MESSAGE TO CHURCHES IN REVELATION
SMYRNA
DR. JIM DIXON
MARCH 21, 1982
One of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world is the city of Smyrna. It’s built on a hill overlooking the sea. The hill is called Pegas. Circling the top of the hill there were a crown of temples and religious buildings. The temple of Apollo, the temple of Zeus, the temple of Aphrodite, the temple of Minnisus, Asclepios and many other temples that were built to honor Greek and Roman deities.
At the base of the hill of Pegas, there was a street made of pure gold. The city was inhabited by Romans, by Greeks and by Jews. Many of them were very, very wealthy. The city was known for its culture, its accomplishments in the arts, in drama, in music and in literature.
There was a Christian church in Smyrna and through that church, our Lord Jesus Christ sent a letter. He told them three things. First, He told them that they would be persecuted. He guaranteed them. He said “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold the devil is going to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested and for 10 days you will have tribulation” and they did have tribulation.
It is a matter of historical record that the Christians in Smyrna were hated and were persecuted. The Romans accused them of political treason because they would not say that Caesar is lord. They had one Lord. His name was Jesus Christ. The Jews accused them of breaking up families. It was true that if a Jew ever accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah that he was immediately and forever banished and excommunicated from his Jewish family and community. It was costly for Jews to become Christians. The Jews hated the Christians in Smyrna. They spread false rumors and malicious gossip about some of them. They even accused them of cannibalism. They said that Christians ate the bodies and drank the blood. Of course, the Jews understood the spiritual rituals of the community, but they wanted the Roman soldiers to think that Christianity was a cannibalistic cult. The Christians in Smyrna were falsely accused of immorality, falsely accused of riotous behavior. They were even accused of atheism because they had no idols and the Greeks, and the Romans could not conceive of deity or the worship of God apart from the existence of idols.
And so, the Christians in Smyrna were persecuted, they were jobless. Many of them were not allowed to work. They were poor. Even what little they did have was often pilfered by the more noble citizens of the community. There were 60 million slaves throughout the Roman Empire. Many of the Christians in the church of Smyrna were slaves. Many of them were imprisoned. Some of them were executed but they all suffered, and history shows that throughout the centuries, Christians have suffered.
Even in our time, there is a kind of subtle disapproval, even a hatred of certain Christian doctrines, certain Christian teachings. If you say, “Homosexuality is a sin,” you are accused of being prejudicial. If we say that “Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation,” we’re accused of being narrow minded. If we say, “God created the world,” we’re accused of being unscientific. Well, I think that the greatest source of suffering for the Christian in our time is simply the struggle to live a godly life in an ungodly world, the struggle for obedience. The battle for sanctification. That battle will belong to the Christian at all times and in all places and in every generation.
Our Lord never told us that we would be exempt from suffering. The trials and the tests of life touch Christians just like they touch everyone else, but as Christians, we have a very special promise. Our Lord promises us that He will never fail us or forsake us, that He will be with us always, even unto the end of the world, that these tests and trials of life will only serve to make us strong; that out of them He will bring growth and blessing. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ said to the church at Smyrna, “Do not fear.” He says the same thing to us today, no matter what you’re experiencing in life.
It was because of this that James is able to say, “Count it all joy when you experience various trials for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, that steadfastness has its full effect that you might be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
If God gave you the privilege today of sitting down and mapping out the rest of your life. If He allowed you to go home, sit down and just draw, plan the rest of your life, you probably wouldn’t schedule any more suffering—no financial disaster, no sickness, no broken relationships, certainly not the loss of a loved one—but God knows that where there is no suffering, there is no growth, and He desperately wants us to grow. He wants us to learn to trust Him.
