Smyrna: A Church That Suffered | Revelation 2:8-11 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Series)

In light of today's message, I decided to do something a little different. I decided to visit the website of the voice of the martyrs. And to look into their most recent prayer request and post regarding persecuted Christians around the world. And initially, I was hoping to maybe revisit some accounts of those who have suffered for Christ's namesake to just bring to our attention things that maybe we have forgotten. But then I thought it might be more helpful to look at what is happening in our day.

What is happening to Christians across the world, common folk, those who have regular jobs, those who have spouses and children? What is taking place at this very moment while you and I get to enjoy these freedoms? Sing with no fear. Come regularly. So I have a couple of things to bring to your mind, and I hope it stirs you as we prepare to see what God's word has to say regarding this.

These are just two testimonies from recent months. So I wanna begin with the following. A Christian family's registration book is being withheld because of their faith. Vat was born and registered in a village in Northern Laos or LEO. But as a young man, he left for the southern part of the country to work at a coffee farm.

While there, he married and also heard the gospel. And he and his family came to faith in Jesus Christ. In January 2024, he returned to his home village. However, after learning that that and his family were Christians, the head of the village refused to renew the registration book. A document with vital records such as ID, travel and work permits, marriage and birth records, educational records and residence permits.

Without registration books, families struggle getting work, housing, social services, medical care and education for their children. Pray for Vad's family and others who are faced with a decision to deny Christ or lose these documents as this is a common persecution tactic in Laos. Here's another story. Two sisters were imprisoned by their family for their faith and now seek safety in another country. Nur and Rana grew up in a Muslim home, but did not like the way they and other women were treated.

They searched the Internet for information on different faiths and eventually met some Christians online. Through the Christians friendship and witness, the two sisters became followers of Christ. But when their family discovered their new faith, they locked the sisters inside and physically abused them for thirteen months. The two women escaped and fled to a nearby country, but they do not have the paperwork necessary to stay or to move on. They are afraid, terrified that they might be sent home, said a frontline worker.

He asked that Christians pray for the sisters to experience God's peace and provision for a safe home where they can grow in their faith. This is just a sample of the countless testimonies of millions of Christians who are paying a price for what they believe in. And what you and I just got was a glimpse of something that dates back to the very beginning, the very infancy of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because you see, the true church of Jesus has always known suffering. And as we come to our text today, we are going to be reminded of that often forgotten reality of our faith that there is a price to pay for having your allegiance tied to this savior.

And as we see what Jesus is going to say to a church in Smyrna, we're going to recognize that his desire is to embolden them. Even in the very first words, the very introduction of this short letter, he seeks to energize them to remain faithful. He seeks to offer them hope and comfort in the midst of their agony. And I want us to look at it together in Revelation chapter two beginning in verse eight. This is the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, the church in Smyrna, modern day Izmir in Turkey.

Verse eight of Revelation two. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna, write the words of the first and the last who died and came to life. I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich. And the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer.

Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. Father, we ask with this brief message that you would have your way in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

We trust, Lord, that you have a word for us. Even here in America, we need to hear your wisdom regarding these things. So we look to you now in faith, believing that you will indeed speak. Give us ears to hear. In Christ's name we pray.

Amen. Can you imagine the holy shock that surged through the hearts of these weary saints as they whispered these words in their meeting? What was it like to discover that the very author of this letter was God himself? It's right there in this amazing title. This caption that exclusively belongs to the God of the Hebrew scriptures, primarily what we find in the book of Isaiah, the words of the first and the last.

This is God speaking to us through his servant John. And as powerful that as that is, the title only continues. This caption goes on to say that this is the first and the last who died and came to life. There has to be a paradox. You're telling me that the eternal one at some point died and came to life?

Staggering, but extremely helpful. Because the Holy Spirit is precise in telling us who it is within the Godhead that is addressing this battered church. It is the sin bearer of the world. The one who dwelled in eternity and stepped into time to take on flesh and to become a sacrifice and a ransom for many. This is Jesus Christ who has come to speak and to comfort his people in Smyrna.

And what's so fascinating about this, it's it's another confirmation to the divinity of our Lord. Simply because he unashamedly declares himself to be the very same one who says, I alone am the first and the last. Now for Christ to say that he is the first reminds these believers and us that he existed long before there was a church in Smyrna. Long before Smyrna ever existed. Long before the very earth and the solar system was spoken into reality.

