It has been said that there have been more Christian martyrs in recent years than there were during the time of the Caesars. According to a study done by Regent University, in 1999, nearly 164’000 Christians worldwide were martyred for their faith, and in 2000 that number was closer to 165’000. With each passing year, the number of Christians who will face death for their beliefs increases. It has been estimated that since AD 70, there have been over 70 million Christians put to death for refusing to renounce their beliefs. This means that on average, just over 36 thousand have been killed each year for their faith.
In light of these statistics, I must ask myself, “What gave those men and women the courage to stand firm in their belief, even in the face of death?” And that question, of course, begs the other: “Do I have what it takes to face death and stay true to my convictions?”
We’re going to answer these questions this morning, as we make the second stop on our journey through the seven churches of Revelation. So turn with me in your Bibles please, as we take a look at the letter to the church of Smyrna, found in the book of Revelation, chapter 2, and starting at verse 8 (read vv 8-11)….
As we can see, the main theme of this letter is – what? – persecution, trial, and tribulation. Notice the very first thing Jesus says to this church: “I know your tribulation.” Other versions use the word “sufferings”, “afflictions”, or “troubles”. Now, when we in the Western world think of persecution, we think of being fired from our jobs for refusing to work on the Sabbath, or being ridiculed for our belief in Jesus. In this sense, I’m sure every one of us has gone through some kind of trouble for being a Christian. But what the church in Smyrna faced was much more severe. You see, the Greek word for tribulation used here is thlipsis, and in a literal sense it means “to crush” or “to apply heavy pressure.” In everyday terms, this was the word used when speaking of the wine and olive presses – the fruits would be put in the presses to be crushed until all of their juices flowed out. Another way this term was used was to describe a form of torture whereby a person was slowly crushed under a giant boulder. And so the church of Smyrna was facing more than mere setbacks in spreading the gospel, more than an interruption in their daily routine – what they faced was determined and brutal opposition, physical torture, and painful death.
Smyrna was a city loyal to the Roman Empire. It was at Smyrna that the first Roman temple was built in honour of Tiberius, and it was Smyrna that first accepted the principle of Caesar worship. Each year throughout the Empire every Roman citizen had to burn incense on the altar to the godhead of Caesar and say, "Caesar is Lord." Because the Christians at Smyrna refuse to participate in this act, they suffered tremendous persecution.
We see also that the persecution was not limited to the physical afflictions suffered by the believers. The letter to Smyrna also indicates that they were a poor church. Again, this word needs to be clarified, for we are not speaking of people who had to work two jobs to make ends meet. There are two Greek words that can be used for poor. One word means needy. Today we might describe it as living hand-to-mouth – getting by, but just barely. But it’s a different word used here in the Greek to describe the church at Smyrna – a word which means to be in the worst possible state of poverty imaginable. This is a church that has had all of their material possessions stripped away throughout the course of their persecution. History also tells us that under the rule of the Caesars, those labelled as Christians were ostracised in their communities; that by law, it was forbidden to buy from them, and it was equally forbidden to sell anything to them. And so we find a church that is being beaten fiercely on all sides, and is at the point of absolute destitution.
Do you understand this imagery of being crushed yet? Is it making sense to you just how severe the persecutions are against this church?
Now, as if the crushing physical and financial blows against this church aren’t enough, we are also told in the last part of verse 9 of Revelation 2, that the church also has “the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews” to deal with. There were in Smyrna those who professed to be faithful to the true God – those who even professed to be followers of Christ, and perhaps associated with the church. They attended the meetings, they said all the right words, they knew all the right answers. But we read that while they professed to be followers of God, they were actually – what? – agents of Satan. Friends, the greatest threat to the church of God is those who are in it.; those whose names are on the books, who attend church regularly, who may even hold church office, but are actually working as enemy agents. They subvert the work of God, they divide the people of God against each other, and they bring hindrance to the work of His church. And how do they do this? Through blasphemy.
The word “Blasphemy” in the Greek is here referring to slanderous and profane accusations. Remember, the name Satan means “accuser”, and so those who are working for him are bringing accusation against God’s people. What is happening here, literally, is that the very name of Christianity was being slandered. The beliefs and practices of the church were being taken and twisted, distorted and misrepresented so as to perpetuate the intense hatred against the church.
William Barclay lists 6 points on which early Christians were slandered.
The practice of the Lord’s Supper, with its language about the body and blood of the Lord, was distorted so that the Christians were depicted as vicious cannibals.
The great emphasis on love was turned into the slander that the Christians were given over to lust, immorality, and incest.
When a person became a Christian and had to make hard choices about existing family relationships where paganism held sway, Christians were repeatedly accused of breaking up homes.
