Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Revelation chapter 2. I'd like to look at
verses 8 to 11. Revelation chapter 2. A little over ten years ago,
we went through the book of the Revelation twice. And two weeks ago, looked at
the letter to the church at Ephesus And Lord willing, every other
week now for the next few weeks, I'd like to just take one of
the letters, not go through the whole book, but just take the
letters that were written. This morning, I'd like to look
at the letter that was written, was addressed to the angel, the
pastor at the church, which was located at a place called Smyrna.
not there anymore, but there was a time when the Lord allowed
the candlestick of the glorious gospel of free grace to be there.
And whenever it pleased God, He moved it, which is the way
that historically happens. This morning, I'd like to look
for a moment at what the Lord had to say, not only to the church
at Smyrna, but to all of his churches. This is an open letter
addressed to Smyrna, but he that hath ears to hear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches. So this letter addressed to Smyrna is our consideration this morning. No mention, I'll say this before
we start, when he wrote the letter to Ephesus, he had somewhat against
them. They had left their first love. In these few verses, no mention
is made from the Lord in a way of correction. Not that they
were not in need of correction. We all are. The Lord set forth this letter
as an encouragement to who we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. And there's four things in these
few verses, these four verses, four things that I'd like for
us to consider this morning. And may this letter addressed
to Smyrna be also addressed to Katie. Four things. Number one, I want us to consider
who this letter is from. Now this is a precious letter
because this letter is from God. Now just stop with me there for
a second and think about that. That God Almighty would dictate
a letter. God dictated this letter. And He spoke to His servant John
that He had put on the Isle of Patmos for the express purpose
of speaking to His churches, local assemblies, church universal,
but within that local assemblies there were some out of every
nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue that eternally belong to Him."
This letter is from the Lord. And therefore, we ought to give
heed to what He's saying. Unto the angel, unto the pastor
of the church in Smyrna, write, These things saith the first
and the last, which was dead and is alive." Now, this is who
this letter is from. It's from the One who is before
all things. This letter is from Him by whom
all things consist. It's from the First, the One
who is one who is. Moses, the Lord told him to go
into Egypt. Moses said, Who shall I say sent
me? He said, You tell them that I am sent you. The self-existent
God. The sovereign of all. God Almighty. In the beginning. And obviously,
we've said it had to be in the beginning of time. Because eternity
has no beginning. But in the beginning. was the
Word. The Lord has allowed us to pick
up a point found within eternity, a point that you and I can understand. I don't understand eternity and
you don't either. We just don't have the capability of grasping
eternity. I mean, you just think, oh, I've
kind of got it in my mind. Well, it's bigger than that. In the beginning was the Word,
was the Lord Jesus, was the Messiah. In the beginning was the Word.
When time started, He was here. And the Word was with God as
the fullness of the Godhead. And the Word was God. We read
those words and they're so easily read and we can't perceive that. By faith we see through a glass
darkly. We know in part, we understand
in part. These things saith the first,
the source, the is, the I am and the last. I'm telling you, when the last
shot's fired, you know who's going to be standing? Him. And all in Him. The last. The one by whom all things are
going to be judged. The one by whom all things are
going to be compared. He said, I'm going to lay a plummet.
