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The 7 Churches in Revelation: The Church in Smyrna | Week 2 | Chris Emmitt
In this episode, Pastor Chris Emmitt explores the message to the Church in Smyrna from the book of Revelation. He highlights the themes of suffering and comfort, emphasizing Jesus' encouragement ...
The 7 Churches in Revelation: The Church in Smyrna | Week 2 | Chris Emmitt
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Well, it is fantastic to see all you this morning.
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If this is your first time or you're visiting our church here,
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my name's Chris, I get the honor and privilege
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of being the pastor here.
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And I'm a happy, you're spending part of your Sunday morning
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with us.
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We are in week two of walking through the seven churches
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that are found in the book of Revelation.
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Now, whether your church person or not,
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you're familiar with the book of the Revelation.
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You've heard of it at least.
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And it really talks about the end times,
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how it all ends, and how it all unfolds.
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And I tell people all the time at the end,
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if you read the very end of the book,
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it's all great news for those of us as believers in Jesus.
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He comes back, new heaven, new earth,
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makes all things good.
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But what's interesting is before John gets into that,
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there are seven churches, specific churches
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that are mentioned, and Jesus has a specific message
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to each church.
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Now, these churches were real churches in the first century.
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They were in modern day Turkey.
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In fact, let me just show you a map real quick
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just so you know where we're at on this.
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And so, Patmos is the island where John is exiled to,
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and he's writing this.
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Last week, we looked at the church in Ephesus.
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This week, we're looking at the church in Smurna,
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and we'll continue our way around.
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And the churches are written in an order
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that a letter carrier would carry a letter to each church.
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And so, John is writing this,
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but it's given to him as a message from Jesus.
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And so, you need to understand that these seven
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specific churches, each one of them,
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are a little bit different, a little bit unique.
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Jesus has a very specific message to each one.
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And here's the question that we're asking
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this whole sermon series, and the question is this,
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what is Jesus' specific message to you?
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Because most times, we've come to a sermon
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where I was like, oh man, my cousin needs to hear this,
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from an extra neighbor, my friend at work.
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And that's great.
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But I really want you to ask the question over the next
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seven weeks is what is Jesus' specific message to you?
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So, then mind if you got a Bible in the end,
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I need you to go to Revelation chapter two.
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If you don't know where that's at,
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if you'll start in the back of your Bible,
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you'll get there pretty quick.
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Revelation chapter two, while you're turning there,
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I need to read a few verses out of chapter one.
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It will set up the tone and the context for today.
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You'll see it as it all kind of pieces together.
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I'll read it, pray for us, and we'll dive into the message.
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So, here's what John writes on Revelation one
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verses four through six.
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There's letters from John to the seven churches
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in the province of Asia.
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Grace and peace to you from the one who is,
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who always was, and who is still to come.
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From the seventh full of spirit before his throne
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and from Jesus Christ, he is the faithful witness
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to these things, the first to rise from the dead,
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and the ruler of all the kings of the world.
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All glory to him who loves us,
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and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
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He has made us a kingdom of priests for God, his father,
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all glory, and power to him forever and ever.
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Amen, let me pray for us.
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God, I pray that in this moment,
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I pray that I'm inviting the Holy Spirit
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in this place, Lord.
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I hope God that today is not another day
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that we've attended church,
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and we're looking for lunch here in the next hour,
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but God, that you would radically impact us
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in unique, profound ways.
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God, I pray that the barriers in our hearts
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would be pushed aside.
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You would communicate to us, God, the things
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that we need to hear today.
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I pray that distractions in the room
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would be pushed to the side,
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and the soul focus of our time in Tenshi today
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would be on the glory in beauty of Jesus.
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Lord, we love you.
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Nasty things, you're in it.
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Amen.
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Well, I played one season of Taco Football in fifth grade.
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I did not get the NIL deal that I wanted,
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so I retired after that.
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It's like, you're not gonna pay me, I'm done.
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So played one year of Taco football in fifth grade.
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I don't remember anything about that season,
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except for this one play.
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This is the only play that I remember,
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and so I need to rewind back your mind to fifth grade Chris, okay?
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So imagine this body,
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but just kind of shrunk down in fifth grade size.
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God did not create me to play Taco Football,
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and so just this shrunk down to fifth grade.
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I was there, but my best friend on the team was Seth.
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Seth was the stud, athletic, big, muscular, fast,
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and so they had me on defense.