With the emphasis on one God in a polytheistic culture, Christians were often slandered as atheists for refusing to accept the Roman gods.
Since Christians accept only Jesus as Lord, they could not call Caesar lord, and were therefore subject to allegations of political disloyalty.
And it was Nero Caesar who fabricated the slanderous lie that it was the Christians who had instigated the rioting that resulted in the burning of Rome.
Crushing opposition, economic disparity and abject poverty, ostracism and slander; and on top of this, we read in Revelation 2:10 that there were to be imprisonments. These were the daily experiences of the church in Smyrna. These are the daily experiences of many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. And yet, they persevere. Why? How? What gives them the courage to carry on?
As I read about the experience of the church of Smyrna, I must question my own stand. I must wonder, were I in a situation like those in Smyrna, if I would stay true, of if I would succumb to the pressures surrounding me. How about you? What would you do if as you left this building, people were outside waiting to beat you with clubs? What would you do if you arrived at work only to be told you were fired, that your house was being repossessed, and that all that you worked for in this life was being confiscated? What would you do if the very person sitting in the pew next to you went to the police and laid slanderous charges against you? Or worse still, what if they began to malign your character through malicious gossip among the other church members? What would you do?
Friends, we must ask ourselves these questions – we must be certain that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is capable of withstanding the fierce and crushing blows of this life. True, they may never come to these extremes, but the enemy of souls has a thousand ways to crush the spirit of the believer. The church at Smyrna knew it – they experienced it first-hand –and yet they were victorious. Do you want to be a victorious Christian today, church? I know I do. And we can leave here this morning with the tools to gain the victory over whatever this life throws at us. Do you want them?
Let’s take a look at what the church of Smyrna possessed, which made them the victorious church that they were. As we study this letter, we find that there were three promises given to the church by God, which guaranteed her victory. And these same three promises given by God to the church then, He gives to us now. The same victory promised then is ours for the taking today.
The first promise we’ll look at is found in verse 9. Notice what God says of this church: You are poor, but – what? – but you are rich! The implication is obvious – that this church is rich in grace and truth; but I believe it goes even deeper than that. You see, I believe that the church in Smyrna could deal with the complete depravation they were in, because they knew that their God would see them through.
I’m going to take a moment here and interject a thought on financial stewardship. So often, I hear people telling me they can’t afford to tithe, that they can’t afford to give to the church, because they just don’t have enough money. They’re afraid that if they give God ten percent of their income, they won’t have enough to live off of. The question I have for you is, Who is your god? In which god do you put your trust? Because you see, what we are saying when we withhold our tithes, is that we believe the money will take care of us better than God can. When we fail to return to God what is rightfully His, we are saying that we don’t trust Him as much as we do our money to provide the necessities of this life.
Now let me ask you another question: which God is never going to let you down? Which God can never be taken away? Friends, we are told that the church of Smyrna was in the absolute worst financial situation any church could be found in – and yet they were rich. They were rich in the knowledge of God’s promises to provide. Let’s look at a couple of promises the church in Smyrna held on to in their impoverished state. First, let’s go to Psalms chapter 37, and verse 25…. In all his years, the psalmist says, he had never once seen God’s followers lack in anything they needed. Do you believe it’s true? IT IS! God is in the business of providing for His followers! Let’s look at another promise, this time in the book of Philippians, chapter 4 and verse 19…. How much does this promise tell us God will supply? We are promised that our God will supply all of our needs – every last one of them. Now He may not always supply all our wants, and He may not always give us more than we need; but we can rest assured that there is nothing in this life, no matter how destitute the situation seems, that God cannot provide to His children. You think gold and silver will take care of you in this life? Friends, my Bible tells me that where God lives, silver and gold are used to pave the streets! Now let me ask, are we going to out our trust in Almighty God, or in a hunk of heavenly asphalt? The Word of God promises that God owns all the silver and gold in the world – He created it! And if we want to have victory in our lives, then we’ve got to realise that God is so much greater than anything He has created. Do you believe it this morning? Good, now do something about it!
The church in Smyrna was rich – they had the grace of God, and the assurance of His provision for their every need. The second promise the church had is found in verse 10, and it has two parts. The first part of the promise is found in the first two or three words of the verse, depending on your Bible translation. What are they? “Fear not”; “do not fear”; “be not afraid”; the Weymouth translation uses the words, “dismiss your fears”. Now, why is this statement considered a promise? Friends, this statement is a promise because of the One who is making it. This isn’t some human being reaching out to the church with a pat on the back and saying, “don’t be afraid”; no, this is the God of the universe making this statement, and because of that, this statement has a power that will carry us through any hardship if we will only believe it. It’s a promise that was first made in the book of Isaiah, chapter 43, starting at verse 1. Read with me there please (read vv 1-3a)….
