the seven churches in Asia to which these epistles were written. There are only two in which no word of condemnation is offered to them. This church in Smyrna is one of them. It is situated some 35 miles or so from Ephesus, and it was a place which was significant for trade, but sadly was also a city significant for idolatry. Smyrna was a center of the worship of Caesar. And yet in this city the Lord had placed a candlestick, which was to shine forth the light of the glorious gospel of saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as already has been stated, it is no coincidence in how the Lord addresses each of these churches, and how He does so is applicable to the church hand. In other words, he addresses himself in a particular manner to each of these seven churches and in a manner that we have already touched on in chapter 1 of Revelation. And that, of course, is also the case where this church is considered. For how the Lord describes himself in verse 8 gives us much more than a clue as to what this church were enduring and indeed what they needed as by way of encouragement. One who commissions this letter to be sent on to the minister is the one who is the first and the last. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is the first in all things. Before all things were created, Christ was. And without Him was not anything made that was made. He is, of course, also the author and the finisher of salvation. as is revealed in Hebrews 12 and verse 2. And the Christ who starts the work of grace in our hearts is the one who is also promised that he will finish that work. But note also that to this church he addresses himself as the one which was dead and is alive. That causes them and it causes us to consider what Christ was to do at Calvary. For it was there that He was to be obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, as He was to lay down His life for the sins of His people. And no matter what the false religions of this world will say, Christ died according to the Scriptures. But praise God, He had also the power to take up His life again, and He rose again according to the Scriptures. He was dead, is now alive. The one who was speaking unto this church was reminding them that He was the risen, the exalted, the ever-living Savior and glorified King. And He was the one who is seated at the Father's right hand in glory. And yet, as such, He still has a message for this people. Men and women, we might say tonight As a church, we cannot pride ourselves in having great numbers. There are many larger congregations than the one in which you belong to tonight. I believe, of course, that there is potential for us to have much more than this. I believe the Lord is able to give us much more. And if He does, it will go down to the glory of God, For it is the Lord that giveth the increase. And as the Lord has increased this last year, so we ought to be praying that the Lord would do the same again this year. But even though we're small, yet what a blessing that the Lord thinketh upon his people. And yet he has a word for us. You see, this letter to Smyrna, one of the smallest. Here was a small church. Here was a faithful church. Let me show you it. Let's come into it tonight. Let's take our place amongst this congregation. I want you to see, first of all, their experience. I said that there is no condemnation offered to this church. That doesn't mean for one moment that they were a perfect church, for there's no such thing this side of eternity. I'm sorry to tell you that if you didn't know. As soon as people enter into a church, it becomes imperfect. For not one of us are perfect. But our perfection is in Christ. We are accepted because of Him. We are counted worthy because He is worthy. There is a worthiness about this church at Smyrna. For although they might have been a small church, yet their experience was that they were a working church in a large city that were given over to the worship of false gods. That didn't mean that they were a church that had a name that liveth but were dead. It didn't mean that here was a church that was lifeless. It is the very opposite. For when the Lord considers this church, He was able to say in verse 9, I know thy works. He knew them to be proactive. He knew that there were a people who were zealous for the work of the Lord. He saw a people that had the cause of Christ at heart and were active in seeking that Christ's kingdom was extended. I look at these words tonight and I see a church which was outgoing. I see a church which was reaching out with the gospel. that was obeying the great commission that the Lord left to His church to go out and preach the gospel unto every creature. You see, many, many are the religious organizations and churches tonight that have thousands of people on their rolls, but they will be put to shame when compared to a small church as far as their work is concerned. I wonder as the Lord looks upon your heart tonight, believer, Does he see love? Does he see a burden to reach out with the gospel to others? Is he able to commend us for our work? The Lord came to Smyrna and He says, I know thy works, but I want you to see that also their experience was one of persecution. For look at verse 9, I know thy works and tribulation. See that word tribulation? It's a very strong word. It is a word that denotes a severe trouble or pressure. They were a people who seemed to be continually under pressure. We hear much about pressure today, and there's pressure in the workplace, and people are under pressure. Well, I want you to take that sense, and I want you to apply it in the spiritual sense to this church. They were a church that were under pressure, continually. And that would have included all sorts and all kinds of suffering. That's why they were under pressure. They knew the attacks of the devil verbally. For there were those who called themselves Jews, but in effect they were messengers of Satan. They blasphemed the believers. They blasphemed their God. And there is no different to this day. The believer in the eyes of the world, you know, is despised. And we are those who are degraded and spoken against. And just because we believe that this is the verbally inspired Word of the Living God, which is inerrant from cover to cover, and just because we believe that it teaches us that there is a great Creator God, who created the heavens and the earth, who spake the world into being out of nothing, and all in the space of six days, then the world looks upon us And they see us as ignorant, and they see us as those who are devoid of intelligence. But I want to tell you men and women, we