We're back to the Bible again, to the book of Revelation, chapter two, to the letter to the church in Smyrna, and that's Revelation chapter two, verse eight. And this is a short reading today, right down to verse 11. Let us hear the Lord's word. Revelation two, verse eight. And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write, these things saith the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. I know thy works and tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich, and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh, shall not be hurt of the second death. Amen. May the Lord bless his word. Father in heaven, we pray earnestly for your nearness to us. We pray that you who love your church and have given these personal letters to these individual churches, that you might guide them, shepherd them, and lead them into the path of blessing. Will you do that for this church, O Lord? We pray that you will comfort every heart. You know, Lord, that often there is a spirit of fear, the paralyzing grip of the world to lead a Christian or a church to be paralyzed and ineffectual. Lord, we pray that this church, this congregation, will have a ministry of God's everlasting grace, grace that is free, grace that is full, grace that is unending, and grace that will lead us right into glory. And so lift up the distressed heart today, comfort and cheer every soul, and may we be given fresh faith to receive the word with joy and gladness. Help, Lord, and send us now the Holy Spirit. Oh, please, blessed Father, blessed Lord Jesus, you've promised I will give you another comforter, and we pray that he will indeed guide us into all truth. We ask this help in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Right, let's come back then to Revelation chapter two and to this very short letter to the church at Smyrna. Now, if you were receiving a love letter, you probably would think this is far too short. Not much here, is there? He or she didn't take very much time to get down to expressing all the issues. But as in so much of the Bible, so much is packed into each and every word. And these are letters that deserve us to study and even to pray over and to seek every grain of truth that is conveyed in these words. Now last week we spoke about the church at Ephesus and we said that if you attended that church, you would be impressed with how busy the people were. always busy, always active. And the Lord commended them for their works and for their various activities. Now, if you attended the church at Smyrna, which by the way, was just up the coastline a little bit from the church at Ephesus, not very far at all. If you look at a map of Asia minor and the seven churches where they're planted, you will see that from Patmos, where John was writing on that rugged island, Ephesus is first, then up, if you go sort of clockwise, up the coast a bit is Smyrna. And then you go a little further up to Pergamon, it is at the top. Then you go across a little bit, you have Thyatira. Then you come down to Sardis and to Philadelphia. And the last one is Laodicea. And you've almost completed the loop. back around to Ephesus again. And so these seven churches written in our Bibles come in that right order. But I'm back to the point that if you visited the church in Smyrna, you wouldn't be impressed with their clothing. These were poor people. These were people who probably were attending in their rags. They were struggling to make ends meet. They were acknowledged for their poverty. And what a difference. And that again shows you that congregations be different. You can go to a congregation and if you don't dress like the queen, you wouldn't be accepted. And you could go to congregations where if you did dress like the queen, you would be accused of who do you think you are? People have different attitudes and different mannerisms and it comes from culture and it comes from their status in life. But you know, the rich can worship God and the poor can worship God just as equally and be members of his church. Now these are not only love letters, but this one in particular is a comfort letter. And you'll notice in verse 10, the word fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. And so it is addressing the fears of God's people. Now this comfort was greatly needed for the tribulation which they were going through was not going away. The Lord says, fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. There were things yet to come that they must endure. They must endure it as Christians and in faith and not to be overwhelmed and overcome by it. And there is in this passage as well, be thou faithful unto death. Now, that is a great challenge. I heard of churches that when baptisms are administered, the candidate for baptism is asked, are you willing to die for Christ? and upon that basis they are baptised. And here is a people in Smyrna and they're being warned, you have imprisonment ahead of you, persecutions and perhaps even death. Now we know from history that the cult of emperor worship was used as a mighty tool of persecution against early Christians. The Nero, who reigned from AD 68 and all the way through to Constantine 323, all of those emperors, they expected people to bow the knee and say in Latin, Dominus et Duus. which means master and God. They were to grant unto the emperor worship and bow unto him. And those who refused were either cast out of the kingdom or put to death. And it was an intolerant attitude. which brought great persecution to Christians. And you know the stories of the catacombs, the Colosseum, and the Christians that were put to death because they would not say that the emperor was their lord, master, and their god. Now, Paul