Revelation
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 10th August 2014
Passage: Revelation 2:8-11
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Polycarp was born in the year 69, about 1900 years before me.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 His name means much fruit.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:15 He occupies a very important place in the history of the Christian church,
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 and particularly the early Christian church.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:24 He is among the earliest Christians whose writings still survive today,
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 nearly 2 years later.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:33 According to one scholar, Polycarp may have been the one who compiled and edited
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 and published the New Testament for the first time.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 He was an elder of an important congregation,
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 which has a large contributor to the founding of the Christian church
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 and the spreading of the Christian gospel in the very early days.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:53 His ministry was also crucial in its timing because after the apostles had died,
00:00:53 --> 00:00:57 a number of new teachings flooded into the early church,
00:00:58 --> 00:01:04 and it was Polycarp who was regarded as the most significant defender of the apostolic faith,
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 the orthodox Christian faith in the second century.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:12 He is, however, most famous not for his life but for his death,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 and his death at the hands of the Roman Empire.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:22 He initially managed to escape the authorities once he heard that they were after him.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 He was discovered by a child.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:29 Soldiers came and arrested him, and when they came to arrest him,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 he cooked a feast for them, put on a big banquet for them.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 They sat and scoffed the food down while he spent.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:39 He got permission to spend an hour in prayer, but his prayer was with such fervency,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:44 and they obviously had lots to eat, and they allowed him to pray for two hours.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 And in the process of him praying while they were eating,
00:01:47 --> 00:01:54 and they could hear it all, the soldiers who came and arrested him were absolutely stricken
00:01:54 --> 00:02:00 by the fact that they were arresting such a godly and fervent man,
00:02:00 --> 00:02:04 someone who they held in high esteem, and in fact they repented of that,
00:02:04 --> 00:02:09 but they ended up taking him nevertheless to the Roman proconsul,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:13 kind of like a judge guy, and he was condemned to be burned at the stake.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:19 So Polycarp, the Roman proconsul, when he was there talking to Polycarp,
00:02:19 --> 00:02:24 he encouraged him to save his life and to denounce Jesus.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 And Polycarp answered with his now famous statement,
00:02:28 --> 00:02:43 The proconsul then threatened him a number of times.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 He threatened to throw him to the wild beasts,
00:02:46 --> 00:02:50 but apparently those gains were over, so it was illegal for him to do that.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:56 And so the crowd insisted that Polycarp be burnt to the stake.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 And Polycarp says, away you go.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 He was threatened with the burning of the stake, and his response was,
00:03:04 --> 00:03:08 The fire you threaten me with only burns for a short time, and then it goes out.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:13 You are ignorant of the future fire of judgment, which is never put out,
00:03:13 --> 00:03:14 and which is reserved for the ungodly.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:16 And so what are you waiting for?
00:03:17 --> 00:03:18 Do what you want to do.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:23 Polycarp was let out to be burnt at the stake,
00:03:24 --> 00:03:28 and as was the normal custom, they tied the person to the stake,
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 but they also nailed them to the stake.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 And they didn't do that for Polycarp.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 He said to them, Leave me as I am,
00:03:37 --> 00:03:41 for he that gives me strength to endure the fire
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 will also enable me, without your securing me,
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 to remain in it without moving.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 So he says, I'm not going to run.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 I'm going to run away.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 And so on the 23rd of February in the year 156,
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 the fire was lit, Polycarp died,
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 and in dying he received the crown of life.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:07 Now Polycarp was discipled by the Apostle John,
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 who wrote Revelation that we're looking at right now.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:17 And it was the Apostle John who ordained Polycarp
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 as the Bishop of Smyrna.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 And so in Revelation 2, verse 8,
00:04:22 --> 00:04:27 Jesus tells John to write to the angel of the church in Smyrna.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 And he says in verse 10,
00:04:29 --> 00:04:33 Do not be afraid of what you're about to suffer.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 Be faithful, even to the point of death,
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 and I will give you the crown of life.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 The message of these three verses,
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 the message of the life of people like Polycarp
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 and many thousands who have followed him,
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 is that Jesus is more precious than life itself.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 I announced, sorry, I didn't announce,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 I mentioned last week when I was preaching
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 that each of these messages to the seven churches,
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 although written to specific situations,
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 to specific churches,
00:05:09 --> 00:05:13 were in fact, were for all the seven churches
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 in Asia Minor.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 And also for us too.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 They are letters for us.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:20 Each one of these messages,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 are messages for us too.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 I also mentioned that each of them
00:05:27 --> 00:05:28 had a specific structure.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:29 For instance,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 notice that they all begin
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 by stating something
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 about the aspect of Jesus' glory
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 that John saw in his vision of Jesus
00:05:40 --> 00:05:41 from Revelation chapter 1.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 And in each case,
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 the aspect of Jesus' glory
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 that is mentioned
00:05:47 --> 00:05:51 at the beginning of each one of the seven churches
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 is relevant for the content
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 of the rest of that particular letter