Plumbob. You guys, you builders, you know
what I'm talking about. Plumb bottle. Plumb. You drop
that plumb by that string, and I'm telling you, it's absolutely
square. You can measure anything off
of it. He's going to lay the plummet, and everything's going
to be judged by him, according to him, according to his standard. All things are going to be shown
to honor Him. The last, because everything
that is apart from Him is going to be destroyed, burned up. The first and the last, He said,
which was dead and is alive. Now you know we can, in a sense,
we can understand the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world born
of a virgin. A body was prepared Him. A body
of flesh that knew no sin. Not like mine and yours. His
knew no sin, but it was a body that knew no sin, but it aged. We age because of sin. We tire. We hunger. We thirst
because of sin. Now a body was prepared Him that
knew no sin, and it was made like unto His brethren, yet without
sin." He came into this world. He lived in this world for 30
plus years. He died on the cross. We understand
that. Three days later, He was raised
from the dead. You say, He died, and now He
lives. But there's more to what's being
said than that. Here's the literal. These things
saith the first and the last who became dead and lived. Revelation 118 says, I am He
that liveth and was dead. Father, I commend my spirit into
Your hands. He died as a man. as God He ever
liveth. This is from He who was dead
as the Messiah, dead as the substitute. He died as a man and liveth. The eternal God who cannot die
made flesh in order to die, alive as God God is man. This letter is from God's anointed
Messiah. May the Holy Spirit give us heart
to listen. Secondly, I want us to consider
His knowledge of His people. He said in verse 9, I know thy
works. I know. We know in part, but we know. We don't hide anything from Him. You know, I can sort of fool
you because you really don't know. You don't know what I'm
thinking. You don't know my motive. He
said, I know. I know. You know how He knows? He knows our work of faith. He knows our labor of love. He
knows our patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. You know
how He knows? Because He made us. He made us. We are His workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. He told Jeremiah, before I formed
thee in the belly, I knew thee and ordained thee. a prophet. He knows because He has made
us. It is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Therefore, we
love Him because He first loved us. I know thy works. He said, I know. I know your
work of faith. You know why? Because He gave
us the faith. I know it. Faith was from Him. Our love from Him. Our patience from
Him. He said, I know your tribulation. How's that? Well, first of all,
He orders it. He orders it. He's promised it. He said, in the world you shall
have tribulation. You're going to. Because I'm
going to send it. Nothing happens outside of His
will and power and work. We suffer in this world because
of His sovereign grace toward us. He proves us. Gives us faith to believe. Sends
the tribulation to prove the faith. Not to Him. But to us? I don't have to prove anything
to him. He says, I know. I know. And he said, I know your poverty. And actually, what it's talking
about is it's talking about the temporal sufferings, the trials
that we go through. I know your poverty, whatever
it is, whether it's monetarily, whether it's physically, whatever,
it's the poorness that we suffer being made in Adam's loins, coming forth conceived
in sin. I know, I know, I know. I know
your poverty. But, he said, thou art rich. He said, I know that. I know
that. Rich in what matters. James 2,
verse 5 says, Harken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen
the poor of this world? Rich in faith. Heirs of the kingdom which He
hath promised to them that love Him. He said, I know. I see your richness. I'll be honest with you. when
I can't. I can't. I look at myself and I think
I am the most pitiful example of one that truly believes God. I will fret over things that
don't matter. They just don't matter. get concerned
over things that I think, well, how are we going to do that?
How are we going to do this? And then he said, I know the
blasphemy, verse 9, of them which say they're Jews and are not,
but are the synagogue of Satan. I want you to notice what our
Lord calls blasphemy. He named it. People say, well,
that's blasphemy. Well, if you want to know what
blasphemy is, listen to what the Lord says it is, and that's
what it is. Mr. Webster, that's okay. I can look up Mr. Gill. I can look up Strong's
Concordance. The Lord has told me what blasphemy
is. He said, I know the blasphemy
of them which say they're Jews and are not. has set forth that blasphemy
is to take the name of being a Christian, truly. Now, everybody and their brother
I know is a Christian. I understand that. You know,
you just get on TV and everybody's a Christian. But what the Lord
calls a Christian, what the Lord sets forth a believer to be,
one that's truly born from above, one that's truly One that believes
God, believes God's report, believes the gospel of God's free grace.
The Lord calls blasphemous for one to claim to be a believer. And he's not. That's blasphemy. Blasphemy. I mean, you think,
well, they're just mistaken. No, they're not mistaken. They're
blasphemous. I know the blasphemy of them
which say they're Jews, true Jews. I don't mean Israel over
there in the land. A Jew in heart, circumcised in
heart, not in the flesh, but in heart. One that God Almighty
has revealed to him who he is and the inability that he has
and that salvation is totally all of grace. without any works
of self-righteousness attached to it. A true Jew. One made so by the grace of God,
given a new heart. One that rests in Christ and
trusts Christ alone for salvation. Not himself. That's a true Jew.
I know the blasphemy of them that say they're Jews are not.
And this is what the Lord says. They're associated with the synagogue,
but it's the synagogue of Satan. Liars. To hold to one's own ability,
free will, one's work as being the means and source of salvation
is according to the Lord. To be a member of the synagogue
of Satan. He says, I know. I know. Thirdly,
consider his care. Consider who wrote this letter.
