Christ's Letter to the Church at Smyrnia (2)

Q: What does the Bible say about suffering as a Christian?

The Bible teaches that Christians will face suffering and tribulation in this world, but they should not fear it. The Lord Jesus Christ, in Revelation 2:8-11, addresses the church at Smyrna, affirming that they will undoubtedly face suffering. He encourages believers to 'fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer,' emphasizing that their tribulations are not unexpected but rather a part of their journey in following Him. The experiences of suffering and sorrow are consistent with the Christian life, as Paul states in Acts 14:22, 'We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.' Thus, suffering serves a purpose in proving faith and drawing believers closer to God.

Q: How do we know God is in control of our suffering?

God is sovereign over all suffering, directing it according to His divine purpose. The assurance that God is sovereign in our suffering is rooted in the belief that all trials are governed, ordained, and regulated by our Lord. Revelation 2:10 shows that our tribulations are temporary and purpose-filled—as they 'shall have tribulation ten days.' This temporary nature encourages believers to find hope in their trials, knowing they serve a larger, divine purpose. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul assures us that with each trial, God provides a way to endure it, reinforcing His control and care over our circumstances.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to remain faithful during trials?

Faithfulness during trials is vital for the believer's spiritual maturity and assurance of eternal life. Remaining faithful in the face of trials is crucial for Christians as it proves the genuineness of their faith. Revelation 2:10 encourages believers, saying 'Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' This faithfulness is not merely for the sake of reward but reflects an enduring trust in God amidst suffering. Trials help believers to strengthen their faith, distinguishing true faith that perseveres from false faith that falters. Thus, faithfulness cultivates spiritual resilience and assures believers of their eternal hope in Christ.

Q: What does the Bible say about poverty in spirit?

Being poor in spirit is a blessed condition, recognizing our need for God's grace. Matthew 5:3 states, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' This 'poverty in spirit' refers to an awareness of one's spiritual bankruptcy and utter need for Christ. In Revelation 2:9, the Savior acknowledges that while believers may face physical poverty, they are rich in grace and standing before God. This paradox highlights the deep-seated truth that true richness comes not from material wealth but from the recognition of our need for God's mercy and grace.

Q: Why do some churches oppose the truth of the gospel?

Some churches are identified as synagogues of Satan when they distort or reject the core truths of the gospel. In Revelation 2:9, the Lord tells the church at Smyrna about the blasphemy of those who claim to be God's people yet oppose the gospel. This is reflected in today's context when some churches prioritize a works-based righteousness or moralism rather than the grace of God in Christ. Such churches mislead seekers, giving them a false sense of security. The true Israel of God, as Paul outlines in Philippians 3:3, consists of those who worship God in spirit and confidence solely in Christ, rather than in religious ritual or heritage.