00:05:56 --> 00:05:57 for that church.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:58 So last week,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 Jesus is mentioned as the one
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 who walks among the seven golden lampstands
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 as the Lord of the church.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:05 And then a little later,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 he threatens to remove the lampstand
00:06:08 --> 00:06:09 from that church in Ephesus
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 because of their lack of love.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 Connection between who Jesus is
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 and the application for the church.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 And so writing to the church in Smyrna,
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 in verse 8,
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 we see Jesus identifies himself
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 as the first and the last
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 who died and came to life again.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 And then in verse 10,
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 he says to this church,
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 Do not be afraid of what you're about to suffer.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:34 Be faithful,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 even to the point of death,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 and I will give you the crown of life.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 Jesus,
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 I was dead,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:44 I'm alive now.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 Be faithful to death,
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 and I'll give you the crown of life.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 In every case,
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 it is the vision of Jesus,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 his splendor and his glory
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 that drives the application
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 for each one of these churches.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 Now there is a depth
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 in the vision that John received here
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 of Jesus
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 and that gets reflected here
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 in this church at Smyrna
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 that really just cannot be plumbed
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 by mere mortals like us.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:13 He identifies himself
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 as the first and the last
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 who died and came to life again.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 And so as far back as your mind can go,
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 and Jesus was there before all of that,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 he is the first.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 He was the first,
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 before all else,
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 before anything else was,
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 he was.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 He cannot be preempted.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 Now you need to be careful
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 because thinking about him
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 as the first and the last
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 will tax your mental capacity
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 until your brain kind of wants to explode.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:47 Or in my case,
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 I turn on the TV and get distracted.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 Jesus is bigger
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 than our ability to understand.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 He is also the last.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 Nothing will endure beyond Jesus.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 He is before and after everything.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 He is the master over all things,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 over all time and space.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 He stands as Lord of all of that.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 He is the one who died
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 and came to life again.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:15 Now that blows your mind.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 How does the one
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 who is the first and the last,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 who never had a beginning,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 never will have an end,
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 also die?
00:08:20 --> 00:08:25 He is before and after all that is
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 and yet he enters into the progress of history.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 He was killed and rose from the dead.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 There are no categories
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 in the philosophies and the religions of the world
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 that makes this stuff fit,
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 that makes claims like this.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:45 The death and resurrection of Jesus
00:08:45 --> 00:08:50 ultimately means that death has now power over him.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 He is bigger than death.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 Our last and final enemy,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 Jesus has conquered it.
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 He is bigger than it.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 And if he is bigger than death,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 he is also bigger than life.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:09 And so after Jesus announces himself in verse 8,
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 he says in verse 9
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 that he knows three things
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 about this church in Smyrna.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 He knows their afflictions,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:17 their poverty,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 and the slander that's made against them.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 What could be more comforting
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 than for this Jesus,
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 the first and the last one
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 who's dead and alive again,
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 to come to this church in Smyrna
00:09:29 --> 00:09:30 and say,
00:09:30 --> 00:09:30 I know.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 I know it all.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 I know what's going on.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 Jesus does not trivialise their suffering
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 by telling them,
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 it's not really that bad after all.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 He doesn't demean them
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 by telling them
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 if they were a little bit stronger,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 they wouldn't be feeling it so much.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 They wouldn't bother them so much.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 He doesn't cheapen their experience
00:09:50 --> 00:09:54 by offering them unsympathetic advice,
00:09:54 --> 00:09:54 you know,
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 well, you know,
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 it'll be better one day.
