Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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Show pic – fruit close up
Can anyone tell me what this is?
It’s fruit. Some melons, mango, cantaloupe.
Show pic – fruit 2
And this?
It’s the same fruit only I’ve moved out from the picture.
Show pic – fruit 3
And, what is this?
It’s a picture of a bowl of fruit
made from a whole lot of those little pictures of fruit.
Those first 2 pictures where just sections of this picture I enlarged and cropped.
Do you know what they call this?
It’s called a photo mosaic.
That’s where a lot of small pictures are combined in a mosaic to make a bigger picture.
Here’s another one.
Show pic – soldiers close-up
What is this?
These are pictures of soldiers who were killed in the Iraq war.
Show pic – partial
Can anyone guess what the bigger picture is?
Show pic – George W Bush
It’s George W Bush – the US president during the war in Iraq.
The person who created this image, was making a statement.
I’m not agreeing with that.
I just think this is a strong photo mosaic image.
One more.
Show pic – birds close-up
What are these? Can you see?
They are many different pictures of birds.
Can anyone guess what the bigger picture is?
Show pic – seagull
It’s a bird. A seagull.
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
We are in a Sunday sermon series in the book of Revelation
And here’s why I’m showing you photo mosaics like this ....
It’s because one of the challenges when we study the book of Revelation in the Bible
is that we can get so focused on the little details:
the symbolism, the numbers, the creatures, angels, bowls, trumpets, etc.
and what everything might mean
that we can miss the big picture.
Studying the book of Revelation
we can get sooo focused on the little details that we miss the big picture.
Have you ever heard the saying
“Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees”?
That’s the same thing.
It means we can focus so much on the little details – the trees,
that we miss the big picture – the forest.
That can happen when you read and study the Book of Revelation in the Bible.
So as we study Revelation, it’s important
for us to see the big picture, the bigger pictures, as much as we can.
We are talking about chapters 1thru 3 in the book of Revelation
where Jesus appears in a vision to his disciple John.
And he tells John to write letters to seven churches.
He says,
Revelation 1:11
“Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna,
Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
Then, chapters 2 & 3 of Revelation are letters addressed to these churches.
And the things in these letters . to these 1st century churches . also apply to us.
They are all intended for all Christians of all time.
Title slide
So as we look at these letters we are considering how we measure up to what Jesus says
so we can calibrate our faith and our lives –
so that we can adjust and correct our lives to the image of Jesus’ words.
Today, I want us to see the big picture in these letters.
I want us to see the big picture that is common to these letters.
And, in fact, I think it is the Big Picture of the whole book of Revelation.
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Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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What is the Big Picture of these 7 letters?
What is the Big Picture of the book of Revelation?
It’s in the letter to the next church.
In his vision, Jesus tells John:
Revelation 2:8-11
“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know
your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say
they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about
to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer
persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your
victor’s crown.
11
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious
will not be hurt at all by the second death.
So Smyrna means nothing to most people.
We don’t know this city from history.
But at the end of the 1st century it’s not a small town.
It was a Greek city on the East side of the Aegean Sea.
It was only 2nd in size to Ephesus, the letter we looked at last week.
It had an important harbor that was narrow enough to close in wartime.
It had a theater, a stadium, and a library.
And it claimed to be the birthplace of the great epic poet Homer.
Smyrna also had a 500 foot high mountain overlooking the city with an acropolis on top.
And that mountain had a curved Street of Gold around its base
that had a temple to Zeus on one end, and a temple to a goddess Cybele on the other.
Around 200 BC it became the 1st city anywhere to build a temple to Dea Roma - the god of Rome.
In 23BC it won permission over 10 other Asian cities to build a temple to emperor Tiberius.
It was a beautiful, and proud, and wealthy city.
And it was fiercely loyal to Rome.
Because of its strong allegiance to the deification and worship of the Roman emperors,
and a large Jewish population that was actively hostile to Christians,
it was very difficult to live as a Christian in Smyrna.
