Revelation 2:8-11, Crushed in Smyrna

Turn with me in your Bibles, please to Revelation chapter 2 Revelation chapter 2 verses 8 to 11 hear the word of the

Lord and To the angel of the church in Smyrna 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 fateful 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

May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word a couple of weeks ago

I told you how I had a little experience as a journalist in Singapore I once interviewed a fairly well -known

American Christian teacher who travels around and does seminars and mostly for youth

I'll call him. I don't I won't give you his name, but he was missed. I'll call him Mr Basic youth conflicts now as seminars teach youth and really adults at to what he believes are the basic principles for living

You know secrets to some sick for success and from Scripture supposedly how to take those principles and apply them to problems adjust your life and Of course live better now, he would certainly consider himself a

Bible believing Christian conservative kind of Christian He believes in biblical principles at least that's what he said says

That's what he's teaching. I had the privilege of interviewing him and in the course of the interview he asked for a copy of the magazine that I was working for and he opened it up and you know and Flipped through and he noticed one brief one -page article unattributed didn't say who was by Which was very critical this article was in a sarcastic kind of way

Mocking a popular show on television at the time anybody remember Beverly Hills 9 1 2 1 0

Now basically the article made fun of the silly show and attacked the immorality that was propagated in that show

But mr. Basic youth conflicts saw this and quickly commented that that article was it right?

It was better. He said to focus on positive things don't denounce sin promote virtue

Essentially pretend that evil doesn't exist and try to replace it with good Uplifting thoughts and I just kind of smiled as he said all this

Since I was the author of the article that he was criticizing now for him and those who are like him you attain spiritual maturity and other success by the application of a

Basic life principles. You don't have to root out evil. You only cultivate good

Try that with your garden by the way, only fertilizer no weed killer see what happens now They may never say it but with the implication is is that it's growth we need not conversion

Which implies that what we already have a little bit of what what's necessary. We just got to cultivate that right make it grow

It's growth not conversion, even though he considered himself a conservative evangelical Christian. He doesn't mention that I could tell the need for conversion just basic life

Principles I Wasn't at all surprised when the news broke earlier this year that mr basic youth conflicts had to resign from his position because of accusations of sexual harassment and molestation as Paul says in Colossians legalism what we call legalism, but they you know basic principles do this don't do that He says those things aren't capable of restraining the flesh now.

They can hide it for a while Sure, you can put a veneer over the flesh for a while But they don't deal with a problem because the problem with people isn't that they lack principles on how to live

That is one of the greatest lies really that that's why people need they need Principles they need teaching they need cultivation.

They need instruction. That is one of the greatest lies of the devil What are the greatest enemies of the gospel that all we need are these prints?

Principles he's help adjusting the secrets to living that temptation in Chinese culture has given us

Confucianism Confucianism is not really a religion that someone is converted to Confucianism Confucius himself really taught basic life principles and he taught about 2 ,500 years before mr.

Basic youth conflict started doing it. I was sure there are a lot of great Principles in Confucius.

I read Confucius as an Alex and did not find one thing I disagree with in the whole book

Confucianism is all about wisdom to be a success, but it's not enough

Because again the problem with people isn't that they lack basic principles of how to live

It's that they lack life. I In churches

You know after all They're not all sunshine and roses There are clouds and there are thorns in them even here in this letter to Smyrna Which is one of only two letters of the seven only two to have no criticism at all for the church

But even here it certainly doesn't deny the reality of evil In fact is the evil outside the church in Smyrna that kept by God's grace

Evil from growing inside the church Now the Lord Jesus here introduces himself to them as the first and the last

Echoing what he said to John in chapter 1. I remember that we said I'm the first of the last

Alpha and the Omega we said do not be afraid Before we were born. He was the

Alpha and after we have died He will be the Omega they they will need to know this these Christians of Smyrna because this is not a fairy tale life

They're living in Smyrna kind of fat and happy, you know smooth sailing Everything is just going humming along The reality of evil there was something that could not be ignored like many preachers today are told, you know

Don't preach against sin. Don't mention the cults. Don't mention immorality. Don't denounce it

You might make people feel bad Don't even just you know Don't mention evil at all be positive and uplifting tell them that they can have your their best life now

If only they accept basic life principles now for these Christians in Smyrna evil was all around them prowling ready to pounce and some of them will be killed as Was the one?

Who sent them this letter? He describes himself as the one who died and came to life

Now the Greek verb tense is there literally say who became dead and lived

Death was for him a passing phase for most of us. We think the other way around He lived and he became dead for Jesus he became dead and then he lived

Christ became dead. It was an episode. He went through and then he lived Christians need to know that Because as much as we might want to deny it to ignore it to escape from that reality if Christ has not returned

We will go through that phase too we will die and Come to life again.