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 Jesus honours their suffering
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 with a simple and comforting words,
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 I know.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:03 I know.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 Your afflictions.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:11 One of the most discouraging impacts
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 of suffering
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 is the feeling of loneliness.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 And Jesus here reminds this church
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 of his presence.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:20 I'm with you.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 I know your afflictions.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 Jesus also knows their poverty.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 The irony is that Smyrna
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 was known as the glory of Asia.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 It was an affluent city,
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 a highly regarded city,
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 an up-and-coming city.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 And the church in this city
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 stood in stark contrast.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 The church was poor.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 Their affliction most likely
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 came from the people of influence
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 in Smyrna.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 They opposed Christianity
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 because they thought
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 it was not going to appease
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 the gods of the Roman Empire.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 They thought it wasn't going to make
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 Caesar happy.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 And they thought
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 it wasn't going to do
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 the reputation of Smyrna
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 any good either.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 And so this little church
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 in Smyrna
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 was opposed
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 by the power structures
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 of the empire.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 It had no financial resources,
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 no influence in society.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 Or so it seemed.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 Jesus says to them,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 I know your affliction.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 I know your poverty.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:28 This means
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 that the true Lord of Lords,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 the King of Kings,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 the one whom
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 Caesar
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 will bow the knee to,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 knows them.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 He knows their need.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:43 And he says,
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 despite how it looks,
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 you're rich.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:52 It's the same paradox
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 that the Apostle Paul expressed
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 when he describes himself
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 in 2 Corinthians 6 verse 10
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 as poor
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 and yet making many rich,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 as of having nothing
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 and yet possessing
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 everything.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 In Jesus,
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 we are rich
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 because we have
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 what will save life
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 into all eternity.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:18 the only thing
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 that will matter
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 is whether or not
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 you have the gospel.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 And if you have the gospel,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:23 you are rich
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 because you have life.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 You possess
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 eternal life
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 and this wealth
00:12:29 --> 00:12:29 is yours
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 if you trust
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 in Jesus.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 Jesus also knows
00:12:35 --> 00:12:35 the slander
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 of those who say
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 that they are Jews
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 but they are not,
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 but are of the synagogue
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 of Satan.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:41 You see,
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 the Roman Empire
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 had exempted Jews
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 from participating
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 in the Roman Imperial cult,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:49 you know,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 the sort of pagan idolatry
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 of the Roman Empire.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:53 Jews sort of got
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 like a free ticket,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 didn't have to be part of that.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 Everyone else
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 was required
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 to participate
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 and obviously
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 Christians would not
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 want to participate
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 in Roman idolatry
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 and all their festivals
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 and celebrations
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 and it seems
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 that the Jewish
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 slander here
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 probably has to do
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 with the Jews
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 dobbing in the Christians
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 for not participating,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 taking them
00:13:18 --> 00:13:18 to the authorities,
00:13:19 --> 00:13:19 you know,
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 ringing up the police
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 and saying the guys
00:13:21 --> 00:13:21 they're not there
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 enjoying in the festivities.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:23 Jews.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 And so the might
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 of the empire
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 is coming upon them.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:30 And what Jesus
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 says here
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 is that he denies
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 the status
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 of Jew,
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 a person of God
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 to those
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 who do not serve
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 the Jewish king
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 Jesus himself.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:42 He identifies
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 their true allegiance.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:44 He said,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 they are those
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 who gather
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 in synagogues
00:13:48 --> 00:13:48 in churches
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 to celebrate
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 Satan's kingdom
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 and not God's.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 all who oppose
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 King Jesus
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 are aligned
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 to a rebel kingdom
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 whose Lord
00:13:59 --> 00:13:59 is a liar
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 and a murderer
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 who hates
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 those who serve Jesus.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:04 You see,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 Satan's plan
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 is to wreak havoc
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 upon the people
00:14:07 --> 00:14:07 of God
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 and Jesus says,
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 I know,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 I know it.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 In times of hardship
00:14:14 --> 00:14:14 and affliction
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 for the gospel,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 I think frankly
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 we need to know
00:14:18 --> 00:14:18 that he knows.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 He wants us
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 to know
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 that he knows.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 It's a word of comfort.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 But also
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 what Jesus does here
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 is he brings perspective
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 to this church
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 at Smyrna.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 At first,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:31 at the beginning
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 of verse 10,
00:14:34 --> 00:14:34 he tells them,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 do not be afraid
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 what they're about
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 to suffer.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 And the only thing
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 that will keep them
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 from fearing
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 is what Jesus
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 has already told them.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:50 who he is,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:51 he's announced
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 himself as the first
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 and the last
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 who died
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 and came to life again.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 And he's assured them
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 that he knows
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 about their suffering.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:00 He knows
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 who their enemies are.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 And they don't need
00:15:04 --> 00:15:04 to be afraid
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 because of who he is,
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 what he's done,
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 that he knows
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 and that he is near.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 That's a bit of perspective.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 The second bit
00:15:12 --> 00:15:12 of perspective,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 he identifies
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 who's at work
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 in their suffering.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 It's the devil
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 who will put some
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 in prison.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 There is no question here
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 about who's in the right
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 and who's in the wrong.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 The devil has a plan
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 to perpetrate evil
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 against God's people.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 He wants them
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 to be faithless to Christ.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 And so the purpose statement
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 following the announcement
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 that Satan,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 the devil,
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 is going to put
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 some of you
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 in prison,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 there's a purpose statement
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 there that follows.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 It says,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 to test you.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 I don't think
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 that's Satan's purpose.