Two years ago, Barb and I went on vacation up to Yellowstone National Park. We had our children with us along with one of my brothers and his wife and their kids. We were camping just below Yellowstone Park. It was early in the morning and my brother, and I got up and we went out to jog. As we were jogging, we were trying to talk. We were talking about what we were going to do that day. We decided we wanted to go swimming. We jogged over to a gas station, and we asked the guy if he knew of a good place to swim. He said, “I know just the place for you.” He said, “When you enter the seven gates of the park, you’ll see a sign and it says, ‘Phosphorous Creek.’ Pull your car over. You’ll see a trail that goes down the mountain. When you get to the bottom of the mountain, you’ll see a waterfall, a beautiful waterfall. At the base of that waterfall, you’ll find a pool and it’s perfect for swimming. The water is about 75 or 80 degrees because there’s a hot spring upstream and it brings that warm water down. You’ll probably be the only ones there because hardly anybody knows about it.
Well, my brother and I jogged right back to camp. We got the girls and the kids and went out to that sign that said Phosphorous Creek, went down the trail, and sure enough, there was the cutest little waterfall and this pool that you could swim in with the kids. After we swam for a while, my brother and I decided to each take our wives through the waterfall and see what was behind it. I asked Barb and she said she won’t do that. She said she doesn’t think you would be able to breathe if you’re going underneath this heavy water from the waterfall and she didn’t know what was behind the waterfall either. I said, “Well why don’t we do this. Why don’t you grab hold of my shoulder, and I’ll do most of the swimming. I’ll take you through that waterfall.” She wasn’t really excited about that either, but she said she’d do it. We began to swim for the waterfall there. When we got to it, we almost drowned. We made it through that waterfall and when we came out on the other side, it was beautiful. There was a calm, a peace, tranquility, plants growing on rocks. When you think about it, that’s what our Lord Jesus Christ does for us. He says I’ll take you through the waterfalls of life. I’ll take you through every struggle of life. I’m strong. Take my hand. And when you break through the other side of that challenge, the other side of that struggle, there’s a beautiful calm, a tranquility, a blessing. And that’s what He wants us to understand.
We sang a song this morning called “A Mighty Fortress is our God” and as Bob said it was written by Martin Luther. It’s one of my favorite songs. Luther had in mind some of the great fortress castles of Europe such as the Castle at Edinburgh, Scotland.
In 1978, Barb and I were in Edinburgh, and we saw that castle up on the hill. It’s impenetrable and God is like that. He’s a might fortress and when we receive Him, we receive His Son as Lord and Savior of life, we come within the walls, the protected walls of His kingdom. And He wants us to know that so that no matter what we’re experiencing in life right now, no matter what test, no matter what trial, if you’re a Christian, He wants you to know that He has you in His hand, you are within His walls. He will never fail you or forsake you and all things work together for good. He wants you to believe that.
Some of you have probably heard the story of the Chinese farmer. He was very poor. He only had one horse. One day his horse ran away. A neighbor came by and said the horse had run away and he said, “Wow. That’s bad news.” The farmer just smiled. The next day the horse came back with six wild stallions. The farmer had seven horses. His neighbor came by and said, “Wow. That’s great news.” The farmer just smiled. The next day, the farmer’s only son was out trying to tame one of those wild stallions and he fell and broke his leg. The neighbor came by, and he said, “That’s bad news.” The farmer just smiled. The next day, a Chinese warlord came through, recruiting all able-bodied young men to go off to war. The farmer’s son couldn’t go because he had a broken leg. Those soldiers never came home but the farmer’s son grew up to have a long, full and happy life.
I like that story because it reminds me of the life of a Christian. We’re not constantly bouncing back and forth between good news and bad news. We have the consistency of Jesus Christ. He never fails us, and He promises that all things will work for better, for good. It’s for this reason that Paul says to us “Have no anxiety about anything, for in everything, by God’s prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds on Christ Jesus.” Paul says, “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
And so, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke to the church in Smyrna as He speaks to us today. He says “You will suffer. You will have tests. You will have trials but do not be afraid. I am with you.”
Secondly, He said to the Christians at Smyrna. “Be faithful unto death.” Throughout the Christian centuries, there have been many Christian martyrs. In the first century, particularly, many men and women gave their lives for their testimony to Jesus Christ. Even the Apostle Paul was beheaded under the hideous reign of the emperor Nero. Peter was crucified upside down before the portico of the Basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome. James, our Lord’s brother, who was the great head of the Jerusalem Church, was pushed off the pinnacle of the temple by an angry unbelieving mob. He survived the fall, but he was then stoned to death where he fell. Such men were faithful to death.