I Like in time stuff Because they think in it they can get a promise their dreams will be fulfilled

They'll get to continue to live oblivious to the world around them ignore the evil all around us because after all it's gonna burn up Pretty soon after I'm beamed out, right?

You know, so we don't have to we can pretend the evil doesn't exist One day we're gonna escape from it all free of suffering free of tribulation

But Christ speaks to us here Not as the one who

Pretended brutal realities away who escaped from it just before they were about to come on him

But as the one who went through them and that's good to know Because we'll go through them too

The Christians of Smyrna couldn't pretend evil away they lived in a prosperous important city

Smyrna had been a longtime loyal ally of Rome They were the first city to set up a temple to the goddess

Roma that's Rome itself portrayed as a as a goddess and Rome honored them for their support for their patriotism when cities were competing for the privilege

Which will be able to you know, get a license get permission to build the temple to the Emperor Tiberius Kind of like today countries compete for you know, the honor of hosting the

Olympics. Well Rome gave it to Smyrna so to be a patriotic citizen of Smyrna was to be a supporter of Rome to declare that Caesar is

Lord and to burn incense to his genius that The Christians couldn't just pretend was it there?

They had to face it and they had to face the pressure to conform pressure that became so great admit loss of jobs loss of business loss of money of freedom sometimes for some of their lives

One of the great early churches great martyrs was the leader of the church at Smyrna man by the name of Polycarp Now the pagans interpreted their refusal to worship the

Roman gods as it's not just a weird religion But as unpatriotic

You know, perhaps even treasonous maybe they're for our enemies Why are they tearing apart our society by refusing to take part in what you know, what to them is a wholesome

It's a seller wholesome celebration of what has made Smyrna our great glorious city and Rome this great

Empire Great, why won't they why don't they love it? To make life even harder.

Not only were they suspected by the pagans. They were reviled by the synagogues Many of them had come out of or were expelled from now in that society there were either pagans or there were

Jews and The Jews were the only people who were legally allowed not to worship the pagan gods who did not have to burn incense to Caesar But this

Christians were neither they had been thrown out of the synagogues if they were Jews And so they weren't used legally, even though they shared so much with the synagogues

They shared the same Old Testament the same morality the same God to them though to the Jews they were considered heretics

They were scoffed at and scored the Lord Jesus sees that in verse 9 and says

I know I know your affliction the word of affliction or Tribulation there is a very strong got a picturesque word.

It means a crushing Beneath a weight put something in them, you know, what they call a pestle that the hard thing and then get a mortar

Crush it down to powder So Lord Jesus is saying I Know you're being crushed beneath the weight.

You're being squeezed. You're being pressed hard on I know how hard it is. I Too was crushed.

I went through that So However deep our sorrow our great our suffering he knows and cares

He knows to he says their poverty there's three things he says he knows their tribulation the second their poverty

He knows the things that they lack because they believe in him Okay And the poverty comes as a result of their faith in Jesus It wasn't just that they attracted poor people into the church and they kind of stayed poor

But they they were made poor or kept poor because they believed in Jesus.

And so he says he knows their hunger pangs He knows their ramshackle houses.

He knows their raggedy clothes He knows every need they suffered and they've suffered real tangible needs

Because they loved him And he knows Their poverty came as if it just came directly

From their faith in Jesus as people who would not bow the knee to Caesar They were ostracized few people would do business with them or employ them so if you had a

Chinese restaurant or a Amish store in Smyrna and someone came in and saw hey these people they don't have a they don't have an idol to Rome Where's the idol to Roma or to Tiberius or to any of our other

God? I'm taking my business elsewhere Sometimes runaway mobs angry with the

Christians for being unpatriotic would loot their property three weeks ago in Hebrews It's Joe told us we saw

Christians joyfully accepting the confiscation of their goods now Why would they joyfully accept such a thing because they didn't believe it was evil

Kind of just denying us. This is an all -in illusion. No because they pretended it wasn't happening No, but as it says in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 34 because you knew that you had better and lasting

Possessions the Lord Jesus here. He knows their poverty It's real poverty

They've experienced it because they believe in Jesus and so they had to live in the worst neighborhoods

They live in shacks. They had to eat, you know lower quality food. They had to go to McDonald's They couldn't afford the nice places

They'd wear simple clothes Some of them lost fine things They lost their luxuries, you know

Grandmoms antiques were dragged away by the pagan moms because they were Christians because they would not renounce