the apostle also warned of future suffering. In fact, when he himself was converted in Acts chapter nine, when he was converted on the road to Damascus and God said that he was going to call him to be a preacher, he said, I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake, not because he was Paul, not because he was a Jew or becoming a Christian, but because he became a follower of Christ and a preacher of the gospel. And you and I are going to meet situations that will be difficult because you are a Christian, because you say the Bible is true. You say that the facts of Jesus' death and resurrection are true, and you're going to live in light of eternity by those facts and truths of the gospel. And because of that stand and that witness, people will make things hard for you. Now, it can happen in very subtle ways. It can happen in sometimes very open ways. Some people end up in court before magistrates and in various dictatorship countries, they end up in jail or even facing death. But every Christian faces hardship one way or another. And here in Revelation 2.10, the Lord did not hide the fact. that these people would be persecuted for his name's sake. And we must not hide it either. And we must not count it some rare, strange thing to suffer as a Christian. In fact, those were the very words of the Apostle Peter. And so here in this letter to the church at Ephesus, the Lord brings words of comfort. to cheer their hearts. And he says, fear none of those things, not one. Anything that arises to trouble your heart as a professing Christian, do not fear any one of them. Now, my desire today is to pastorally friendly set before you the ways in which the Lord comforts our hearts in trouble. And we're going to glean them from this letter to the church. Now, as I said, this is a very short letter and we really have to do our homework. We have to dig in here. We have to look at each statement and see how the Lord brings comforts. Now, the first thing that I notice is that Jesus comforts us by saying he knows all about our sufferings. He says in verse 9, I know thy works and tribulation and poverty, the hardship that comes because of long hours of work. the weariness of struggling just to provide and to get through life. And these hardships, they have to be weighed in the balance of eternal life. They are but for a short time. And in comparison to the eternal weight of God's glory, these little trials are but temporary, light things. That great chapter of Romans 8, and perhaps we should turn there just to see how the apostle put it there. Romans 8, verse 37. And we will see how the comfort again comes in the Christian message. Romans 8, verse 37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors. through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And so we weigh on the balance our sufferings, our trials, with this great promise, nothing will separate us. from the promise of the Lord and of his grace unto us. And so here we have a gospel that's not just for the rich, the mighty, and the prosperous. It's not a prosperity gospel. You can take this gospel to the hospital bed. You can take this to a suffering saint whose body is racked with pain, and you can minister the grace of the Lord Jesus unto them. Or you can bring this to a dying soul. He's only got a short time to live. And as the question often comes, I've got three minutes to live. How can I become a Christian? And here is a word of comfort. You can take this gospel to third world countries. where people live on a dollar a day or less, where they eat cattle food just to fill their aching hunger. This gospel can be received by the poorest soul as well as the richest and the most luxurious enjoyment of life. In 2013, I had an opportunity to preach in Sri Lanka. And we had a week of Bible camp. And they have, at that time, about four congregations from the island. They came together at a central place, at a camp. And I was treated to the very best of food. I have nothing to complain of. But when I witnessed what some of the Sri Lankan people were eating, It really was the rice that was fed to cattle. And as I preached the gospel and as I ministered the things of God to them, they received it with gladness. And the Lord, by his spirit and by the same word that we read and meditate upon, The Lord made that a mighty grace of comfort to their souls. And the Lord Jesus, he comforts us because he knows all about our struggles. And just because he doesn't change your circumstances, Just because he doesn't change you from a situation of poverty or trial into something that's easy, doesn't mean you can't enjoy the comfort of the Lord. He will be with us in every circumstance of life. Now I move on in verse nine, and I see what really is in parentheses, but thou art rich. And here Jesus comforts us by saying, All Christians are chosen to enjoy true riches, true riches. I think the second president of the United States was a man called John Adams. He had a good education. He had been an ambassador for the United States to France and a viceroy for Holland and England. and he became vice president to George Washington, who was the first president of the United States, and then he became the second president. He was born and raised in a place called Braintree, outside of Boston. And after many years of public life, he said he wished that he had been born a shoemaker. And to explain that, he said, In my hometown, there was a shoemaker, and I heard him singing hymns. His heart was full. His soul was blessed. And even though he had a very low station in life, he walked with God, and God walked with him. And he compared his own life and said he wished that he had been a shoemaker, that he