There is a book that’s survived from the 2nd century called The Martyrdom of Polycarp
that describes how Polycarp, the first bishop of Smyrna, was killed for being Christian.
It mentions Smyrna saying:
“the multitude of heathen and the Jews living in Smyrna cried out with uncontrollable wrath.”
And then they gathered wood to build a pyre on which they burned Polycarp alive.
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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That’s why Jesus writes to them and says
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
Because Jesus was “the one who died and rose again,”
these Christians can have courage even when they are facing death for their faith.
And it’s why Jesus says,
I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!
Their affliction and their poverty.
Came from being hated for being Christians.
They possibly couldn’t get work.
One commentator said the word that’s translated afflictions here means something like
the burden that crushes.
Their life was crushing.
And the Greek language has two words for poor.
One means someone who has just the most basic things.
And another means someone who has nothing.
The Smyrnans are the 2nd kind.
Maybe we’d say destitute.
But Jesus says “you are rich” – they are rich in faith.
Jesus tells them, I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan.
Jews really hated Christians then.
A Jewish Galilean peasant had been executed as a criminal,
and yet his followers were convincing many Jews to believe he was the Son of God.
That was blasphemy to a Jew.
And the Christians were accused of being cannibals, atheists who broke up homes,
politically disloyal, and incendiary.
Jesus tells them
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison
to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.
Do not be afraid.
You will suffer and be imprisoned.
But it will not last forever – just 10 days – just a short time.
And Jesus says,
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has
ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt
at all by the second death.
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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Be faithful. Don’t give up your faith in me.
Even if they kill you because you won’t offer incense to Caesar when you enter the city gate.
And if you die, “I will give you life as a victor’s crown.”
The word for crown here means the green laurel wreath of a Greek Olympian,
not the metal circle kind.
Whoever is victorious, even to death,
won’t be hurt at all – emphatic negative – by the second death.
Later in Revelation we’ll see that at the final judgement all humanity is resurrected,
the righteous are resurrected to eternal life,
but the unrighteous are cast into a lake of fire – this is called the second death.
And so,
What is Jesus doing in this letter?
What is the purpose of this letter?
Who is Jesus to this church in Smyrna?
Jesus is their encourager!
(2x)
It’s in who He calls himself at the beginning.
He is the first and last – the Sovereign God, who is risen- who overcomes!
It’s in when He says I know your poverty, but you are rich!
And when He knows their suffering and He knows the slander.
It’s why he tells them “Do not be afraid,” just like he told his disciples so many times.
“Take courage, it is I.”
It’s in “Be faithful, even to the point of death.”
And if you do, I will give you a crown of life, and you will never, never be hurt again.
Press on. Hold on.
Jesus Christ is their encourager.
In fact, when you see it in this letter, you can also see it across all of the seven letters.
Jesus is encouraging all these churches.
That’s the big picture, here.
And then if you back out a little farther from the image to get the whole picture,
you can see it all through the vision in the book of Revelation.
The underlying message of the book of Revelation is
to take courage, to be strong,
persevere!
have hope!
look to the promise!
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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The next time you read the book of Revelation, take notice to how
some sequence of tribulation and suffering is described,
but then right after there’s a picture of heaven and God is on his throne.
Four horses are unleashed and are given power to kill by famine, sword, and plague,
but the saints under the throne are told to hang on you’re going to rise and reign one day.
And then trumpets sound and mountains and stars fall, and bring wormwood,
and an abyss opens and locusts bring pain and destruction,
but then 24 elders are falling on their faces and worshiping God.
And then a dragon and a beast rise and devour a child and utter blasphemies,
But wait a Lamb is standing on Mt Zion
and he has those who sing a new song with him.
and a white rider is coming who defeats the beast and he is faithful and true.
And then a lake of fire claims her due.