But only 60 years after our Lord sent this letter to the church at Smyrna, the Bishop of Smyrna was martyred. His name was Polycarp, and he was a great man of God. The Romans insisted that he say Caesar was lord and he would not. Even near the end of his life when he told the Roman officials concerning Jesus Christ, he said “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has never failed me. I will not blaspheme the King to save me.” They told him that it would be a very simple thing to say, ‘Caesar is lord’ and if he didn’t, he would be burned at the stake. And he told them that their fire burns for a short while and is soon finished. He told them that there is a fire that burns forever and with that, he gave his life. He was faithful in death.
And yet in this passage, our Lord Jesus has said more to us than that. He’s not simply telling us to be faithful in death, but He’s telling us to be faithful unto death. Actually, the Greek word means “until”—to be faithful until death.
There’s not a single person in this room that knows when they’re going to die. Some people live 30 years. Some people live 100 years but none of us know how much times we have. The charge that is given to each and every one of us is the same. A command. The instruction that is given to us is the same. Be faithful. In the time that you have, be faithful.
A minister told a story of how his wife, two years ago was driving down the freeway in Los Angeles. She had her sister in the front seat with her. Their little 3-year-old daughter, the minister and his wife’s 3-year-old daughter was in the back seat. As they were driving down the freeway, his wife and her sister were just conversing and suddenly they heard the door open, and they heard a big rush of wind. Their little 3-year-old daughter had fallen out of the car with great speed, and she was rolling backward on the freeway. There was a moment of panic. The mother pulled the car over and stopped on the side of the freeway. Both women began to run back on the freeway for the daughter. But they noticed something very strange as they went back for her. Every single car and truck on that freeway was stopped. Every single one. They were all in a row, some three or four feet behind the little girl’s legs. When the doctor arrived, there was a truck driver watching over her. He told them that she was still alive, that she was breathing. She was unconscious but she was breathing. He said, “I’ll help you take her to the hospital,” and he did. When they got her there, she was still unconscious, but the doctors found no broken bones, no internal injuries. She only had cuts and bruises.
When that little girl woke up, she said something absolutely incredible. She said, “Mom, when I fell out of the car, I wasn’t afraid.” She said, “I looked up and I saw Jesus and He had His hands outstretched and He was stopping traffic.” Now there’s no way you or I could possibly know about that little girl’s experience. Perhaps she had a vision. But I love that story, you see, because it’s true. Our Lord Jesus Christ does stop the traffic. He stops the cars in life. He protects us and I honestly believe He will not allow us to die before the fullest time. Until our ministry is full, he will not allow us to die. And He in His perfect and imminent wisdom knows when that is. But He will preserve us as long as we are supposed to be in this world, and He calls upon us in the meantime to be faithful.
Do you remember how after our Lord died and rose from the dead, He appeared to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee? He had breakfast with them there in the morning. After breakfast He was talking to Peter. He said “Peter, when you were young, you girded yourself and you walked where you were. But when you are old, you will stretch out your arms and another will gird you and you will be taken where you do not wish to go.” And He said this to show by what matter of death he was to die. That he was to die by crucifixion and Peter understood that. Peter turned around and he saw John walking behind them. Peter said to Jesus “Lord, what about him? What’s going to happen to him? How much time does he have?” Jesus said, “If it be My will that he remains until I come again, what is that to you?”
That’s what He says to all of us. “Follow me. Be faithful unto death.
When Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators passed away, he left a legacy of discipleship such as this world has rarely seen. He died in a lake in New York state. He drowned. He was an excellent swimmer but in the final moments of his life, he was more concerned with others. It was in the midst of a catastrophe, and he dove into the water, and he pulled a little girl up to safety. He dove into the water a second time and he pulled another person out to safety. He dove in a third time, and he never came up until the dragnet pulled him up a few hours later.