might know more of the comfort of God. Very often, it's the poor, it's the troubled, the tried, that the Lord pours in great grace, greater grace, than to those who don't endure such hardships. And so, as I said earlier, this is not a prosperity gospel. Your name doesn't have to be dollar to be truly rich. Rich in grace, rich in the knowledge of the Lord. And you remember Lazarus is sitting at the rich man's gate. He was filled with disease and pain and the dogs licked his sores. And yet we know that in eternity that Lazarus opened his eyes in the glories of heaven, while the rich man who fared sumptuously every day, he opened his eyes in hell, in a lost, tormenting eternity. And this gospel is the gospel of God's riches. Now, if you ever want to study that, you can go to the book of Ephesians. It is called the book of the Christian's riches. And have you heard the acrostic of the word grace? God's riches at Christ's expense. That's a little definition of grace. If you're a believer today and you're enjoying grace, What expense was expended to you? What riches God has gathered for you in his son by his death on the cross, by living in this world for us, that he might be our savior. And Christ's riches are transferred to your account. The riches of God's infinite favor. What a blessing to enter into and enjoy. And so as you read this letter of the Christian Church at Smyrna, it's a letter of comfort in trouble that's real. It's not just empty words, but they're backed with all the power and blessings of the very gospel itself. And I want you to take that comfort to heart. I know what Christians can be like. They can make great statements of faith, but in their own walk, they're troubled, tossed about, prone to fear, prone to worry. It's no strange thing that the Lord Jesus said, be not anxious for tomorrow. It's no strange thing that he has such texts as casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Christians have real cares. And just because we're a Christian, it doesn't deliver us immediately from all the troubles and trials of life. But as we go through them, the Lord is there. I know, I know your suffering. I know your poverty. And then he says, but thou art rich. Don't forget what you are and what you enjoy in the Lord Jesus. Now, another issue we find here, if you move on to verse 10, and it says, fear none of those things with thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried. And here the Lord Jesus is saying, there is a purpose to our suffering, that ye may be tried. And it's not out of the Lord's control, it's in his control. The church here in Smyrna was already going through a fiery furnace of trial, and much of it was the blasphemy of the phony Jews, the hardened anti-Christian Jews. And it says in verse nine here, I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews. Now, think about it. I don't think that this blasphemy the Jews were expressing was toward God. They would never do that. A Jew, just by tradition, was always incensed about blaspheming God. But their blasphemy, their mockery, was toward Christians. And here at Smyrna, the Jews, these hardened anti-Christian Jews, had a lot of influence and a lot of power. And they made life extremely difficult for God's people. I have a quote here about Polycarp. He was a bishop of Smyrna. Not at this time when this letter was written. He would have come a little later and he became the pastor of the church into the second century, but it is written of Polycarp. Maybe this is too long. I'll read the first few sentences and see how we do here. This is by a commentator called Albert Barnes, a Bible commentator that I like to use. He says on this whole situation, it may throw some light on the passage. However, to remark that at a somewhat later period, in the time of the martyrdom of Polycarp. Now just think of it, this is a church, and later they saw their pastor put to death. His name was Polycarp. And the cruelty, the blasphemy, the mockery of these Jews led to the death of a Christian pastor in the city of Smyrna. This was a terrible, terrible hardship. And he goes on to say, the Jews of Smyrna were among the most bitter of the enemies of Christians and among the most violent in demanding the death of Polycarp. What a future! And the Lord is writing this letter and he's saying, fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. And the Lord was able to look down the roadway and the path that these Christians were to follow and it was going to be on to death, on to death. And yet he's saying, that ye may be tried. The Lord was in the trial. And God has a purpose in the trial of every one of his children. Not one of us is going to escape it. Don't think you will. Don't think that you can live in this world as a Christian for X number of years and never face hardship as a Christian. Now someone tried when the riches of this world are presented to them. We're warned by our Lord that some get choked by those riches. Abraham was tried when he was called out of Ur of the Chaldees. It was a massive rich society, and he was to go out from that very much as a vagabond. and face the world alone. Some are tried through lust, the temptation of the flesh. Maybe I have to be explicit. The things that lead to adultery, to sins of the body, And by that, people are tried. Some are tried through family hardship. Family hardships, you can't get away from them. You can't just close the door and shut them out. They're inside your home and you live with them. And when you go through trials in the home, you begin to wonder what's the Lord doing? Why is he allowing this challenge and difficulty, this friction inside the home? Or as in some cases, when young people are kicked