But wait a New Jerusalem is coming down from the heavens
and the bride walks thru her gates and walks her streets of gold.
The whole vision of Revelation is the message of Jesus Christ for Christians to always
keep courage!
Be encouraged!
Life is hard. and pain and trouble will come. But God is on his throne!
And it is all going to be wonderful and beautiful in the End!
Hang on! Hold on! Be faithful!
Do not be afraid!
Hallelujah! Amen!
And it’s all because of Jesus.
Jesus is our encourager! Jesus is the Great Encourager.
When the woman was caught in adultery in John 8.
Jesus did not condemned her.
He defended her. He protected her from the stones of the misogynists.
Then when they all dropped their stones and went aways, he encouraged her.
“Who is left to condemn you?”
“No one sir.”:
“Then neither do I condemn you.
“Now go and sin no more.”
And in that little directive He was saying,
“I believe you can do it! I say it because I am optimistic of who you can be!”
He encouraged her and she became his follower.
Jesus is our encourager. Amen!?
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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Let me take us back to the 7 letters.
In the one we’ve just read to the church at Smyrna,
and in them all,
I think we can see 3 ways Jesus encourages us.
1. Jesus encourages us with his identity.
2. Jesus encourages us with affirmation and empathy.
3. Jesus encourages us with promises of future blessing.
I know I’ve already given you the better half of a sermon,
so I’ll just hit these briefly.
1. Jesus encourages us with his identity.
At the beginning of each of the letters to the 7 churches, Jesus identified himself.
He says,
Revelation 2:8
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
And things like
Revelation 2:18
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like
burnished bronze. ...
Revelation 3:7
“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. ...
Revelation 3:14
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation....
Jesus is saying this is who I am.
And “who He is” is meant to conveys encouragement.
He is the faithful and true witness.
He is the one who is holy and true.
He is the Son of God with eyes blazing like fire.
Can anyone tell us from where he gets all these titles and names?
All of these come from the awesome vision of Jesus in Revelation chapter 1.
And they all relate in some way to the issues Jesus is addressing in each letter.
Jesus encourage the recipients of the letters with who He is.
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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If our kids are little and they are afraid or they are hurting,
and we are there and say, “It’s okay, mommy’s here.” That encourages them.
Because of who we are to them and what who we are means to them.
As they get older, if they have a problem or they need help or advice,
they come to us and they trust us
because they know who we are and what that identity has meant for them.
In an even greater way, Jesus encourages us with his identity.
2. Jesus encourages us with affirmation and empathy.
I put these both, affirmation and empathy, together
because they both come from what Jesus says he knows.
Last week Jesus told the Ephesians
Revelation 2:2
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.
To the church at Thyatira he says,
Revelation 2:19
I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing
more than you did at first.
He’s encouraging them by affirming the good they are doing.
That can be wonderfully encouraging to have someone say,
I know your hard work, your love, your service.
This week my wife Beth started a Mom’s Connect Group here on Thursday morning.
9 moms got together and connected a little and had an encouraging word from the Bible.
And something cool happened.
We have a mom named Esther in our church who is originally from Indonesia.
She came and sat down next to a mom who has been bringing her child
to our Awana kids ministry on Wednesday night.
And this new mom who sat next to Esther is a missionary’s kid who grew up in Indonesia!
They loved it! They were instant friends!
The next day Beth emailed the women who attended to say thanks for coming.
And Esther wrote a very affirming encouraging email back to her.
Esther wrote:
Hi Beth, Thank you very much for your kind email.
Actually, we are the one who should say thank you to you. Last night at our dinner table, Nick and
I talked about how blessed we are to have not just the Senior Pastor, but also his wife that is
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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genuinely willing to put her time, energy, and effort to help us to grow more like Christ. I hope
you don't mind that I showed some of your and Pastor Tim's pictures, and also told about how
wonderful you are to my best friend in Indonesia.
