Weekly Sermons

The Faithfulness of the Redeemed! 

Today we come to Jesus’ letter to the church at Smyrna, a church that was facing intense pressure to conform to godless expectations but was remaining faithful to Jesus!

Read Rev. 2:8-11                The Faithfulness of the Redeemed!                  Let’s Pray!   

Things we know about Smyrna:

Jesus puts death in perspective                                                                                    V. 8

Jesus puts difficult circumstances in perspective!                                      V. 9

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”                                                                                                            -Matthew 6:19-21

“For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart – by the Spirit, not the letter. His praise is not from men but from God.”           -Romans 2:28-29

Something that is not in this letter: no condemnation!

Jesus speaks direct words about what lies ahead for faithful disciples            V. 10

What does Jesus say to the faithful? Don’t be afraid of suffering; understand it really could happen to you; be faithful even if it involves suffering and death.  

“Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell.”   -Matthew 10:28

If you will trade your desire for self preservation in for a desire to simply be faithful to Jesus no matter where you are, what you are facing, or who you are dealing with, you’ll finally be free.  And you’ll change your world!

The most intriguing suggestion about the “10 days” is that this refers to ten decrees of persecution against Christians by Roman Emperors before the time of Constantine, starting with Domitian. 

The true believer in Jesus will never die twice!                                                       V. 12

The second death does not mean non-Christians will cease to exist, as some mistaken people believe. It means they will be transferred from Hades to the Lake of Fire, experiencing endless torment apart from Christ.

“Let us therefore become imitators of His endurance; and if we should suffer for His name’s sake, let us glorify Him. For He gave this example in His own person, and we believed this.”                -Polycarp to the Philippians

But Polycarp replied, “For 86 years I have been his servant, and he has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me.”

“So it befell the blessed Polycarp…he is talked of even by the heathen in every place: for he showed himself not only a notable teacher, but also a distinguished martyr, whose martyrdom all desire to imitate, seeing that it was after the pattern of the gospel of Christ.”      -The Martyrdom of Polycarp