And for Jesus to say, I am the last, now he points in the other direction of his eternal nature. I will always be. I remain forever. I am sovereign perpetually. No one can dethrone my authority.

And even though empires come and go and fade into history, I still stand. Right away, what Christ is doing for these believers is to have a larger view of their savior. I'm reminding you of how awesome I am, who I am, where I came from, where this is all going. And so clearly, there's something about understanding the sovereignty of Christ that becomes a source of strength. But it's not just his sovereignty, it's his empathy.

Because he adds again by saying, yes, I'm the first and the last, but I at one point, came into your world. The world that I created with the intention of dying. This is marvelous. Because what the Lord is essentially doing here is reminding these believers that he walked in their shoes. And as these believers are facing much suffering, he decides to merge his exaltation with his humiliation.

Yes, I'm high and lifted up, but I'm also the one who came low and was disgraced by those who thought they had their way with me. Why is he saying this? Because he wants to tell these believers who are smelling death, I know what death tastes like. I know what it's like to obey God to the point of excruciating pain and dishonor. I I know what it's like to look into the eyes of lifeless souls who have no reason to attack you, but do so with demonic glee.

I know what it's like to give my final breath. I know. So these believers, when hearing this, are reminded he gets it. He doesn't just know with his omniscience, he knows with experience. There's a different level of comfort that comes from somebody who has known the pain that we are facing.

And that is precisely what Christ is offering these precious saints. I know it. You know what's so amazing about Jesus saying that I'm the one who died and came to life? As one person said it so wonderfully, think of the greatest men who walked this world. Think of those in history who have shaped history in different ways.

No matter what kind of praise you can give to such figures, we have to say of all of them that they lived and then they died. But there is only one person who we can say with great confidence that he died and then he came to life. That's Jesus Christ. He's in his own category. Oh, I'm sure that this would have brought some kind of encouragement, but it's only beginning.

He says here, who died came to life, which not only confirms his resurrected state, but it also grants them the assurance of their resurrection as well. Yes, I came to die, but in my death, I paved the way into eternal life. Through my death and my resurrection, now there's a way for you to share in my fate. So right here at the outset, these Christians in Smyrna are given so much to look forward to and we're only getting started. He adds to this initial comment what we find in verse nine, I know I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

He says, I know three things. Three things about you. Your tribulation, your poverty, your slander. Now he could have just said that he is aware of their difficulty in a general sense, but he doesn't do that. He is specific.

And the reason why he's specific is so that they can comprehend of how cognizant he is of their trials. That he knows every angle of their anguish. That he knows every source of their sorrow. That he knows every detail of their distress. And so even in this, these believers are to understand he is nearer to us than we might have believed.

He is closer to us than we might have imagined. He has studied us, but not just with again his knowledge but with sympathy. So the savior is walking near and our knee jerk reaction to that truth in our pain perhaps might be, then why doesn't he do something about it? Okay. He knows.

He knows what's happening in my marriage. He knows what's happening with my body. He knows what's happening with my health. He knows what's happening with my fines finances as you say. So where is he then?

To which I would respond, if you believe that he is the all knowing one, then you must also believe that he is perfectly good. And in his goodness, whatever pain he permits despite your constant pleas, he is allowing it for you to achieve a good that is impossible to attain apart from this way. Didn't you catch that when we read this initially? Jesus comes to them not to promise them immediate relief, rescue from their troubles. He does provide comfort, but in the midst of their troubles, actually, he's gonna tell them it's gonna get worse.

He's not here to say your circumstances are gonna get better. He's here to say it's gonna get more intense, but I'm gonna give you the necessary things for you to be able to successfully endure it. So I know these things. And we talked a little bit about the poverty aspect of this. If the prosperity gospel is supposedly true, then why not give them the ingredients to claim their fortune?

To claim resources, so they can escape their poverty. He doesn't do that. You can make the case that this is one of the most praised churches and they are the poorest among the seven. He doesn't criticize them for their poverty. Shame on those who say otherwise.

Shame on those who guilt Christians and try to twist their arm thinking that wealth is a sign of God's favor. You're gonna stand before God and give an account. Because my Jesus I'm not concerned what you say in the name of Jesus, I'm concerned ultimately about what Jesus said. My Jesus looks at this church he says, you're you're poor but you're actually rich. You're actually rich.

