Are you spiritually distracted? Is there anything in your life that is hindering your witness? Live as an overcomer: reject sin and live a life of faith, not in fear of death.

When trials come: pray, trust the Lord and walk in faith. Always remember God is in control no matter how out of control things may appear. People will take notice and listen when they witness words of faith, backed up by acts of faith.

Jesus knows the intense pressure you’re facing, the trials, suffering, and afflictions. He also knows your faithfulness. Look past the tribulation to the spiritual riches in Christ.

Focus on Jesus rather than the battle. Sometimes fighting the spiritual battle before us can become so consuming that we take our spiritual eyes off God.

Listen to the Spirit of God and press in: The Lord is speaking to you at this moment. Choose today to be an overcomer, listen to the Spirit of God and press in spiritually. Choose to grow deeper in the love of God. Passionately seek the love of God and share it with those around you.

Smyrna: a church that experienced persecution. A call not to fear.

When trials come: pray, trust the Lord, and walk in faith.

In the book Revelation, John addresses seven churches. Last week we looked at the church in Ephesus, who had forsaken their first love. Today we are looking at the church at Smyrna in Revelation 2:8-11. Here we find John is addressing a letter to believers living in Smyrna. They were experiencing tribulation because of their faith in Christ.

The believers in Smyrna were living a life of faith, and those who did not believe reacted in such a way that caused the believers to suffer persecution.

• Some believers suffered more than others.

• Some lived in fear.

• Some of the believers might have experienced what felt to them like a lifetime of suffering or persecution when others may have only had a brief encounter with opposition.

• Some believers were put in prison.

• Some, I am sure, feared death.

But no matter the case, every believer is encouraged to keep the faith and to know that one day there will be an end to the seemingly endless time of suffering and tribulation that they were experiencing.

The church in Smyrna experienced persecution and the believers grew spiritually stronger from it. Their faith was proved to be real as they persevered and it encourage others to remain faithful.

Today, some believers live in areas around the world that are totally hostile to Christianity.

• Some believers have been put in prison for their faith, as the first century believers experienced.

• Some have been beaten while others have experienced the loss of property and/or loss of life.

This was happening in John’s day in the early church and it has happened in recent years.

The spiritual battle between good and evil will continue until Christ returns in all His glory, and the devil will one day be bound for all eternity.

The verbal accusations or personal assumptions that a person makes towards you regarding your faith may go too far at times. Just pray, trust the Lord and walk in faith.

Always remember God is in control no matter how out of control things may appear.

The devil seeks to divide and burden all mankind and yet he is a defeated foe because of the blood of Christ. The devil will continue to cause havoc and tribulation for those who cry out to Jesus in faith. There will be both physical and spiritual persecution so long as the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. Believers will experience different levels of tribulation, but one day that will end.

Until the day of judgment when those who reject God are cast out of heaven for eternity, the church and every believer is charged with sharing the Gospel message. Each will experience tribulation and persecution as we faithfully spread the gospel message and wait for Jesus’ return.

“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. 9 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. 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. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. 11 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, NIV).

As I mentioned last week, Jesus—our savior—is referred to as the one who is the first and last and the one who was dead and has come to life. He is the perfect sacrifice.

It is the promised savior who calls each and every person to consider what is being said to the churches. Friends, only the person who has ears to hear and respond in faith will overcome the devil and the afflictions of sin that brings with it spiritual death. Only those who believe In Jesus will overcome and not see the second death.

Jesus Knows Your Hardships

Jesus knew the intense pressure that the believers in Smyrna were experiencing and would experience in the future.

• Pressured by the culture: Smyrna was a city that was devoted to Rome and the worship of the emperor. The believers may have submitted to the civil laws of Rome, but they refused to worship or offer sacrifices to the emperor. This refusal to worship the emperor brought intense pressure on the believers.

• Pressured by friends and neighbors: The believers who once worshiped false gods found themselves under intense pressure socially by former gentile friends and neighbors because so much of their previous life in Smyrna revolved around worshiping the false gods of Rome and the surrounding cultures.

• Hated by society: Then there were the Jews—those who were physical descendants of Abraham who had no heart for God—who refused to believe Jesus was the messiah and they hated all believers. The believers living in Smyrna experienced tribulation on every side and we read how Jesus referred to the Jews, who had rejected Jesus, as those who were part of the synagogue of Satan.