out of the home, because it's not a Christian home, they stand up for the Lord Jesus. And they say to mom and dad, I'm going to church on Sunday. And they say, no, you're not. I'm going to a gospel meeting tonight. And they say, no, you're not. And that young person is faced with a challenge where to obey God or parents. And they come of an age where they feel that they must exercise their independence. And they must defy mom and dad. And it brings a great wedge inside that home. And to balance this, let me flip the coin. Sometimes there are young people in the home and they're rebellious to their parents. Their parents are Christians. They follow the Bible. They go to a Christian church. But that young person hates it. And that young person doesn't want to live by the rules of the Bible, nor the rules of a Christian home. And so they want out and they defy and they get into a horrible state of mind and bitterness against their own parents. And that is one of the greatest hardships that a mother or father can go through. is to see their own dear, sweet child turn into a bitter enemy of the gospel and an enemy to the family. That has to be the hardest. And yet in all of that, God has a purpose. And the purpose of trials is to purify us that we may come forth as gold. First Peter 1.7. Let's read that passage. Let's take a look at it. There's a time, I think, for the preacher to stop talking and let's just let the Bible talk. And it is First Peter 1.7, that the trial of your faith being more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. And so we see that God has a purpose, just as the smith smelts the metal, bring forth the pure gold. And that's a fiery, burning experience for the metal. The analogy here is that the hardship, the difficulty of the trial, the tears that you're going through, God uses to purify your faith, to bring you forth as gold. Now, Paul said, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world is crucified unto me, and I am crucified unto the world. You know that text, Galatians 6.14. The cross, the cross of Christ, the very thing that we delight in, that is the center of our Christian faith and hope, that cross God uses to put to death the world. The world is crucified unto me, and I am crucified unto the world. That cross, the message of a crucified Christ, the offense of it, the mockery of the world against it, is a purifying work in your life. And that's the experience of everyone that takes their stand at the foot of the cross for the Lord Jesus. And we can say in conclusion to that, that whatever doesn't make you bitter will make you better. So don't allow the trials, the troubles of life to make you better. Now, another, Side point here, God's purpose for John and the Isle of Patmos was to build a testimony for the word of God. And you'll see that in chapter revelation, chapter one, verse nine, that he was there. I, John, who I'm also your brother and companion in tribulation. John himself had been cast away onto this lonely, rocky Island, all because he was a Christian. And in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ was in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. And what did John receive as a result of this? He received a testimony. He was true to the Bible. He was loyal to the Lord. and he had a testimony for God. What's God doing through our trials? Whether it's sickness, poverty, reverses in life, whether it's family struggles, reproach, hatred of men for becoming a Christian. What is God doing in all of these things in our lives? He's giving us an opportunity to build a testimony, standing for Christ in the face of every struggle. And this word is a tremendous comfort to these people at Smyrna in the midst of a fiery furnace. Can you take that comfort to your heart today? Can you suck the sweetness out of this to keep you from becoming bitter against the Lord or against God's people? Moving on here in chapter 2, 11, this is the letter to the church at Smyrna again. Chapter 2, verse 11, you will see that Jesus comforts us by saying that he controls our suffering. Now, I take that from the statement in verse 11, it says, he that overcometh, where am I at here? Yeah, sorry, back into verse 10. I'm a verse ahead. Back into verse 10. Ye shall have tribulation 10 days. Now, we know that that 10 days can't be literal, because this church was going to go on and on through suffering right up to Polycarp, at least, and he was put to death. And so, this was much more than 10 days. So, what does the 10 days mean? It simply means that the Lord is going to control it. It's not going to get out of hand. He's going to keep it short and manageable and a place where it will be always according to the Lord's will. And as you go through this book of Revelation, this is one of the great things we see, that every time the devil raises his ugly head against the church, that the Lord says, according to his will, according to God's will, and according to God's mind. And in chapter two, seven verse two, I note this, and I saw another angel ascending from the East, having the seal of the living God. And they cried with a Lloyd voice to the four angels to whom it was given. And every time that the devil would attack God's people, he needed permission, just like he did when he attacked job. And here in Revelation, we see the devil at work, but it was given to him. He was given permission for a short time. We see that in chapter seven, verse two, chapter nine, verse five, to them, it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months. And then Revelation 13, seven, you will see that again. And it was given onto him. to make war with the saints. The devil needed permission in every one of those