Once again, thank you very much Beth, for being a truly Godly role model for us, as a woman,
wife and mom.
Oh ya, I was so happy to meet somebody who knows, and even better grew up in my country. We
did speak in my native language, and talk about a lot of things that we miss, such as my favorite
thing that is...food. Hahaha!
In Christ,
Esther
How cool is it that God brought these two together here so unexpectedly.
A real mom connection.
And Esther’s affirming her deeds and hard work was very encouraging to Beth.
Jesus encourages us with affirmation ... and with empathy.
Again with what Jesus says he knows,
to Smyrna Jesus wrote:
Revelation 2:9
I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who
say they are Jews and are not,
And to Philadelphia he says:
Revelation 3:8
I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
It’s encouraging to have someone say that they know what you are dealing with or going thru.
Jesus knows what all these churches are going through.
Jesus knows. And Jesus cares.
And the last way He encourages us:
3. Jesus encourages us with promises of future blessing.
At the end of each of these 7 letters, Jesus promises future blessings to those who are victorious.
He promises:
Revelation 2:7
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the
paradise of God.
Revelation 2:17
To the one who is victorious, I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on
it, known only to the one who receives it.
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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Revelation 2:26-28
To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations ...
just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give that one the morning star.
Revelation 2:12
The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they
leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new
Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my
new name.
And there are several more.
Jesus wants us to take the long view.
We persevere and serve and stay faithful
and repent when we need to
and do the will of God
and everything else He calls us to,
in part, because He promises great rewards to those who do.
These promises are curious and inspiring and interesting.
They should be their own message themselves.
So much . that I’d like to discuss them more.
And so, I’d like to do just that next Weds. at 7pm in the back of the sanctuary for a Bible study.
This week on Weds both our kids and our teens had over 30 in attendance each.
Wednesday evenings are going strong around here.
So I think we should restart our Adult Bible Study option.
If you are able,
come out next Wednesday October 20th at 7pm
and we will study and discuss these curious and inspiring rewards promised to the 7 churches.
Come and get refueled mid-week with God’s Word.
Bring your insights and questions.
We will go from 7pm to 7:55.
(Blank slide)
Jesus wrote to the church in Smyrna to encourage them.
That is partly the purpose of every one of his letters to the Seven churches of Revelation.
That is even part of the Big Picture of what Jesus is doing in the whole book of Revelation.
Jesus is our Great Encourager.
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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If Jesus wrote you a letter today,
it would be encouraging. (2x)
Not everybody or everything in life is encouraging,
so just rest in that good news
that if Jesus wrote you a letter today it would be encouraging.
If Jesus wrote you a personal letter,
with what he knows about your deeds, and hard work, and faith and love,
and with what he knows about your struggles and failures,
and with what he knows about your life circumstances that are beyond your control,
one absolute certainty you can have today is
that letter would be encouraging.
From the breadth of the examples here in these 7 letters
and from what we know about Jesus with his disciples and others,
we know that Jesus is an encourager.
Jesus is our encourager.
So, if Jesus wrote a letter to you about you and your life, today,
what do you think that letter would say.
If you are so inclined, I invite you to go home today, or tonight, or tomorrow
and ask Jesus to show you what that letter to you would say.
Pray about it and listen.
Maybe write it out.
Reflect on his examples in these letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 & 3.
Think of his identity. Who he is.
Think of what he knows about you that he’d affirm. Your deeds, your faith, your hard work.
Think about what he knows about you that he would empathize with.
And think about the encouraging promises he’d give to you about future blessing.
And if you aren’t really sure or can’t see what that would be, but you’d like to,
open up a Bible or a Bible app once a day,
and connect with Jesus in his word.
Read a few chapters in the New Testament every day.
I pray that you will find his encouragement there.
Pray with me.
Sermon, 2016-10-09, Calibrate The Seven Churches of Revelation, part 3 – Smyrna
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2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us
eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good
deed and word.