And if that teaches us anything it is this, that we must see as Christ sees. We must behold our circumstances, people, events, our personal journey, the way the Lord sees it. And it doesn't end here. He says, yes. You are experiencing poverty.

You're actually rich though. And then he goes on to say, I'm also aware of the slander of those who say they are Jews. So in their own perception, whoever these Jews are, they believe that they have spiritual privilege because of their ethnicity. They say that they are Jews but they're actually a synagogue of Satan. So that only expands on that truth that we must see as Christ sees.

And in this case, he wants these believers to understand the spiritual nature of the struggle that they're in. Moreover, we can say that the tribulation and the poverty that these Christians are experiencing is the result of the slander of these Jews. So you had a prominent prominent community of Jewish people in Smyrna who clearly had a level of influence for their lies to persuade the governing authorities to harass this church. We we don't know the nature of these lies, but whatever they were saying was working. It was tainting the reputation of these Christians.

It caused these Christians to sever relationships with others, to lose their businesses, to have even their property confiscated. You have to remember here that the Jews were furious with this new movement of Christians also inviting Gentiles in claiming that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. So they were vehemently attacking this group and in this specific area, they had a lot of freedom to do so and they took advantage of it. And they could do nothing about it. They could appeal to a higher court.

The court is against you. They couldn't call the police. The police is against you. Let me remind you that that is the case for many people around the world as you and I sit here in hearing a sermon. I know.

I know what people are saying about you. Here's a little nugget. Jesus in his wisdom, listen carefully, servants of Christ. Jesus in his perfect wisdom will sometimes allow people to slander you. Be prepared for that.

Be prepared for that type of persecution where people malign your reputation, where they question and they broadcast your apparent false motives that want to taint you. So don't think of it as a as a strange thing when it happens. He allows his people to go through as painful as it is. As much as you wanna try to defend it and persuade others not to believe it, oftentimes Christ will allow his people to be slandered. And even in that kind of suffering you have to trust him.

This defamation was apparently working, but the way you and I are supposed to respond to it is to allow Christ to defend us. It was Wesley who said, I've put my reputation in the same place where I've rested my soul in the hands of God. And in this case here, we see that this Jesus of ours, who says I'm aware of their slander, indirectly comes to the defense by criticizing where these Jews are really coming from. Now, unfortunately, like many truths in the Bible, people have used the words of Jesus here to support misleading doctrine and to even encourage blatant antisemitism. Listen very carefully, please.

There are so many people today who make the claim that the Jewish people today are not the real descendants of the patriarchs. And there are wild conspiracies and there are enthusiasts who like to promote these strange legends and have the audacity to come to the bible and to draw from Christ's words to support their arguments. And so there are people today, if you Google synagogue of Satan, you will find atrocious things. Even people in churches preaching that because the Jewish people have rejected Jesus as their Messiah, they have forfeited their ancient identity. That they have absolutely zero relevance to God's program of redemption today and tomorrow.

And will even point to the nation of Israel today and point to Jewish people today and say, you are of the synagogue of Satan. Let me ask you a question. Do you really believe that what Christ is saying here about these particular groups of Jews is his way of making a sweeping statement of the Jewish people as a race being of Satan? Is that how you conclude what Christ is saying here and he says it again in the same book? Or is it more possible that in light of the rest of scripture, the Lord is pointing out that any Jew who intentionally opposes or resists the Messiah and his message is fulfilling the will of Satan whether they are aware of it or not?

What did Jesus say to Peter after teaching that he was going to go to the cross and he rebuked the master? In Matthew sixteen twenty three, the Lord turned to him and said, get behind me what? Satan. Okay. Be consistent with your teaching.

Is Peter a part of a global agenda that controls everything? Is Peter of Satan as well? Get behind me Satan. Why did he refer to Peter in this way? Well one, he is highlighting the thinking of Peter, the rationalization of Peter as being satanic in nature.

And Peter was to understand that. Moreover, he is also telling Peter, you're not aware of this but you're actually in line with the will of the devil and trying to keep me from going to the place that I've been destined to go. What did he say to the Pharisees and other Jews in John chapter eight verse 44? You are of your father, the devil. And your will is to do your father's desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character for he is a liar and the father of lies. Hey hey, your father is the devil. Do you know why? Because his native tongue is to lie and you're lying as well.