The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior,
makes this safe. He says to you and me, as we
live in this world, this world cursed because of
sin, this world of suffering and sorrow because of sin, in this world where the sons
and daughters of Adam ain't nothing of murdering one another to cause
a sin. In this world where we are asked
to face most anything, anytime, fear none of those things which
thou shalt suffer. Now, that's my subject tonight.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer." This church
at Smyrna was the only church in these seven described in Revelation
2 and 3 about which the Lord Jesus gives no word of correction. This church seems to have had
all things set in proper order in faith and in practice, and
yet this church was exposed to great tribulation. as are God's
people at all times in this world. We must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God. There's no question about that.
This health, wealth, prosperity gospel is being preached all
over the world today. You know, believe Jesus and everything
will be all right. He'll heal your bank account
and He'll heal your crooked leg and bent nose and everything
else. Well, it's just not so. It's just not so. When you come
to believe on the Son of God, true faith in Christ is enlisting
in an army under the banner of the King of Glory, in hostile
enemy territory, and the whole world, religious and otherwise,
will be set against you, and you against the world. You're
in the midst of a battle, in the midst of tribulation, in
the midst of heartache, in the midst of trial. That's the reason
so many times as you read through the scriptures, you pick up the
Bible of an old saint, one who's been here for a long time, you'll
find the most worn pages in his Bible are the Psalms, because
there he enters into the bitter, bitter experiences of one of
God's saints, a man at the God's own heart, as he went before
God and poured out his soul unto the Lord. We, too, have our nights
of weeping, our days of sorrow, our times of difficulty. In fact,
in fact, most of our time in this world is spent with sorrow
and weeping and bitterness. Now, that doesn't mean that the
believer's life is a life of morbid grief and such as that. Not at all. But we recognize
who we are and what we are, and we recognize the condition of
the world around us and we recognize things as they really are. Believers
don't spend much time in mountaintop experiences. We just don't. We like to talk about those,
but most of the time we're either in the valley or trying to scratch
our way up the mountain. We're not often on the mountaintop.
Most of the time we have heavy hearts because we deal with things
honestly. And here our Lord Jesus deals
with us honestly. He says, fear none of those things
which thou shalt suffer." And thus the purpose of this letter
to the church at Smyrna. The singular purpose is to prepare
us and fortify us for those things which we shall suffer in this
world if we follow the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully. Ye fearful
saints, fresh courage take. The clouds you so much dread
are big with mercy and shall break in blessings. on your head,
sooner or later, sooner or later. Don't be afraid now. Don't be
afraid. Whatever it is that you must endure, whatever trial it
is the Lord brought your way this morning, I will bring your
way before you close your eyes tonight. Don't fear those things
which you must suffer. All right, now look at what our
Lord Jesus says in this letter. Back up in verse eight, He says
to the angel of the church in Smyrna, These things sayeth the
first and the last. He says, I'm the beginning and
I'm the end. I'm the first cause of everything,
and I'm the ultimate end of everything. I'm the first and the last, which
was dead and is alive. I died for you, and I live again
to rule all things for you. In verse nine, the Savior says,
I know thy works. I know good. I know what you
do for me. I prove of you, and I approve
of your works. Because you are accepted in me,
the works that you do, being done by principle of grace for
the honor of my name, washed in my blood, robed in my righteousness,
I know your works, and I accept them. I know you." He says, I
know thy tribulation. I was thinking about this just
a moment ago, sitting here. Our Lord knows because He's the
omniscient But there's more than that. He says, I know by personal,
painful, bitter experience, your tribulation. There's no sorrow
you can experience in this world that the man of sorrow has not
experienced keenly, more deeply, more sensitively than you and
I ever can. I know your tribulation. I know
it. And then our Savior says to you
and me, I know thy poverty. Now, certainly there is room
here to talk about the fact that faith in Christ, obedience to
Christ, will always result, or often result, rather, in one
being brought to poverty insofar as the things of this world are
concerned. But commonly that's not the case. Commonly that's
not the case. So the words here must have some
meaning other than just physical poverty. Certainly we ought to
be willing to suffer poverty, physically, for the name of Christ,
for the glory of Christ. But not many of God's saints
