The Tested Church (Revelation 2:8-11)

Big Idea: Christians and churches will face hardships from Satan, but by remaining faithful to Jesus, they can trust in God's power to limit evil and reward their perseverance.

It's now been a week since our Solemn Assembly. The church paused its regular activities for a week to focus on cleansing and seeking God's blessing. The one question I've heard a few times is, "Why didn't we do it sooner?" And the second most common question is, "How can we continue?"

I've sensed in my heart once again a rekindling of hope – not only for my soul, but for the church. I believe that God is on the move, and a lot of what we will have to do this year is remain responsive to him – to let him lead the church. But friends, I am excited about the future of Richview Baptist Church, because God is preparing us for something. It's a bit frightening, because I don't know what he has planned. But God is clearly on the move, and that's the good news.

But this morning, I have some bad news for you as well. And the bad news is this: it might get a lot worse before it gets better. Last week, after a refreshing time of blessings, I sensed that Satan was also active. I saw it in my personal life last week. I faced intense counterattacks against the progress God had made in my life the week before.

Satan typically doesn't give up ground easily, so be aware of that. If our church aims to be spiritually alive and renew our love for Jesus Christ, we can expect Satan to strike. He will target our leaders. He will attempt to bring disunity and division into the church. He will try to distract us from our purpose. He will do everything he can to demoralize and defeat us. That's the bad news.

Satan may launch a strong counterattack on Richview Baptist Church, leading to a challenging period of testing before we achieve victory. The church we're looking at this morning, in Revelation 2:8-11, was in the middle of a dark moment. The unsettling prediction had just been received that things were going to get even darker still.

The church in Smyrna was in a savage time of persecution. Verse 9 informs us that they had already been experiencing afflictions or persecution, poverty, and ridicule. Most scholars believe that Roman authorities persecuted Christians for refusing to worship the emperor. You see, Smyrna was a center of emperor worship. Sometime between 81 and 96 AD, emperor worship became compulsory for every Roman citizen on threat of death. Each year, every citizen had to burn incense at the Caesar altar to receive a certificate. All a citizen had to do was to burn a pinch of incense and say, "Caesar is Lord." But because of their commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord, a believer couldn't do it.

Life for Christians in this city, where emperor worship was fervent, was particularly dangerous during that time in the Roman world. And the results had been severe, in verse 9: afflictions, or persecution. And poverty – a word that signifies extreme and abject poverty, not just a tough time making ends meet. Why was this church so poor in a prosperous city? The believers faced economic sanctions as the first step toward persecution due to their refusal to worship the emperor. Imagine facing persecution and living in extreme poverty because you choose to follow Jesus instead of Caesar.

If this wasn't bad enough, the Jews in the city of Smyrna were blaspheming and ridiculing the true Christians. Verse 9 says: (Revelation 2:9) I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Certain Jews in Smyrna viewed Jewish Christians as the worst sort of heretic, and persecuted them. Notice the phrase, "who say they are Jews, but are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." Although these Jews were physically descended from Abraham, they didn't have faith in Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham. And when they met together for worship, these Jews were accomplishing Satan's purposes rather than God's purposes.

So in essence, the believers were catching it from both sides. The secular religious authorities, and then the religious Jews, were ridiculing them. So the Romans are intimidating the believers at the church in Smyrna, leading to afflictions and abject poverty. And the Jews are ridiculing them. And now in verse 10 the prediction comes that things are going to get worse.

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 the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

There is more suffering on the way. Some of the true believers in the church at Smyrna are going to go to prison for their faith, or even worse. A tougher testing time is coming, a time of even greater tribulation. A ten-day time frame, which is not a literal ten days. Most scholars think that refers to a season of testing. But it's headed their way. Things are going to get much worse for the church at Smyrna.

And let's be clear who's launching this attack. It's Satan. According to verse 10, it's Satan who is going to put them in prison for ten days and test them. What would happen to Richview Baptist Church during a difficult period? What do you think? What if God warned us that every believer in this church, including you, would face intense persecution, poverty, and ridicule for continuing to serve here? I wonder how many of us would remain faithful to Christ and faithful to each other if doing so would cause us to pay that kind of price?

A Christian leader with decades of ministry experience noted a few years ago that an effective church rarely goes ten years without facing significant challenges. His opinion was that the evil one refuses to let a vibrant ministry go unopposed for more than a decade. Even during quiet times, Satan works on strategies and traps to inflict significant harm when an attack occurs.

When God's people in a church begin to cry out for his blessing, as we did a week ago, you can be sure that Satan takes note. Whenever a church makes progress, challenges Satan's strongholds, or enters a spiritual battle, Satan will react. The point I want you to ponder this morning is that Satan specializes in attacking churches and Christians. And he sets well-laid snares and uses cunning devices to bring shame, poverty, and division to God's servants. No church is exempt from Satan's attacks. And those churches that are more effective can expect more of Satan's attention.

On the basis of Scripture and church history, I can say this morning that we will not go unopposed. We can expect major times of opposition from the evil one. Our time of testing as a church is coming sooner or later. I wonder how many of us gathered here this morning will stand strong through it?

Two Encouragements

And to a church that's about to undergo an intense time of spiritual battle, Jesus gives two words of encouragement.