You're trying to set me up to make me look like I'm guilty. So you're like your father the devil. So when we return to the scathing words of Jesus here in Revelation chapter two, he is again not making the statement of the Jewish race or Israel's national identity is devilish or energized by satanic rituals. Instead, he is condemning a localized specific group of Jews who took so much pride in their spiritual or rather in their race thinking that they have spiritual security in their ethnicity, when in fact they were in spiritual trouble because of their vehement attack against the truth. Let me say another way.

Christ is not condemning their ethnicity. He's condemning their behavior. It's so plain. It's so simple. But there are so many who are willing to twist the words of Christ.

You wanna slander these Christians? Oh, okay. Good. You're Jews. But you are just like Satan because the very name Satan means accuser.

So you're accusing these believers. You're like the devil. Your little ministry, you know who really presides over it? The devil because you're acting like him. Oh, people who have no fear of God when it comes to the handling of God's word.

Hopefully what's been said so far has been helpful, but we're gonna come to the real heart of this message. Christ goes on to say in verse ten, three very important words. Do not fear. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. You have to read that very carefully.

He's telling and preparing this church that there is more persecution and pain on the way. And they were afraid of it. And for many of us, that's the essence of our fear. It may not necessarily be because of what's taking place right now, but it's because of the mere thought of potential hardship on its way. And it's not limited to persecution.

Are you paralyzed in fear today because of what you think might happen tomorrow? What you may be confident will happen tomorrow. Based on what Jesus says here, he doesn't want you and I to have an ounce of anxiety. Do not fear. Do not fear what you are about to suffer and again, don't limit it to people harassing you because of your faith.

It could be true that even in this moment in the sound of my voice, you're trying to drown out your fear. Hopefully the music will help. Hopefully the message will medicate me because you're worried about a future disease. Abandonment. An accident.

The loss of a loved one, loss of your life, betrayal, whatever it may be, whatever the source, whatever the object that your fear is, Christ says, do not fear what you are about to suffer. And he gives these Christians three reasons. Three reasons in the same verse why we can be rock solid, rock solid confident for whatever we're facing now or whatever may surprise us tomorrow. And the umbrella, the theme of our security is the sovereignty of Christ again, but in three specific domains. Three specific domains of Christ's sovereignty that should give you and I the key of unlocking a bravery for anything.

Can we look at them? Three things in verse 10. The first thing is Christ's sovereignty over Satan. What does he say? Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested.

Now ask this, is this a language that depicts Satan being in control of the circumstances in these Christians' lives? Or is this the language of Christ showing them who's in control? Look carefully. And just in case there is even a debate about it, let's settle it now. First, Christ is showing that he is totally aware of the schemes of Satan.

Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. I know his every move. I know his every plan. I know his plots. I know what he's going to do.

And that alone should bring us great grace. He he's aware. Christ is never taken by surprise. You going to your room to pray about the phone call that you got does not catch the Lord by any surprise. He was fully conscious of it, fully aware of it, prepared.

It's you and I that are surprised. And in our surprise, we should come to the feet of the sovereign one and comfort ourselves with the truth that you already knew about this. So I trust that you've allowed it for some reason. And in that place you can know life changing fellowship. I know.

And this is something for you and I to consider because whatever he does allow always has a redemptive end. Always. Because what does he say? He's going to throw you into prison, some of you at least, that you may be tested. Who's doing the testing here?

Is Satan putting these Christians in a prison cell to test them? Or is he trying to snuff out the Christian witness in Smyrna? The one who is doing the testing is the sovereign Christ. I'm allowing this for the testing of the genuineness of your faith. What does Christ need to know the level of the strength of our faith?

No. You need to know. I need to know. Is it not a source of encouragement that through all the pain and all the things that happen, you come out like gold? You come out still singing to the savior, still serving the savior.

Isn't that a means of building you up? This thing in me is real. I still love him even though I lost this. I still love him even though I'm still sick. I still love him even though people walked away from me.

I still love him. That you may be tested. Yes. That you may see what's in you but also for others to see what's in you as a witness to the world of the worthiness of Jesus Christ. So the devil thinks he's actually gonna gain something.

I'm telling you, you're gonna gain something if you overcome. So we see the sovereignty of Christ over Satan. Number two, the sovereignty of Christ over our tribulation. What does he go on to say? And for ten days you will have tribulation.