Jesus knows (He sees) the tribulation that the believers in Smyrna were experiencing—and all that they would experience in the future—and that you may be experiencing today.

You are rich because of your faith in Christ.

But, with all the persecution that came from those who rejected Jesus, Jews and Gentiles alike, the believers are told that they are rich.

The believers needed to know that:

• What they experienced would not make them physically prosperous, but rather spiritually prosperous.

• What they were experiencing would not rob them of their eternal rewards as they remained faithful.

• No matter how things may have looked, worldly positions or possessions are not what makes a believer rich and it is not where a person’s joy or happiness comes from.

They were rich because their faith and life was in Jesus. They were rich because they would not be hurt by the second death. They were rich because they were being given the crown of life.

This letter to Smyrna was not only addressing past and present tribulations that believers would experience, but all the future sufferings they experience as well.

Polycarp was a bishop in the church and some 50 years after John wrote Revelation. Polycarp was martyred for his faith. He never waivered and continued to profess his love for Christ until his death when he was bound and burned alive.

Polycarp’s life and faith in Jesus, like that of the Apostle Paul, revealed clearly that his life was in Christ, as seen by his actions and not merely words.

The world needs to see:

• More acts of faith.

• More people who will persevere in faith.

People will take notice and listen when they witness words of faith, backed up by acts of faith. When a person they respect shares the gospel and they see that person walks the walk and talks the talk, they will listen and believe. The believers in Smyrna were doing just that. They chose to look past the tribulation and the physical and emotional poverty, to the spiritual riches in Christ Jesus as Lord and savior.

The devil is a Self-serving liar, and no match for God.

John makes it clear that it was the devil who was testing the believer to see if they would sin and turn away from faith in Jesus. The devil was tempting the believers to reject or blame God for the suffering they were experiencing. The devil is a liar and deceiver, and he will take every opportunity to use a situation, person, or experience to suddenly—or slowly and methodically—pull you away from God. But the devil’s power and authority is limited.

You may suffer for a time, but that time is limited. As you remain faithful, God will use it for good and you will receive the crown of life for all eternity. Every believer will receive the priceless and most costly spiritual gift of all: eternal life with Christ.

So many people fear physical death but that is not the death to fear. Jesus never said you will never be persecuted, but you don’t need to fear the second death, meaning hell. As a faithful believer, you’ll enjoy eternity in heaven with Jesus.

It is faith in Jesus and in His resurrection that we should take comfort in, because like Jesus, we will be raised to newness of life.

Live as an Overcomer

The believers in Smyrna were commended for being overcomers:

• They overcame the negative attacks of society.

• They overcame the intense pressure to reject Jesus.

• They overcame verbal and physical abuse.

• They overcame the temptation to accept the pleasures of the world and instead remained faithful in Christ.

• They overcame the lies of false religions.

• They overcame the fear of death and gained the crown of life.

The world needs to see and witness this kind of faith and spiritual boldness. The charge to hear what the Spirit says is real, both then and now.

The charge to live as overcomers was true then and is true now.

What is also true, is that Jesus knows your afflictions:

• He knows what people say and have done towards you.

• He knows the suffering, threats and pain.

He also knows your faithfulness and acts of faith. The charge to reject sin and live a life of faith and not fear death is real.

Ask yourself: Is there anything in my life that is hindering my witness?

• Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to memory any impure motive or action that you may not be aware of and repent.

• Allow your love and faith in God Almighty to motivate you, to be an overcomer in Jesus’ name.

Maybe today you feel persecuted for your faith in Christ. The disciples experienced storms in life while they were with Jesus; they were able to withstand even more intense storms and tests later in life. Most of them were martyred. The storms early in their ministry and life prepared them for the storms that came later in life.

Storms test the sea-worthiness of the boat you are in. Just remember Jesus is in the boat with you.

• It is Jesus who calmed the sea.

• It is Jesus who holds the keys to death and hades.

• It is Jesus who walked on the water and will see you get to shore.

• It is Jesus who knows all you have and will experience.

And it is Jesus who will acknowledge your name before the Father in heaven.

Suggested Praise and Worship

This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.