Christ they had to suffer that poverty and their see their children raised in it day after day and Jesus knows

But he also knows Something else about them He knows they're rich Unlike some of the other churches and in these seven, you know, some will say they're alive

We are wealthy we can afford a big building and all this and that but he says you're you think you're alive

You're dead. You think you're rich you're poor the Christians of Smyrna on the other hand Sure, they are poor as far as how much they could write a check for That's the real -life price that they have paid to follow

Christ and the result You know, they're rich they have as Hebrew says better and lasting possessions

Because with everything taken from them the only thing they had was

Jesus and That made them rich Jesus knows that they are rich and because they were materially poor and pressed

No one looked on them as successful. You know one looked at the Smyrna Church That I mean that their religion has really made them successful and powerful and wealthy

It has given them basic life principles that have put them on top of society No one looked at the church of Smyrna and thought like that.

So they didn't attract those who are merely attracted to success They didn't have members sort of with mixed motives, you know want to be where the crowds flock

Maybe make contacts for business, you know, I can hobnob with him and share, you know, give my phone number

Give me a call. I can give me assurance you need assurance, you know vote for me

I'm like that. There was no one in Smyrna the Smyrna Church like that The world around them had made sure of that.

They had made the Christians there suffer and They had made it very costly

To love Jesus it meant at least poverty, but those who are willing to pay the price

Jesus says are rich He knows not only their crushing and their poverty, but he also knows their their slander

Not the slander they're saying slander said about them. I Believe that we're entering a time if we're not already here when to be a

Christian is not only to be seen as something Of a kind of fanatic kind of weird but also to be as dangerous to society and their day the

Christians of Smyrna were slandered as disloyal misfits who would not conform as Slandered as unpatriotic as divisive tearing apart society sometimes families one family member might become a

Christian but the others aren't and so they have to their strife in the family that the one that's converted won't honor the

Roma and Tiberius and all these other things that they're tearing apart. There's arguments There's all because of these

Christians there and so they slander them. They're divisive All because they're saying that they had the only way to salvation

Now in our day it would it could soon be that to be a Christian didn't say the same Say the things that the

Bible says about some sin some sexual perversions will mean that we are slandered as you know

The spreading hate speech you're a hater We are and will increasingly be slandered as backwards people.

We hate homosexuals. We are intolerant We oppress our women and we repress our children with our primitive beliefs

And so we send our kids to college and the colleges we help fund with our tax money and they will be here a slander there

By professors who we help pay their salary with their tax money now if they are if the children are not well grounded in the faith they will be crushed by the world and believe the slander

But we must love the approval of God more than the smiles of our neighbor and That begins with us remaining here in church a place where the

Word of God is Proclaimed unashamedly no matter how much we're slandered for it now many churches members don't want to be squeezed by the frowns of the world around them

You they say that there they do that there what so We have to ask them though, but you know if you're not gonna stand up now

You know when the pressure is so slight When it's just frowns and maybe it's some few insults you have to put up with What will you do when it really begins to crush you?

Jesus knows to Those who are truly his people the Christians of Smyrna not only face crushing and plundering from pagans

But also the slander not just slander slander generally but he says specifically the slander of those who claimed that they were

God's people and But the Lord Jesus here says that they are not God's people notice that there

They claim they are Jews Jews or God's we're supposed to be God's people But he says they're not really they're a they're a synagogue a gathering an assembly of Satan They're Satan's people.

That's who they are. Of course not because of their ethnic group I'm not at all suggesting the Jews are

Satan's people that you know, not any more than any other people are It's not because of their ethnic group or anything like that But because of their actions

Despite the fact that they had the Word of God and should have known better. They slandered the people of God Now first we need to see two things

About this. It's a key. We need to see one thing. I guess it's a key. It's really a lost key I think to interpreting understanding what the

Bible says about the last days and that is who are The Israel of God Who's the

Israel that God is concerned with a lot of people when they talk about the last days look intently at all the news coming out of the

Middle East think it's got to do with that nation of Israel because There are the people of God really is that what?

Paul used to the phrase Israel of God in Galatians chapter 6 verse 16. Who are they? Well, the people of God have never been and certainly are not now in the new covenant

Those who simply are born into a family are born into a nation We saw in Joshua that Rahab even in Joshua of all places

We're the when Israel conquers the land of Canaan very Rahab the

Canaanite the Gibeonites this whole Canaanite city they were

They became the people of God we see in Romans 2 that it is those who believe

Who are God's people and we see the same here Jesus knows those who are his that's why as much as we want our children

We should want our children to be Christians We cannot assume that they are simply because they are born into Christian families have been in church every

Sunday being one of God's people is not something that you kind of adjust yourself to as you

Adopt the right principles You know, you're born into it is there and you can cultivate it

It's not like that. It comes as you are crushed by the convicting power of the spirit and you realize that you need not

Mere principles for living because you are dead in your trespasses. You need life

You must be born again and you get that life through faith and Faith that makes you faithful Even through crushing through poverty through public ridicule

It's that faith not your ethnic group not your family that marks you as one of God's people

Now the Lord Jesus first tells that he knows He knows they're crushing their poverty the slander.