I can't express in words the immense joy that flooded my heart when I first learned that Christ is not only aware of what my tribulation is, but how long it will go on for. Ten days. It's gonna go on for ten days. It may be intense, but it's going to be brief. And listen, when you comprehend the precision of Christ's supervision, not just over the affairs of your life, but even in your suffering, I can guarantee you that it has the ability to chase away every temptation for you to be weary in that suffering.

There's an expiration date on this thing. More than that, the Lord not only knows the temperature to set in my trial, but the duration of it. So that it will have its full effect in my life. Not a day sooner, not a day later, he knows the exact moment where this will bring about his desired will in me. Doesn't that give you gas?

Doesn't that give you fuel to go on? Ten days. Apply the principle. He knows when this will end. He knows the moment it was supposed to start and he knows when I will graduate.

And so we see here that he is sovereign over the tribulation itself. Lastly, the sovereignty of Christ over death itself. What does he say? Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. Who who can say that?

Who can say that? Think about the implications of this. Who can say be faithful unto death and I I I I I I I will give you the crown of life. The only one who can say that is the person who claims in Revelation one that he holds the keys to death and age. I have authority over death.

And so I'm telling you that if you're willing to be faithful unto death and if death is your portion, you're gonna meet me on the other side. That's the image that you're supposed to have. That's the image that he wants to grant these Christians in Smyrna. I will greet you with a reward in my hand. Just be faithful until the end.

And what's so wonderful about this is, and I can't say it enough, because Christ defeated death, he radically redefines the experience of death. Because he defeated death, he radically redefines your experience of it and mine. As one person said, Jesus didn't just change our lives, he changes the way we die. Yes, absolutely. And we see that with Paul who can say in Philippians one twenty one, for me to live is Christ and to die is what?

Gain. To to die is what, Paul? To die is what? Can you say that again, Paul? To die is gain.

Only a man who has been granted revelation from God, Revelation about the sufficiency of his sacrifice in Christ. Revelation about the deliverance of Christ. Revelation about the presence of God that awaits us. The rewards that await us on the other side because of our faith in Christ can say, to die is gain. So that reinterprets our understanding, even our language concerning this.

That death because of Christ and what awaits you and I after death offers something that surpasses the best in this life. That's what he's saying there. To die is gain. No matter what you can gain in this life, dying in Christ offers something far greater. That's why there should be an element in our funerals as Christians where we celebrate.

Yes, we grieve. We're human and there's something about loss that is painful. But, oh, when you see what death really means for us, we're hidden in him. We can face it. And the Lord gives us a glimpse into that realm where he tells these Christians, I will give you the crown of life.

I wasn't originally planning to share this, but I thought I would because it made me jump out of my seat almost. When considering the sovereignty of Christ, you heard me quoting Exodus earlier. It's because I'm reading it personally and I wanna show you a little passage that even in the old testament that heralds the sovereignty of God. When you go to Exodus 21, this is the Lord giving the Israelites specific instructions regarding societal affairs including murder. And he talks about what's to take place for the one who commits intentional premeditated murder, but then he also addresses what happens with accidental manslaughter, involuntary.

And notice what he says in Exodus 21 verse 12. Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie and wait for him, this is the phrase. Look at this. But God let him fall into his hand.

Then I will appoint for you a place which he may flee and that would later be the city of refuges cities of refuge. Did you see that? The middle part. God let him fall into his hand. Now you can use this verse as a springboard for much philosophical and theological debate.

How does God let and who and who and this and that? Can I tell you what it did for me? It soothed my soul to be reminded that God is sovereign over death. Even from a human perspective, we may interpret it as a freak accident. He's talking about accidental death here.

And even in this, he tucks in a truth regarding his sovereignty. God let him fall into his hand. So whether it's persecution or just a routine drive to work, and something happened on the way. We are a peculiar people and we are to understand Christ is sovereign. He knows.

He not only knows the the duration of trial, but he knows the day I see him face to face. And so we come back to our main text as we're ready to close. In Revelation two verse 11, he gives one more reason. I mean, if this wasn't enough, he gives another reason for these Christians to be emboldened. Revelation two eleven.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. This is the first occurrence in your bibles and mine of the term the second death. Second death? Well, when you gather all the evidence, it is something that refers to the fate of the unsaved following their bodily resurrection.