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If you're not really a football fan,
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I played a position called defensive back or cornerback.
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I was on the outside of the sideline,
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and my buddy Seth played free safety there at the back.
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The play went like this.
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It was there, I said hike, and I'm waiting,
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and they come running around the end,
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and the running back is running right toward me.
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Straight toward me, and I just remember my little fifth grade
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mind, trying to remember everything
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that the coaches taught me to do.
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And the way they taught you to tackle back in the day,
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and I think it's changed this then,
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it's called form tackling.
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And basically they just say Chris,
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take your face mask and put it in that guy's chest,
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and you'll tackle it, which works great
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if you're big and strong and fast.
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Doesn't work so great if you're the size of Chris Emmett.
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And so the guy's running, and I'm there,
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and what happens next is a little fuzzy still this day.
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But I do remember noticing that the sky was very, very blue
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and the grass felt very, very soft.
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And that looked behind me, and this kid was just running
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straight toward the end zone.
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And then like a superhero out of a comic book,
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my buddy Seth comes flying over to the sidelines,
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knocks him out of bounds and saves the, saves the tunches down.
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And I'm there, and I'm still trying to,
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I'm questioning everything about my fifth grade life
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at that moment.
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What is happening?
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And Seth comes over with his hand out, and he's like,
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are you okay?
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And he helps me up, and that was the end of my football career.
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Now, the reason I tell you that is because the church of Smirna
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that we're looking at today, and each and every time
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they have been knocked flat on their back
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from persecution and suffering, flat on their back.
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Smirna is like ethicists of your hair last week,
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major metropolitan city, but they were being persecuted
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and abused from both sides.
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So, one side, the Gentiles, they had a cult of emperor worship.
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They worshiped the emperor, anyone who didn't
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would get persecuted and abused.
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On the other side, the Jewish people,
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they were trying to stomp out this little sect of Christianity,
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what are these people doing?
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And so, they were catching it from both sides,
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and Jesus was writing this letter to them.
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Now, of the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation,
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five of them get critiques from Jesus,
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something that they should change
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is sin that they need to address,
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something that they need to do differently.
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Two of them do not.
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Smirna is one of the churches that does not get a critique
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from Jesus.
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Jesus was writing this, trying to comfort them,
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trying to encourage them, trying to cheer them on
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in their suffering.
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And so, the overarching theme of today
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for the church of Smirna is simply this,
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is that they were suffering, but Jesus was comforting.
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They were suffering.
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They were being persecuted, suffering,
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but Jesus, you're gonna see as he's writing it,
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is full of love and full of encouragement
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and full of comfort.
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And so today, I don't know what your life story is,
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but man, if you were in the midst of suffering
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or heartache or just some pain that you're walking through,
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you feel like life has knocked you flat on your back.
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I pray today that Jesus speaks something powerful to you today.
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Revelation chapter two, we're gonna read verses eight through
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11 and here's the message to the church of Smirna.
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Jesus has write this letter to the angel of the church
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in Smirna.
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And if you were in here last week,
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no, no, the word of angel told you off,
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it means the original language, messenger.
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So it's writing it to the messenger or the pastor
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or the leader or the point person of this church
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to give them this message from Jesus.
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This is the message from the one who is the first in the last
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who is dead, but is now alive.
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I know about your suffering and your poverty,
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but you are rich.
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I know the blasphemy of those opposing you,
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they say they are Jews, but they are not
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because their synagogue belongs to Satan.
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Do not be afraid of what you're about to suffer.
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The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you.
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You will suffer for 10 days,
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but if you remain faithful, evil and facing death,
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I will give you the crown of life.
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Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the spirit
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and understand what he is saying to the churches,
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whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.
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And I need you to be here in this moment with me.
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So Smirna is under severe persecution,
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sufferings, beatings and prison.
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And you can imagine that they're gathered around,
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probably in a little house somewhere.
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And the leader of the messenger opens up,
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since we got a letter from John,
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and he would open it up and then he would see specifically,
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there's a message to this church, this congregation,
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from Jesus.
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And you can imagine they're sitting there,
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some of them are still probably beaten and bruised
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and bloodied from previous persecutions.
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And they're there, huddled around,
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and they hear this message from Jesus,
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one of comforts and one of encouragement
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as in the midst of suffering.
