Have you ever seen a professional athlete, maybe they are a football quarterback or a hockey player or a boxer?
They're kind of been through the competition and they're kind of dazed.
Oftentimes you'll see them snort something, smelling salts, and it's designed to focus them.
You see it in boxing a lot, in the corner, the manager dealing with a beat-up boxer, snaps open this small vial and it just is a pungent odor.
And it wakes them up.
This morning we have turned to the second letter of the seven churches.
It's the letter, the message to Smyrna.
And it is smelling salts for us.
It's to focus us.
If Revelation 2, 8 through 11 were a kind of smelling salts, it would be this stark reminder of what the stakes are.
What one can lose for being a faithful follower of the risen, radiant, and reigning Jesus Christ.
So this passage, these four verses, smelling salts to our soul.
They would have been smelling salts to Smyrna, those Christians back in that first century.
And it's smelling salts to us.
Now don't get me wrong.
Well, there is a glorious, glorious picture of Jesus here.
And there is encouragement for our souls.
But it's against the backdrop of suffering, tribulation.
And these four verses are filled with words like tribulation, suffering, testing, prison, devil, dungeons, death, difficulty.
Jesus speaks right into it.
And this morning, Christ the King Church, on our fifth anniversary, God is providing us a sober reminder.
The stakes are high.
Jesus is worth it.
So be faithful to the end.
The stakes are high.
Jesus is worth it.
So be faithful to the end.
Last week, when we were looking at the letter to the church in Ephesus,
I showed you seven common components to all these seven layers.
There is this structure in each one of these seven letters that's common to them all.
It unifies them.
And this letter to Smyrna is no exception.
There's some little differences, though.
And so we're going to start by looking at, one, the address to this church.
It's to Smyrna.
I'll tell you a little bit about it.
And then John moves to addressing something about Christ.
Something about some aspects of who he is that are very purposefully highlighted for this church.
And then we move from church Christ to claim.
Jesus says, I know some things about you, Smyrna.
And from claim, he moves to commendation.
It's not as clear as the commendation to Ephesus.
Oh, but there is a commendation here.
Think parenthesis.
Jesus moves us from commendation then to speaking of a coming crisis.
This is where it differs from the other letters.
There's something about to happen to the Christians in Smyrna.
And Jesus tells them.
And in that coming crisis, he speaks a word, six point, of encouragement.
And it's been echoing through the church for millennia.
There's encouragement for us here, brothers and sisters.
And he closes with a closing call.
All these seven components are designed to be smelling salts to us.
To be a sober reminder that the stakes are high.
Your Jesus is worth it.
And we're to be faithful to the end.
And to be honest, I can't think of a better thing for us to hear on our anniversary Sunday.
So let's start with this church in Smyrna.
A little background.
This Smyrna was a city about 35 miles, 40 miles north of Ephesus.
And it was on this circuitous trade route that connected all these seven churches.
And so we're moving up to Smyrna.
And like Ephesus, it was a port on the Aegean Sea.
And it sat on a mouth to a river.
And so this city was an active trade city.
Ephesus was about 225,000 people in the first century.
Smyrna was about 200,000.
So it was a big place.
Two times the size of our city, Kenosha.
But here's what you need to understand about Smyrna.
They were staunchly, this city was staunchly pro-Roman.
Rome was the imperial authority of this time.
It was ruling over a huge amount of the earth at this time.
And Smyrna had hitched its wagon to the Rome pony hundreds of years before this letter was written to this church in Smyrna.
And so if you walked into the Agora, the marketplace of Smyrna, do you know what you would see?
You would see t-shirts.
Mia Roma!
You would see coffee cups.
Rome first!
This city was staunchly, enthusiastically behind the Roman agenda.
Now, let me just remind you.
About just a year or two earlier, the Emperor Domitian, who was the emperor when the Smyrna church was existing,
he required all of his citizen subjects in the entire Roman Empire to once a year go to an imperial temple,
walk in, take a pinch of incense, throw it on the altar, and then confess with your lips that Caesar is Lord.
He required it of everyone in the empire.
It was a way to unite the empire around him in worship.
So if you're a Christian living in this day, you know instantly that this is posing some kind of crisis.
You're going to have to decide whether or not you're going to do that.
