're suffering, don't think that you've done something wrong. It can be a sign of your faithfulness. Remember somebody saying to me that the uh the flack is heaviest when you're over the target, right? But if you're over the target, that's when most people are going to want to take a shot at you. That's when the devil's going to want to take you out. So you see actually how Jesus' words, though they are stark, and you think, oh, can actually be an encouragement to us. Things are not as they seem, Jesus says. On the one hand, they're way worse than you thought. But he also gives them so many reasons why things are so much better than they appear. He says that they look poor, but actually they're rich. As I said, Smyrna was a wealthy city. But these Christians, these Christians were on the, they were on the breadline. They were being shut out of society, pushed to the margins, and Jesus says, You're actually rich. Suffering makes us focus on what we are losing. Jesus reminds them of what they have gained in him. Remember his words? To meek Christians? They have inherited the earth. He goes on to say that their suffering is limited. There's this reference in verse 10. You will be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. The devil will throw them in prison for ten days. What does ten mean in the context of Revelation? Ten just means a limited time. A time that will come to an end. That's the whole point. Seven is the number of completeness. Ten is the number of limited, limited power, limited time. So when you read on the book of Revelation, they have ten horns and ten heads and things like that. Limited power. It'll not be forever. When you are in suffering, you think, well, this is never going to end. Jesus comes and says, I'm here to tell you that Satan and sin do not have free reign on your life forever. It will not always be like this. This too shall pass. Satan and sin are like dogs on a leash. And Jesus says, I hold a leash. Yes, your suffering is real, but it is not unbounded. So hold on. When suffering comes, everything in you will want to try and convince you that you're a failure. You're losing. But this will never end. Jesus says, yes, this may get harder. But you have so much. If you hold on to me, and it is limited, it will not always be this way. And if that's true, if you see now that your suffering is not the full story, then the most important thing is not what is happening to you now, but what is waiting for you at the end. And Jesus says, what is waiting for you at the end is glorious. He says, hold on, something better is coming. A crown, in fact. A life that cannot be taken away from you. A future where suffering will not get the final word. This is our final point. Point number four. Hold on. The crime is coming. He says, be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crime of life. To the one who conquers, he will not be hurt by the second death. It's not a comfortable sentence to read, be faithful even unto death. Jesus is not saying, hold on, it'll all work out in this life. He's saying, hold on. Even if it costs you everything. And that raises the question, well, why would you do that? Why would you hold on? Even if the road leads through suffering, even if the road leads through death? What would cause you to persevere down such a road? Jesus' answer is that something greater is coming to you. Something that is far more precious than anything you could ever lose in this life. He says, I will give you the crown of life. The crown here is a description of the laurel wreath, the kind of the the ring of flowers that was uh put on someone's head. When they'd won, when they'd won the wrist at the games, when they had emerged victorious from battle, and Jesus is saying, I have that crime, and I'm holding it for you, and when you come to me, I am going to place it on your head because you have been victorious. You have persevered to the end, and you will be honored with the crime of life. This is not just a call to surviving. This is an invitation to victory. It's a vindication. A day will come when every loss will be restored, every injustice will be set right, every tear will be wiped away. There'll be no more death, no more fear, no more slander, no more pain. Only life. Only joy. Only the victor's crying. Jesus says something perhaps even more striking to the one who conquers, will not be hurt by the second death. The Bible only ever speaks of two deaths. First death is your physical death. And you close your eyes on this world and breathe your last. But it speaks also of a second death, a final separation from God, a removal from his life-giving, joy-giving presence. Jesus says there is something worse than your physical death. And as a believer, you may have to face it, but you will never be touched by the second. A generation after John wrote his apocalypse, the book of Revelation, there is a man who became a leader in the Church of Smyrna. We know about him, we know his story. His name was Polycarp. He was a disciple of John's, and he became the bishop of Smyrna. And during his time caring for the church in Smyrna, there arose a great persecution. And he was an old man, 86 years old, and they beat him and told him that he needed to offer incense to the emperor. And he turned to his persecutors and said, eighty long years I have served him who saved my soul. How can I now blaspheme my king whom I love? And they said, well, we're going to put you to the stake. He said, I do not fear a fire that burns for an hour and then is quenched. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. God is not mainly in the business of sparing you from the first death. But he is utterly devoted to rescuing you from the second. Do you understand that? God is not primarily interested in rescuing you from the first death. But he is unwaveringly resolved to saving you from the second. That is why the Lord Jesus came. That is why he is the one who died and came back to life. So that you may never taste the death that finally separates you from the God who loves you. The fire may burn for a moment, but the crown that lasts forever. So why hold on? Because what's coming is real. And it is better than anything you could lose in this life. When suffering comes your way, everything in you will say that you are losing, that you are alone, that life is out of control, and that this is the end. But Jesus says. That whatever may come our way in this world, that it might not have the final word, that it might not be the end of us, that it would only usher us into a more closer union with you. Thank you that you see each one of us in all of the paths that you walk us down, that you see and know the people that we have cried out to you for in the silence of our own hearts, and we commend ourselves and them to you. We ask, yes, for relief. But more so for the knowledge of your nearness. And for the strength that only your spirit can give to persevere holding on to you, the one who will give us in the end the crown of life. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 37:23

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