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 I actually think
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 that's God's purpose.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 It seems
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 it's one of those
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 texts in Revelation,
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 in fact,
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 in the Bible,
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 that indicates
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 that God is using
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 Satan to accomplish
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 his good purpose.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 What Satan wishes
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 for ill,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 God turns around
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 and uses for good.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 God is using
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 the devil's persecution
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 to test
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 and to approve
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 his people
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 the hardship
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 is God's
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 polishing cloth,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 if you like,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 on his people.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 And when his people
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 come through the test,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 they make Jesus
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 look magnificent.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 They make Jesus
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 look more valuable
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 than life itself.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:35 because only God
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 could preserve them
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 through such a trial.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 There was a lady,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 this was written,
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 I remember the first sermon,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 you might,
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 this is taking you back
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 a little bit,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 very first sermon here
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 in Revelation.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 this was written
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 in the time
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 of the Emperor
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 Domitian.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 He was the kingpin
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 in the Roman Empire.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 And one of the,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 one of the acts
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 of Domitian
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 was he
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 persecuted
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 a Christian family.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 There was a Christian
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 lady who had
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 seven sons.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:14 and he
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 had each,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 put each one
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 of these
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 family on trial
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 and particularly
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 persecuted the mother
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 who was a known
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 of the high society
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 as a quite,
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 a famous Christian lady.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 And the way
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 he persecuted her
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 was to line up
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 her seven children
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 and kill them
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 one by one.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 Declaring each one
00:17:35 --> 00:17:35 of these children
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 to give up
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 on their faith
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 in Jesus.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 And none of them
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 would.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 And he didn't
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 just do it,
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 denounce Jesus,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 no,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 God,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 denounce Jesus,
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 God.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 It wasn't just
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 a flash in a moment,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 it was over
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 the course of months.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 He stretched it out
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 to try and force
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 her to break.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 And so one by one
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 in front of her,
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 her children
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 were killed.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 One thrown
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 over a cliff,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 another one
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 fed to the lions,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 two beaten
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 to death
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 with clubs,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 couple burned
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 at the state.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 Until finally
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 all her kids
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 dead,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 tortured for
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 another bunch
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 of months,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 she refused
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 to give in
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 until it was
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 her time
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 for execution.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 and she
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 died,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 committed
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 to Christ
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 and
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 the Roman
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 Empire,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 people in
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 Rome,
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 watched it
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 all happen
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 over the
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 course of
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 months.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 And when
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 she died,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 the gospel
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 just spread.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 She died
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 with joy
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 and made
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 Jesus look
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 magnificent.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 Her kids
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 died with joy
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 and made
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 Jesus look
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 magnificent.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 and so
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 God was
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 glorified.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 What the
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 devil
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 perpetrates
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 for evil,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 God uses
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 for his
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 good,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 for his
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 glory.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 And Jesus
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 brings further
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 perspective to
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 them when he
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 said that
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 they will
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 suffer persecution
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 for ten
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 days.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 It seems
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 that ten
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 days here
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 points to
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 a full
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 but a
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 limited
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 amount of
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 time.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 The point
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 is to
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 communicate
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 to these
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 Christians
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 in Smyrna
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 that Jesus
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 knows that
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 they're
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 suffering.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 He knows
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 how long
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 they're
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 suffering
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 for,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 how long
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 it's going
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 to last,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 and it
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 is relatively
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 short in
00:19:29 --> 00:19:32 comparison to
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 the second
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 death.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 And it's
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 on the
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 basis of
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 that perspective
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 that Jesus
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 brings to
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 this church
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 in Smyrna
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 that we
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 have this
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 audacious
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 command,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 be faithful,
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 even to
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 the point
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 of death.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 Only Jesus
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 could make
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 that kind
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 of command.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 Only
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 Jesus has
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 the authority
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 necessary to