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And I'm gonna go back, and I wanna point out
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that Jesus gives them two very, very powerful reminders
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of his character and nature, of who Jesus is.
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And then in light of that, he gives them two responses
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for them to live their life in this midst of suffering.
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And so if you're here, you're in pain,
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you're suffering, you're walking through something,
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today you're gonna see two very, very powerful reminders
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of who Jesus is.
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And with the idea of like, here's our response to it.
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So I want you to go back, and I want you to look at verse eight,
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verse eight, if you got a pen,
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I'm gonna show you to unwind a few things.
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Jesus says, write this letter to the angel
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of the church in Smurna.
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This is the message from the one who is underlying this.
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The first and the last, and then underlying this,
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underlying who was dead, but is now alive.
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First and last, was dead, but is now alive.
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So right out of the shoot, Jesus is reminding them
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of his kingship and of his lordship.
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First and last means he's supreme overall,
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nothing outside of his lordship, outside of his kingship.
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And then the dead, but is now alive,
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and it's the eternity of his kingship.
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The first thing that Jesus reminds of,
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church in Smurna, that I thank Jesus reminding us here today
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is simply this, is that Jesus reigns.
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He reigns.
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He is king, he is lord overall,
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and his reign is both supreme and eternal.
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You're suffering, you're a hardship,
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you're paying the thing that you're walking through,
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is not outside of Jesus's kingship or lordship or purview.
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He is the first and the last.
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The thing that you are walking through
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does not fall outside of his reign,
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and his reign was yesterday, today, and forever more.
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And so he sets the tone,
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reminding the church of Smurna,
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you're suffering, you're in persecution,
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you're being beaten, but I still reign.
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And maybe that's all some of you needed to hear today.
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In the midst of the thing that you're going through,
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it just feels like life has knocked you flat on your back.
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Jesus is still king.
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He is lord, and his reign is supreme overall.
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The thing that you're going through
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does not fall outside of his kingship.
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And his reign is eternal, yesterday, today,
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and forever more.
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And if you can get that truth to move
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from your mind cognitively to your heart
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with a deep belief in trust,
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here's what that begins to do.
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The more you begin to trust in Jesus and his kingship,
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the more your soul begins to rest in him.
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If you really know that Jesus is king,
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he's lord, he's supreme, he's eternal,
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the more you trust someone or something,
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the more you will find rest and peace and comfort.
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And you notice to be true to life.
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Like the more you trust someone or something,
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the more you can kind of relax.
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Like if ever you get an Uber, right?
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And you get an Uber and pull up on your app,
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and the Uber pulls up and you look down at your app
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and has got, you know, the driver's face
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and their car and the license plate,
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and then it gives them the rating.
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If your Uber driver has a 4.98 star rating
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with like a thousand plus reviews,
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you get in that Uber and you're pretty comfortable.
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You're not paying attention.
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You trust the driver's going to get you worried
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and they need to get you.
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You're looking around, you're talking,
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you're getting to your event, no problem at all.
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On the flip side of the coin, if you pull up an Uber
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and this person pulls up and it says 2.31 stars,
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all of a sudden you're questioning
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how bad do you want to get to that event?
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Because one or two things are going to happen.
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You're going to get there or die in a fiery car wreck.
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That's the only two options.
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And so if you decide to get into that Uber,
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you're hanging on for dear life.
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You tell the Uber what to do, what to do,
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how to drive and where to turn, like you're very, very different
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than some of that has the high star rating,
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someone that you trust.
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Jesus reminded them, I reign over all,
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supremely and eternally, and because of that,
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what unfolds next?
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You're suffering persecution hardship.
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You can trust in Jesus and therefore find rest
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for your soul.
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Jesus still reigns.
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They look the second thing he tells him.
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Look at verse 9.
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If you got a pin on the knee,
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then he's first two words.
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I know, underline that.
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I know about your suffering and your poverty,
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but you are rich.
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And like this, I know.
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The blasphemy of those opposing you,
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they say they are Jews, but they are not,
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because their synagogue belongs to Satan.
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Jesus reminds them, I reign over all, supremely and eternally.
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And he says, I know about the things
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that you're going through.
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The second thing, Jesus tells a church of Smirna
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that I think Jesus telling us here today is simply this.
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Jesus knows.
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He knows.
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And he knows at two levels.
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He knows like at an awareness level
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of what you're going through.
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And he knows at an understanding or empathy level
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that you're going through.
