This morning, I'd like for us to return to the shortest message given by our Lord, pardon me, to the seven churches in first century Asia Minor. As we consider the second letter of the seven, let me explain the rationale for this study. Excuse me. Early this year, I was invited to help with a pulpit supply in Hall River. Some of you remember that. And I thought it would be profitable to bring a word to that congregation, an exhortation to that young church plant, which has now been constituted as Temple Reform Baptist Church. Not only was the message a timely message, but As I had another opportunity to go and serve Christ among the brethren there, I believe that all the seven letters here in the Revelation written by the Apostle John were profitable. He was commissioned by the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. So as you can see, I believe what John saw and wrote in a book and sent to the churches was not just for the first century people of God, but for those of us today who named the name of Christ. These may seem to be like dark words to you, speaking about tribulation and persecution and trials and the attack of Satan, but rather than maybe look at God's word as it explains and shows us who God is and what he requires of us, he gives us, as it were, a roadmap that we might navigate this dark world It's kind of like, excuse me for making illustrations and references back to my former employment, but those things stick with me. It's like those signs on the side of the road that tell truck drivers that they're about to approach a steep downgrade. You need to pay attention to those signs if you're a truck driver. A 80,000-pound vehicle traveling down Fancy Gap in the wrong gear is a scary thing. It had been years. I had been driving for years in metropolitan New York and all over the country before I had ever seen a mountain. I have a healthy respect for mountains. But if you've never had 50,000 pounds behind you pushing you down a mountain, you don't know what fear is. I tell this story all the time and I repeat the words the same every time I tell it. I went up the mountain empty and I was coming back down with a heavy load and I asked the shipper, I said, is there another way down off this mountain? He did what you did, he laughed at me. He said, you're a flatlands guy, aren't you? You can call me what you want to call me. He said, yeah, you can go down 26. Go down I-26. Little did I know that Saluda Mountain had two steep downgrades. But not only were they steep, but they were winding. And as I began to descend the mountain in the wrong gear, in an old truck that did not have a jake brake. So if you don't know what a jake brake is, it's an engine brake that retards the engine and slows the truck down. So you better be in the right gear. I said, well, my tear ducts were full, my heart was in my throat, and Andrea's gonna be a widow tonight. Thankfully the Lord brought me down the mountain. I could not hear when I got to the bottom of the mountain. But after that encounter, brother, and I read everything I could about mountain driving. And every time I got to the truck stop, I asked other drivers, what gear do you need to be in when you're coming down this mountain? I made it my business to pay attention to those signs that said 7% grade. When I was driving my car, those signs didn't mean anything to me. But when I became a truck driver, those signs were very important. When we're unconverted, we're walking in the course of the world and we're doing our thing and living according to the prince of the power of the air as his children. We don't pay attention to these warnings in scripture. They don't mean anything to us. But once we're in Christ, these signposts, ought to mean something to us, and we ought to pay close attention to them. And so, brother, that's what we have here. It may sound dire and dark, this passage of Scripture, but it's an encouraging word in many regards if we pay close attention to it. We looked last Sunday at a brief sketch of the wealthy seaport city of Smyrna, and the description of Christ taken from the first chapter as it's related to these people, these persecuted people. Each letter has a description of Christ, and each of those descriptions of Christ in each one of these letters has a significant message to the churches to which they are addressed. Now that was the only portion that we covered last Lord's Day. This morning I'd like for us to consider the remainder of this letter under the two heads I mentioned last Lord's Day. One, the approval in verse 9. And secondly, the admonition in verses 10 and 11. Again, it may seem strange to rehearse these words in the ears of you who live in a country that knows nothing of the persecution of the early church, nor of Christians in other lands today. Many of us may believe that the suffering described in our text is no more than a historical account of early Christians, which was given to us that we might appreciate the blessings we enjoy as we stand on their shoulders. Or if we believe these things, and this type of suffering, if we believe it still exists, it exists only as a prayer request from the mission board, which we will pray about at our next midweek prayer meeting, or as our occasion is to pray on the second Sunday of the month. William Hendrickson writes in his commentary, More Than Conquerors, these words. All these things were real. They were facts, many of them hard facts, for the church of that day and age. These believers were not primarily interested in the great events of future centuries, so much as in the struggle between light and darkness, the church and the world, Christ and the dragon, truth and error, which was being waged in their own time. The