We can find comfort that we aren't facing anything Jesus didn't endure.

In verse 8, Jesus says: "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."

Jesus introduces himself in a way that is unique among the seven letters to the churches in Revelation. And in verse 8, he essentially says to the church at Smyrna, "Remember who's writing this letter to you. I know suffering firsthand. I know what severe testing is all about. I know what poverty is like. I know how it feels to be ridiculed. I've been there, firsthand and full-force." And he says, "I was dead, and am now alive."

Can you imagine what this word must have meant to the church in Smyrna? When facing more difficult tests, they could remember that Jesus had also suffered this way but overcame it. He had experienced the worst that Satan had to offer, and still he made it through.

I've been in churches under Satan's attack before. No matter how tough the situation gets, I remind myself that I don't truly understand what suffering means. When following Christ feels too difficult, the Holy Spirit reminds me I haven't experienced physical suffering for my faith. I've never spent a night in jail for Christ's sake. I've never shed a drop of blood for my faith.

Reflecting on Jesus' sacrifices for his mission, I wonder, "Why should my challenges be any easier than his?" Why should we pay less to fulfill our God-given mission than what Jesus paid for his? His was a high-cost mission – should mine be a low-cost mission?

In tough times, as you sacrifice more for your faith, remember the great price Jesus paid. He set the pace, he showed us how to stay faithful unto death, and he did not ask us to pay a price that he himself was unwilling to pay.

The message to Smyrna indicated a time of testing was approaching. Jesus, who remained faithful unto death, provided an example for believers to follow, demonstrating unwavering commitment regardless of the cost.

The second word of encouragement Jesus gives a church under Satan's attack is this:

Realize that Satan is limited in what he can attack.

Remember that Satan is not like God – his powers are limited. Over and over again, Satan overplays his hand. He lacks subtlety. Satan can cause trouble for churches and believers, but he has limits on his actions.

God has the final word on all of our testings. In the case of Smyrna, Satan was limited in three ways.

He was unable to affect their spiritual condition.

In Revelation 2:9, Jesus says, "I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!" Despite material poverty and persecution, and the pressure from Romans and Jews, the church in Smyrna remained faithful. Despite their material poverty, this was a church that was spiritually rich. Their spiritual condition was a healthy one.

The church in Smyrna was unique among the seven churches, as it was one of only two that received no criticism or warnings from Jesus. Despite facing direct persecution, they maintained their spiritual integrity. This demonstrates how believers, through Christ's strength, can remain spiritually steadfast even under intense opposition. Their example shows that when we rely on God, external attacks cannot compromise our inner spiritual vitality.

Satan is also limited in the duration and target of his attack.

“I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days" (Revelation 2:10). Not everyone was going to suffer in the same way. Only some of them were going to be cast into prison – probably those who God knew would be able to endure it. But not everybody would come under attack. And it would only be for a limited duration. The verse says, "ten days" – probably symbolic for an unknown and yet limited amount of time.

In the first century Roman world, you weren't just imprisoned as a punishment. Imprisonment was a prelude to trial and execution. In Revelation 2:10, Jesus says, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."

And that leads us to the third limitation of Satan.

Satan is limited in the result of the attack.

Satan could persecute them, mock them, imprison them, and even kill them, but he could not take away their crown of life. Christ will reward those who stay faithful to him, even to death, with an indestructible, eternal crown of life.

Let me tell you about one man who was probably sitting in the congregation when this letter was read. Polycarp was a well-known early Christian who later became the bishop of Smyrna. Around 155 AD, sixty years after Revelation was written, he became known as the "twelfth martyr of Smyrna" after being martyred. He was asked to say, "Caesar is Lord," and to reproach Christ. And he replied about Jesus, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?"

Polycarp, likely a young man in the congregation, became one of many who sacrificed their lives for Christ. God is faithful to us in life, and God even remains faithful to us to the point of death. To those who are faithful to Christ to the point of death, there remains a crown of life. And as verse 11 says: "He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." He will remain faithful to us on the day of resurrection, and as verse 11 states, we will not be harmed by the second death, which is eternal punishment.

Can you imagine what an encouragement this must have been to the believers at Smyrna? They learned that a severe time of testing was coming, and were challenged to remain faithful no matter what. Jesus persevered through his moment of trial. And not only that, Satan is incredibly limited in what he can attack. He can't target their spiritual condition, and he can't control the timing or outcome of his attacks. God had the final word on their testing.

And today, at Richview Baptist Church, God has the final word in what Satan can do in our lives and in this church. An intense period of spiritual battle might be around the corner – we don't know. But we do know that no matter how bad things might get, Jesus has endured struggle himself. And no matter what happens, Satan is limited in what he can do.

Think about it, friends, soberly. Satan has the power to rock your life with tests and adversity. Satan has the power to rock this church to its foundations. He can engineer a series of events and tragedies that could push each of us to the edge of our limits. When that moment comes for each of us, or for all of us together, will you withstand the challenge? Will I endure the test? Will we together endure the test?

If we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, I think we can, and I hope I can, and I hope you can. Focusing on Christ, we remind ourselves of the rewards for staying faithful during tests.