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 place this
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 kind of
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 obligation
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 upon his
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 people.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 He is
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 the master
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 of all
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 history.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 He is the
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 one who has
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 laid down
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 his life.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 He is the
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 great martyr
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 himself,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 the one who
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 was dead
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 but is alive
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 forever.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 he knows
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 what these
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 Christians in
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 Smyrna are
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 facing and
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 he says,
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 be faithful.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 Notice,
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 this is not
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 a letter of
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 condolences to
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 the church at
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 Smyrna.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 Jesus isn't
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 saying that it
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 was infinitely
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 sad what they
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 were facing.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 He wasn't
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 saying, I'm
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 so sorry for
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 getting you
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 into this.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 He didn't
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 say, I don't
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 know what went
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 wrong.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 He's calling
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 his church to
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 take up their
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 cross and be
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 faithful to
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 him.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 He's calling
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 to press on,
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 to run the
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 race and
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 finish the
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 course with
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 joy because
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 Jesus is
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 greater than
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 life.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 Only Jesus
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 has the
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 ability to
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 reimburse
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 those who
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 would obey
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 this command.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 The command
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 to be
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 faithful to
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 death means
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 that it
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 is more
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 important to
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 be faithful
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 to Jesus
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 than it is
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 to go on
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 living.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 Because of
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 who he is
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 and what he's
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 achieved for
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 us through
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 his death,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 Jesus is
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 worth dying
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 for.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 And if he's
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 worth dying
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 for, then
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 he is certainly
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 worth living
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 for.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 Only those
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 who are
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 gripped by
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 something
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37 worth more
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 to them than
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 life itself
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 will be truly
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 courageous.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:43 encourages
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 precisely here
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 what Jesus
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 calls this
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 church in
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 Smyrna to
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 in this
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 command.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 He is
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 proclaiming
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 that he
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 is better
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 than life
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 itself.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 It's what
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 the psalmist
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 said, Sam
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 read out to
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 us from
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 Psalm 63,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 because your
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 love is
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 better than
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 life, my
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 lips will
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 glorify you.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:06 The great
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 irony here is
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 that Jesus
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 promises life
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 to those who
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 are faithful
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 to death.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 Faithful to
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 death, I'll
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 give you
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 life.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 It's in
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 verse 10,
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 be faithful
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 even to the
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 point that I'll
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 give you the
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 crown of
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 life.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 The crown
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 of life.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 Now the
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 crown here is
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 not the crown
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 that you would
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 put on the
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 head of a
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 king or a
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 queen.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 This is the
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 crown, the
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 wreath if you
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 like, that was
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 put on the
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 head of the
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 victor of the
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 games.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:35 It is the
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 reward, the
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 prize, the
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 gift of the
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 victor, the
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 one who has
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 overcome.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 He says, keep
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 running, keep
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 going, keep
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 enduring, keep
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 being faithful,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 and I will
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 give you, and
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 this is the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 literal translation,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 the Stephanus of
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 life.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 That's what my
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 name means.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 Stephen means
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 crown.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 And these
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 Christians, these
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 early Christians,
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 would have
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 known about
00:23:05 --> 00:23:08 Stephanus, the
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 first Christian
00:23:09 --> 00:23:11 martyr, who
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 was crowned by
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 Jesus with
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 eternal life.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 And Jesus
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 is saying, it
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 isn't just for
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 Stephen, it is
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 for all who are
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 faithful, all who
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 are faithful receive
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 the victor's
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 wreath.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 This crown
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 imagery here is
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 so significant for
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 this church in
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 Smyrna.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 You see, this
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 city in which
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 they lived, this
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 city of Smyrna,
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 had gone through
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 a very significant
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 transformation.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 700 years before
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 this, it was
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 destroyed, flattened.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 And it laid
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 flattened for
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 300 years.