Whether you're going to compromise and confess Caesar as your Lord,
or stay true to Jesus as your one and only Lord.
So you can imagine that if you're living in Smyrna in the first century,
with this requirement to worship the emperor,
you can bet on it that it would have been strictly enforced.
With one exception.
There was a group of people that this didn't apply to.
The Jews living in the Roman Empire of the time.
Now it's estimated there's five million Jews living in the world at this time.
Four million were living within the boundaries of the Roman Empire.
And Rome made a very shrewd political compromise with the Jews.
They said to the Jews living all throughout their empire,
Hey, you don't need to go to the temple.
You don't need to throw the pinch of incense.
You don't need to say Caesar is Lord.
We recognize that you are a monotheist.
We recognize you worship Yahweh alone.
So just pay us a tax.
We'll be happy.
And the Jews agreed.
Do you know why I'm telling you this history?
Here's why.
Romans viewed Christians as a sect of Judaism.
So our Christian brothers and sisters living in the first century,
from the Roman eyes, were considered kind of an offshoot of Judaism.
So they were grandfathered into this exception.
That they didn't have to worship Caesar.
Because they were seen as being part of the Jewish people.
Well, that's all well and good.
Until the Jewish people who reject Jesus as a crucified Messiah, rejected them.
And so when the Jews living in Smyrna, who rejected Jesus, rejected his church,
all of a sudden these Christians of the church of Smyrna have been pushed out of the umbrella of Judaism
and fully exposed to all penalties, death being one of them for not worshiping the emperor.
Our brothers and sisters in Smyrna, you're going to meet them someday.
They're in a precarious position.
What is Jesus going to say to them?
Let's now go from this church.
The stakes all of a sudden got real high, didn't they?
Let's go from this church now to looking at the Christ.
And to the angel of the church of Smyrna write,
The words of the first and the last who died and came to life.
There are two things that Jesus wants this Smyrna church to know about him.
Who he is, the first and the last, and what he's done.
He's no longer dead.
He's alive.
Both are very important.
Both are aimed at this church.
That little phrase, the first and the last,
well, it's a reference back to chapter 1, verse 17,
where Jesus puts his hand on the prostrate John,
and he says,
Fear not, I'm the first and the last, the living one.
It's a word of comfort.
But what you also need to understand is that that phrase,
first and last,
when a Jewish person would hear that,
or someone with a working understanding of the Old Testament,
you know what would be popping in their head right then?
First and last.
Where have I heard that?
First and last.
Oh, Isaiah 41.
Oh, Isaiah 43.
Oh, Isaiah 44.
Oh, Isaiah 48.
Yahweh claimed to be the first and last.
And in those passages,
in Isaiah 40,
Yahweh, the great I am,
he is saying,
I'm the first and last.
I am sovereignly reigning over all things.
And there's no one besides me.
It's a huge claim.
And so,
Jesus is claiming to be God.
And that he is sovereign over all,
and there's none besides him.
Not even the emperor.
It's a huge claim.
But he just doesn't stay there.
He talks about who he is,
the first and the last.
And if you're a Christian living at that time,
you'd be like,
okay, if he's the first and the last,
man, he is before me and after me.
He is bookending me.
He surrounds me,
just like it is true today.
But he moves on.
Not just saying who he is.
He talks about what he's done.
Who died and came to life.
You see that there?
Who died and came to life.
Our brothers and sisters in Smyrna,
when they heard that,
their hearts would have rose
in their hearts.
He's no longer talking about
sovereign control over all things.
He's not talking about
sovereign control over the devil,
or dungeons,
or difficulty,
or even death.
Well,
he is actually talking about death here.
He says it right there.
who died
and came to life.
Let me kind of translate
this intention.
Jesus is saying to this church,
you need not fear death
because
the one speaking to you
has overcome it
and has authority over it.
See?
Jingle, jingle.
I've got the keys
to death and Hades.
1.18.
Here's what Jesus is saying
in this church
who's facing persecution.
Even unto death.
Verse 10.
Here's what he's saying to them.
Hey,
my people,
I was dead
and now I'm alive.
I beat death
to death
with my death
and I'm going to throw death
into the second death.
death.
That's what he's saying.
I'm its victor.
I won
over death.
Jesus is speaking
to this church
as one
from the
other side
of death.