apocalypse is an answer to the crying knees of these persecuted, sorely afflicted believers. Hendrickson goes on and he says, the epistles describe conditions that occur not in one particular age of church history, but again and again. Some people believe that these churches are a description of the church during different stages of history, and they divide them up. But each one of these churches heard these letters that were read, that John wrote as he received them from our Lord. And that circuit, those letters went around that circuit, and those who were in those churches heard these words from the glorified Christ as they were penned by the apostle John. Those things happened then, and these things are still happening now. Let me remind you again of the Apostle's words as he was moved along by the Holy Spirit. Yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Second Timothy 3.12. All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. The Bible doesn't present a sugar-coated religion. Our Lord is honest about what it means to be a Christian. He doesn't hide what it costs to follow him. Then Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16, 24. The hymn writer describes the old rugged cross as the emblem of suffering and shame. And he says in the last stanza of that old familiar hymn, to the old rugged cross I will ever be true. Its shame and reproach gladly bear. Then he'll call me someday to that home far away where his glory forever I'll share. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit, the Bible says, that we are children of God. And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8, 16, and 17. That old slogan, no cross, no crown, is true. As our Lord began his earthly preaching ministry and describes the marks of a true Christian, we hear these words. They were not recorded on some mechanical device. No, they were recorded by men who were moved by the Holy Spirit. And our Lord said this when he preached this powerful sermon, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice. We heard about that this morning in the 915 hour. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they, the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5, 10, and 12. True Christians should not think it's strange to be chased, hunted, targeted, or harassed. It's part and parcel, brother, we said it last week, it's part and parcel of being a Christian. There are varying degrees of persecution, there are varying degrees of temptation, there are varying degrees of trials. And because we don't live in Afghanistan or in North Korea does not mean that we're exempt from suffering and trials and persecution. But please note this, brethren, that this treatment for Christ, this treatment, this ill treatment is because of Christ. Christ is for righteousness sake that this suffering comes. He says, and for my sake, or because of me, that is the reason why these trials come. But not all mistreatment is persecution. Sometimes we get this mentality that everything that we encounter in this life, all the ill treatment, the bad things that happen to us is because we are God's children and we're being persecuted. Remember Peter's words, he says, but let no one of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a busybody in other people's matters. You see, suffering comes by way of these things as well. If you're witnessing on your job, during a time in which you're being paid to perform a task and your employer reprimands you. You ever done that before? That's not persecution. According to Peter, you are suffering because you're a thief. You've been paid to do a job. You've been paid to perform a task. And as those who do their work is unto the Lord and not unto men, we ought to give ourselves diligently to our work when we're called upon to work because we expect an honest day's wage for an honest day's work. But for some reason, we think just because we're sharing the gospel that we're being persecuted. No, you're not being persecuted. You're actually stealing. According to Peter, you can be rebuked and disliked because you're a busybody. Don't suffer, he says, as a busybody. You're a meddler, not a martyr. Remember last week we said that persecution comes as its cause and caused by who we are identified with. Those who are identified with Christ are the ones who are suffering. And the reason may be that some of us know nothing about this ill treatment because maybe people don't know that we're in Christ. Because we're just like them. And not like what 1 Peter 2.9 calls us, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, one translation says, or a people for God's own possession, or as the King James says, a peculiar people. If we are of the peculiar people, this holy nation, then people will know it and recognize it by the way we live, by the way we talk, by the way we conduct ourselves in the world, men and women, boys and girls, everybody who comes around us will know that we have been with Jesus. Now, that was a very extended introduction. Let us come now to our text. Revelation 2, verse 9, says, I know. I know. Christ is intimately acquainted with their state. The King James and the New King James read, I know your works. But the other formal equivalent translations just read, I know your tribulation. Christ compassionately goes right to the pain of his people. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who is in everything, in every respect, has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4.15. Our Lord is intimately acquainted with all our ways. This portion talks about Christ moving in between the lampstands. He's up close and personal, if you will. And he knows all about our struggles. This reminds me of the words of Jehovah to his servant Moses in Exodus chapter 3. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt. and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. Beloved, never think that our blessed Savior doesn't know what we're going through. Sometimes, we said it last week, sometimes we feel all alone. Sometimes those closest to us don't know the hurt and the pain that we are enduring. But no matter how little others know about our pain and our trials, God knows. Our Lord knows, and he sees. He knows all about our struggles. He knows what we're going through. I couldn't help but to think of the words of Hebrews chapter 11. when it talks about the saints of old who by faith endured and persevered for God. It says others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. were tempted, were slain with a sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. That may not be us now. And you've heard many times from this pulpit, it may come. We may not escape this kind of persecution. It's hard for us to fathom anything of that nature in this country. But brethren, these are signposts and warnings and instructions for us before we reach the downgrade. God forbid we'd not pay attention to those things. The word tribulation has the idea of being pressed or pressured. John himself refers to his exile as tribulation in the first chapter in verse nine. Because these believers did not join the imperial cult and bow to Caesar, they were banned from the trade guilds. Those are the, in our day, we would call labor unions. So work was scarce. or not at all. No one would trade with them, and businesses were taken. They had no protection. Thus, they were robbed and imprisoned. They lost their homes. The breadwinners were killed, and widows and orphans were left to survive the best way they could. Thankfully the community of saints band together in the early days and even now to care for one another. It should make you think of Acts chapter 2. Now all who believe were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. This was not the beginning of a commune, but rather the expressions of Christian benevolence. John says it's one of the signs of being born of God. In 1 John chapter 3, by this we know love because he laid down his life for us and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And so in the midst of all this persecution and these trials, the only thing that the saints had, apart from their great Savior, was the Savior's people, their brethren in the Lord, to help them during these difficult times. We read in the Bible of men like Barnabas, a man of comfort and consolation, but who was also wealthy and aided the saints. I can remember back years ago, in the former church, the exhortation went out concerning the education of our children. And many people were convinced that, and it wasn't as bad as it is today in the public schools, but folks wanted to homeschool, and those who could not homeschool desired to put their children in the Christian school. Because they believed that their children would be better instructed under the canopy of an instructional system that recognized God and honored God and loved God and all the different disciplines of study had some connection to God. That they were image bearers of God and they ought to give their minds and their talents and develop them under that blessed teaching. However, Some of those parents who were convinced of those things could not afford to put their children in Christian schools. And the exhortation went out to those brethren who are retired, those who are wealthy, those brethren that you sit next to in the pew who have the means, whose children are so far advanced in years that they have grandchildren. And to not take what you have, the wealth that God has blessed you with, and spend it on yachts and fancy vacations, but turn around and see the needs of your brethren. And are you as committed to helping them in this endeavor? That's Christian love. That's brethren come alongside one another and helping one another. Yet even in this, they were very poor. This word poverty in our text has the idea of beggary, destitution, lack the means of subsistence, utter poverty. This is the same word the Apostle Paul used to describe the deep poverty of the churches in Macedonia, who implored with much urgency that their gifts be taken to help the other saints. Paul says they gave beyond their ability. That's an incredible statement. And though a different Greek word is used, I couldn't help but to think of that poor widow in Mark chapter 12, who took her two mites and threw them into the treasury. And our Lord said that she gave all that she had. Her whole livelihood was cast into the treasury. Perhaps these saints look like some of the people we see standing on our street corners, begging for alms. This was not just the plight of the elders who had perhaps a high profile, but all the saints were targeted with this kind of treatment. Pastor Greg preached from this portion of scripture years ago, Hebrews chapter 10. The apostles of the Hebrew says, but recall the former days in which after you were illuminated or enlightened, You endured a great struggle with suffering, partly while you were made a spectacle, both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were treated that way. So you had compassion on me and my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Brother, do you see, oft times, when these things are brought to the minds of the saints, they're always pointed towards their homeland. You have a better inheritance. We're so blinded by the things of this life. And instead of just setting up tents here, we build mansions. And we think this is our eternal dwelling, this is our home, and we put all our energies