praise God for we read, but God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. And God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. Don't worry what the world thinks about you. We might be those who are despised, and degraded and ignorant. But with God, we're in the majority. And of God before us, who can be against us? You know, you can be sure that if we strive to stand for God's truth and we strive to stand for God's righteousness, then there will be the attacks and there will be the opposition. The Lord comes to this small church and He says, I know thy works and thy tribulation. I know your great trouble. It wasn't a trouble in the secular sense. It was a trouble because they stood for God. And you know the Lord was to teach such to His disciples. You turn over to John chapter 16 in the last verse, and here's part of the great sermon in the upper room. And He says, These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. He doesn't say you might have tribulation. He doesn't say there's a good possibility that you'll have the troubles. He says in the world you shall have tribulation. Indeed, there ought to be more concern in our hearts tonight if the world loves us and says great things about us. For you know the Lord was to say on another occasion, Woe unto you when all men speak well of you. O unto you. Dear child of God, if the world has nothing against you, then there's something wrong with your testimony. There's something wrong with your walk with God. For the world ought to see that you're different if you profess the name of Christ. And you will show forth those things that the world will hate. ungodly, unbelieving soul that sits alongside you in the workplace, he hates Christ. He hates the gospel. He's a damnanty to God. Don't be surprised if they hit you. Here we're a church who are continually under pressure from the enemy of their souls. The Lord knew all about their experience. He knew they were proactive. He knew they were persecuted. But I want you to see also that their experience was one of poverty. I know thy works in tribulation and poverty. As far as this world's goods were concerned, they had nothing. You see, the word poverty had It is a word that is from where the word beggar comes from. It literally means utterly destitute. They were not a church with a large bank balance. You know, while there is need for to have something laid aside for projects that have to be undertaken, yet the blessing of the Lord, I believe, is upon a people who are generous in their giving toward the furtherance of Christ's kingdom. And where the gospel, where the Lord sees a church that moves by faith to finance the spreading of the gospel, whether it be among the children, whether it be in the town and in outreach bases, whether it be through the missionary endeavors which are reaching throughout the world, then I believe the Lord will meet that need. The Lord hasn't opened this church in Garvey to have a big bank balance. The challenge comes to us. from Malachi chapter 3 in the words of verse 10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Prove me, the Lord says. Here we're a church that we're proving the Lord. the Lord knew their poverty. I've heard it said, or words to this effect, that a church that hoards great sums of money will more likely be a carnal church. Money always causes problems. This church at Smyrna had nothing. Nothing. They knew poverty as the world considers it And you know, before I go on, what a nailing of the lie of the prosperity gospel and of the charismatic that abounds today. There are those who are bringing out prosperity gospel books, purpose driven church and all the rest of it. There are those who have the charismatic itch and they state that God means His people to be rich. God means His people to be in the best of houses, to drive in the best of cars, to never be sick, This church had nothing of this! Yet the Lord commends them, has no word of condemnation against them. But please note something. Please note what the Lord says about it. I know thy works in tribulation and poverty, look at the parenthesis, but thou art rich. They hadn't the wealth of this world. But they had a far greater wealth, and that was their spiritual wealth. They had treasures stored up in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. You know, the words of Proverbs 13 and verse 7 would sum up this church at Smyrna. For it says there, There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing. There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. Better to have those eternal riches and to have nothing of this world than the other way around. You know, the Lord said, What shall a prophet of man if he shall gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul? I wonder where do you stand tonight? I wonder how is it with you? You want to experience the greatest of riches? You want to know what it is to have the greatest of treasures, then you'll only find them in Christ and God's wonderful salvation. 2nd Corinthians 8 and 9, for though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. Ye through his poverty might be rich. Are you rich in Christ tonight? You see, that verse is the experience of the new birth. That's what you need if you're not saved this evening, is to be born again of God's Spirit. Not only do we see something of their experience, but notice with me their exhortation. It is interesting to notice that and to consider that the word Smyrna is closely associated with Myrrh. Myrrh was that which was to send forth a sweet aroma and a fragrance, but to do so had to be crushed. And that is what this church was enduring. They were under pressure, they were being crushed, yet amidst their suffering the Lord and their Savior speaks no word of upbraiding or rebuke against them, but instead that which is given is a word of exhortation as to the days that lay before them. Look at the words of verse 10. And you'll see there that they were exhorted to be fearless. For it says, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. The God of the fear nots in Scripture, He comes to this people, He exhorts them not to permit any of the things that would yet come against them to cause them to fear. You see, not only had they suffered, not only had they been attacked and were persecuted for their faith, but there still was more to come. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Pressure will be unrelenting. And certainly while we have read in church history of the church been persecuted, and we have to hold up our hands tonight, men and women, we have to admit that we know very little, if anything, about that. It may well be, of course, those days will come back. The church of Jesus Christ throughout this world has still been persecuted in various places. We may know it again, but what way would it affect us? Would it prevent you from coming to God's house in case you were seen coming in through the doors? Would it prevent you from carrying the book, God's book? Would it prevent you from bearing forth a testimony to God's saving grace and keeping power. What does the Lord say those things would be that they would suffer? They would know the devil actively against them, as he would cause some of the people of God to be thrown into prison. Verse 10, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried. The early church knew such attacks. Of course, Peter was put into bonds. Peter was ready to have his head taken off him the next day when the angel met him with that night and said, Up, out! And he was brought out of that prison cell, and he was brought out of that prison through the gates. He was led with the angel along that road, and he went to Peter's house, and there was a pyramid, and he met with Rhoda. Peter knew what it was to be in prison. Saul of Tarsus was doing the devil's work as he caused havoc among the church of Jesus Christ. We read that He healed men and women and committed them to prison. Those days would come again when imprisonment would be known. But the Lord says to this church, fear none of those things. They would be a tried people, they would be a further persecuted people, suffering times or trying times. Whether men are real Christians or not, whether they have the true grace of God or not, whether the principles they hold are right and true and are worth will bear suffering for." They're trying times. Early church history speaks of a man by the name of Polycarp. Polycarp was the minister in this church at Smyrna, and under the persecution of Aurelius in A.D. 161, he was condemned to die and to be burned in the marketplace in the city. The authorities urged upon him to curse Christ and to go free. Polycarp replied, these 86 years have I served him and he never once wronged me. How then shall I blaspheme my King who has saved me? He wouldn't recant. So he touched on this morning he had something to live for and he had something to die for. It was a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, they took him to the stake, and on that stake it was said that the flames encircled him without touching him. And the executioner, he saw what was happening, and so he took his sword, and he pierced him through, and Polycarp died, having received the martyr's crown. I put it to you, it's very possible that Polycarp was sitting in this congregation when this letter was read out. He might have heard the exhortation of the Lord, the One who is the first and the last, the One which was dead and is alive. He would have heard the exhortation to fear none of these things. But what about you, dear soul? Do you fear death tonight? Is there anything worth dying for? I wonder, are you still in your sin and facing the last great enemy without a Savior, without the One who was dead and is alive? Their exhortation here from the Lord was, Be fearless. You'll notice also the exhortation for them was to be faithful. Verse 10, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. The devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried. Ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death. These words of exhortation suggest to us that here was a church and already they were faithful. They already had been faithful. And in the face of what they yet were to endure, the Lord comes. He encourages them to be faithful unto death. You can't have much more faithfulness than that—faithful unto death. You know, the Lord is not looking from his people great talents or abilities. He's not looking for great initiatives and intellect. Dear child of God, tonight he is looking for faithfulness. That's it. He mightn't send you to the mission field. He mightn't send you to be a minister in our church. You're saved tonight. The Lord wants you to be faithful. The one who is faithful unto death, even the death of the cross, a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of his people, is the one whom one day you will stand before. But I wonder, I wonder will you hear him say to your soul, Well done, good and faithful servant. I want you to be faithful. That was the exhortation to still this exhortation to this day. Faithful unto death. It's not how we start. It's how we're going on now. It's how we finish. Are you going to finish well? Let me show you finally their expectation. They had suffered had been attacked because of their faith in Christ. There was more to come, as we have noted by the words of the Savior. You know, in these final words, we also have a better day to which they could look forward to. They could expect what day the sufferings to have ended. I want you to notice in verse 10, in the middle of it, it says, And ye shall have tribulation ten days. shall have tribulation ten days." Now, we might suggest that they would have no severe period of trouble and of pressure. They were also to be aware it wasn't going to last forever. The Lord said, you shall have tribulation ten days. The day would come when it would be over. They could expect that day when all their sufferings will be gone. And for those who would suffer and be faithful unto death, for them it would be the entrance into glory, into the immediate presence of the Savior and free from all sorrow and all suffering and all pain. And then they would fully realize that great truth that you find in Romans chapter 8. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time and worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Child of God, are you going through a rough time tonight? Has your faith been attacked? Are you feeling the old darts of the devil against you? And understand that it is but a trial of your faith. It is for just a season. Let me read to you 1 Peter 1, verse 6 and 7. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. In gold you will know that to bring forth gold in all its purity has to go through the fire. And that's what you and I have to go through, the trials and the sufferings. It is to try us. It is to take out the old impurities and to bring forth the beauty of Christ in us. The three Hebrew friends of Daniel literally went through the fire. The Son of God was with them in the midst. It's only for a season. Someday the trials, someday the sufferings of this earth shall be ended. You can expect that. But see also that they could expect a reward to be exchanged. As a church they were afflicted. As a people they were persecuted. But you know that day was coming when they would be rewarded. Revelation 22 and 12 says this. And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. God rewards His servants. That day is coming when the sufferings of this earth and the persecution and the affliction of the devil shall be exchanged for the reward of the glories of heaven. For the expectation is that we shall receive that crown, that the Lord Himself shall give unto all them that love is appearing, The crown is one of righteousness. It is one of gold. It is one here that is spoken of as the crown of life, as one who has finished the race and kept the faith. For the Lord says, Ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Have you this expectation this evening? of receiving that crown in heaven one day from the Christ, who endured the cross and despised the shame, and came that He might purchase abundant and eternal life for you, the sinner. Can you look forward by the eye of faith, man or woman, young person, and see yourself standing before the Lord, and the Lord giving you a crown, and saying, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Can you see yourself there? For the child of God is something that you can expect. The suffering shall be exchanged for a reward. But I want you to notice also that their expectation was of hell escaped. Look with me at the words of verse 11. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." You will read of the overcomer in each of these churches. The overcomer is the believer. The Saint of God will never see hell. No blood-bought child of God shall ever see those flames that rise and sink in the caverns of the damned. Maybe the old devil's battering you, Maybe the old devil's saying to you, you know, you boy, you're not what you should be. He puts the fears in your heart. He puts the doubts in the mind. You can reply back to the devil. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. You'll never be with him. You'll never be in hell if you're saved tonight. That doesn't give you, of course, a license to live like the ungodly. Far from it. No believer shall ever have to endure the second death. And although we will die, and I was in a home this afternoon where death has come into, and we will all die and our bodies shall only be laid in the earth, except Christ comes back first. We shall die, but listen to me, yet for the believer we shall never, never die again. That's what this verse is teaching. He that overcome us shall not be hurt of the second death. The comfort to our hearts is that because Christ has died and is alive, then we too shall live. Death for the child of God is but the vestibule that leads unto glory. You come through the vestibule tonight to get into the sanctuary of this church. That's just what death's like to the child of God. It brings us right into the immediate presence of our Saviour and of our God. It holds no fear for the believer. Why? Because Christ has conquered the last enemy. He has conquered death. He has taken the stinger of death. But what of the unbeliever? What of that Christ-rejecting soul who has heard the gospel, who has sat in gospel meetings just like this, and yet has rejected the Christ of Calvary, What shall it be for them in this second death? I'm not even going to try and describe what their first death will be like, for many a soul will be lying on a bed, and they're dying, and their life is going out from them, and they have no hope, they have no salvation in Christ. They're going out into the darkness, into the unknown. But oh, men and women, what of the second death? eternally dying but never able to die, wishing to die but not being able to do so. For you know, as the believer, these bodies that we have now would not be fit for heaven. So for the unsaved and so for the ungodly and the Christ-rejecter, your body would not be fit for hell. will be given a body, and you will rise and sink in those flames forever, and you'll never be able to die. Oh, you'll long to die, but you'll never be able to in the eternal punishments of a lost eternity. I want to take you in closing over to Revelation chapter 20. Revelation 20 are only applicable to the unsaved, to the unconverted. The verses that I'm going to read to you have absolutely no application whatsoever to the child of God. And you're going to see that. Revelation 20, verse 6, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Didn't we see that in the first chapter of Revelation, that he has made us priests unto God? And there is speaking of the believer, and the believer knows, and such the second death hath no power. No power. Let's look and see who It does have power on. Let me draw your attention to the words of verse 14 of Revelation 20. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. You know, people speak about hell today, and correctly so. But you know, the final punishment is a lake of fire. leg of fire. And God says in verse 14, this is the second death. And the child of God, the second death, shall have no power upon them. The child of God will never be in the leg of fire. Praise his name. All because of Christ. look at verse 15 to see who will be there. And whosoever was not written, found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. That's who's going to be there. That's those which the second death will have power upon. Christ will say, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, into everlasting punishment, prepared for the devil and his angels. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, that begs me to ask a question tonight, Is your name in the book of life? Are you saved tonight? Is your name written down there in those pages, bright and fair? It needs to be, or else it's a lost eternity. not only has Christ purchased heaven for his people, but he has delivered his people from hell. He has paid our hell on the cross. He paid the punishments of it. He even cried, I thirst. In Luke 16, the man thirsted in hell, wanted just a drop of water to be placed on his tongue. Christ endured our hell. He endured our punishment. He has purchased for his people God's heaven. Thank God tonight for the child of God. Our expectation is we will never be in hell. Now tell me, are these your blessings? Are these your expectations because Christ has saved you? If not, then come now. Repent of your sin now and accept Christ by faith and be saved. Be washed in his precious blood. Will you come tonight? Make that preparation and be saved. May God help you to come. And the Lord write his word in our hearts this evening.