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 And then it was
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 rebuilt.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 And it was
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 rebuilt quite
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 significantly.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 It had been
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 regarded as a
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 city that had
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 come back from
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 the dead.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 And it was
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 the crowning
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 jewel of the
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 Roman Empire, a
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 city of affluence
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 and beauty.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 A very
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 significant city.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 And one of the
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 symbols for the
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 city of
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 Smyrna was
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 the crown.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 And Jesus
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 offers this
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 church in
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 Smyrna an
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 alternative.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 Deny me and
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 pursue the crown
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 of Smyrna.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 Smyrna, take
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 your place in
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 the society of
00:24:25 --> 00:24:27 Smyrna, or
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 remain faithful to
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 me and receive
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 the crown of
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 life.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 It's quite
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 significant for
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 Jesus to
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 promise his
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 church, suffering
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 at the hands of
00:24:41 --> 00:24:43 this city, the
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 crown of life, the
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 other side of
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 death.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 Because death is
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 the only way to
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 life.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 life.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 Jesus dies on
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 the cross and
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 he rises to
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 life.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 Jesus dies on
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 the cross and
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 gives us eternal
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 life.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 And the great
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 irony is that
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 death is the
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 only way to
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 life.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 Death to
00:25:02 --> 00:25:04 self, death
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 to sin.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 When we are
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 dead to self
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 and dead to
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 sin, then we
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 will be dead
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 to the world
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 and we'll be
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 dead to fear.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 But we'll also
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 be alive to the
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 power of the
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 spirit through
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 faith in Jesus.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 And so this
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 letter to this
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 church at
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 Smyrna closes by
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 calling those who
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 have ears to
00:25:22 --> 00:25:25 hear what the
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 spirit says to
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 the churches.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 And then the
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 promise of life
00:25:28 --> 00:25:30 in verse 10 is
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 reinstated in
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 different language
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 in verse 11 where
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 it says,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 he who overcomes
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 will not be hurt
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 at all by the
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 second death.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 death.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 As one of the,
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 I think it was
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 Saint Jerome,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 one of the
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 martyrs of the
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 Roman Empire
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 said,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 you may take
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 my life but
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 you will not
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 hurt me in the
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 second death.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 Overcoming here
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 means from
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 remaining faithful
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 to Jesus even
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 to death.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 death.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 And we see
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 what the second
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 death is in
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 chapter 20 verse
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 14 where it
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 says the lake of
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 fire is the
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 second death.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 If anyone's name
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 is not written in
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 the book of life,
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 he was thrown
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 into the lake of
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 fire.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 And the second
00:26:20 --> 00:26:23 death is infinitely
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 worse than dying
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 a first death.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 And the only way to
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 avoid it is to put
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 your trust in Jesus,
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 to give your life
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 to the one who
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 offers you life
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 forever.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 And so God
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 gets the glory
00:26:37 --> 00:26:40 for his martyrs
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 because he is the
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 one who has
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 convinced them that
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 his love is better
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 than life.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 He is the one
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 who's worth their
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 death to declare.
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 He is the one
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 who has so
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 satisfied their
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 hearts,
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 so filled them
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 with joy and
00:26:54 --> 00:26:56 contentment that
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 they cannot deny
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 him.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 His love is
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 greater than life.
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 In April
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 2007,
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 five young
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 Muslim men
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 stormed into
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 the office of a
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 Christian publishing
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 company in
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 southeastern
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 Turkey.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 They tortured
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 and killed three
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 young Christians
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 because they
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 regarded them
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 as a threat
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 to Islam
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 and to their
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 country.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:28 And these
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 three young
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 lives,
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 which were
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 taken,
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 were the
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 first known
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 martyrdoms of
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 Turkish Christians
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 who had
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 converted from
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 Islam since
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 the founding
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 of the
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 Turkish
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 Republic in
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 1923.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:45 Days later,
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 the funeral
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 for one of
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 them murdered
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 was conducted
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 at the
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 Anglican
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 Church in
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 Esmir.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 That was
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 his hometown.
