STUDY THEME: VICTORY IN JESUS NOW AND FOREVER.

"EVIDENCES OF FAITHFULNESS." REV. 2:8-11; 3:7-13 FEB. 20, 2000

PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO REVELATION 2.

In his first vision on Patmos, John the apostle wrote as Jesus our Lord dictated His message to each of the seven churches of Asia. Last Sunday we looked at the church at Ephesus; the backsliden church that had left its first love for Christ. They were persistent in service, strong in discipline, but with a love grown cold. The church at Pergamos, while plagued by evil surroundings, was steadfast but infected with heresy. The Church at Thyatira was commended for its good works but harbored the false prophetess Jezebel.

Today the letters to the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia have been brought together for this lesson because they have much in common. Both churches were commended for faithfulness in the face of persecution. Some of the other churches of Asia received a similar commendation, however, the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia were the only 2 not to receive any rebuke from our Lord. The Church at Smyrna was going to experience more persecution. The Lord knew the afflictions and poverty testing them. He predicted they would face further persecutions. The One who overcame death by dying and being raised from the dead challenged them to overcome by being faithful unto death. Smyrna represented the persecuted church of the 2nd and 3rd century. The blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church.

Today’s study of letters to the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia addresses ways Christ called those churches to demonstrate their faithfulness to Him. He had only words of commendation for them. We live in a results-oriented society. We need to reaffirm that the evidence of faithfulness and success Christ seeks from us and our churches is not always measured in tangible terms. Some evidence of faithfulness may appear to be failure if it is measured by the world’s standards.

1. PLEASE READ REVELATION 2: 8-11.

Following the letter to the church in Ephesus, it is natural that the church in Smyrna should be addressed. The city was only 40 miles to the north of Ephesus and was second only to Ephesus in position and importance. Because of the charm of its location and the attractiveness of its appearance it was known as "the Beauty or Crown of Asia."

Smyrna, now the city of IZMAR in Turkey, was and is one of the great business and trade centers in that area of the world. Smyrna means "myrrh", a substance used for perfume and often for anointing a dead body for burial.

Smyrna was wealthy, prosperous, dissolute, and famed as a center of emperor worship. Its large number of Jews were bitter opponents of Christianity. The church in such a city might be exposed naturally to opposition and persecution. Such, indeed, was the case, and the church of Smyrna is known as the "suffering church. "

Thus it is fitting that the message is sent as from Him who is "the first and the last, who was dead, and lived again." So here, to the martyr church, comes a word of cheer from the Lord who has triumphed over death and the grave.

The Living Christ assures the members of the suffering church that He is acquainted perfectly with their condition: "I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich), and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." Their "tribulation" is severe. It probably produced their "poverty." They were destitute. Their former friends and associates probably took their livelihood and looted their homes. Open assult united with a spoiling of their goods, was accompanied by vilification and slander.

Yet worse trials are to come: "the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days." Tribulation will deepen into martyrdom: "be thou faithful unto death." In the face of such tribulation, penury, slander, imprisonment, martyrdom, what is the encouragement offered to the church in Smyrna, and so to all believers who suffer because of their loyalty to Christ?

First of all is the asurance that Christ knows. In all their distress, and in spite of the missery, they have the companionship of a living and sympathetic Savior: "I know thy tribulation." 50 years after John’s death Polycarp, the pastor of the church in Smyrna was burned to death at the age of 86 for refusing to worship Caesar. His final words were "Thou threatenest the fire that burns for an hour and in a little while is quenched; for thou knowest not of the fire of the judgment to come, and the fire of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly."

Secondly, there is the assurance that their poverty is only seeming. It is not real. Those who belong to Christ possess the true riches. Theirs are spiritual treasures which no enemy ever can take away.

Then too, there is the comfort in knowing that the divine estimate reverses false claims of men. The real people of God are not those who are Jews by birth or by name. The church is the true heir of the promises. Also, there is the assurance that a definite limit is set to the suffering of these true Christians. It may seem long, but it will continue only "ten days." Ten days signified a time with an end. Under ten tyrants from Nero to Constantine the Great the Church was persecuted unto the death. The history of those two hundred years is the blackest in the history of the Church. However, the chief comfort is contained in the very words which indicate that more dreadful suffering is to come. The fact is not concealed. For some of these readers there is a certainty of death as martyrs. Yet this is the asurance of the risen Christ, who himself has conquered death: "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life." That crown of royalty, or that garland of victory, will consist of life eternal, life celestial, life immortal, in fellowship with the living Christ.