instances that are recorded. Now, all of these are scary things. That's why some people don't even like reading the book of Revelation because it's filled with so many scary things, things that are horrible, things that are, if they're not real war, they are spiritual warfare. There's a battle going on. And Christian, every one of us has to awaken up to that. And young people especially. You need to waken up to the realize that the Christian life is not just a stroll in a country park. You are called as a Christian into a spiritual battlefield. And there's a real enemy that wants to drag you down. And if he can't take you to hell, he'll destroy your testimony. This is the reality of the battle. And we are to stand up for the Lord Jesus at every cost. Now, this suffering is being controlled. That's our strength. The Lord puts a guard about us. Now, do you pray for that? Do you pray that the Lord will put a hedge around your life? as Job learned to pray? Do we pray for the church in that way, that the Lord will put a hedge of protection about the testimony of this church, that it will be a light in a dark place and effective for God to spread the gospel? Now I move on here in verse 10 again, and Revelation 2, verse 10, we're at here. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison. that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Now the focus now comes upon the reward, this crown. And the Greek term for this crown is Stephanos, and the name Stephen. comes from the word crown. Now, in the Roman world, it was a wreath made out of vegetation. It was a green, leaves all entwined and circled, and it was put over the Olympic runner's winner's head as his prize. He had won the crown. And it was a temporary thing. The leaves would soon wither and die. But on the day it was the badge of honor. But the Lord says, I will give thee a crown of life. Now, when you think of Stephen and how he died, he died as a martyr. He died when he was being stoned, looking up to heaven. and his face shone. You can study this in Acts chapter 6, 7. This face of Stephen beamed brightly, and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He died a martyr, and we can say that Stephen received an abundant entrance into glory. even though he was stoned, even though he fell dead in the dust of the ground, yet he died in Christ. He died an overcomer looking onto Jesus. There's no better way to die. There's no better way to end your life. by seeing and looking unto the Lord Jesus. And surely one glimpse of the Savior and it shall be worth it all. So can you see the comfort that the Lord Jesus pours into the hearts of his readers in this short letter. He is truly giving them the healing medicine of his promises and his grace to strengthen them in the midst of the battle. Now again, he says, he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. And the good news is that we can overcome. We can be overcomers. And even though the devil is busy in this world, and even though he may target you at times to destroy your testimony, you can be an overcomer. If you're born once, you'll die once. But if you're born twice, you will die but once. And even though you have to lay down your life for Christ, being faithful unto death, yet you will have eternal glory. Now, note how this final thrust of encouragement over the powers of death are given, as we see here, by the one that overcomes death. And let's go to verse eight. Unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write, these things saith the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. This letter is written by the risen savior who himself defeated death and defeated the grave and is alive forevermore. And therefore he can make the promise that he can make you an overcomer. and give you that blessed, blessed assurance of life with God and the comfort of his presence even in death. Psalm 23, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and staff, they comfort me. And then he closes the letter by writing, he that hath an ear, let him hear. You have to take this in. You have to recognize this is the Lord's word to you. You have to let these words filter into your heart. to become a comfort to your own soul. And the gospel always falls back on the wonderful power of Jesus' death and resurrection. The question now is, do you have an ear to hear? Or are you saying, this means nothing to me? I don't get it. Why would a good God Why would an almighty savior who has triumphed in so many ways leave me in my present stew of trouble and difficulty? Well, all of the Lord's promises have to be received and taken by faith and claimed in prayer. A promise is an offer, but you've got to take the offer You've got to receive the grace that is in that promise and step out on the promises and receive the very comfort that the Lord works in hearts. Now, probably I have preached somebody, well, I don't want to be a Christian then. If that's what the Lord does with his own children, why would I want to become a Christian? And the answer is because you have a soul. And there is an eternity. And there's a judgment day. And everyone that bows the knee to Jesus are saved on that day. But those who reject him, they have no savior, no hope, no comfort, no peace, but judgment. And this is the gospel thrust. Belief, come, put your faith in the Lord Jesus. And on the balance scale of life, that the little temporary weight of this world's struggles cannot be compared with the eternal weight of glory that awaits the believer in Christ. And may these words comfort your heart today. May they leave you shouting, I thank God I'm a Christian today. I'm glad I'm in Christ. And I have every, every assurance of his comfort in my heart.