I've come through
and I'm going to bring you
through too,
Smyrna.
I've got you.
So how do you think
our brothers and sisters
in Smyrna
who are facing persecution
even unto death,
when they hear this letter
read to them,
how do you think
that they're going to respond?
I think they're going to respond
with the sense of,
okay, okay, okay.
He is in control.
He's won the victory
and that translates,
those truths
about Jesus
translate
into present hope
which translate
then into
present day courage
to press on.
imagine that one day
you're sitting
at the great
marriage feast
of the Lamb
and you're sitting
next to someone
never seen him before
and you're like,
hey, my name is Mike.
You know,
I'm 21st century
church of Kenosha
and he says back to me,
oh,
my name is Alexander
first century
church of Smyrna.
I'm like,
oh, man.
Alexander,
talk to me, man.
Talk to me.
What was it like
to get the letter?
Mike,
let me tell you,
right up to that point
before that messenger
brought the book
of Revelation
and Jesus spoke
those words,
I'll tell you what,
I was flipping out.
I was freaking out.
I was thinking,
we're done.
I cannot confess
Caesar as my Lord.
I can't go into
that temple.
I can't throw a pinch
of incense on that altar.
I can't do it
and because we got
kicked out by the Jews,
I can't do any of that.
So I'm flipping out.
I'm thinking we got to move.
I'm thinking we got to
get somewhere else.
What does this mean
for my kids?
What does it mean
for my wife?
What does it mean
for my livelihood?
And then the messenger
showed up with the book
and Jesus spoke
to our church
and he said,
he said,
Smyrna,
my church in Smyrna,
I'm in control.
I'm the first
and the last.
I've won the victory
over death
and do you know
what happened?
Mike,
do you know
what happened?
No, Alexander,
tell me what happened.
He gave us strength.
Two months later,
two of my friends
got arrested.
One was killed.
We remained faithful
to the end.
I didn't know
what was happening
but we were holding
on to Jesus.
Can you imagine that?
These words meant
everything to our
brothers and sisters
in Smyrna
in the first century.
Now here's the gap
we need to bridge
right now.
We hear these things
and we're like,
okay,
they were persecuted
intensely facing death.
We don't really
have to deal with it
as Christians
living in the 21st century
here in America.
Okay,
that's good to know.
Let's move on.
Well,
let me ask you this.
How do you think
the church of Ephesus
after hearing
what Jesus said
to them,
return to me
as your first love,
how do you think
they would have responded
when they heard
what the risen Christ
said to the church
of Smyrna
because they would
have heard it?
Their brothers and sisters
40 miles down the street.
Do you think
they would have responded,
honey,
man,
I'm glad we moved
out of Smyrna
14 years ago.
Man,
I'm glad we're out
of that place.
I mean,
Ephesus is looking
really good right now.
Maybe they would have
said that
but I think
they would have
eventually got,
I think the pastors
of the church
of Ephesus
would have said,
hey,
gang,
we just heard word
from Smyrna
that they're facing
some hard stuff.
We're calling
a prayer meeting.
We're going to pray
for them.
We're going to ask
Jesus,
who's our first love,
that they would keep
Jesus as their
first love
and that they would
endure to the end.
That they won't
confess that Caesar
is Lord
because he's not.
That they would
confess
Jesus
as their only
one Lord
and deal
with the consequences.
He's the first
and the last.
He died
and is now alive.
The stakes
are high.
Jesus
is worth it.
Be faithful
to the end.
This past week
I
saw a video,
five minute video.
If you want to
write this down,
I would encourage you
to write it down.
The website is
persecution.com.
It's the website
of the Voice
of the Martyrs.
And it's an organization
committed to
making known
the plight
of the persecuted
church,
our brothers and sisters
around the world
who are suffering
directly for
confessing Jesus
as their Lord
and they are there
to encourage
the persecuted church.
church.
This past week
I watched a video,
you'll see it
if you go there,
about
Christians,
four Christians
in Pakistan,
in Fassal,
Pakistan.
And what
they are having
to live with
because they're
a minority group
in a predominantly
Muslim country.
It's going to
sadden you,
but it is going
to encourage you.
