From Him Who Died and Came to Life

Revelation 2:8-11
May 10, 2020
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

So here we are in Revelation 2-3. Seven letters. Seven churches. Seven earnest and heartfelt moments from our Lord Jesus Christ. Seven opportunities for encouragement, repentance, discipline, and love.

I am really glad to go through Revelation 2-3 during this unique time in our lives. I say unique not just because of the coronavirus. I say unique ultimately because we are living in the last days of redemptive history. Jesus has risen and ascended. And now we are preparing for his return. Now we are waiting for our conquest. And just like the church in Smyrna.

Dear Highland, Jesus loved the church in Smyrna and cared for them. He gave them earnest and heartfelt words of encouragement. And Jesus loves and cares for us too. He gives us earnest and heartfelt words of encouragement as well. So let us hear what the Spirit says to us today.

Today’s text is a letter from Jesus to the church in Smyrna. And the church in Smyrna went through much tribulation and suffering because of their repentance and faith in Jesus.

They lived in poverty. They received slander. And some of them were going to be thrown into prison. They received economic suppression and discrimination for not pledging allegiance to the emperor and to the cult religion of Rome. Their reputation was destroyed as people made false statements about them. And some of them were going to be imprisoned and possibly sentenced to death. Poverty and slander. Imprisonment and the prospect of death. This is what they went through in Smyrna. This was their tribulation and suffering. All because of their repentance and faith in Jesus.

Can you imagine not being able to put food on the table and having your name dragged through the mud - all because you believe in Jesus? Can you imagine being locked up or even put to death - all because you believe in Jesus? If so, then you can begin to understand what our brothers and sisters experienced in Smyrna. It’s heartbreaking.

But the first and the last, the one who died and came to life - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - had something to say to Smyrna. This is what he said to them.

Jesus said that he knew their suffering and tribulation. He knew what they were going through. He said to them, “I know.”

Jesus said that they were actually rich. They were poor here on this old and fading earth. But they possessed the kingdom of God in the new heavens and the new earth. They owned all of his inheritance. He said to them, “But you are rich.”

Jesus said that he would give them the crown of life and that they would conquer and not be hurt by the second death. They were going to have eternal life with Jesus in his kingdom. They were not going to have eternal death without Jesus in hell (Revelation 20:14).

And Jesus said that that he is the first and the last and the one who died and came to life. He is the king and he is sovereign over all things. He possesses the power and the glory of resurrection life.

Jesus said all of this to the church in Smyrna. And so believers in Smyrna could be faithful in the suffering and unafraid of the tribulation in their lives. They could be faithful and unafraid when it came to poverty or slander or imprisonment or even death. They needed to hear all of this from Jesus.

And we need to hear all of this too.

Dear Highland, please take Jesus’ words to heart. We are not to fear death. We know what happens after it. We know because we know what happened after Jesus died. Highland, you are united with Jesus. You will be resurrected from the first death. Death is swallowed up in victory. And there is no second death for you. You will not be hurt by it. Jesus said so. Believe what he says to you. Do not be afraid of anything. This lost world panics over the coronavirus. They are afraid of the first death. But they are not thinking about the second death. You know better. A sinner who is born once dies twice. A saint who is born twice dies once. This is the truth of the one who died and came to life. Praise the Lord for his words of encouragement and victory.

Dear Highland, please take Jesus’ words to heart. Jesus is sovereign. Synagogues of Satan and Satan himself are not greater than him. This is why when suffering and tribulation comes your way, do not think of it as tragedy from the enemy. Think of it as testing from the Lord. You are united with Christ. You can suffer because Jesus suffered. You can be poor because Jesus was poor. You will be persecuted and hated by the world because Jesus was persecuted and hated by the world. You cannot skip this and just take the crown of life. There is no exaltation without humiliation. Suffering is your badge of honor. Tribulation is the king’s highway. This is the truth of the one who is the first and the last. Praise the Lord for his words of encouragement and promise.

Dear Highland, please take Jesus’ words to heart. Jesus knows. He knows what you are going through and what you will go through in life. He knows what it is like to be poor and hunger and thirst without food or water. He knows what it is like to be slandered and spat upon. He knows what it is like to be betrayed. He knows what it is like to die. He knows everything you go through because he’s gone through everything himself. And he went through it all for you. Stop asking the question, “Does Jesus know what I am going through?” Start asking the question, “Do I know what Jesus went through? For me?” This is the truth of the one who knows. Praise the Lord for his words of encouragement and sympathy.

A really cool thing about this text is that there is a real story about a real man who really took Jesus’ words here to heart. This man died a martyr. He died because of his faith in Jesus. He was an early Christian leader who was taught by the Apostle John. And his name - perhaps you’ve heard of him - his name was Polycarp. Polycarp of Smyrna.

According to historical accounts, this is what Polycarp said to those who were against him and against Jesus in the year of our Lord 156: “How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked…. 86 years I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

Polycarp did not fear the first death. He endured tribulation and poverty and slander and suffering. He was tested. He was faithful unto death. He has the crown of life. And I am sure that Polycarp had Paul’s words from Philippians 3:7-10 in his mind at the end. “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, … that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death….”

Dear Highland, this is a wake-up call. Many church historians predict that there will soon be widespread and serious persecution against Christians right here in the United States of America. Please do not close your mind to this, especially since there is widespread and serious persecution against Christians in other parts of the world. Some of us might see tribulation and suffering in our lifetime. Some of us might live in poverty and receive slander and be thrown into prison because of our repentance and faith in Jesus. Imagine the real possibility of not being able to put food on the table and having your name dragged through the mud - all because you believe in Jesus. Imagine the real possibility of being locked up or even put to death - all because you believe in Jesus. This can happen to you.

If it does happen to you or when it does happen to you, or if this is happening to you right now, remember Jesus’ words to the church in Smyrna. Remember what he is saying to you today. You have the crown of life. You will not be hurt by the second death. You will conquer. And this is all true because of Jesus.

Highland, hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Hear the words of the first and the last. Hear the words of the one who died and came to life. And remember that he who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” And so we say: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Soli Deo Gloria