Thus the letter closes with the promise to everyone who stands steadfast, enduring hardship and tribulation even to the suffering of martyrdom: "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." He may suffer the death of the body, but not of the soul. The living Lord who sustains him in the hour of anguish will welcome him home. For him there is no doom, no "lake of fire" which is "the second death." His name will be "found written in the book of life." The Lord promised "I will give thee a crown of life" Eternal life.

The first death is physical--a death of the body. "The second death" is eternal and spiritual. In Rev. 20:14 it is equated with the lake of fire, the destiny of the devil and all who follow him. "The second death" is separation from life. It is missing the glory and the perfection of the new heaven and the new earth. Believers will not experience the second death.

Likely we will not face the type of opposition the Christians in Smyrna faced. Yet we will face a more subtle kind of opposition in the work place and in society in general. In large measure, how we handle this opposition will determine the effectiveness of our witness for Christ. We should rememer that one evidence of faithfulness to Him is the willingness to stand for Him regardles of the opposition’s intensity.

John wrote in John 16:2 that the time would come when the persecutors of Him and His followers would think they were serving God when actually they were tools of the devil.

PLEASE TURN TO REVELATION 3. Let’s look now at the church in Philadelphia.

 

2. PLEASE READ REVELATION 3: 7-8a.

The city of Philadelphia was located about 30 miles southeast of Sardis, and was built on a plateau looking out across the valley of the River COGAMUS. This prosperous city was called the "gateway to the East," and thru its gates passed caravans to and from Rome, the capital of the empire. To them, John writes, "I have placed before you an open door." Here, too, the Jewish synagogue was strong and hostile toward the young Christian church. We know almost nothing about either of the Christian churches in Smyrna or Philadelphia except from these two short letters dictated by the risen Christ on the island of Patmos.

We do know that both churches were faithful. There is not one word of criticism in the letters to the Christians in either chruch. John writes to Smyrna in Rev. 2:9, "I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich!" And to Philadelphia, He writes, in Rev. 3:8 "I kow that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." Apparently, both churches were small; both had few economic resources; both faced hostile environments. (John--a Jew himself--scathingly refers in both letters to the "synagogue of Satan"). And for both churches more troubled times lay ahead.

The passage we have read deals with a key and a door. What was the open door that He had set before them? If the Lord was reinforcing the image of the key of David, the open door was another way of making the same point. He had opened the door into the kingdom for them. No one could keep them from entering; and after they entered, no one could exclude them.

Others, however, believe the open door emphasizes not assurance but responsibility. They see it as a challenge to be a missionary church because the Lord had given them a special opportunity for effective witnessing. One basis for this view grows out of the history of Philadelphia. William Barclay wrote: "Philadelphia had been built with the deliberate intention that it might become a missionary city. Beyond Philadelphia lay the wilds of Phrygia and the barbarous tribes; and it was intended that the function of Philadephia should be to spread the Greek language, the Greek way of life, the Greek civilization, throughout the regions beyond. Philadelphia was intended to be the missionary of Hellenism..to the barbarians of all things Greek."

Another reason for this view is stated by Jame T. Draper Jr., president of LifeWay Christian Resources: "If we will check carefully the reference to the "door" and the "open door" in the N.T., we will discover that the open door that Jesus spoke of to the church at Philadelphia was the right to preach the gospel, the right to evangelize the world.

Another evidence of faithfulness to Christ is seizing opportunities He gives. Thus, if you are not a Christian, enter the open door of salvation now. And if you are a Christian, seize God-given opportunities to witness to others. The N.T. has some good examples of people who did this--for example, Philip with the Samaritans and with the Ethopian eunuch in Acts 8, and Paul and his companions in going to Macedonia in Acts. 16: 6-40.

3. PLEASE READ REVELATION 3: 8b-13.

The word Philadelphia comes from 2 words meaning "brotherly love." This 6th church in John’s vision is representative of the missionary church of the 19th century. It is the revival church. Although the church in Philadelphia had little strength in terms of numbers, wealth or prestige, the Lord said that they had kept or obeyed His word and not denied His name. They had maintained their faithful witness for the Lord in spite of persecution. Like Polycarp, they refused to deny the Lord.

Vs. 9 shows that they were subjected to the same forces of persecution as the church at Smyrna. The first part of the verse is similar to Rev. 2:9, but the last part is a new promise. At some time and in some way, the ones who took the lead in persecuting the Christians would come and worship before their feet and know that the Lord loves the believers. A second promise is in Vs. 10. Bible students discuss the meaning of "keep thee from the hour of temptation."