One of the things
that's going to be
important for us
as a church
moving forward,
I think we're
going to be
dealing with
our own persecution
in the States,
mildly,
but we need
to know what's
going on with
our brothers and
sisters around
the world.
We need to know
what's going on
in Pakistan,
in China,
North Korea,
in Iran,
and in Nepal.
who he is
and what he's
done.
He's worth it.
And then we move
from that to the
claim.
This Jesus,
he claims
something.
Verse 9,
I know,
I know your
tribulation,
I know your
poverty,
I know your
being slandered,
he knows all
these things.
He knows all
these things
about that
church,
and about the
six other
churches,
and about all
the other
churches at
that time,
and about every
church of every
time and every
place since.
He's dialed
into his
people.
He knows
what's going
on.
He knows
the tribulation,
the pressure
that they were
experiencing
because they
had confessed
Jesus as
Lord,
and they
weren't going
to waver
on it.
He knows
the crushing
pressure,
the suffocating
pressure,
the wilting
pressure,
the isolating
pressure that
comes with that.
He knows,
I know.
He knows
their poverty.
He knows
that these
Christians in
Smyrna,
he knows that
doors were
closing of
opportunities for
his people in
that city
because they
confessed him
as Lord.
Could you
imagine you
walking in,
you see on
the marketplace,
help wanted,
you walk in,
you're like,
hey, I'd like
the job,
and it comes
out that you're
a Christian,
and that
shopkeeper says,
well, position
filled, only to
find out the
next day your
friend who's not
a Christian got
the job after
you.
That's what was
going on.
No work,
only indignified
work.
that voice of
the martyrs,
I almost showed
it here this
morning.
What you will
see will rend
your heart,
but it will
encourage your
heart.
Poverty.
Material poverty
on account of
Jesus.
Jesus knows.
And Jesus knew
that they were
being slandered.
And the slander
of those who say
that they are Jews
and are not,
but are synagogue
of Satan.
The Jews in
Smyrna of this
time, who hadn't
believed that Jesus
is the crucified
and risen Messiah,
they were slandering,
speaking falsely,
intending to hurt
with their words
our brothers and
sisters living at
that time.
Think about this.
Think about, like,
the Roman governing
officials in Smyrna.
They had a 1-800
tip line.
And that 1-800
tip line was,
hey, if you see
anybody not
worshiping Caesar
as Lord, you just
call us and we'll
take care of that
insurrectionist.
Well, there was a lot
of anonymous Jewish
people who had
rejected Jesus,
calling that 1-800
number.
And you know what?
On the next day,
there was a lot of
knocks on our
brothers and sisters
doors.
Hey, have you
confessed Caesar
as Lord?
Let's go together
now to the temple
and you can do the
pinch of incense
on the altar so
that we can watch
you confess Caesar
as Lord.
Slander.
But Jesus knew.
Jesus knew what
was going on.
these particular
Jews who were
claiming to be
real descendants
of Abraham.
Jesus knew
that they were
not.
That's Jesus
speaking.
Jesus knew
that their
hearts,
though they were
professing to be
devoted to
Yahweh,
they were far
from Yahweh
because they had
rejected Him
as the Messiah.
Did you notice
the connection
between slander
and Satan?
Satan,
the devil,
the enemy of our
soul,
he is the
accuser of the
brethren.
And what these
Jews who had
rejected Jesus,
they were trying
to say in the
name of Yahweh,
were actually
opposing the
God of the
Bible by
causing God's
new people,
the church,
to suffer.
They were
doing Satan's
work.
That's why they're
called a synagogue
of Satan.
But Jesus knew.
He knows the
pressure that they
were under.
He knows the
impoverty, the
impoverishment that
they were suffering.
He knows the
slander they are
experiencing.
He knows our
last five years
and all that
went into it.
He knows the
next five years
of Christ the
King Church and
all that will go
into that.
He knows what's
coming.
He knows what
storms are brewing.
He knows it.
He knows.
And He's the
first and the
last.
The one who
died and is
now alive.
Who gave
Himself for us.
He claims.
He knows.
He knows
everything.
For those
brothers and
sisters of ours
in Smyrna and
currently in China
and North Korea
and Nepal and
Iran, the stakes
are unusually
high.
But Jesus is
worth it.
He knows.
So we're to be
faithful to the
end.
There's a
commendation in
this text.
