A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Here's the encouragement ahead of us on A Daily Walk.

John Randall: Perhaps this morning you are also in need of a word of encouragement. You desire to do the will of God for your life. You want to walk with Christ, yet you find that there are now new battles to fight, new trials to endure, and you're in need of a word of encouragement today.

Or perhaps you're suffering physically through an illness. Whatever the case may be, the Bible says that the Lord is near to those who are suffering. The Lord is near to those that are hurting. You are the person that the Lord is looking for today, and he wants to minister to your need specifically right now.

Guest (Male): It is time for A Daily Walk. Have you ever been through a trial or period of discouragement and then you received a note or a message from a friend that really ministered to you? It's always encouraging to know that a friend is thinking about us, isn't it? Especially at a time like that.

Well, that's exactly what the Lord did for the church in Smyrna in the second chapter of Revelation. Smyrna was suffering persecution for their faith and also tribulation and poverty. This little passage of just four verses is a reminder to stay faithful and that the Lord understands what we're going through. If you're going through similar problems in your life today, allow this to encourage you and join us for this uplifting message from Revelation chapter two, verses 8 through 11. Here is Pastor John Randall.

John Randall: I want to encourage you now to open up to the book of Revelation. We're in chapter two this morning, beginning in verse eight with a message entitled, "The Suffering Church."

Beginning in verse eight, "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life: I know your works, your tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are actually of the synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. 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. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.'"

The subject of suffering is an extremely difficult one to discuss. When you look around the world and you observe suffering due to illness or tragedy of war, we see suffering in the midst of broken families, natural disasters, abject poverty, human trafficking, genocide, and the list goes on.

In the midst of this kind of pain and distress, a question is often presented: If a loving and powerful God exists, he would not allow evil to exist. Evil does exist; therefore, there must be no God. Sometimes this question is asked or this statement is made by those who want to dismiss the God of the Bible.

However, for evil and suffering to pose this problem to belief in God, one would have to admit that evil itself is real. If you need a good and benevolent God to account for evil, then you can't disprove that good and benevolent God with evil. But the question is still difficult to answer, especially for those who have endured or are presently enduring suffering.

It's far more than a philosophical issue, but a deep-seated, personal, and emotional one. God's word has much to say on the subject of suffering. In fact, there are many examples in scripture of those who suffered. One of the oldest books of the Bible, the book of Job, is completely devoted to the subject and records what Job endured, the questions he had, and the response of God to his situation of suffering.

Joseph was another character in the Bible that significantly suffered at the hands of his brothers. He became a slave, he became a prisoner, and then one of the most powerful rulers in the known world. But at the end of Joseph's story of suffering, he could see God's purpose in it all, and that is why he would say in Genesis chapter 50, "But as for you, you meant this for evil, but God meant it for good, in order to bring about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

You want an example of suffering? Look at Jesus. Look at Jesus who came to this earth, God in human flesh, and suffered temptation, shame, persecution, nakedness, bereavement, betrayal, mockery, injustice, and death in order that the world might be saved from eternal separation from God.

Listen friend, if you are suffering today, there is no depth of agony or of helplessness we can experience in this life that Jesus himself does not understand. Understand this today: At the cross, we see the absolute uniqueness of the Christian response to suffering. In Islam, the idea of God suffering is nonsense. It's thought to make God weak. In Buddhism, to reach divinity is to move beyond the possibility of suffering.

Only in Christ do we have a God who is loving enough to suffer with us. Christian theism is the only, and I repeat, only worldview which can consistently make sense of the problem of evil and suffering. And here in Revelation chapter two, we find one of the seven letters from Jesus to the churches in Asia Minor. This particular letter was sent to the suffering church in Smyrna.

The letter begins in verse eight by revealing who the letter is written to and who the author is. Notice first of all in verse eight, "to the angel of the church in Smyrna." This second letter, like the other six letters, opens with a statement addressed to the angel of the church in Smyrna. The word "angel" means messenger. It would appear that the letter is written to the leader of the church, who in turn will present the rest of the letter to the congregation.

Now the Bible doesn't tell us much about the church in Smyrna and how it was established. It wasn't mentioned in the book of Acts as one of Paul's church plants along his missionary journey. All that we know about this congregation is revealed in these few verses in Revelation. The city of Smyrna is the modern-day city in Turkey called Izmir. It's 35 miles north of Ephesus. It's the only one of the seven cities that are mentioned in Revelation chapter two and three that is still in existence today.

Historically, we know that it was a very proud and beautiful city. Inscribed on the currency of the coins were the words, "First in Asia, in beauty, and in size." The first-century city of Smyrna had a famous stadium, library, theater, as well as a diverse population of half a million people. It was the center of learning and culture. Being that it was a port city, it had the second-largest number of exports in Asia Minor.

But for all of its beauty and for all of its industry, it was a place of extreme idolatry. Because it was a Roman province, idol worship was prevalent. There was a famous street in Smyrna called the Golden Street, and on it stood magnificent temples dedicated to Apollo, Aphrodite, and to Zeus.