Consider what he knows. And consider his care that he
has for his own. Listen to what he says in verse
10. He said, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast
some of you into prison that ye may be tried And ye shall
have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life." Now, first of all,
He promised us something here. Here's what He promised us, that
we're going to suffer. He said, you're going to suffer.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. The reason for those sufferings,
He said, those things whereby you might be tried, proven. Faith is going to be proven by
God's good providence, by God's will, by God's purpose, by God's
direction. He is going to prove our faith,
as I said a moment ago, not to Him but to us and to others.
Faithful. Faithful in the midst of trials
and tribulations. 1 Peter 1, 6 and 7. We're encouraged
concerning these trials. 1 Peter 1, 6 and 7. It says,
wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be,
ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. Now, I know. I'm looking at some folks. I
know. I don't know everything, but I know some of the things
you're going through. I know some of the trials that
you're having to endure. I know. I know some of them.
And it's so encouraging. You know, somebody, you get some
news, whatever it is, whatever it is, family, money, health,
whatever it is. And to have a heart that says,
I'm going to trust God. I'm going to rest in the Lord.
And in our flesh, I'm going to tell you what's going on. You're
tore to old pieces. I know you are. I remember getting some news
one day for myself, health-wise. I talked to Brother Scott about
it. He said, the worst part is when you first hear about it. And you know he was right. You
know, the Lord is going to try approve, wherein you greatly
rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness
through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith,
being more precious than of gold, that perisheth, though it be
tried with fire, might be found under praise and honor and glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Take heart. Take heart. I need to hear this. Take heart. The trials that we're suffering
are governed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and they're for His honor
and for our good. You say, well, you don't know
how men, they're mad at me, you know. I mean, not often, because
I guess it just doesn't get back to me, but every once in a while
I hear some of the things that's said about me. You know, it does. It comes back to me. I end up
hearing about it. And, you know, it hurts my feelings. You know, I thought, well, but
you know what? Surely the wrath of man shall
praise thee. The remainder of wrath shalt
thou restrain. And I know this, that this tribulation,
it's not going to be forever. I know it's not going to go on
Indefinitely, He says right here, you're going to have tribulation.
Verse 10. Ten days. That's a number that's saying
it's not going to last forever. Just a short period compared
to eternity. What is this light affliction
right now? Eternity compared to ten days. Be thou faithful unto death.
And He said, I will give thee the crown of life. The crown
of eternal life. You know, I used to sit under
teaching that was talking about men who were just earning crowns
and they're just going to be so high. I don't see how in the
world I can hold them up. I'm going to have so many. The
crown of eternal life. 1 Corinthians 9.25, For every
man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now,
they do it to obtain a corruptible crown. incorruptible crown, the
crown of glory, the crown of life, Christ Himself. And then lastly, consider His
eternal promise. Verse 11, He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that
overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. He that overcometh. You know, I've heard that psalm
before. We shall overcome. What do you
mean? What does that mean? Overcome
what? Well, 1 John 5, here's the answer. Here's the marvel of God's Word
that He would tell us what He's talking about. 1 John 5, verses
4 and 5. Listen. Whatsoever is born of
God overcometh the world. And this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is He that overcometh
the world but He that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God
to me? That He's my Redeemer. He's my
Lord. That's what Job said, I know
that my Redeemer liveth. He that overcometh, he that continues
in the faith, kept the power of God. Listen, he that overcometh
shall not be hurt of the second death. Last Scripture. What do you mean the second death?
Revelation 21, verse 8, But the fearful, and the unbelieving,
and the abominable, and the murderers, and the whoremongers, and the
sorcerers, and the idolaters, and all liars shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which
is the second death. It's a death again is what it means. We die
physically. We were born spiritually dead,
but this second death is an eternal death. This is where the worm
dies. We never die. We're dead. It's a second death, but you're
never unconscious of it. Eternal death. But it says, But
the fearful. The fearful. It is the cowardly,
the faithless, those that feared men rather than God. Those that would not confess
the Lord. He that will not confess Me before
men. He said, I'm not going to confess
you before My Father. But the fearful. Unbelief. abominable murders. They're going
to have their place, their part, their lot in the second death, the lake
of fire. Lord, for your namesake and for
our comfort, bless these words to our heart. Amen.