It's
parenthetical.
I know your
tribulation and
your poverty.
But you are
rich.
Rich in whose
eyes?
Rich in the
eyes of Jesus.
Not in the
eyes of the
world.
You are
rich.
Jesus knows
their tribulation.
He knows their
material poverty.
He knows that
they're being
slandered.
He knows what's
around the
corner, that
they're going to
be tossed into
prison by the
devil and
they're going to
face death.
He knows it
all.
And He also
knows that
they are rich.
What is Jesus
talking about?
What kind of
wealth is this?
Jesus is
describing a
characteristic of
blessedness.
Remember the
Sermon on the
Mount?
Matthew chapter
5?
Listen to Jesus'
words.
Blessed are you
when others
revile you and
persecute you and
utter all kinds of
evil against you
falsely on my
account.
Slander.
When that
happens, rejoice
and be glad for
your reward is
great in heaven.
Your reward is
great in heaven.
But you are
rich.
For so they
persecuted the
prophets who
were before you.
You see, Jesus
considers richness
as faithfulness to
Him.
That's wealth.
That's
riches gained in
heaven.
That little
parenthetical
comment, but you
are rich, is a
commendation from
the first and the
last, the one who
died and is alive,
to this suffering
church.
He knows that
they're suffering
for Him.
And He's saying,
oh, sweet
church, in my
eyes, you are
rich.
The stakes are
high.
Jesus is worth
it.
Be faithful to
the end.
We move from
commendation now to
the coming crisis in
verse 10.
Do not fear what you
are about to suffer.
Behold, the devil is
about to throw some of
you into prison.
That you may be
tested.
And for 10 days you
will have tribulation.
Jesus knows the
tribulation, poverty,
slandering, their
real wealth, and He
also knows what's
right around the
corner.
It goes again to
what He knows.
Their situation is
about to get worse.
Here Jesus is once
again pulling back
the curtain and
helping us to see an
intersection between
what is seen and
what is unseen in the
spiritual world.
world.
The devil is about to
throw some of you in
prison.
The devil.
Satan is behind this
imminent imprisonment
of some of our
brothers and sisters
from Smyrna.
Now I seriously doubt
that the synagogue in
Smyrna or the Roman
officials living in that
time, that they were
consciously aware that
they were being used by
Satan, but they were
being used by Satan.
He's the prince of the
power of the air, the
ruler of this world, at
least for the time
being.
And the slander of
these pseudo-Jews
most likely was landing
these Christian brothers
and sisters of ours,
some of them, in a Roman
prison in Smyrna.
Here's what I want to
help you think about.
Here's what this means
for us.
Satan is real.
He's active.
And he works on a scale
that we tend not to be
aware of because we
don't see it.
He uses governments.
He uses religions.
He uses economies.
All to oppress God's
people, the church.
Jesus is out of reach for
Satan now.
And so what Satan does is
he takes the next best
shot.
The people Jesus has
bought with his blood.
This is a sober reminder
of what we find in
Ephesians 6.
Our battle is not against
flesh and blood, but
against the rulers,
against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers
over this present
darkness, against the
spiritual forces of
darkness in the heavenly
places.
And
Jesus helps us to see
things as they really
are.
And Jesus knows it all.
He sees it clearly.
Now when we talk about
Satan, I know that can
make some people feel a
little unsettled and a
little uncomfortable, so
let me just remind you of
something.
Our risen Jesus, he's
already been given
dominion over all things.
It's every square inch of
this planet is his.
By virtue of his work on
the cross and his
resurrection, it's all his
now.
It's been handed to him.
But the devil is real.
And he's on a rampage
right now.
He knows his days are
numbered.
So here's where we live
right now.
The cosmic conflict between
God and the devil is
real, but it's not a
standoff between two
equally matched opponents.
Jesus has already
decisively won the
victory over sin, death,
and the devil.
His kingdom of grace is
boots on the ground now,
and his saving reign is
spreading to the nations.
So his reign has already
begun, but his reign has
not yet been fully
realized.
But there's a coming a day
when it will be.
And we're living between the
already and the not yet.
And in the meantime, there is
a spiritual street fight
going on beyond our typical
eyes can see.
The devil will not relinquish
what once he thought was
his.
So here's what this means.