In addition to the worship of these pagan deities, Smyrna was also famous for its emperor worship. The Roman orator whose name was Cicero paid Smyrna a great compliment in calling her the city of our most faithful and most ancient allies. For its loyalty to Rome, Smyrna won the privilege over eleven other cities to build the first temple to worship the Emperor Tiberius Caesar, who by the way was reigning when Christ was crucified.

Smyrna then became the leading city in the Roman cult of emperor worship. But along with its allegiance to Rome, the city of Smyrna had a significant Jewish population, and these two alongside of one another made it an extremely hostile environment to be a Christian. The church in Smyrna was suffering and they were in great need of a word of encouragement.

Perhaps this morning you are also in need of a word of encouragement. You desire to do the will of God for your life. You want to walk with Christ, yet you find that there are now new battles to fight, new trials to endure, and you're in need of a word of encouragement today. Or perhaps you're suffering physically through an illness. Whatever the case may be, the Bible says that the Lord is near to those who are suffering. The Lord is near to those that are hurting. You are the person that the Lord is looking for today, and he wants to minister to your need specifically right now.

But notice in verse eight who this letter came from. It says in verse eight, "These things says he who is the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life." In the previous letter, the letter to the church in Smyrna we see here, it was from Jesus who refers to himself, notice this title, as "the First and the Last." When Jesus uses this phrase "First and Last," it describes his eternal nature. It is a reference to his deity as the eternal God who always existed in the past, in the present, and in the future. He is the creator, not the created.

"The First and the Last" is one of the Old Testament titles used for God in Isaiah chapter 44 and Isaiah chapter 48. "The First and the Last" draws our attention to Christ's deity. But Jesus also mentions here in the opening of this letter not only the First and the Last, but the one who was dead and came to life. The literal rendering is he came to be dead and began to live or came to life again.

This speaks of Christ's humanity. He was dead. He was crucified. But then he rose again from the grave. Jesus suffered and died in our place, taking the judgment we deserved upon himself. He was buried in a tomb and then he was raised and he's alive forevermore. Amen?

Jesus' resurrection from the dead, it sets him apart from every other individual who ever claimed to be anything or claimed to be a self-proclaimed Messiah. Jesus alone, singularly, conquered the grave. The eternal Son of God was subject to the rejection and persecution of evil people, just like the church in Smyrna was suffering. But in the end, he was victorious, and in the end, the church would also share in Christ's ultimate victory in spite of their suffering.

Oh, that's why the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter eight in verse 18, he said, "I consider that the present sufferings or the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." Amen?

Now stay with me. Following the introduction of this letter written to the church in Smyrna from Jesus, Jesus gives a word of commendation to the church found in verse nine. Notice what he says: "I know your works, your tribulation, your poverty (and you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan."

The word used here for tribulation means to be crushed. Jesus said, "I know what you're going through. I know how you're being crushed right now." And the picture that is used here to describe it is of a heavy stone that was used in the grinding of wheat in a mill, just being ground up. It's also a picture in a winepress where you have the grapes being squashed or crushed. Jesus said, "I know that you're being crushed right now through what you're going through, through what you're experiencing at this moment."

What a comfort this must have been to receive a letter from Jesus saying, "I know what you're going through. I actually do know how you feel. I'm aware of it. I see it." You know, we're prone to think that nobody knows the trouble we feel. Nobody knows the sorrow, the loneliness, the pain that we endure. But Jesus says to you and to me, "I know."

I know what other people can't see, what you're unable to tell people. The Lord says, "I know about that. I'm very well aware. In fact, I'm acquainted with sorrow. I know about it. I've experienced it." Jesus said, "I've been there. I know what that feels like. I've experienced that." And there is nothing, again, in this life that you will go through that Jesus hasn't already been there and walked through it and come out the other side. There is nothing in this life that you can be touched with so painful as what he had to endure on your behalf. He says, "I know. I know."

Not only was Smyrna a church going through extreme difficulty, but notice this, the Lord says, "I see your tremendous poverty." This church, although the city of Smyrna was economically stable and commercially wealthy, there were certain workers' guilds, much like the unions of today. And because of the intense hatred for the believers in Jesus, they would boycott Christian workers. They wouldn't let them serve on the job.

And when a man took a stand for Christ in the workplace, there was a price to be paid. He would limit his economic opportunity because he stood with integrity and he stood for Christ. Listen, when a person became a Christian in the first century, there were many things that they had to leave behind. Many of them would be taken advantage of because of their faith in Christ.

You know, the Apostle Paul wrote about this. In Philippians chapter three he said, "I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and I count them as rubbish, trash, garbage in comparison to knowing Jesus Christ." There's nothing that compares to knowing Christ.

And although the church in Smyrna was poor monetarily, Jesus said they were rich spiritually. The economic onlookers would say they're poor, but Jesus said, "No, according to my economy, they are wealthy in Christ." Often material objects can be acquired and maintained at the expense of true spiritual riches. Someone said that the church of the first three centuries was marked by material poverty and spiritual power, but the churches of our day may be marked by material prosperity and spiritual weakness.

