Good morning! I hope the day finds you well. “This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I don’t know if you recognize this little youth praise song, but it was on my lips a lot from my youth ministry days. It set a tone of optimism because with kids, I never knew what the day would bring as I loaded the van—sometimes with joy, sometimes suffering. There is always a surprise from the mouth of babes. Just ask a parent on any given day, like this father I heard of who got hit with a Gomer Pyle moment:
This father was listening to his daughter’s prayer: “God bless mommy and daddy and grandpa and grandma." The next day, grandma died. That night the father listened to his daughter’s prayer, again: “God bless mommy and daddy and grandpa.” The next day, grandpa died. He became alarmed that the last person she named died. That night he heard her pray again: “God bless mommy and daddy.” So, the next morning the father went to work and was careful not to get into any dangerous situation that would threaten his life. He made it through the day. He came home early and sat at the kitchen table opening the mail when his wife walked in. He asked: “How was your day?" She said, “Pretty good, except something strange happened. The mailman died.”
Surprise, surprise, surprise. You never know what surprises a day will bring you. But one thing is certain, it will bring suffering if you are part of the fellowship of God’s people—the Church.
Suffering can be as innocent-looking as this cup of water, yet covert? How much do you think a cup weighs? Anywhere from 8-10 ounces? Its absolute weight doesn't matter. How long you can hold it does. Hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. But hold it for an hour. Your arm will start to ache. Now you’re in suffering country. Now hold it for a day. They’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case—the minute, the hour, the day—the weight is the same. But the longer you hold it, the heavier it becomes. Let me say that again: the longer you hold it, the heavier it becomes. So, it is with suffering.
Church, the question this morning, considering where you are as a church, is this: How long can you suffer together as the body of Christ. Anybody can do a minute. That’s easy church. But, can you hold up the cup of suffering together to the end until Christ comes for His church? That’s important because you and I and Christ are in this together. It’s a fellowship.
We know “fellowship”—the eating and meeting on easy street kind. But Christ calls his Church to a “fellowship of suffering” that is more fulfilling. Paul wanted this fellowship for himself and his favorite church—the Philippian church. He wanted know Christ in the power of his resurrection and (here it is) in the fellowship of his suffering being conformed to his death in order that he may attain to the resurrection from the dead” according to Philippians 3:10. Paul wanted to suffer like Christ so he could be raised like Christ.
Christ wants this fellowship for all his Church, like the Smyrna Church, one of the seven churches judged in Revelation. Smyrna knew how to do fellowship of suffering.
As we continue our Lenten Church Series: It’s not what you give up, but what you gain, turn to Revelation 2:8-11. First, we will see—looking within the Smyrna Church—that suffering is certain, but temporary. Second, we’ll see—looking forward through Smyrna—that comfort is certain and eternal. Church, look within and look forward. What fellowship do you want to be known for— a fellowship of eating and meeting on easy street, or a fellowship of suffering that Christ will crown in the end. I call it a “What a fellowship” fellowship.
First, know that suffering is certain if you are Christ’s Lenten church. Don’t run from it; it’s temporary. Christ looked within and acknowledged Smyrna’s suffering. They faced cultural pressure, poverty, slander, prison and death. We see that in verses 9, 10.
9 I know your afflictions and your poverty-- yet you are rich! I know 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
Smyrna faced cultural pressure of Emperor worship. The Smyrna Church was in a rich city, a beautiful city. It was like the beauty of Paris. But apart from the landscape, Smyrna was not a beautiful place if you were a Christian Church. The city of Smyrna was a center of Emperor worship. He was considered a god; and if you wanted to get along with Rome you had bow down to Caesar. But Rome was lenient. If you simply took a pinch of incense and burned it on the altar of the bust of the emperor once a year, you got a certificate certifying you worshipped Caesar. That’s all you had to do. But for Smyrna, even a little pinch was an inch too close toward idolatry.
Poverty was also a part of the fellowship of suffering of Smyrna. Because Smyrna did not worship the Roman way, they were shut out of the marketplace. They were treated unfairly. They paid the higher prices. They were evicted from their homes. They didn’t get the best jobs. The result: they were poor.
Slander was part of the fellowship of suffering of the church. Smyrna was talked about. The Christians taught that Jesus was the Son of God. This was blasphemy to the Jews. So, they blasphemed the Christians saying “They were god-haters, troublemakers and evil—enemies of God.” But in reality, it was these Jews that were the unauthentic people of God, Jews who belonged to, what Christ called, the “synagogue of Satan.”
Anybody here suffering because you have haters slandering you? Welcome to the Smyrna Club. That hell you are catching now might very well be because Satan’s got a church in the God’s church. Watch out for that covert church.
Prison was part of the fellowship of suffering of Smyrna. To be Christian in Smyrna meant that at any time, you could be arrested. Prison has always been a part of the reality of Christianity. Paul was in prison at least four times. The most memorable one was when he and Silas were locked up in a Philippian jail, only to have an earthquake free them as they sang praises at midnight. Brave men like Iranian-American Saeed Abedini sat in an Iranian prison for more than two years for preaching the gospel in a Muslim country.
