Have you ever received a letter from someone?
Nowadays receiving a letter from a friend, or family member is not that common. If you are far away from someone you love and you want to speak to them, you will probably send them an email, call them on the phone or if you are not shy, you could even have a video call. Through these mediums, you express your feelings, or you give good news, tell them about what is going on, tell them about your plans for the future… and the same happens when someone needs to speak to you. We hardly ever send or receive a letters nowadays…
But in the past, they had no computers, no Instagram or emails. So they needed to send letters to share their news.
After Jesus’ resurrection, in the first century, the Church started growing around the world, especially in Asia.
And God, through Apostle John, He wrote letters to warn these Churches in Asia. These letters were also written to the Church today.
So today, we will talk about: A Letter from God!
I believe God wrote a letter to his church around the world, and through the bible we’re going to see God’s warning to us.
So, I invite you to open your bible in Revelation 2.
“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
Revelation 2:8-11
This is a letter from God to a small Church based in Smyrna.
In Roman times, Smyrna was considered the most brilliant city of Asia Minor, successfully rivalling. Smyrna was a great city in Asia.
There were 3 groups of people at the time:
First: Jewish people who followed the laws of Moses and they did not agree with or like Christians.
Second: People who worship the Emperor of Rome and also, they didn’t like Christians…
And the third group: A small church of Christians in Smyrna.
So, the Church in Smyrna was suffering persecution and trouble from the 2 groups of people, Jews and nonbelievers who worshiped a Man.
In this context, God sent them a letter, and today I’d like to take some of lessons from this message to us:
“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.”
Revelation 2:8
A small church was suffering, living in the midst of people who didn’t worship God. But, Jesus wrote: I am the first and last.
Jesus was telling to them that He is the Centre of it all!
The first lesson today is:
Jesus is the Center of it all… Even though people from that city were worshiping the Emperor of Rome, Jesus was and is greater than an Emperor, greater than a King…He is the first and the last. He is the Centre of all things, because He died and came to life again! Jesus needs to be in the Centre of our lives! We have to open up our hearts and say to Jesus: Be the Centre of it all, come and give us direction in these hard times!
Vs 9, Jesus said:
“I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”
Revelation 2:9
Jesus is never surprised! He knew about the afflictions the church of Smyrna was suffering.
They were being persecuted… Some people think that the Church of God is not persecuted because God is on our side… But that is not true.
The Church of God has to be persecuted. It has been always like that!
If the Church is not being persecuted, then there is something wrong happening…
Do you want to see it?
In China, Churches are being destroyed by Communism… Brothers and sisters are being killed by Muslim extremists in Africa, Asia…
And you may ask me…what about the churches in the West? In Europe and America?
We are also being persecuted and maybe you just don’t know about it.
While our brothers suffer physically, being bombed, tortured and persecuted, we are suffering virtual bombs and being persecuted through the law. They are attacking Church through social media, YouTube, many people were cut from the Internet because they were speaking the Truth. And, we know that it will become worse, day by day… Because we are living the end of times.
So, Jesus said to the Church in Smyrna: I know about your suffering as Church. I know your suffer from poverty (yet you are rich).
Jesus said they are poor but they are rich…
What does that mean?
To the church in Laodicea, Jesus said they thought they were rich, but they were poor and blind.
In the Kingdom of God, if you are poor but you have your heart in God, you are rich, but if you are rich and you trust in your money, you are poor and blind! I want to be rich in God! What about you?
Jesus saw their suffering.
I want tell you that,
Jesus sees your suffering
(Second lesson)
He knows everything, he is not unfair! He knows your suffering, what is happening to you right now, what you don’t tell anyone else, he sees your heart, your scars, and he wants to heal you, heal your mind and heart! He wants to heal your wounds…Don’t forget you are not alone! He sees your suffering and He will rescue you from this situation! This is what Jesus said to the Church in Smyrna.
Now, look the verse 10:
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.
The situation was hard for the Church in Smyrna. Rome, Jews, people from every side were oppressing them, but things would become even worse…
The Devil would put some of them in prison to test them and they would suffer persecution for 10 days…
Here, Jesus told them they would be tested, sent into prison by the devil…
The Jews and the other were being used by the devil to persecuted the church.