whom I know in this world, in our society, suffer extreme poverty. I know a few, but not many. I've
never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed-begging bread, not
in all my years on this earth. But what's he talking about then?
You remember what our Lord said in Matthew chapter five? Blessed
are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Not just blessed
are the poor, blessed are the poor in spirit. So Lord Jesus
says, I know your prophecy. You know yourselves to be utterly
void of righteousness, utterly void of any good, utterly void
of any spiritual understanding, utterly void of spiritual knowledge.
You know your faith to be utter unbelief. You know your love
for me to be that which cannot be even commended as love. I
know that you are poor in spirit. my grace has made you so." That
man, that woman, who sees himself utterly corrupt by nature, utterly
corrupt at heart, utterly corrupt in his inmost being, God made
him see that. No man sees that by nature. I
know you're Papa Chet. I know that. But listen to this.
Now, if God made you poor in spirit, if God has made you to
see that you have no righteousness of your own, If God has made
you to see that you must have a substitute to stand in your
stead to make you accepted before Him, if God has made you to understand
that you're a debtor before His holiness, before His justice,
before His truth, before His law, so that you cannot dare
lift your eyes toward Heaven without being condemned by Him,
God has made you to see your need of His Son, then you're
rich. He's already bestowed upon you
the riches of His grace. Our Lord says, I know your poverty,
but you are rich. rich in grace, rich with all
the blessings of God's grace in Christ, rich with covenant
mercy, the riches, the exceeding abundant riches of God's grace
in Jesus Christ are yours now and forever. And then our Lord
assures us that He knows His people from those who merely
profess to be His people. I know the blasphemy of them
which say they are and they're not, but are the synagogue of
Satan. Now, there was obviously a large
population of Jews in Smyrna. They settled there because Smyrna
was a wealthy place of business and commerce, and they built
a synagogue there. As always, these Jews were filled
with hatred for God's They both blasphemed Christ and accused
his people of horrible crimes before the Romans. History will
bear that fact out. These physical descendants of
Abraham thought that they were the people of God, just like
Jews always have. They presume since Abraham is
our father, then we have everything. We have nothing to be concerned
about. But our Lord said, the synagogue of Satan. Now, understand
this. I fully agree with William Hendrickson's
comment on this verse. He made this statement. How anyone
can say that the Jews today are still, in a very special and
glorious and preeminent sense, God's people is more than we
can understand. God himself calls those who reject
the Savior and persecute true believers the synagogue of Satan. You see, there's a whole system
of religion. As a matter of fact, there are
several systems of religion and theology built on the false supposition. that the physical descendants
of Abraham are God's people, that they have special promises
because they're physically descended from Abraham. The Israel of God
are God's elect. The seed of Abraham are those
who believe on Christ, not those who spit when they hear his name.
Now, I recognize God has an elect remnant among the physical feet
of Abraham. I just saw a dear brother this
week who is a Jew by birth, but he's a Christ-born Jew because
he's one by grace, too. This man's born of God's Spirit
and has no claim, no claim upon God's physical lineage, but every
claim because of his spiritual descendancy from Jesus Christ
the Lord. And yet, this text has a wider
application than this. Those assemblies which are set
up in opposition to the truth of the gospel, though they call
themselves Christian churches, are synagogues of Satan. I want
you to hear me and hear me well. They are not brother and sister
churches in Christ. They are not our brethren in
the kingdom of God. They are not co-laborers with
us in the cause of Christ. They are synagogues of Satan. One of the first things I said
to this congregation, some of you men were present, some of
you ladies as well. One of the first things I said
to this congregation, you talked to me about coming here as your
pastor, was if there's any place in this town where you can hear
from God, where you can go and worship God, where you can plainly
proclaim, then don't call me as your pastor. Shut down this
church and go join others. You don't need it. You don't
need it. If you call me as your pastor, what you're saying is,
Brother Don, there's nowhere else around here where we can
go and hear a man proclaim the truth of God where we can worship
God Almighty. Now, this is what our Lord says.
Though they call themselves Jews, there's a synagogue of Satan.
What do you mean, synagogue of Satan? He presides over them. He works in them. His interests
are served by them. These synagogues of Satan serve
the interests of darkness and corruption as thoroughly, as
completely, as any brothel, any bar, or any temple in the world."