and all of our strength into this world, when the Bible says these things may be plundered, they may be taken away from you, and what will comfort you? That you'll be able to rebuild the stuff here? No, no, it says there is another home. being prepared for us, and God's trying to get our eyes off of this world and focus our attention on our homeland. Are we pressured to conform on our jobs or in our families? Are we denied promotions and raises because we named the name of Christ? Or even care, medical care, if we don't comply to the mandates? Our Lord doesn't say, don't worry. There seems to be a case of mistaken identity here. The Roman government and the ruling Jews in the Samaria must not be aware that you're the king's kids. I'll straighten all this out. No, that's not what he says. But that's what the TV preachers will tell you. We're not supposed to suffer. We're not supposed to be poor. We're not supposed to be sick. No, Jesus says, I know your poverty. But he says, but you're rich. You may not look rich to the world, but in the eyes of the all-seeing God, you're rich. Matthew 5, 3 says, blessed are the poor in spirit. The Beatitudes recorded in Luke chapter 6 just says, blessed are you poor. James reminds us of these comforting words. Listen, my beloved brethren. Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? James 2.5. Not like another church who said, I'm rich, wealthy, in need of nothing. Our Lord says they did not know that they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. God has promised something for those who love him. And I ask you this morning, do you love Christ? Do you eagerly await his coming? The Jews were behind much of the instigation and violence against the believers. We read about this in the book of Acts, in chapter 17. Pastor Devon made an allusion to this portion this morning. There were mobs comprised of evil men, but they were instigated by the Jews. And we read in that portion of scripture that they followed Paul and Silas from Thessalonica to Berea. They stirred up a mob in Thessalonica because of the preaching of God's word, and when the disciples left Thessalonica, This rabble-rousing bunch heard that Paul was preaching in Berea, and they went down to Berea. They're chasing him because he's preaching the gospel. Not because Paul and Silas were protesting with the brethren about political views or social convictions. No, they came after them, the Bible says, because Paul was explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead and saying that Jesus, whom I preach to you, is the Messiah. That's why they came after them. He's preaching about a righteousness that is not our own, not of our own making. He's talking about a savior who died for needy sinners. And this did not fall well on the Jewish ears. This one whom I'm preaching is the Messiah. You may remember back in January, a bill was introduced by a pair of ultra-Orthodox Jewish lawmakers. It says soliciting someone to convert their faith should be punishable by one year in prison. And solicitation to convert a minor would be punishable with two years in prison. Israel's Prime Minister halted the bill and announced on Twitter, we will not advance any law against the Christian community. However, most Jews view an effort to convert them to Christianity as deeply offensive. That wasn't just in the first century. Today. And perhaps the prime minister backed off because he knew that a lot of his support, politically and financially, comes from evangelical Christians. It's not good business. But that doesn't say anything about the heart of the Jews and what they thought about those who preach Christ. And even today, not just in the first century, but in 2023, this is still the sentiment. Christ says, I know their blasphemy, their slander, their accusations. Remember his words in Matthew 5, blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. The Jews accused the Christians of the Roman government as being atheists, because they would not bow to the pantheon of false gods, including Caesar himself. If you recall, when they brought Polycarp before the pro-council, we talked about Polycarp's martyrdom last Lord's Day. And one of the things I didn't mention last week was when they brought Polycarp before the pro-council to try him, they told him to renounce Christianity and say, away with the atheists. They were calling Christians atheists because they would not bow. But history tells us that Polycarp turned and pointed with his hands to the crowds and says, away with the atheists. Those who do not serve Christ are the real atheists. Those who bow to false gods are the real atheists. Listen to Lenski. This strong term means vicious vilification. Speaking of this blasphemy, this slander. He says it's vicious vilification of the Messiah and of Christians who worship him. All manner of denunciation and slander and the like. Our Lord says, they say they're Jews, but they are not. They say they're Jews, but they are not. Romans 2.28 says, for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly. Nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh." It's kind of like the ones in the church in Ephesus, where they said they were apostles, but they were not. They were judged not to be real apostles. But this judgment is coming from the Lord, and he says, they say they are Jews, but they are not Jews. Brethren, this is not anti-Semitism. The Jews, by rejecting Christ, cut themselves off from all covenant relations and privileges, and no longer were Jews in the sense of the covenant made with Abraham. Here are the Lord's words to these unbelieving Jews. I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill me, because my word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with