Christ's church will suffer
until Jesus returns.
That's what this means.
We're in a street fight.
The stakes are high.
Jesus is worth it.
Be faithful to the end.
On one level,
Satan is
wreaking real
havoc on real
people,
real churches,
because he hates
the church of Christ,
because he hates
Christ.
But on another level,
God is using
Satan's schemes
for his
kingdom
purposes.
Has anybody else
been feeling something
as we've been reading this?
Maybe you just haven't
put words on it.
It goes something like this.
Okay, I'm reading
Jesus saying to this church,
do not fear what you're
about to suffer.
Behold, the devil is about
to throw some of you into
prison,
that you may be tested,
and for ten days you'll
have tribulation.
Be faithful unto death.
Can I just ask a question,
Jesus?
Why are you letting this
happen?
Why are you letting your
people
be thrown into prison
by the devil
and then face
death?
Why are you letting
this happen,
Jesus?
Why do we have
brothers and sisters
right now
in prison in China,
North Korea,
Iran,
Nepal?
Why?
Anybody want to know
why?
Why?
The answer's in the text.
that you may be tested.
It's purposed.
There be imprisoned.
Jesus letting it happen
is purposed.
So let's take a step back
and I want to help you
understand the purpose.
Jesus was using the Jews
of Smyrna,
the Romans of Smyrna,
even Satan's schemes
in Smyrna
to carry out
the advance
of his kingdom
of grace.
Here's what you need
to know.
The suffering
of the church
of Christ
is not an obstacle
to the advance
of the kingdom.
The suffering
of the church
of Christ
is a means
to the advance
of the gospel.
Our brothers and sisters
around the world,
suffering,
it's not taken
by Jesus' surprise.
it's not outside
of his will.
It's part of his purpose.
The Lord orchestrating
events
so that Christians,
that their faith
in him
proves true
and as they remain
faithful to their
confession
that Jesus
is the Lord,
do you know
what happens?
Guards
hear the gospel.
People
in positions
of authority
hear about Jesus.
If you follow
what happened
to Paul
in the book of Acts,
you will see
that his suffering
served a kingdom
proclamation purpose.
Jesus uses
persecution
of his people
in order to purify
them
and to proclaim
his kingdom.
it's a package.
Years ago,
I was listening
to WNBI
and I heard
it was either
a Cambodian
or Vietnamese
pastor being interviewed.
He was
for decades
a pastor
of a persecuted
church in his country.
He himself
had suffered
greatly
and his church
had suffered
much
and when the host,
the American host
asked this man,
hey,
what can we be
praying for you
for?
Do you know
what this guy said?
I will never
forget it.
Don't ask God
to stop
the persecution.
I'm like,
what is he
saying?
And then he said
this,
God
uses
the persecution
of his people
like the tightening
of a violin string
so that the
persecuted church
could add
a minor key
to the praise
of the risen
and reigning
Jesus Christ.
God
uses
persecution
of his people
to prove
them
and purify
them
in order
for him
to proclaim
the kingdom
through them.
Do you know
what the pressure
of persecution
produces
in the people
of Christ?
Praise.
How glorious
and worthy
our risen
and radiant
and risen
Lord truly is
and when you
put that praise
and throw
in the backdrop
of that
dungeons
and the devil
and difficult
and death
you've got
a shocking
testimony.
Crisis is coming
church
saying to his
Smyrna
Christians
this crisis
is actually
the risen
Christ
purifying
his people
and using
them to
proclaim
his glory.
