Revelation 2:8-11

Nineteenth Sunday after PentecostΒ  -Β  25 September 2016

Rev. John Derme

How can you tell the difference between a rich person and a poor person? I could bring one of each to stand in front of you. One of them could be wearing the latest fashions in the most expensive designer labels. The other could be wearing worn-out jeans and a t-shirt. You might assume that the one with the expensive clothing is rich. But what if the rich person was wearing worn-out clothing, because she saves her money wherever she can, and the poor person had on the expensive clothing, because he bought it all on a credit card? It can be difficult to tell whether someone is rich or poor based on outward appearances.

I suppose that, in a few cases, you would be able to tell whether somebody is rich or poor. I could bring someone to stand before you, who is wearing a crown of gold. You can't buy that with a credit card. That person must be rich.

It was probably a lot harder for a poor person to look like a rich person 2000 years ago, long before the days of credit cards. Our Second Lesson for today was a letter written to the Christians in the city of Smyrna, and it was obvious that they didn't have a lot of money. Chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation contain letters from Jesus to seven churches in the part of the world that we call Turkey. Jesus used the apostle John to write down the words of the letters and put them into the mail. But Jesus himself spoke the words. The letters were addressed to the "angels" or "messengers" of the churches, that is, the pastors. And the pastors were to proclaim Jesus' words to the members of the congregations.

In the letter to the church in Smyrna, Jesus identified himself as the First and the Last. He is the God who has always existed. He was there and at work to create the world, and he will usher in the end of the world when he returns. He will preside over eternity. Yet he is also the man who died to pay for the sins of all people and rose again to life to prove that he is the Savior.

Jesus told the Christians of Smyrna that he knew what was going on with them. He saw that the church was experiencing affliction. He saw that they were physically poor. Either they were originally from the lower class, or they'd lost their possessions in the persecutions against their church.

Jesus identified the people who were afflicting them: those who claimed to be Jews, but who were actually a synagogue of Satan. They weren't what we call Satanists today. Rather, they were ethnic Jews who had left the true Jewish religion by rejecting Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. These are like the people who called themselves the children of Abraham in John chapter 8, but Jesus called them children of the devil. In Smyrna the Jews were bringing persecution on the Christian congregation. Yet, as Jesus said, the devil was the one who was behind their persecution. And it was going to get worse for a time. Some of them would be thrown into prison for their faith.

Jesus warned them about what was to come, because when it all happened, they would be tempted to assume that Jesus didn't know it was happening. He encouraged them not to be afraid. He said their persecution would last 10 days. As with all the numbers of Revelation, that is not a literal number. It is a number symbolic of a period of time that would seem to be long as it was happening, yet Jesus would keep it short enough so that it will not overwhelm them. And just as he knew about all of the bad things that would happen, Jesus also knew something that nobody else could see: that though they appeared to be poor, these Christians were spiritually rich! He urged them to be faithful, and they would receive the greatest riches of all – the crown of life!

Jesus originally spoke these words to the congregation in Smyrna. But Jesus also had the apostle record these words for us, because he wants you and me to hear them and take them to heart. He wants us to overcome all of the afflictions that the devil brings against our faith. He wants to keep us from suffering the second death – eternal death in hell.

It is important for us to hear Jesus' encouragement, because it would be so easy for outward appearances to fool us. We are very blessed that our possessions have not been taken from us in persecution – at least not yet. But it is not exactly like we're all strutting around here in the most expensive clothing, either. We aren't wearing golden crowns on our heads. In fact, some of us are on the opposite end of the economic spectrum. It looks like many of us are poor.

It also looks like many of us are weak. We are very blessed that we have not been thrown into prison for our faith – at least not yet. But Satan persecutes us in other ways through other people who try to stop us from trusting in Jesus. Often it looks like Satan will overcome us.

If all we see is the poverty and persecution that we experience during this life, it will be easy for us to despair, thinking that Jesus does not see and know what is happening to us. The devil wants us to give up our faith in Jesus so that we lose the life in heaven that Jesus has given to us. The devil wants to make our lives poor and miserable until we die. Then he wants us to be thrown into the worst prison – hell.

We ought not to lose our faith in Jesus, though, because he sees it all. He sees the afflictions that come against his church today. He sees everything that Satan and his enemies in the world do to attack you. He sees the poverty that many Christians suffer through. He knows that our lives are difficult.

Jesus also sees what we so often do not see: we are rich! Even if we wallow in physical poverty all our lives, we are rich through faith in him. We will be wealthy forever! Jesus will see us all the way through the persecution and the poverty that we suffer now, until he gives us the crown of life for us to wear in eternal life.

Jesus is the First and Last: the one who created us and who is with us from beginning to end. Since he is that powerful, we have no reason to doubt his power for us. He is the one who died and came to life: He died in our place and rose again to prove that we are saved. Though we have doubted his care, even if we have despaired of his help in the past, our sins against him are forgiven! Through faith in him, eternal life is ours!

This is Jesus' encouragement to you. Just one week ago, Jesus fulfilled this promise for Audrey. She is wearing the crown of life right now! A couple of months ago Jesus fulfilled this promise for Bea. She is wearing the crown of life in heaven! Some of you can think of spouses or parents or friends for whom Jesus has fulfilled this promise. And just as he has done it for them, Jesus will fulfill his promise for you. He will save you from the poverty and persecution that plagues Christians in this world, and he will give you the golden crown of eternal life in heaven!

Are you rich or poor? A lot of us may be poor, and others of us are a lot closer to poor than we are to rich. But no matter how much money you have in this life, through faith in Jesus, you are rich in the best way of all. It may not look that way now, but he'll give you the crown to prove it. When you wear the crown of life in heaven, everybody will see that you are rich!