Third Sunday of our Series on the Seven Churches in Revelation. Some people don t often read the book of Revelation as they think it s bizarre and hard to understand. We re only looking at the first three chapters, and whilst they re pretty straightforward to understand, they can be difficult to apply to our lives. John the Apostle, who was the author, was concerned for his fellow believers as they were going through a particularly tough time. God spoke to him and so he wrote a letter explaining what he had seen in a vision. To most of these churches he gave both comfort and challenges. To the church we re looking at today though, it was nearly all comfort. A quick reminder John was on a penal Island called Patmos in the Aegean Sea. It was quite a bit bigger than Alcatraz which is close to San Francisco being about 13 square miles in area and 9 miles from the northerly to the southerly point. The people in both places would have had little freedom. The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 1
Revelation 2:8-11 With only four verses, it is the shortest of the seven letters. An old city that was pretty much destroyed by fire in 600BC and then it was rebuilt. Its main nickname was Port of Asia. Around 100AD the main export from Smyrna was a tree resin we call myrrh. This was one of the three prophetic gifts that the Magi brought to Mary and Joseph not long after Jesus was born. It was used on Jesus physical body after His crucifixion. It reminds us of suffering, pain and bitterness. The church had the characteristic of the name of the city it was in. The church in the city struggled against two main hostile forces: the pagans were keen to side with Rome and endorsed the practice that everyone should worship the emperor. The Jews were actively opposed to the Christians too. What was Jesus main message to His disciples that lived in Smyrna? The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 2
After the 12 disciples died, God raised other gifted and anointed people to lead and stir His Church. These people were prominent in the 2 nd and 3 rd centuries: Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria and Tertullian. Another chap was important too. He came from Smyrna. Polycarp (Greek: much fruit ) worked with John after he d left Patmos. He would have followed him around and listened to the stories about Jesus that aren t even in the Bible! Can you imagine him as a young man sitting in the congregation and listening as all of Revelation is read out by one of the leaders or the messenger who brought the scroll? This letter is from our brother John who is in exile at the moment. 75 minutes later or so and I wonder what the reaction to the letter was? Could you hear a pin drop? Maybe there was cheering? You wouldn t be able to sit still and just let it wash over you! Life was very difficult for the church there and here was God writing a personal message, as well as giving them hope for the future. Polycarp served God for 86 years and then then they tried to burn him at a stake. When that didn t work quick enough and he was looking tranquil someone stabbed him to death. We re told that he was faithful to the end and wouldn t curse Christ when told to at his trial. When things aren t going well we need space to catch our breath and God knows that. He created us! The group of believers in Smyrna were suffering greatly through persecution, that s why there is lots of comfort in the letter. Some churches are told to repent, to change, to stop the bad things they are doing. All seven churches are told to listen and to follow through with action. The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 3
You are suffering already, but it s going to continue and it will get worse (cp Polycarp)! There will be an end to it though and I am with you as you go through it. God does give us guidance through the Bible on how to act and sometimes He speaks in other ways like last Sunday when He spoke through several individuals. The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 4
If God sent NCF a letter about how we were doing as a group of disciples, I wouldn t want people from other churches reading it apart from the good bits! I d hope that three important words were on the envelope! I would want to keep it private and discuss it with a few people for a few days. Sometimes in a film when someone is in the room and other people don t know this and they re talking about this particular person, they might cough just so that the others know to stop that conversation immediately! On Wednesday morning before I went out to my first school I heard Someone coughing. I d quickly thought that for the challenging parts of the letter on the next Sunday I d say we d had a letter from Headquarters and then I d try to put a positive spin on what the challenging items were. That s when I heard God coughing. He was polite but reminded me He was there. Then He said There is no positive spin with sin! We can t justify sin. Sin is deadly. Sin can t be ignored. Sin makes life worse and not better. Sin often looks exciting and alluring. Sin stinks but can be seductive. Our enemy is challenging our belief and trust in God when bad things flash through our minds and we dwell on them. Plumbline last Sunday Zechariah 4:10. Not heard that word for years (changing Bible versions). A cord with a non-magnetic weight attached to one end. It helps decorators and carpenters to establish an exact vertical. The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 5
Amos 7:7-8 are we looking at the plumb line that God is holding beside us collectively and individually? God is holy and wants us, His children, to be holy too. Do we make exceptions for ourselves sometimes? There is no positive spin with sin! In July and August on a Sunday morning we were considering what attributes and activities we should pack in our spiritual suitcase. As believers we know we need to pack the right items on our own spiritual journeys. Don t pack gossip, unthankfulness, distrust or unrighteous anger. These items will weigh you down! 1 Peter 2:4, 5 are being built but then 2:1-3 rid yourself. Ephesians 2:21, 22 learning together, doing life together, sharing our hopes and desires (when life is both good and trying). Most of us have been here for years. For the majority of Sunday morning Services what we expect to happen happens! We re used to what is going on and tend to be happy with most or all of it, so we tend to think that God is happy with what is going on and with us too. Pretend to be a visitor. We re praying for The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 6
lots of them! Are we explaining enough? Are we saying our names? Are we friendly? How do they feel about what happens in a Service? When they go home are they praising God or saying to Him, Lord, where else could I go next Sunday? NCF is in a period of transition as Paul continues to step down from leading things here. He s been brilliant. Since the beginning of 2016 I ve changed the structure of the Sunday morning Service, I ve changed the way we learn so that we have four main themes to ponder on each year. The foyer has changed and there are more changes coming. Generally, he has said I trust you. I think you re hearing from God, so get on with it. I admire his humility as we are very different people and the way we lead is different he a gentle stroll and me a more militarised march. Both are acceptable styles. He hasn t tried to smother me so that I only do things the way he has done for the last thirteen years or so. He s letting me develop into a leader and not a little Paul. Please continue to pray as the transition moves on further. Most things are going well at NCF, but if we stopped and prayed, what is God saying about us now and what is He saying for the future? Often we think worse of ourselves than we are. God loves us all. We are precious children! We know what God thought of Smyrna I know your afflictions and your poverty Rev 2:9. The main theme of the letter is suffering. The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 7
Over the next few months as a church we shall be looking at what is excellent and what is not. More than that, we need to consider what isn t necessary and stop doing that even if it is excellent now or was in the past. John the Apostle was not on holiday. He hadn t gone to Patmos by choice. The Roman authorities had sent him there. He d been exiled to an island because he loved Jesus. He lost his freedom when he was sent there. His attitude stayed good. He didn t have a pity party. He d been changed and empowered by God. The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 8
Approximately 900 years before John was on Patmos, Jehoshaphat was King of the southern Kingdom of Judah. He loved God, followed Him and encouraged his people to follow Yahweh too as well. That didn t stop unpleasant and awful things happening to them. The Moabites and Ammonites had a large army and came against little Judah. It was scary, as they could have been wiped out. Jehoshaphat knew where to put his priorities and energies in God! Over the coming weeks and month, collectively and individually there are times that are going to be tricky and not pleasant. You wouldn t choose the predicament you re in. God may not seem close to you. Being a Christian doesn t exempt us from distress and sorrow. It might be a big challenge to remain faithful to God, even when it seems everything is going very badly. That is what we re commanded though even today. God is stirring us to action. That might happen in different ways, but it will always honour and glorify Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The message today is to yield to God. Look to Him, even when things aren t great. Trust God. Obey God. Lean hard into Him. There is no other way. The Seven Churches in Revelation Smyrna (2:8-11) 9