They've suffered and then he tells them Do not fear That's the second time in this book.

We've heard that in it In chapter 1 to John do not fear here the Christians of Smyrna don't fear even though After the crushing and through the poverty and despite all the slander they have to live with they will have to suffer yet more

The devil he warns them is about to throw some of them into prison We need to be careful here because we think we know what he means by prison.

We hear prison Maybe we think like that place on County Home Road You know, we people go sent for a while We're detained teach them not to commit crimes again or to prevent them from doing so for a little while But that's really not what a prison was for at this time in the first century

They did not keep people in prison to punish them. They kept people in prison to decide whether and how

They were to be punished. Maybe the executioner is away on vacation. They got to wait for him to come back, you know

So they keep them in prison till then as one scholar wrote people were only prisoners until they were let out to die

So when you're told you're gonna you're gonna be in prison You probably don't like the way that's gonna end

Jesus says the devil is going to be going the devil is going to do it that you may be tested

Now we could think Please How haven't they been tested enough already they've been crushed they've been impoverished they've been outcasts they're being insulted all the time

To have their possessions dragged away. They're commonly, you know called traitors and all kinds of Slander, is it that enough?

Enough testing about enough But when we think that way the way they're so natural for us

So, you know, I'm so absorbed to the world so attached to our culture and our things even our life We really aren't thinking right

We're thinking if we only can adjust ourselves to this life learn the principles Help make us a success.

So we come to church for isn't it learn how we can over how we can avoid these problems Live happily here and now and hope

God will take care of the hereafter Notice that he says two things first the devil Will throw some of them into prison

So the devil is allowed to do some things here and secondly, they are to be tested

We see this in Job the devil brings about some evil act and they're not to pretend It's not it's not evil and and ignore it.

That would sound like Job's friends, wouldn't it? God may have to keep bringing trials till he finally get your attention

You're gonna ignore him all the time. But even when is it even when it is an act of the devil

God uses it to test our adversary temps in order to destroy

The our father tests in order to refine And so looking at this evil

Acknowledging that the crushing the poverty the slander and the prison were real We still say with Paul in Philippians chapter 1 verse 29 for it has been granted to you

What a gift a gift is being given to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him

That's a great gift, isn't it? But also to suffer for him. Hmm. I want to give that gift back

So many Christians today believe that faith is something they conjure up by themselves and suffering is something there to avoid at all costs

But that's what church is for Christianity is for to get us out of suffering here. We see that both are a gift

It's been granted to believe and to suffer Well, but it's only ten days right, you know, it's not thrown into prison for ten days

I can last in days All right Probably like most numbers in Revelation. This is symbolic probably for a short

Completed period of time for ten days for a short time. They still will have and there's that word again tribulation

Crushing for ten days. You'll be squeezed under a weight That's been granted to you would you like that gift

So it's a short time, but then they get out of prison right short time. We're out. We're free Well sort of Remember what we said prison is for in those days.

They'll have tribulation. It's only a short time. Don't worry soon You'll be free of it because they'll cut your head off They get the first death now, we're really getting down to what our modern, you know, basic principles

Religion that thinks this is all about success We're getting down to what that kind of religion will scream and object and run away from Jesus is here saying

I know all your suffering. Don't be afraid You'll be squeezed for a short time

Then you're free because they'll kill you and That's a promise and with that be faithful stand up strong.

Don't be afraid. He'll squeeze you But don't be crushed. They've already impoverished you

But you're rich They've slandered you but I say you're just They'll kill you

But I'll make you alive so the Christians of Smyrna They loved him for the strength that he gave them while being squeezed the riches

He gave them while being looted the favor. He gave them while being slandered and now the life he will give them

While being killed Well, the city of Smyrna was known for its athletic games and the athlete who persevered and won the race was given a crown

Victor's crown like we might give a trophy today or metal Here the race set before them is to persevere

Through suffering to keep going through the hours of agonizing death or the searing pain of being burned alive

Maybe the torture they put you through You know sacrifice that incense to Caesar or or else

Whatever they would do the mauling of being fed to lions Perhaps just the years of living poor and the brunt of jokes and of you know

People insulting you because of Christ keep going like Jesus who passed through death and came out alive

Christians Here are not told to ignore the evil Wish it away.