The church in Smyrna was troubled, they were poor, and they were persecuted. In verse nine it says, "I know the blasphemy," notice this, "of those who say that they are Jews and are not, they're actually of the synagogue of Satan." In addition to the abject poverty that was partly due to the persecution and the boycott of the workers who were believers, this church, they had to endure persecution not only from pagans but from pretenders. The community that surrounded them afflicted them because of their stand for Christ.

The Apostle Paul had to endure much of the same kind of persecution. Although his ministry and the churches that he started, many of his letters that he wrote in the New Testament were addressing the very problems of his enemies that created in all the churches that he started. Listen, this group that Jesus mentions that was harassing the believers were those who trusted in their national heritage to secure their eternal salvation. They felt because they were associated with a particular group that they were set.

Friend, listen carefully: Affiliation does not secure salvation. You need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ if you want to see heaven and have your sins forgiven. Jesus classifies the actions of these persecutors as blasphemous. Jesus said, "They say they are, but in actuality, they aren't."

Jesus said they say they are, but they aren't. I think of what Jesus said, sobering words, Matthew chapter seven. Listen carefully to this, friend. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven." In fact, many, Jesus said, will say to me in that day, "Lord, Lord, haven't we prophesied in your name? Haven't we cast out demons in your name? Haven't we done many wonders in your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness."

Do you see the difference? They say, "Lord, Lord," but their life denies the Lord. They say, "Lord, you're the Lord of my life," but they deny it in disobedience to him as Lord. They say one thing, they say another, and Jesus has something to say about it.

Jesus not only points out that they were blasphemous, but this is pretty heavy, he points out their church affiliation: They went to the synagogue of Satan. What church do you go to? "I go to Satan's synagogue down the street." Really? Wow, that's a scary church to be a part of.

Listen, Satan has his own churches, his own membership. Those that were teaching contrary to scripture, Jesus calls that a church of Satan. And what are some of the teachings of such a congregation? Here's two major false doctrines that go along with a church of Satan. Number one, they deny the deity of Jesus Christ. That's a direct contrast to what Jesus said and demonstrated concerning himself. And there are groups out there who claim to be Christian that deny the deity of Jesus Christ, and I want you to know they're not an actual church according to the Bible.

Anybody that denies the deity of Jesus Christ does not know Jesus. They're not a believer. I don't care what else they say. I don't care what kind of sticker they have. I don't care how many times they go to church. You deny the deity of Jesus Christ, you deny his word, you deny who he is, you're not a believer.

But the second thing is they dismiss the way to salvation. They say that you can get to heaven any way you want. That's straight out of the synagogue of Satan. You can work it. You can do good deeds. Oh friend, the Bible says contrary to that. It says by grace you're saved through faith. It's a gift of God. If you could get to heaven by being a good person, then Jesus Christ died in vain. There would be no reason for his death. There'd be no reason for his suffering. The fact that he had to come and suffer and die in our place shows us the fact that we needed a savior. You can't get to heaven any other way than through the blood of Christ, than through responding to Christ in salvation. He is the way, the only way.

And the early church of the first century, man, they withstood faithfully the false teachings that were being accepted in so many places then and even so many places today. They were persecuted. And there was a time in church history and even at the present time when the church is being persecuted. In fact, Christians continue to be the most persecuted group around the globe. You might not hear much about it. It may not be reported in the mainstream media like many other things, but nonetheless, it's happening. It's happening.

Our brothers, our sisters, who would love to do what we're doing right now, just gathered with Bibles open, worshipping alongside of God's people who would love just this kind of an opportunity. Listen, they're being persecuted, imprisoned, separated from their families, and many martyred for their faith. But listen carefully: Although the church is being persecuted, they're unable to suppress their faith. Christianity still is growing rapidly beneath the surface, and you know why? Because the blood of the martyrs still remains the seed of the church and Jesus said the gates of hell itself cannot prevail against the church.

Guest (Male): Today on A Daily Walk, we've been looking at the suffering church as described in Revelation 2. Pastor John Randall will share the rest of this message next time. Hear this message and Revelation online at adailywalk.org. Catch what you may have missed in the series too at adailywalk.org or at oneplace.com.

Well, how's your devotional life these days? We'd like to recommend Oswald Chambers' devotional, *My Utmost for His Highest*. For a cost of $18, you'll receive the updated language gift edition. Now, these rather brief scripture-based readings will both comfort and challenge you in your daily walk. Discover what it means to offer God your very best for his greatest purpose. Call us at 877-242-0828 or go to adailywalk.org.

And if the Lord is leading you to take an active role in this ministry through a one-time gift or ongoing support, allow me to direct you to our website. That's a good way to donate to the ministry and it's super convenient as well. You can donate safely and securely at adailywalk.org. And while we're on the subject of devotionals, I should mention the *A Daily Walk* devotional. A great way to start the day, these short videos are released each day at adailywalk.org, and I think you'll find them encouraging. We'll hear more of the Lord's encouragement to Smyrna and us as we're suffering on the next A Daily Walk. See you then.

This program is brought to you by Calvary South OC and made possible through your generosity.