A friend of Dawson Trotman, who was on the boat said that he was “entirely convinced that if the entirety of the United States Navy had been there that day, they could not have saved Dawson Trotman.” God’s time for him had come.
It was a week later TIME MAGAZINE wrote an article on the life of Dawson Trotman. Underneath the picture, they had this caption: “He was always lifting everybody up”. That was true of him in life and that was true of him in death. He always lifted people up. He invested his life in other people because he loved his Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart. He was faithful in life, and he was faithful in death.
This was the great desire of the Apostle Paul, that he might be faithful in life and that he might be faithful in death. You will recall how he wrote to the Christians at Philippi, and he said “Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. If there is to be life in the flesh, that means more fruitful labor for me. Which I would choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and to be with Jesus for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I can continue and remain with you for your progress and joy in God’s love.” But his only desire in life was to be faithful. That was his desire in life and his desire in death.
The Lord Jesus wrote to the Christians of Smyrna, and He speaks for us today when He says, “Be faithful unto death.”
Thirdly and finally, Christ gives this promise to the Christians at Smyrna. He said, “You will have the crown of life.” Most of us who live here in the United States of America are not very familiar with crowns. When Barb and I were in Edinburgh, we went into the Crown Room and there we saw the Crown of State, the scepter and sword. The Crown of State is made of gold. It had 94 pearls on it, 10 diamonds. It has 33 other precious jewels. How’d you like to buy that for your wife? The velvet cushion that it sits upon is actually older, considerably older, than the country we live in. It’s certainly one of the great crowns of the world.
I’ve read about the Crown of the Andes. It was taken from a Columbian cathedral, and it was exhibited in London. It’s in Amsterdam today. But the Crown of the Andes has 453 emeralds on it, totally 1,251 carats. It’s worth is almost beyond comprehension and yet this truth, that the value of such crowns pale when compared to the value of the crown that our Lord Jesus Christ has to give. He offers it to Christians the crown of righteousness. He offers the crown of glory, and He offers the crown of life. It is the crown of life that He promises to the Christians at Smyrna. The crown of life represents that beautiful gift of eternal life, a gift which is so precious, particularly to someone who is threatened with death. The Lord Jesus said to the church at Smyrna, He promised them that they would not be touched by the Second Death.
Now all of us are touched by the first death. The first death is physical and the other one, except for the final generation who receives the Lord on His return, everyone is touched by physical death. But the second death is spiritual. It is exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might. Christians will never suffer, never, ever suffer that exclusion from the presence of the Lord. We are united to Him and with Him forever, and we know that in His presence is fullness of joy. Therefore, He promises us the crown of life, that we will have eternity with Him.
The Greek word for crown is the word “stephanos.” Sometimes it’s used of kingly crowns, of crowns of royalty, but more often the Greek word “diadernos” is used for a kingly crown. The Greek word “stephanos” is normally used of a victory crown. It was the crown which was awarded to the victorious athletes at the Greek games. And the persons of Smyrna were familiar with that little competition because the games of Smyrna were the greatest of all Asia. And they were familiar with the word “stephanos.” They were familiar with the concept of the victory crown.
As Christians, we’re a part of the kingdom of Christ and we have been called to fight for that kingdom with the full armor of God. We are promised the victory through Christ. We are promised the crown.
Paul said, “In a race, all runners compete but only one receives the prize, so run that you may obtain. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do this to obtain a perishable crown, but we, an imperishable one. For I do not run aimlessly. I do not box with arms beating the air. But I discipline my body and subdue it, so that at least after preaching to others, I, myself, should not be disqualified.
Paul knew what team he was on, and he didn’t want to be second string. Towards the end of his life, he wrote a letter to Timothy, and he said, “The time for my departure has come. I’ve fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I’ve kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall award to me on that day. Not only to me but to all who have longed for His appearing.”
And so, our Lord Jesus Christ addressed the church at Smyrna and He addresses us today. He says “You will experience suffering. There will be tests and trials. But do not be afraid. I love you. I treasure you. I will bless you. He expects us to be faithful unto death, and He assures us that He will give us the crown of life. Let’s pray.