When The Church Is In Satan’s Hands It Is Still In God’s Hands
Preaching Portion: Revelation 2:8-11
Subject: Smyrna
Theme: God’s Eternal Plan
INTRO: God has an eternal plan and He is not behind or ahead
– He is on time!
·
The church should be reminded that Satan does
not have ultimate power for he cannot change eternal destiny of anyone who
belongs to Christ!
·
Take a look around us in America and it looks
like this country is clearly in the hands of Satan:
o NSA
spying upon the citizenry
o IRS
scandals against patriot and religious groups
o Supreme
Court striking down DOMA – preaching a clear message of scripture can now be
called “hate speech” because it is not mainstream
o Benghazi
scandal in which an American Ambassador was killed – no answers
o $17
trillion in debt that is crushing our country’s economy
o Our
national leadership seems to want to support Al Qaida against reason after what
they did to us on 9-11
o The
new mayor elect of New York was a former Sandinistas – espousing Communism in
South America and now is in position to become a Mayor of one our largest
cities.
·
Against all odds we are instructed in scripture
to fix our gaze upon Christ. That is why it is futile to focus our energy upon
political end games and not upon revival.
·
It does seem that our country and many of our
churches are in the hands of Satan. After all of the effort and dollars
expended by churches in America there are only 6-8% of those who confess to be
Christian that would state they are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.[1]
·
Recently in Christianity Today[2] it
was reported that 60% of non-believers in Canada and America do not even know a
Christian by name. Where is the influence of the church’s witness to a lost
world?
·
In spite of these difficulties God’s people are
being kept secure. Jesus gave himself up for the church and He has promised to
never abandon it.
Explanation
·
The church at Smyrna is told by the angel of the
church not fear what you are about to suffer – tough days are coming but God is
still in ultimate control.
·
This is a church that faced slander, “…those who
say they are Jews but are not…” This likely refers to people who thought of
themselves as Jews but actually not. Rome would not usually attack Jews at this
time.
·
Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna was the most famous
individual at this time in history. He was most likely a member of the church
at Smyrna and was taught by John himself. Notice his testimony:
o “Have respect for your old
age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, ‘Down with the
Atheists!’” Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the
stadium, and gesturing towards them, he said, “Down with the Atheists!”
“Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years I have served him,” Polycarp
declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my
Savior?”
o Just before the fire was
lite listen to Polycarp’s words: “O Lord
God almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed son Jesus Christ by whom
we have received knowledge of you…I give you thanks that you count me worthy to
be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ.”
·
The angel of the church declares, “…be faithful
until death…” History will point that death is a prominent feature of this region.
The suffering of Polycarp was only the tip of the iceberg that was just ahead.
PROP: The Christians declaration is “against all odds!”
T.S: Against all odds can be fulfilled by drawing lessons
from history and scriptures in Revelation 2:8-11 about what such comments
means.
1.
History Examined
a.
Many invading armies in Asia Minor and
surrounding region routinely practiced brutality during the early centuries of
Christ and through the Middle Ages.
b.
In the 1360’s, the Muslim warlord Aksak Timur
captured cities in the Middle East and as a tribute to his accomplishments he
would pile up the skulls of all victims children included.
i. In
1402 in one of Timur’s crusades of ethnic cleansing against Christians he
boasted of “washing the sword of Islam in the blood of the infidels.”[3]
c.
This suffering in the 1402 pales in comparison
to what took place in 1922. Hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children
were caught in a human bloodbath on a scale not seen in history up to this
point.
ii. World
War I was underway and the Turks thought the dhimmi’s (one who chooses life
over faith declaration and pays a huge annual tax) would betray the Turks
against the allied forces.
iii. Armenians
were herded into train cars and taken to death camps – upon crossing the river
mothers would throw their babies out the window so they would not face
suffering at the hands of the Turks.
iv. One
eye-witness a Christian Greek Stylianos Ayanoglou reported the screams and
smell of burning flesh as hundreds were shoved into a building that was set on
fire.”[5]
v. Enter
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, whose pictures are everywhere as a hero. He is the one
who set the town on fire burning Christians alive with many being shot. People
attempted to escape but the circle of fire surrounded them and it forced them
to the ocean, which many jumped to their death.
vi. When
it was over, thousands were dead, church burned, hospitals destroyed and Smyrna
was no more – the name was changed to Izmir, Turkey. The Polish-Jewish Layer
Raphel Lemkin coined the word “genocide,” meaning acts of extermination
directed against the ethnic, religious, or social collectiveness whatever the
motive.”[6]
2.
What Did The Angle of The Church Say –
Revelation 2:8-11
a.
You cannot read this passage scripture and miss
the “life-death” motif. The words, “…do not fear what you are about to suffer…”
What can we take from the lesson of Smyrna? I believe there are three lessons.
b.
First, we can take comfort in that fact that
Jesus knew in advance what the church would endure.
i. Not
only did he know the suffering of this church, but also he knows all things
from beginning to end.
ii. We
can take consolation in the fact that nothing escapes the attention of God and
nothing that happens will ever catch him by surprise.
c.
Secondly, take notice that the sovereign God
possesses control over the extent of suffering of these believers.
i. You
will suffer ten days. Is this a reference to literal days or seasons or epics
of time?
ii. No
matter how you look at this when those ten days are up it is done – eleven days
will not happen by his control over the matter.
iii. All
the forces of hell could not muster eleven days no matter what or how they
attempted to accomplish this. Satan cannot usurp the power of God.
d.
Thirdly, God rules over the affairs of men. We
should never marginalize the trademark of Satan – namely hatred, death,
destruction, and violence. Satan thought he had won when Christ was nailed to
the cross.
i. We
should never see Christ as weak, but as strong in all things. Violent deaths
cannot separate us from the love of God. Paul would ask this question – Who
shall separate us from the love Christ?
ii. A
child of God should never conclude that evil triumphs because God s too weak.
God is always firmly in control no matter the extent of suffering.
iii. Perhaps
we need to review Paul’s words to the Romans (8:18) ”…that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us”
e.
Ancient Israel, a nation well acquainted with
bloody massacres, massive deportations, and lost wars, listen to Gods promise
to them; “I, the Lord, have called you to
righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and make a
covenant for the people and light to the Gentiles, to open the eyes that are
blind, to free the captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those
who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 42:6-7.
[1]
Jim Cymbala GC2013 Sermon Orlando, FL
[2]
Christianity Today, October 2013 ed.
[3]
Philip Jenkins The Lost History of
Christianity ( New York: Harper, 2008) 138.
[4]
Giles Milton Paradise Lost – Smyrna 1922:
The Destruction of Islam’s City of Tolerance (London: Sceptre, 2009) 6.
[5]
Stylianos Ayanogou Far Above Rubies
(self-published, 1970) 37.
[6]
Jenkins, The Lost History of Christianity.
140.
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