Look, today we are living through hard times for the Church. And we know that things will become even worse, day by day…this is what happened with Smyrna’s Church.
The devil will try to send some of us to prison, to test us… He will try to put an end to our faith, he wants to deceive us with lies, political fights, false hopes, and even persecute us at work, in our local community, only because we have our faith based on Jesus.
And, my question is: Are you ready to be persecuted?
Here on earth, we are the resistance, while we are here, we have to preach the gospel in a way that that anyone standing close to us will listen and will be able to make the decision to follow Jesus or reject him…
But, if a persecution begins in a few years from now…will you be ready for it?
Jesus said to the Church: Do not be afraid.
And here we have another lesson:
Do not be afraid
If we have to be persecuted, it won’t be through our strength we will say no to the devil, but through Jesus’ power. True believers don’t need to be afraid. Jesus is by us, and even if we have to suffer for our faith, we will be helped by Jesus Christ.
Look at what Jesus said to the Church about their suffering.
The end of the Verse 10
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”
Revelation 2:10b
Another lesson for us here is:
Be faithful until the end
The City of Smyrna they had regional sports and competitions at the time, so Jesus uses the example of a victor’s crown because He knew they would understand it…
In a race, if you complete all the laps, you receive a prize…
It doesn’t matter how you are doing today, or what you did in the past… Give your life over to Jesus, let Him take care of you, ask him for forgiveness, repent from your sins, and if you are faithful until the end, you will receive a crown!
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and you will receive life, eternal life!
For true believers, this life means nothing if you compare it with eternity! Those who crossed the finishing line, those who completed the race and are now with Christ, they don’t want to come back to this life again. They got their crowns… And now it’s our time to be faithful until the end…
The last verse says:
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
Revelation 2:11
Do you have ears? So, hear what God says to the churches.
This is a letter from God to you, to your family, to your community. Let these words become true inside of you, let this words shake your body, take you out from your comfort zone and let these words prepare you to be a true believer who gives everything because of your faith.
Jesus said: the one who is victorious will not be hurt by the second death at all.
While the Jews and those who worshiped a human emperor, when they died, they were hurt by the second death… They had to be separated from God, forever!
But for the Church of Smyrna, for you, for me, even if we suffer for Jesus on this earth, if we suffer for our faith, we will not be hurt at all by the second death! If we die, we will live! Again, we see the difference in the kingdom of God.
If you are poor, you are rich….if you died, you live forever with Jesus Christ in the eternity! Hallelujah!
So, my brothers and sisters, I want to tell you this:
If you have ears, listen to the words on the letter from God to you:
Today, Call Jesus and tell him:
Please, be the Centre of my life! Sometimes I want to guide myself, I want to do things by myself, but I’m often wrong… I often fail.
Say, Jesus, be the Centre of my life!
Know this: Jesus sees your suffering!
He knows your heart… Sometimes you are judged by others, because they don’t know you… But Jesus knows you deeply, he knows the depth of your heart.
He is looking at you, he sees your suffering and he is ready to help you. Ask him and wait for him! He is coming to rescue you!
So, do NOT be afraid!
He is beside you, he is your friend, he takes care of you, even if you are being persecuted for your faith, if you are sick, if you are mourning for someone, do not be afraid… God is your protector, your strength, your refuge… He is shelter for your life! Do not be afraid!
Lastly, please be faithful until the end.
Life is hard, and I believe it will become even worse… We are living through the last days… And you were doing great, but you stopped….you gave up! You’ve changed! … NO!
Do not give up now! Don’t do it! We are almost at the end of the race… Don’t stop right now…just a little bit longer and we will be with our Creator, our Saviour Jesus Christ!
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the church.
The Church of Smyrna heard Jesus. They suffered imprisonment and persecution, but they were faithful until the end, and they conquered, they are in heaven right now.
So, please, listen to the voice of God. He sent you a message, today! This is a letter from God to save your life, to call you again, to bring you back to the Church of Jesus Christ, to be part of his army to face the last days as faithful servants of Jesus.
May God bless you, keep you and protect you.