Did you hear that? I chose my words deliberately.
They serve the calls and interests of Satan and darkness as thoroughly
and completely as any brothel, any bar, or any temple in the
world. They do not deserve respect,
and from this man shall not have it. Any church that equates morality
with righteousness is the synagogue of satan. Morality is not righteousness. The teaching of morality, for
morality's sake, will damn your soul, it will not save it. Any
church that promotes will-worship, the worship of man's free will,
the idea that somehow man, by the acts of his will, can retrieve
himself from the law, is a synagogue of Satan. Paul says so in Colossians
2, verse 23. Any curse that puts salvation
and redemption in any way in the hands of man is described
here by our Lord as the synagogue of patience. The Apostle Paul
refers to that and says, if righteousness comes by the works of the law,
if righteousness comes by something you do, I don't care whether
you call it baptism, or Bible reading, or witnessing, or missionary
work, or tithing, or church, it doesn't matter what you call
it, if righteousness comes by what you do, then Christ died
for nothing. Read it for yourself in Galatians
chapter 2, verse 21. Any church that substitutes ceremonialism
and ritualism for the worship of God, Paul calls it a show
of humility and will-worship. That's all. It looks good, it
looks impressive. You know, you see folks, and
they have their silly-looking religious costumes on, and they
go through their little ceremonies, or you see, you see other folks,
they don't wear the same kind of costumes, and they have their
little programs, They had their little ceremonies, and they had
their little rites and rituals they go through, and everybody
looks at you and says, oh, my, isn't that impressive? It's just
a show of humility in will-worship. That's all. That's all. Our Lord
says they call themselves God's people, but they're not. I know
the difference. You see, God's covenant people,
the true Israel of God, is the Church of God, Christ's spiritual
seed. A man's family tree, his outward
religious exercise, his profession of religion, and his doctrinal
creed has nothing to do with his relationship to God, not
in reality. Christianity, faith in Christ,
is a matter of the heart. Oh, I wouldâ€”God, I could make
a man understand this. It is altogether a spiritual
matter, not a carnal matter. A spiritual matter, not a mere
intellectual matter. Faith in Christ is inward. It's
the issue of the heart. They're not all Israel, which
are of Israel, the Apostle says. But we are the Israel of God.
We are the circumcision. Read it for yourself in Philippians
3, verse 3. We are the circumcision to worship
God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesh. These are those men and women
who are God's covenant people, circumcised in the heart by the
power of His free grace. They worship God inwardly, in
their heart, spiritually, by the power of His Spirit, rejoicing,
prostrating, resting in Jesus Christ alone as their wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and rejection, glorying in Him
alone, and having absolutely no confidence in anything they
possess, say, heal or do or experience in their flesh. That's it. Paul
says, this is what I'm talking about. Now, you wonder, well,
what's Paul discussing? There's no confidence in the
flesh. He said, I was circumcised the eighth day of the Sock of
Israel, a Hebrew of Hebrews. He said, I was in the cradle
roll in Sunday school before I was ever born. My mama and
daddy carried me to church every week from the time I came into
this world. I was trained up at the feet of Gamaliel. I exercised
myself in all manner of the Jews' religion in exact accordance
with the outward requirements given and laid down in Scripture,
but I didn't know God. And what I had in my porch, I
just counted manure." So it is there. That's not my language,
that's his language. You can read it in Philippians
chapter three. And I'm telling you that the religion of the
flesh, The religion of the world, the religion of man, the religion
that centers on man and is built on man, arises from man, is just
manure. And the sooner you understand
it, the better off you'll be. It is most comforting for believers
in the midst of earthly trials to hear the Son of God say, I
know. Now look at verse ten. Here he gives us a word to quieten
our fears. Fear none of those things which
thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast
some of you into prison." Notice what he says. He doesn't say,
fear none of those things which you might suffer. He says, fear
none of those things that you surely will suffer. These are
some of them. The devil will cast some of you
into prison, that you may be tried. The word is proved. And you shall have tribulation
ten days. Be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life. Again, I remind you,
as long as we live in this world, we're going to suffer. Our Lord
here plainly warns us that the longer we live, the more we will
suffer and the more our sorrow will increase. With old age comes
increased reason for joy and increased reason for sorrow.
Particularly, our Lord is talking about the evil which we must