Finally, death is part of the fellowship of suffering of the church. Christ said that if they persecuted me, they will persecute you. That persecution may include death. In Revelations 20:4, John saw a host of martyrs beheaded for their faith. Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian faith in Acts 7. He was stoned to death. Tradition records that 10 of the 12 apostles were martyred for the faith. And today, death is still a part of the church and its pastors. The pastor of the Emmanuel AME and nine of its members were shot and killed by a deranged killer because of their race and faith. The pastor of the Smyrna—Bishop Polycarp—was in the line of fire at his church, as well.
Church, don’t you run from your fellowship of suffering even though a pinch of idolatry will spare you in the short term. There is a great temptation to take a pinch and run:
Don’t take a pinch of idolatry and burn it to the god of money to avoid suffering. As a church, there is a temptation to spend money on real estate rather than real ministry. As an individual, there is temptation is to worship mammon that comes in many forms—cars, careers, houses. They can be gods, too. And Scripture says, you cannot serve God and mammon.
Don’t take a pinch of idolatry and burn it to the god of popularity to avoid rejection. As a church, the temptation is to embrace an easy gospel that offends no one, to encourage preaching and preachers that tickle ears rather teach theology. As an individual, there is a temptation to join popular sects with dangerous doctrine, to go along to get along.
Don’t take a pinch of idolatry and burn it to the god of pride and power to avoid humbling service. As a church leader, the temptation is to be a dictator than a shepherd: It’s my way or the highway. As an individual, there is a temptation to aspire to a title rather than take up a towel and wash feet like Christ did.
You might avoid suffering for the moment if you just burn a pinch of idolatry, but in the end, you will be out of fellowship with Christ. And when you are out of fellowship with Christ in his suffering, you will be out of conformity with his death. And if you are out of conformity with his death, you won’t gain the resurrection. You will be another dead church waiting for the casket to close.
The question is, church, what do you want to be known for: a fellowship of eating and meeting on easy street or a “What a fellowship” fellowship, like Smyrna. They didn’t run from the certainty of suffering. Because they knew it was temporary. They knew something better was coming.
Just as certain as suffering is, so is comfort for the Lenten church who is in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering. Christ promised a crown of eternal comfort for the fearless and faithful church. We see that in verses 10 and 11:
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.
For those who are fearless and faithful, a crown of life awaits. Fearlessness is a key to victory over suffering. Don’t fear Satan. God is in control of him. He has set a limit on the length of suffering Satan is permitted to inflict. That is the “ten days”. It represents a short, unspecified, restricted time of tribulation. It is a comfort to know that “trouble don’t last always.” God set a limit of Satan’s access to Job. So, it is with us. He has set a limit on what Satan could do to the you and the church in your present tribulation. Comfort is coming.
Faithfulness is also a key to your victory over suffering. It was for three Hebrew boys—Shadrach, Meshach and Abedigo. You know their story in Daniel 3. They refused to bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar. Like Smyrna facing Caesar, they would not pinch an inch of idolatrous incense. For their defiance, these three boys were thrown in a fiery furnace. But they were not alone. When the king came to witness the execution, he was stunned to see, not three, but four men in the fire. The fourth was Christ. They were in fellowship of His suffering. Not a hair on their head was singed.
Christ is more than qualified to make a promise of eternal comfort because he passed through his own fire—the worse of sufferings—death on Calvary’s cross—yet he came out on the other side untouched, wearing his own crown according to verse 8. And there is a crown of comfort reserved for his fearless and faithful church. They, too, will wear an overcomers crown.
An Overcomer’s crown is reserved for victors. Suffering will not defeat you.
An Overcomer’s crown is reserved for those with authority. Suffering will not rule over you.
An Overcomer’s crown is reserved for the protected. Suffering will not hurt you with a second death on Judgment Day.
Polycarp received his crown as he faced the fire of his first death, with fearlessness and faith. When asked to swear to Caesar, he said of Christ:
“For eighty-six years I have served him and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my king who saved me."
As he was placed at the stakes, he refused to be nailed. He had no plans to run. He saw his suffering as an opportunity to praise of God. As flames licked at his feet, Polycarp prayed:
"Lord God Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I praise thee that thou hast judged me worthy of this day and of this hour, to participate in the number of thy witnesses, and in the cup of thy Christ."
As the wind drove the flames away from him, prolonging his death, a sympathetic soldier put an end to his misery with a sword.
Church, see your suffering as an opportunity for praise and participation in the great fellowship of the witnesses who have suffered before you. You are not alone. Be fearless and faithful.
Christ is coming back for a Lenten church who is in fellowship with him, not of eating and meeting on easy street, but a fellowship of suffering like that of Smyrna.
They looked within and found fearlessness and faithfulness in the face of the fire of their suffering—of pressure of culture, poverty, slander, prison and even death—certain but not forever. They didn’t run from it. They also looked forward to their crown of comfort that was just as certain and eternal.
Church, as you partake of your cup of suffering, remember, it’s not how much you suffer, but how long. And when it seems too lengthy, also remember, as you take communion, the One who drank his own cup in an upper room. He promises to eat and drink a new with you in person someday. Until then, lean on His everlasting arm. You are not alone. What a fellowship…
…what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arm.
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arm.
Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim’s way
Leaning on the everlasting arm.
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arm.
Oh, I am leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms.
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arm.
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