Pretend. It's not there but to go through it and come out with a crown a victor's crown

Those Jesus says will not be hurt by the second death. Oh, yes, they'll be hurt by the first death

He tells them to be faithful through that first death overcome their fear overcome the temptation to compromise

To be crushed by the squeezing be fateful through death death after all still has a sting but then it's over It's only a short sting and like a nurse giving you a shot.

It's a sting a little It's over And they'll have nothing else to fear They'll be free

Not because they adjusted themselves to being happier or healthier or wish their problems away or pretended their poverty and their pain and the death

But because they went through them because they were first crushed by the convicting power of the

Spirit and they were born again Because they had treasure in heaven they knew they had better and lasting possessions and they kept their eye on that because God will do in their bodies what he had

Already done in their spirits convert them from death to life That's what the

Spirit is saying to Smyrna and what he's saying to us to you right now be fateful through suffering and disappointment heartache

When others around you aren't faithful the loss of wealth loss of things loss of opportunities loss of relationships

Despite the pressure of the world that wants to squeeze you into its mold or else crush you

Keep going keep going all the way through death until like Jesus You come out the other end alive again

And that Will be your crown of life you will then be an overcomer having conquered the loss of the things that so tied you to this world and You'll have a crown a victor's crown

You know, there's a danger to growing up in church as a Christian You imagine all the world is like this people are good to you because people are good

You've been given so many positive things and come on. I Mean which of us has really had to suffer for Jesus The government has it hurt you for being a

Christian yet If you're deep enough into the church culture You almost think you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by being a

Christian or at least saying you are it's convenient to be a Christian You're raised with the assumption that being a

Christian is something you you know Kind of born into you can adjust to just one principle at a time

You get baptized when he suggested it to you that it's time to do so, you know how to speak the language

You know how to look good Because that's how you were raised. There's a danger to all this

Because many of those raised like that Will fall away Like one young adult.

I know who used to go to church every time the doors were open and now doesn't Couldn't couldn't quite remember when she was baptized

She was she knows but don't remember Didn't say anything about conversion and was surprised that the pastor of the church

She attended as a child wouldn't perform the wedding for her and her live -in boyfriend But it's just as bad friends for those who kind of coast along No There's they're still going to church decades later

Solid reliable church attender just listening for every sermon for those basic life principles that will help them

To be a success still in church Just not crushed by the burden of your sins not converted and without conversion

You won't be faithful When the pressure is on and Jesus knows

Who you are? Jesus knows how many of us would would last

Should we find ourselves in? Smyrna You know being threatened impoverished and slandered

Like getting wine from grapes We have to be crushed suffering

Purifies the church it keeps out those with mixed motives, you know those who are just going along This is the place to go.

It's the place to hobnob. My family goes Mama will like me if I go she'll approve might be even be good for business

You know hand out some business cards make some contacts after all anyway, that's the way we're raised and You know if I ever thought about it

Maybe I don't even remember why I come to church other than we I guess it's good for me when such people are faced with the stark choice of Christ and poverty and suffering all bound up together on the one hand or acceptance and popularity and Prosperity on the other when they have to make that choice then

The church will be purified Because some will leave Suffering will purify the church as people looking for for principles of success will find themselves being crushed and they'll leave only those who know

They're sick with sin Who have been crushed by the conviction?

Of their sins by the Spirit who know that they need not just principles for life

But that they need life itself and only Jesus has that life who believe in better and lasting possessions only those will be left and Jesus knows

Who they are as we go through these seven letters and think which applies to us to this church to you individually

We should face the fact that We've never yet been purified like this by suffering we've never been crushed

Like the Christians of Smyrna We're asked to come a few times a week We're asked to give to serve and we're told you know to seek

God personally in your in your prayers at home Read your Bible that he needs to be the most important thing in your life.

There were to be separate from the world To think differently to value differently there were not to be

Unequally yoked with unbelievers, but those who deny either in their doctrine are in their life that Jesus is

Lord. Now, do we do that? Are we able to suffer, you know those slight?

losses Or are we willing to be squeezed by God if not

Would we really be able to stand? Up under what these Christians of Smyrna are to withstand the crushing the people of Smyrna Withstood do our lives are our giving of our time and our money really show that we believe

We have better and lasting possessions Does it? Or are we only

Christians of convenience Friends look at your life now examine yourself and ask

You know ask yourself if I were in Smyrna Were to be a

Christian meant to be crushed to be poor to be slandered to be killed