my father, and you do what you do when you have seen with your father. And they answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father. And they said to him, we are not born of fornication. We have one father, God. You see here, they're throwing stones at Christ now. They're questioning the incarnation. They're questioning his birth and his conception, because they did not understand the Holy Spirit's operation in the birth of Christ. And they know that this young virgin was pregnant before she had even consummated her wedding vows with Joseph. Where did this, where did you come from? You born of fornication and throwing stones. Sometimes people attack your character when they can't deal with the truth of the word that you bring to them. Jesus said to them, if God were your father, you would love me. For I proceeded forth and came from God, nor have I come of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? Because you are not able to listen to my word. You are of your father, the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? And if I tell you the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears God's word. Therefore, you do not hear because you are not of God. John chapter eight. Then Christ says they are the synagogue of Satan. They were nice, upstanding, respectable Jews to many, and they went to the synagogue. Many of their plots to kill the Messiah were concocted in the synagogue, instigated by the great accuser of the saints. Brethren, always understand who was behind the schemes, the tempting, the accusing of the saints. There's one who's trying to thwart the purposes of God. Jesus saw beyond Peter's words and addressed the evil one behind the scene who tried to keep him from the cross. Do you remember his words to Peter when Peter tried to keep him away from the cross and the sufferings that he must endure as the sin bearer? He didn't say, well, Peter, you don't really understand. He said, get behind me, Satan. He knew the evil and was behind those words. Brethren, we live in a world that we must be knowledgeable that there are things seen and there are things unseen. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore the apostle exhorts believers to put on the whole armor of God that they may be able to withstand in the evil day. Not just looking at the evil people with their evil words and their evil deeds, but see our ancient foe. who seeks to work us woe behind the scenes. Sometimes we miss it, brethren, and we're looking at those who bring hardship upon us, and we must understand that behind the scenes is the evil one with his vicious attack, trying to bring you down, seeking your demise. Then in verses 10 and 11, we come to the admonition. It's not a stern rebuke for sin, but rather an encouragement to not buckle in fear because of what's coming. Be prepared. Don't be caught off guard. Yes, all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, Philippians 129 says, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. We'll embrace the first part of that verse. We'll believe on him, but we've also been called to suffer for his sake. The disciples rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name, Acts 5 41. Do we? Do we count it a blessing? that the ill treatment that we receive comes because we have named the name of Christ. Our Lord despised the shame the Bible tells us in Hebrews 12. He despised the shame for us. Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned he stood. He sealed my pardon with his blood. That's why we say hallelujah, what a savior. Bearing shame, our Lord was hung on a Roman gibbet. And it's not what you read or see in the books, those beautiful pictures of the crucifixion or what you may see in a cathedral. The Bible describes the cross as a gory place. A bloody place. The Bible says Christ was beaten beyond recognition. He was spat upon and mocked. And he hung on a cross, despising the shame. Every picture or statue I've seen that tried to portray the crucifixion had Christ there with a loin cloth on. There was no loin cloth on Christ when he hung on the cross naked before the jeering eyes of his mockers. But he despised the shame that he might bring us to heaven. He would not come down from the cross to save himself. but he endured despising the shame. And can we not despise the mocking and the shame and the persecution or the ill treatment from coworkers because we love Christ? Are we ashamed to own his name? We are ashamed to own him here, brethren. He'll be ashamed to own us for his father. He despised it. But he comes to these people, these suffering saints, he says, do not fear. Matthew 10 tells us those same words. He says, don't fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. He's giving us instruction. There are people who will kill your body, who will hurt you, who will say all manner of evil against you falsely. Don't fear them, Christ says. I tell you who you should fear. Fear him who is able to cast both body and soul in hell. Fear him. But if you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. First Peter three. Persecution comes brethren. Don't be afraid. Do not be terrified. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Speak God's word in the midst of your trials. The psalmist says in 119, so shall I have wherewith to answer them, or him that approaches me, for I trust in thy word. I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and I will not be ashamed. Speak the word of God. Christ says you're gonna be thrown into prison. God uses these means to wean us, brethren, from the world. The Bible tells us, love not the world, those are the things that are in the world. And these kinds of things are used, even though they are the attacks of the evil one, God overturns these things and he uses them for his purposes. One of the purposes God is using to, with all this persecution and his ill treatment, is to wean us from this world. He calls us not to love it. a crude illustration, but if someone made a beautiful apple pie, but it was not to be eaten, but it smells good and you really want to have a part of it, but you shouldn't eat it, and maybe you might partake a little bit here and hope no one sees you, take a little bit more, but If someone, and this may not be true, but if someone poured a bunch of sardines on top of that apple pie. See, now some of you don't even like sardines. That would be a deterrent because it's obnoxious and it's offensive. You don't put sardines on apple pie, you put ice cream on apple pie. Some of us love the apple pie. We love the world. And Christ is weaning us from the world. He's showing us the heinousness of the world. And those whom we thought were our friends, until they found out we were Christians, until they found out that we're not gonna join you in the parade and fly our flags, our rainbow flags with you. You're not? And now you're being persecuted. And it's coming from all sides. It's happening on your jobs. It's happening in your neighborhoods. It's happening in your families. And you're being slandered and talked about. And now, this world doesn't seem as beautiful as it once was. It makes a lot of us long for heaven. living in a dark and fallen world. And God uses these things, brethren, to wean us from the world. In the parable of the sowers, our Lord talks about the stony ground here is when tribulation and persecution came because of the word, they stumbled and they brought forth no crop, no fruit. God is in control. He says, you will be tested. You will be tested, he says. He's working these things out. When you get home, go back over and read that beautiful portion in 1 Peter 1, verses 6 and 7, where it talks about what God is doing in our lives and what those trials are working in us and how they bring forth the genuineness of our profession and who we are in Christ. God turns the evil for good. In Genesis, we read Joseph's words to his brothers after their father had died. And they were fearful that their brother would take vengeance once Jacob was gone. And they begged him, and they said, well, please, please don't. It's a paraphrase. The Bible says Joseph wept. He says, am I in the place of God? You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. These tribulations and this imprisonment that these saints were enduring in Smyrna may have been the plot of the evil one to do them harm, but God meant it for good. We read of Haman, how he erected the gallows for Mordecai and the Jews, That was overturned by God, and his plans were thwarted, and he and his sons were hung on the gallows. God is still in control. That's what he says here in the first part of this portion of this letter. I am the first and the last. He is the everlasting, the eternal sovereign of the universe, and he controls all things, brethren. These are hard times. We need to remember the promises of God and take these scriptures. They're not just for Bible memorization for vacation Bible school. These scriptures were given to us that when we come upon these hard times and these difficult times, that we might bathe our minds with the Word of God in the scriptures. God is working all things after the counsel of his own will. That's why we can say, All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. 10 days you shall be in prison, John says. In Revelation, many of these numbers are symbolic. Some have tried to link these 10 days to the 10 days that Daniel and his friends were being tested in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar. when they came out more intelligent and wise and healthy than the other lads. But know this, brethren, the Lord, the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega, determines the intensity of the trial, and He also determines the duration of the trial. How long, Lord? How long must I endure this? God knows what He's doing in our lives. He knows how much pressure we need to conform us to the image of His Son. We think we know best, but God is still in control. Satan thinks he's having a heyday with the Christians. No, he's not. God is in control of all these things. Let us echo the apostles' words. Most gladly, therefore, I will glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, and reproaches, and necessities, and persecutions, and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Second Corinthians 12. Be faithful until death, he says. Don't give up, but pray. Pray like Jehoshaphat. Remember how Jehoshaphat prayed? He was scared. He didn't know what to do. That's one of my favorite prayers in the Bible. But our eyes are on you. There are times in our lives when we're going to be fearful and scared, but we need to plead with God. In that hymn that was written by Isaac Watts, he says, as long as I live and trouble rises, I'll hasten to his throne. And that's why he said, I love the Lord. He didn't make those words up. That's a paraphrase of Psalm 116. I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications, because he has inclined his ear to me. Therefore, I will call upon him as long as I live. Beloved, the scriptures call us to pray. If anyone among you is suffering, James says, let him pray. Pray like David, who knew God was a very present help in time of need. Therefore, he says, I will not fear. Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me, the Lord says. And David said, this poor man cried. Ah, he cried out. And the Lord heard him, saved him out of all his trouble. Ernest, you said these saints are going to prison. Some of them are going to die in prison. Some of them are going to be executed. Some of them are going to be martyrs like Polycarp. What are you talking about? He will deliver them out of their trouble. Out of all their trouble, the psalmist says. Brethren, we must have a biblical understanding of what deliverance is. The deliverance may simply be that God is taking us out of this dark, cruel, evil world and ushering us into glory. And if you don't think of that as deliverance, You need to ask God to give you the understanding. The apostle Paul said, for me to live is Christ, but to die is gain. I've got a lot to do here, and a lot of saints will be benefited by my ministry, but to be with Christ is very far better. Is that true? Can you say in the recesses of your heart, With all you're enjoying here, with your families and everything that God has blessed you with on this earth, can you say, for me to live is Christ, and to die, to be ushered out of this world, into the next, is gain. Christ will deliver his people. The crown of life awaits the people of God, the crown that is life. He will give them life. James says, blessed is a man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. It is because of the Lord that death has come to many saints. They didn't die in car accidents. They didn't fall off their donkey and break their necks. They died because they were God's people. They experienced death because they were identified with Christ. They are persecuted because they are identified with Christ. But it's also true, it's because of the Lord that the second death shall not hurt them. It's because of Christ that we suffer, but it's also because of Christ that we don't suffer the second death. What is the second death? The Bible tells us in the Revelation, and we shall come to that in our reading. It's the eternal punishment that God has prepared for the devil and his angels, and all those who love not the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. That place is prepared, the second death. Polycarp said when he was martyred, he told the pro-council, as he was threatened by the flames, he despised the lions, the beasts, and he despised the flames. He said these flames will only last for a moment, for a time, for an hour, but they are eternal flames for those who do not love Christ. That is the second death. And all those who will suffer for Christ and all those who hold the banner of the Christian life will not be hurt by the second death. That's a blessed promise. That's a blessed promise. And I pray today that some of you here and under the sound of my voice may realize that the worst thing that could ever happen is to leave this world. And we know not what a day may bring forth, The cemeteries have short graves and they have long graves, medium-sized graves. Are you ready? Are you prepared to meet God? Have you turned from your sin? Has God pressed upon your heart the reality that you are lost in Adam and that you are on your way to destruction? The conscience accuses and excuses, and sometimes we try to suppress the truth in unrighteousness, like many in our day. But may the Holy Spirit give you the understanding that all those in Adam have a bad record, and we have a bad heart, and only Christ can fix those things. Yes, we believe in exclusivity of Christ. There's only one way. We have friends that believe there are other roads to God. No, there's only one way, brethren, and that's through the Lord Jesus Christ. To accept what he has done for needy sinners, he has taken the punishment, the second death that many will experience. They'll experience it because they did not flee to Christ who bore the wrath of God, the undiluted wrath of God for needy sinners. I'm not gonna tell you to repeat after me and say a prayer. You go home and you plead with God and ask God to show you the truth. Ask God to make you feel the depravity of your heart. Young and old, you don't have to be an old person to understand these things. Young people, children, you know when you do wrong. You know when you disobey your parents. And in disobeying your parents, you disobey God. And God is not pleased with that kind of disobedience. And you say, why do I do this? I keep doing it. Mommy told me to do this yesterday, and I was disciplined for it, but I do it again tomorrow and the next day. It's because you cannot. You cannot obey properly and rightly in a way that pleases God without Jesus Christ being your Savior and Lord. You say, Mommy and Daddy still sin. Yeah, they do. But thanks be to God, they have a Savior. And all those sins have been done away. And your sins can be done away with, too. If you come to Jesus, he will deliver you so that you will not be hurt by the second death. Brother, these are glorious truths. May we take these things to heart. May God give us help to endure whatever comes our way in this world that we would not fear, but that we would endure to the end. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you. We thank you for your word. We thank you for the many who have gone before and left us an example. But we thank you most of all for our great high priest who left us an example of what it meant to despise the shame and to look forward to that glorious day. We thank you that our Lord is looking forward to see the fruit of his labor in that glorious kingdom. Lord, may each of us in this room today be a part of that glorious kingdom. Help us, Lord, to honor you and to glorify you in the earth. Help us, Lord, to stand under the attacks of the evil one. We thank you for our great champion, the Lord Jesus. And we thank you, as we heard this morning, the battle, the victory has been won. We thank you in Jesus' name, amen.