Be faithful unto death

After a fantastic Good Friday and Easter Sunday weekend, we’re back to our current series, Great & Amazing, in the Book of Revelation. We’ll be looking at Revelation 2:8-11 and the letter to the church at Smyrna. In this letter, Jesus comes as the first and last and the one who was raised from the dead. The message: we must not fear anything that we face. For that church, it was intense persecution for living out and preaching the gospel to a hostile world around them. This will be another challenging message.

Series: Great & Amazing - Revelation
Message: 4–Be faithful unto death
Text: Revelation 2:8-11
Todd Dugard
Harvest Bible Chapel
April 24, 2022

How strange this fear of death is! We are never frightened at a sunset.
George MacDonald

Jesus is the first and last and was raised from the dead (2:8), and so we must not fear... (2:10a)

...our current difficulties (2:9)

Christ reminds them, however, of the paradoxical status of God’s people in a sinful world: they are often poor in this world's wealth (outward, material, fleeting), but ‘rich’ inwardly, spiritually, and eternally.
Buist M. Fanning

...our future path (2:10b)

There are no promises of an easy life in Scripture. Instead, there are promises of divine comfort and blessing in the midst of suffering.
Grant R. Osborne

The early church was married to poverty, prisons, and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity.
Leonard Ravenhill

To prepare for whatever the future holds:
(1) I will take nothing I have now for granted
(2) I will not exaggerate my current situation
(3) I’ll take my faith seriously now

...our eventual death (2:10c-11)

Mark 8:34b
John 16:33b
Acts 5:41
Philippians 1:29
2 Timothy 3:12

Polycarp Article, Christianity Today
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/martyrs/polycarp.html