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 That's where
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 he came to
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Christ.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 Esmir is
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 modern-day
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 Smyrna.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:02 And even
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 now, God
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 is calling
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 his people
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 to be
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 faithful to
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 him, even
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 to death.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 Many have,
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 many still
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 do.
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 Many of
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 us are
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 aware of
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 what's going
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 on right
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 now with
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 our brothers
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 and sisters
00:28:17 --> 00:28:19 in northern
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 Iraq.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 May their
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 joy be
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 complete.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:28 more
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 Christians
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 died
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 because of
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 their
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 faith in
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 Jesus in
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 the 20th
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 century than
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 all the
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 previous
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 centuries
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 combined.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:38 Christ is
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 still calling
00:28:39 --> 00:28:41 people to
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 be faithful
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 even to
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 death.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 Nowhere does
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 the New
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 Testament
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 promise
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 freedom from
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 suffering in
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 this life.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 In fact,
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 without the
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 cross there
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 is no
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 crown.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 My friends,
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 we're not
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 sitting in
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 northern Iraq,
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 we're sitting
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 in Chatswood
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 and we
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 need these
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 verses from
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 Revelation
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 chapter 2.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 Not just
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 because there
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 may be some
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 of us sitting
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 here now who
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 may die
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 because of
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 Jesus,
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 but because
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 all of us
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 live.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 That's why
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 these verses
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 are so
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 essential.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 All of us
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 live.
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 And because
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 all of us
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 live, we
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 face the
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 question,
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 is Jesus
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 more precious
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 to me than
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 life itself?
00:29:26 --> 00:29:33 will I be
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 faithful to
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 Jesus and
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 to carry the
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 cross even
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 this week?
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 And if we're
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 going to do
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 that, we
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 need to know
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 that Jesus
00:29:40 --> 00:29:43 knows everything
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 we face.
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 We need to
00:29:44 --> 00:29:47 know that
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 Jesus has a
00:29:48 --> 00:29:50 purpose in
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 whatever we're
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 going through.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 We need to
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 be full of
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 confidence in
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 Jesus and
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 not resting
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 on our
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 own resources
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 to endure
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 and to
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 overcome.
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 And we
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 need to
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 think constantly
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 on what
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 Jesus has
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 promised to
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 those who
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 overcome that
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 victory wreath,
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 that crown of
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 life that will
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 never fade.
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 Jesus is
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 bigger than
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 life itself.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:18 can you say
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 with the
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 apostle Paul
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 to live is
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 Christ,
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 to die is
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 gain?
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 Can you
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 say with
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 the psalmist
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 because your
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 love is
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 better than
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 life, my
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 lips will
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 glorify you,
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 my lips will
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 praise you and
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 honour you and
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 love you and
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 esteem you.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:39 when Polycarp
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 was tied to
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 the stake for
00:30:40 --> 00:30:42 his execution,
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 he prayed
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 this prayer.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 It is a
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 prayer that
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 expresses that
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 Jesus is more
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 precious than
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 life for him
00:30:52 --> 00:30:54 and far from
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 being a tragedy,
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 it was his
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 joy.
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 Let's pray.
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 Let's pray.
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 Let's pray.
00:30:57 --> 00:30:59 Let's pray.
00:30:59 --> 00:31:01 Let's pray.
00:31:01 --> 00:31:05 Let's pray.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:07 Now, Lord God
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 Almighty, the
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 Father of your
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 beloved and
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 blessed Son,
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 Jesus Christ,
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 I give you
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 thanks that you
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 have counted me
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 worthy of this
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 day and this
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 hour, that I
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 should be part
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 in the number,
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 have a part in
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 the number of
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 your martyrs,
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 among whom may
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 I be accepted
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 this day.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:28 I praise you
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 for all things,
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 I bless you,
00:31:30 --> 00:31:32 I glorify you,
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 along with the
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 everlasting and
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 heavenly
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 Jesus Christ,
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 your beloved
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 Son, with whom
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 to you and
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 the Holy Spirit
00:31:39 --> 00:31:41 be glory both
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 now and to
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 all coming
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 ages.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 Amen.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 Amen.