Why don’t we have to be afraid? We don’t have to be afraid, because we can be sure that the God of Israel is with us every step of the way. We are reminded of the promise found in the 23rd Psalm: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” If you have Jesus by your side this morning, friends, you can be sure that no matter what you face, you won’t face it alone.
I remember once, a time when I was really worried about something. There was a trial I was facing, and I wasn’t sure what to do or how I was going to get through it. I called a dear friend of mine, my mentor, and was sharing my burden with her, when all at once in the middle of my telling her how hopeless the situation seemed, she started to laugh. Now I was shocked that she could be so insensitive, so I asked how she could make light of what I was going through. Her words have stayed with me to this day. “Adam, I’m only doing what God is doing” she said. “Do you think this situation is a surprise to God? Do you think you’re facing it alone? Adam, you’re gonna face this, and you’re gonna win, because God’s got your back.” Friends, does God have your back this morning? As you face the trials, the crushing blows that come at you, do you have the assurance that God is right there beside you?
That’s the first part of the promise: that no matter what it is you’re facing, you don’t face it alone. The second part of the promise is found in the next sentence of Revelation 10, where it reads, “You will have tribulation for ten days.” Friends, what a blessing to know that the trials we face won’t last forever, don’t you agree? Remember what Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24? Look with me there, at verse 21 (read vv 21-22)…. The worst is yet to come, Jesus tells us. And yet, He promises that the days of that time will be shortened – for whose sake? – for the sake of His chosen people. The Bible tells us that evil will only last for a season. The church of Smyrna was told that their trials were going to get worse, but they would only last for a set period of time. This reminds me of another promise, found in 1st Corinthians 10:13. Read there with me, please…. “God is faithful”, and He will only give you what He knows you can handle. You may not think you can handle it; but as you recognise that the power of Almighty God is on your side, you can be certain you’ll make it through.
That brings us to our third and final promise, in the last part of Revelation 2, verse 10 (read verse 10-11)…. Friends, let it never be said that God’s promise to be with us means that we’ll survive every trial we go through. Notice the instruction given to the faithful at Smyrna: “Be faithful even unto death.” I wish I could say that when God protects us, it means we become invincible; but the Word of God doesn’t say that, and so I can’t either. I hope that I never have to face death for my beliefs, and I pray that none in this gathering today will either. But if it ever comes to that, may we hold to the promise given to this church: that even though our lives may be taken away from us, yet our future is secure in the hands of Jesus. The promise that, even though we may die in this life, yet there awaits for the faithful a crown of life that will never pass away.
One of the greatest martyrdoms of a church father was that of Polycarp, who served as bishop of the church of Smyrna. An old man, Polycarp was brought one last time before the Roman proconsul and given one last chance to deny Jesus Christ. His reply echoes across the years: “Eighty-six years I have served the Lord Jesus Christ, and He has never once wronged me. How can I now deny my King who has saved me?”
When the proconsul threatened to burn him at the stake, the old bishop replied, “You threaten me with a fire which will burn for an hour and then go out. Do what you will, my purpose is unchanged.” And with that, he was set on the platform, and the fires were lit.
How could he face death and remain unchanged? Because his trust was in the Lord Jesus Christ; the One who declared to the church of Smyrna, “I am the one who was dead, and have come back to life.” He could face death unflinchingly, because he knew that the One in whom he had believed had gained the victory over death itself. And once we understand that for a true believer, death is not the end, we can face it with confidence. This is what the Scriptures promise us, in 2nd Corinthians 4, verses 17 and 18….
Friends, we can be certain that there will be persecution. But more than that, we can be certain that in the face of persecution, we can have complete victory. The God we serve has promised never to leave us lacking; that when we give to Him, He will supply our every need. We have victory because we can be sure that no matter what we may face, we need never face it alone; that God is with us through it all, and will only give us as much as we can handle. We can have the victory because we know that evil will only be allowed for a short time, and that God will deliver us from whatever may press in on us. And we can have certain victory because we know that even in death, we will inherit eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord – the One who for your sake and mine took on the weight of sin, allowing it to crush Him to death. For us, He suffered the trials and tribulations of this life, so that we through Him could find deliverance from evil. Do you have that deliverance today? Do you have that victory? If you want it today, there’s an opportunity for you to receive it – to say to the Lord Jesus Christ, “Today, in spite of all that I’m facing, I’m going to take You at Your Word. Come what may, I want to follow You.” Won’t you receive it? Won’t you take Him at His Word?
(Appeal)
(Prayer – include promise of 2nd Corinthians 4:8-9)