The stakes
are high
Jesus
is worth
it
be faithful
to the end
we come
to the
encouragement
verse 10
do not fear
what you're about
to suffer
be faithful
unto death
and I will give you
the crown of life
he says
don't fear
and we think
okay
there's
the difficulty
there's
the devil
who's going to
throw us
into a dungeon
and then
there is
the whole
death thing
I mean really
what's not to fear
and Jesus says
do not be fearing
what's coming
Jesus
why are we not
to be fearing
what's coming
he says
be faithful
unto death
be faithful
to me
unto death
to not compromise
to not
shrink back
to not
step out
and hide
to not
compromise
to be faithful
unto Jesus
unto death
Jesus
is our
king
he rules
our heart
we're not
to fear
the devil
or difficulty
or dungeons
or death
because
because he
is the first
and the last
because he
has victory
over death
and he
is promised
to give
the crown
of life
to all those
who are faithful
to the end
that crown
of life
was a laurel
wreath
that we're
giving to
victors
in the
Olympic Games
you won a race
you get a
laurel
wreath
put around
your head
and so here's
what Jesus
is saying
here
hey
if you
are to die
in Smyrna
do you know
how I think
about that
Jesus thinks
about that
as a W
as a win
for him
and the
reward
is a crown
of life
that word
life
describes
the nature
of the
crown
it is
everlasting
life
in
symbol
I've bought
you with my
blood
be faithful
to the end
and I will
crown you
with the life
I've promised
so when
remember who's
saying this
the first
and the last
he's sovereign
over all
even every
persecution
on earth
he is the
one who died
and who came
to life
he is uniquely
qualified
to hand out
a crown
of everlasting
life
he himself
died
and was
raised
this is
Christ's
encouragement
to us
do not
fear
be faithful
to me
until
death
happy
anniversary
Christ the
King
Church
the stakes
are high
Jesus is
worth it
be faithful
to the end
the closing
call
verse 11
he who has an ear
let him hear
hear what the
spirit says
to the churches
the one who
conquers will not
be hurt
by the second
death
first there's
the call
to heed
what he's
saying
take to
heart
what I'm
saying
church
take to
heart
be sobered
but be
encouraged
I'm risen
radiant
and rainy
but then
there's the
call to
overcome
like the
crown of
life
it's got a
promise
attached to
it
the one
who conquers
the one
who is
faithful
unto death
unto the
end
will not
be hurt
by the
second death
last week
the one
who conquers
in Ephesus
is the one
who keeps
Jesus
as their
first love
and they
will eat
of the
tree of
life
in paradise
now the
one who
conquers
who's
faithful
to Jesus
in the
face of
persecution
all the
way to
the end
they are
promised
that they
will not
be hurt
by the
second death
now what
is the
second death
Revelation
chapter 20
verse 14
the second
death is
the lake
of fire
the ultimate
eternal
death
and what we
learn from
chapter 20
in Revelation
is that the
devil in his
demons
the false
prophet and
the beast
the anti-trinity
they're going to
get tossed
into the
lake of
fire
we also
learn that
death itself
gets thrown
into the
second death
the lake
of fire
we also
learn that
all who
have not
bound the
knee to
Jesus
and have
not been
faithful to
the end
their names
are not in
the book
of life
they'll get
thrown into
the lake
of fire
too
in fact
do you know
what else
gets thrown
into the
lake of
fire
all
dungeons
in the
old
earth
get thrown
into the
lake of
fire
because there's
no dungeons
in the
new
Jerusalem
but for
those of
us who
overcome
there is
no chance
whatsoever
that we
will be
thrown into
the lake
of fire
because we
got a
crown of
life on
it's been
given to
us by our
king
who's
victorious
over
death
the second
death
poses no
threat to
us
we're
destined
for a
city of
peace
the new
Jerusalem
and when
we get
there we're
going to
throw our
victor crowns
at his
glowing feet
and we're
going to
say something
we're going
to say not
to us
oh lord
not to
us
but to
your name
give glory
for the
sake of
your steadfast
love and
faithfulness
in winning
our victory
over
sin
death
and the
devil
the second
death is
no threat
to those
who are
faithful to
Jesus to
the end
in the
words of
one
LA pastor
those who
are born
once
die twice
but those
who are
born twice
die once
if you
belong to
Jesus
you've been
born twice
you need
not fear
the second
death
we're called
to overcome
brothers and
sisters the
stakes are
high
Jesus is
so worth
it
so be
faithful to
the end
this is
smelling salts
for us
in the
21st
century
and I
can't
think of
a better
word for
us to
hear on
this
anniversary
Sunday
in fact
let's
continue
celebrate the
victory
by coming
to the
table
reflecting on
the death
Jesus won
his death
over death
let's pray
Lord
Jesus
Christ
you
are the
risen
one
you are
the first
and last
God
would you
sensitize
us to
make us
aware
even
break our
hearts
for our
brothers and
sisters around
the world
and God
would you
help us
to be
faithful to
the end
it's the
name of
Jesus
we pray
amen