Some again make the claim that the second death, the language of that proposes that when a person who is not saved dies, he then ceases to exist as God's punishment. Annihilationism. There's no eternal punishment known. You just cease to exist. But that's not what the word of God means by that.

What's more consistent is that the second death speaks of you being separated from the life of God. You being removed from the good presence of God and you enduring eternal punishment instead. Why is he saying this to this group of believers? Because again, death is imminent. It's just around the corner.

And he wanted He wants to let them know that dying in this life is not the worst thing. Dying in the next life is. You can face this. Why? Because I'm waiting on the other side and I have the crown of life in my hands.

And remember, you've been spared from the second death. This is temporal. I wonder if the Christians in Smyrna took this letter to heart. I think they did. There is an ancient church father by the name of Polycarp.

He was directly discipled by John himself. Same John who wrote this letter. He lived in the mid to late first century going into the early second century. Polycarp became a bishop in the church in Smyrna. Persecution broke out from the Roman government and they were looking for Polycarp.

The Christians loved him. And so they tried to hide him and they did so successfully for some time, finally through betrayal. They found Polycarp's whereabouts. And when they came to him in that farmhouse, the soldiers knocked on his door and he welcomed them like a friend. He actually offered them food and drink.

You must be hungry. So he invites them in and these soldiers have a bite to eat and he asked permission, will you give me some time to pray? Stunned by his gentleness, the Roman soldiers agreed to it and so he goes into the other room and he prays. And they hear him praying. And he prays for two hours.

He prays for the believers. He prays for the church. He prays for himself and he's getting his heart ready to meet his savior. Oh, there's so many details to this. I encourage you to make it your afternoon reading today.

I'll go to the main part. He eventually is brought before the proconsul. And the proconsul realizing his old age gives him the chance, look just just recant. Deny Jesus Christ. Declare Caesar is Lord.

And here's what Polycarp said, quote, eighty six years have I served him and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king and my savior? You don't understand Polycarp, we'll release the wild beasts. Okay. Bring it on.

My translation. He wasn't afraid of the wild beasts. Okay. We're gonna burn you at the stake. And when I read this, when I was reminded of this, I wondered if what came to Polycarp's mind is how John concluded this letter, the one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.

Listen to his words, quote, you threaten me with fire which burns for an hour and then is extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want. I guess he said something similar. There's debate about what happened once Polycarp was brought to the stake before an audience.

Some claim that when they were ready to nail him to that piece of wood so that Christians or anybody that they were putting to death would not escape. And he said, no need to nail me, Jesus will keep me. Others argue that the flames did not even touch him, that they kind of encircled him. What most believe is that the fire did not kill Polycarp so they took a spear and struck him in the heart and again some say that his very blood that gushed out extinguished the fire. This is Christianity.

And as I've mentioned before, one of the main things that makes this church so unique is the absence of any criticism from Christ. And then it hit me. Why? Well, some would say it's because they're suffering so there there's there's more need for assurance and encouragement than pointing out any faults. Well, it's better to prepare people to meet Christ.

I'm sure that would be the heart of Christ if there was some serious sin. That doesn't seem to be the reason why. Instead, I think one of the reasons this church was pure in their practical holiness is because they suffered. Because suffering and trials and difficulties have a way of purging us and cleaning us and polishing us. This church was suffering and they would know more suffering.

And the Bible tells us in so many places of the sanctifying glory that comes when you embrace it in faith. I guess you can say another reason why we shouldn't fear suffering is because if exercised well, it will make you and I see clearer and shine brighter for the glory of God. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that you've reminded us that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. And if our suffering would be slander or being led to fire, help us be overcomers.

May our faith persevere until the end. And Lord, today we've gathered as your church to reflect on what you have done for us so that we can overcome the second death and that you have reinterpreted. You have translated death in this life to be the entryway into true life. For this, oh, Lord, we are eternally grateful, and we come to worship you as we eat at your table. Prepare our hearts, Lord, to remember that it's not because of what we have done.

It's not by our own merit. It's because you have become a substitute and we are saved because you've loved us. We give you glory and thanks as we celebrate together now. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

Well, the team will now come up here and assist us in our singing so that we can focus even better on what we are about to partake in. So let's stand together. Let's worship the Lord.