suffer at the hands of wicked men who themselves, perhaps unknowingly,
are just the pawns of Satan. Just like men would take and
move a pawn on a chessboard. Men are the pawns of Satan, moved
according to his purpose against the people of God. And yet our
Savior says, fear none of those things. Satan roars against us,
but he cannot devour us, no matter how great our sufferings on this
earth may be. Here our Lord tells us four things
which ought to quieten our fears. Number one, our sufferings in
this world are governed, ordained, and regulated by our God and
Savior. In 1 Corinthians chapter 10,
the Lord Jesus speaks by the Apostle Paul, and he says, There
hath no temptation, no trial, no trouble taken you, but such
as is common to man. None, but just what all men experience,
particularly trials and temptations that all believing men experience.
But God is faithful, who will, with the temptation, make a way
to escape that you may be able to bear it. Now, it's true we
often suffer at the hands of wicked men. And like Job, we
must suffer much from Satan himself. But both wicked men and Satan
are under the absolute rule of Jesus Christ our God. They can't
do anything without His permission. You remember Job chapter 1 and
2? Satan appears before the Lord, and he appears with the angels
of God as they come to worship and give account of themselves
before God, and he's there in the presence of the Lord, and
the Lord takes the initiative. He said, It wasn't Satan who came there
asking God for permission. It was the Lord who said, had
you considered my servant Job? And Satan began to mock him.
And the Lord said, Archie, go do this. This can't touch you.
And he came back and the Lord asked him again, have you considered
my servant Job? And Satan accuses him again. And the Lord said,
Archie, you can have everything he's got but his life. Can't have
his life. Can't have his life. Take his
family, take his wealth, take his health, take his name, take
his reputation, take everything but his bread. And he comes back,
and we find the Lord God worshipped by his servant Job. Because Job
said, the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the
name of the Lord. Whatever God permits our enemies
to do, whatever God allows those who most despise us to do against
us, is always best for us. Let me give you an example. Turn
to 2 Samuel, chapter 16. 2 Samuel, chapter 16. You know the picture. David is
fleeing from his son Absalom. Absalom is trying to overthrow
his father's kingdom, and the Lord sent this chastening hand
upon him. David's brought to great humiliation.
And then in verse 9, 2 Samuel 16, verse 9, Shemai had come
out to cuss David. And he cussed him with everything
he had. I mean, you can read this any
way you want to, but I'm telling you what, you wouldn't use the
kind of language he was using to talk about anybody in public.
He came out cussing David. David's the king. He came out
cussing him. Shemai thought, well, now's my
chance. God is going to return the kingdom
to my family, Saul, my daddy, and God's going to return the
kingdom to men. Have a look at verse nine. Then said Abishah,
the son of Joriah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse
my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee,
and take off his head. And he could. Let me just go
over and lift his head right off his shoulders. And the king
said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Joriah? So let
him curse, because the Lord said unto him, Curse David. Who shall say then, Wherefore
hast thou done so? And David said to Abisha and
to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth out
of my bowels, speaketh my life, Absalom's trying to kill me.
How much more now may this Dejahmite do it? Let him alone. Let him
cuss away, for the Lord hath said, the Lord hath bitten him. It may be, I love this, it may
be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, that the Lord
will requite me good for his cursing this day. And so he does. And so he does. All our trials,
whatever they are, are ordained, regulated, and governed. by God
our Savior. Number two, those things that
we suffer in this world won't last very long. Look what our
Lord said, Ye shall have tribulation ten days. What does that mean,
ten days? Our sorrow will not be perpetual.
It's fixed for at that And that set time really is very short.
You shall have tribulation ten days. Now this is what he says,
you will suffer for a definite period of time, but just a little
period of time, just a brief while. You're not going to have
to suffer long. Surely we who live for eternity and live in
eternity should be able to patiently bear any right affliction, realizing
that our right afflictions are at the most just for a brief
moment. Listen to these scriptures. The
Lord speaking to his people about the troubles. He says in Isaiah
26, 20, Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut
thy doors about thee. Hide thyself, as it were, for
a little time, just a little time, till the indignation be
past. I don't know what's going on
around us. I hadn't heard the news on the day a couple of men
came in and told me about the shooting spree in Colorado today.
I know the cause of it. Fallen, depraved nature of man.