The irony of these two letters we are studying today is immediately apparent. In the difficult time to come--or, as John writes to Philadelphia, in "the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth" ---one church (Smyrna) will face terrible suffering. The other church (Philadelphia) will escape unscathed. All the assumptions we can make about suffering are tested by these two letters. Both churches seem equally faithful. Yet one will suffer "even unto death." The other will not suffer at all.

John assumes that suffering is a natural part of Christian faith. He doesn’t question why one church will suffer and another church won’t. He doesn’t even expect God to rescue Smyrna from suffering, yet he credits God with protecting Philadelphia from the suffering that lies ahead.

John simply delivers the bad news to Smyrna--Rev. 2;20 "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 the good news to Philadelphia in Rev. 3:10 "I wll also keep you from the hour of trial." Suffering is simply a fct. And to both churches Christ’s advice is simple. To Smyrna John Writes in Rev. 2:10 "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." And to Philadelphia he writes in Rev. 3:11 "Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown."

There are several assumptions here that we must not forget in our own days of trouble that lie ahead. First, expect suffering. Don’t feel surprised or put upon or proud or afraid. Suffering is part and parcel of the Christian life. Second, don’t look at anyone else and what he or she does or doesn’t have to bear; comparisons are demoralizing either way. Third, recognize that it doesn’t take great wealth or social influence to be faithful (note how few resources these two churches had), but it does take patience and endurance. Remember: Gal. 5:22 says that one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience. Fourth, remember that one day all earthly suffering will end and that second death, the eternal death of the spirit, will not touch us. Fifth, keep in mind that, when one bears suffering faithfull, God is glorified and honored. The suffering servants of Christ will be honored in a special way and given a new name which "no man knows except he that receives it." Christ said to the church at Philadelphia in Rev. 3:12 "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God."

Now I don’t know the reasons for suffering and persecution. I don’t know why the churches in one part of the world bear terrible pain and deprivation while other churches are fat and rich and almost pain free. I don’t know why Corrie ten Boom watched her sister die in prison or Joni Eareckson Tada is paralyzed from the neck down-- ---while I have never know a night in jail nor ever suffered persecution.

Perhaps you have faced pain or suffering you did not understand. You may even have become angry with God for allowing it to happen when others seem to have escaped such prolems. But don’t let the acids of bitterness eat away and destroy you. Instead, learn the secret of trusting Christ in ever circumstance. Learn to say with Paul in Phil. 4:11-13, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything thru him who gives me strenth."

John tells us that this book of Revelation is a prophecy and we have seen that these seven churches give us in that exact order the seven periods of the history of the church from Pentecost until the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Church of Ephesus is a picture of the early Apostolic Church. The Church of Smyrna represents the Church of the second and third centuries, the persecuted church. The Church of Pergamos typifies the worldly Church, beginning with the so-called conversion of Constantine the Great in 312 and extending to about 500 A.D. Then came the Church at Thyatira, the ritualistic Church of the Dark Ages with its superstition, idolatry and legalism, and this was followed by the Church of Sardis, the Church of the Reformation and Counter Reformation in the sixteenth century.

In all these periods of Church history there were two kinds of members: true and false. The false, Christ condemned and judged, and with the true he dealt in mercy, and this true remnant runs like a thread thru the entire history of the Church. When the Church of Sardis, the Reformation Church, failed to live up to its name, which meant "the remnant," God began to deal again with the faithful remnant within the professing Church and called out the Church of Philadelphia. This, we saw , was the revival missionary Church of the nineteenth century. Next Sunday we will study the lukewarm, indifferent Church at Laodicea which represents the end time Church.

God has given us the radio, T.V. and computer to hasten the distribution of His word to the rest of the world. I mailed last Sunday’s lesson to Gary Hathcock in Russia by E-mail. I received a prompt reply from Gary thanking me for the lesson. God is determined that His Word shall be proclaimed to all people before He comes back for His Church.

Next Sunday we look at the final churches of John’s vision. The church at Sardis and Laodicea. A.V. Daugherty 2-20-00

Summary:

Jesus does not isolate us from problems but He does insulate us in the midst of our problems.

Jesus does not promise an easy way but He does promise to be with us.

Jesus does not ask us to be perfect but He does ask us to be faithful.

Jesus does not promise success but He does promise permanence.

Jesus rewards our faithfulness in small matters with opportunites in greater matters.