I know the instrumental cause of it to be the educational,
philosophical system of the past fifty years in this country.
We've been taught all our lives that we live for ourselves, we
can do whatever we want to, and to hell with everybody else.
And that's exactly how folks are living. That's exactly how
they're living. If you don't pay attention to what's going
on around you, you're going to reap the consequences of that.
And we're certainly reaping the consequences of what's been taught
and embedded in the minds of men and women from everything,
in every news media, from the education, from our youth up
right to this day. But more than that, I understand
that we live in a generation under the wrath and judgment
of God Almighty. And his indignation against us
is so obvious, and the man has to be absolutely blind and totally
ignorant of all things spiritual, not to understand it. The question
is not, will God judge this world and judge this nation? Bobby,
the question is, how long is it going to last? Just a little
time. just a little while, and sooner
or later, one way or the other, the indignation will be passed.
So the Lord says, come now, enter into your chamber, leave to the
refuse Christ the Lord, shut your doors about you, and hide
yourself until the indignation is passed, and this time is over. Our Lord said plainly, for the
elect's sake, those days of judgment shall be shortened. We must Now
for a season be in heaviness through manifold temptations,
Peter said. But the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than gold that perisheth, shall be
found at last to the praise and honor and glory of our great
God and Savior." All right, thirdly, our trials, whatever they are,
come from our God and are governed by Him. They are for a fixed,
brief period of time. and their purpose is to prove
our faith. God allows the temptation and
the trial, the tribulation and the heartache that you may be
tried, not to prove our faith to Him. He knows our faith, to
prove our faith to us. And we need it proved frequently. Sooner or later, sooner or later, your faith is
going to be tried, if you have it. If you have it. And God's going to make you know
that it's real. Sooner or later. You see, the
difference between true faith and false faith is true faith
endures the trial and comes out stronger. false faith withers
and dies, and never knows it. Never knows it. I've seen trials
turn folks away from the things of God totally. And you go talk
to them about it, they talk to you as though they were just
fixed and everything's settled and everything's all right, just
like it was before. But true faith is proved by the trial.
Sooner or later, God will make it to be clearly demonstrated
whether or not we trust Him. And then, fourthly, our Lord
promises, Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a
crown of life. Now, this is not a promise of
a special crown for martyrs. The Scriptures make it plain,
All who belong to Christ shall receive a crown of life. God
promised it to all who love Him at His coming. this crown is
eternal life itself. You see, faithfulness is the
one thing that God requires of all His people. And I'm going
to tell you something. Semi-faithfulness is the one
thing that He finds in all His people. His people are faithful. His grace makes them faithful. They look at themselves and they
see nothing of it. But they persevere, and they
continue, and they endure steadfast to the end. And our Lord said,
even endured to the end, the same shall be saved. And that's
the promise of this book. That's the promise of the book.
There was a sailor once, a helmsman at a ship, set into the midst
of a storm back in those days when you had those huge sailing
vessels go across the seas And in the midst of that storm, with
the ship just tossing, nearly ripping things to pieces, someone
heard him as he was holding the stern just as tight and fast
as he could. He said, God, you may sink me
if you will. You may save me if you will.
But whatever happens, I will keep my rudder true. That's the
believer's attitude in faith. Lord, you can sink me if you
will. You can save me if you will.
In the midst of this trial, it's all together up to you. But whatever
happens, by your grace I'm resolved. I'll keep my rudder true." And
he promised, be faithful unto death, I'll give you the crown
of life. Amen. All right, maybe you can
listen to him, please.

Christ's Letter to the Church at Smyrnia (2)

What does the Bible say about suffering as a Christian?

How do we know God is in control of our suffering?

Why is it important for Christians to remain faithful during trials?

What does the Bible say about poverty in spirit?

Why do some churches oppose the truth of the gospel?

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Christ's Letter to the Church at Smyrnia (2)

What does the Bible say about suffering as a Christian?

How do we know God is in control of our suffering?

Why is it important for Christians to remain faithful during trials?

What does the Bible say about poverty in spirit?

Why do some churches oppose the truth of the gospel?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

Comments

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