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So he is aware of the thing that you are suffering
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or are walking through.
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And he understands and can empathize with you.
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The writer in Hebrews chapter four,
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verses 14 and 15 writes this,
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says, so then since we have a great high priest
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who has entered heaven,
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Jesus the son of God,
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let us hold firmly to what we believe.
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This high priest of ours understands our weaknesses
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for he faced all the same testings we do
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yet he did not sin.
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I need you to understand the thing that you're going through
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that you feel like you're all alone in.
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Jesus knows.
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He is aware and he understands.
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He knows that the thing that you go,
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he is informed and he has empathy
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for the thing that you're going through.
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And here's what happens.
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Like when you're in the midst of walking through
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whatever it is that you're walking through,
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it is hard to see the force of the trees.
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And what Satan will whisper to you is this,
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you're all alone.
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What you're going through,
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the suffering that you're experiencing,
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the heartache, the pain,
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nobody knows and you're all alone.
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And what Jesus is saying to the church of Smirna
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and I pray you hear from Jesus today
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is that he knows the pain,
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the suffering that you're going through
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and he can empathize
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because he's walked through all the same testings
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we did, do, yet he did not sin.
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And if you can get him,
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do you get that to move consciously from your mind
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to your heart and all of a sudden
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he vastly changes your relationship
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and your obedience to Jesus?
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Because when somebody is both aware and understands
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your pain, that's very different.
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When somebody is just aware of your pain, that's nice.
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But if they try to give you advice
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or try to give you some suggestions or ideas,
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but they never walk through your pain,
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that relationship, that job issue,
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that thing that you're dealing with,
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it just falls on death fears to be candid with you.
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But when somebody is both aware and understands
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all of a sudden, you listen, why?
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Because they've been through it, they've lived through it,
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they walk with the limp of the thing
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that you're walking through.
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And so now their advice, their wisdom carries way more away.
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You've experienced this, like if you're a parent,
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I'm sure at some point in your life,
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you've received parenting advice from someone
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who's not a parent, but they listen to some podcasts
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and now they're an expert
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and they're gonna tell you how to raise your teenager.
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They go and listen here dude,
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like I'm sure you got a good podcast,
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you don't know what I'm going through.
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You're building a paper airplane
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and I'm flying a fighter jet.
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We're not at the same level,
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but somebody who's raised teenagers,
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somebody who's lived through it
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and now there's teenagers or young adults
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or older adults, you listen to them, why?
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Because they've walked through it.
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Now when they give parenting advice,
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they go, no, we've been there and know what it's like.
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They are aware and they understand Jesus knows
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at both an awareness level and a deep understanding level.
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He's reminded the church of Smurnda go and listen,
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I know, I know the beatings, I know the tears,
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I know the pain, I know the jail time,
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I know that deeply understand.
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And so Jesus' level sets for the church of Smurnda
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and reminds them of these two truths.
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Jesus reigns, Jesus knows.
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And again, you're here today,
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you're if you're a church person, you know those truths.
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Like those aren't, like you know that Jesus reigns
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and you know that Jesus is all knowing.
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But again, when you're in the midst of it,
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it's hard to hear.
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It's hard to see the forest through the trees.
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And so you just need to understand Jesus' king
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supremely and eternally and he knows
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both awareness and an understanding.
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And then in light of all that,
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here's the calling to the church of Smurnda,
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their response as they continue to go through the suffering.
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I need you to look at verse 10, first part of verse 10.
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Underline this, he says, don't be afraid
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of what you're about to suffer.
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The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you.
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You will suffer for 10 days.
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But if you remain faithful, even facing death,
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I will give you the crown of life.
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So Jesus reminds them of his Lordship, his kingship,
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reminds them that he's all knowing and in
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and can empathize with them.
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And then light of that, he calls the church of Smurnda.
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And I think those calling are church today
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is simply fear, not.
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Fear, not.
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Now I need you to go back in verse 10
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because it's easy to read over this and just in skip it.
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But he says, don't be afraid of what it says
spk_0
of what you are about to suffer.
spk_0
So if you're reading this and you're suffering,
spk_0
you're, well, I'm in the midst of suffering.
spk_0
I kind of thought this message from Jesus was like a
spk_0
get out of jail free card.
spk_0
And Jesus goes, no, no, no, no,
spk_0
of what you are about to suffer.
spk_0
Like you're in the midst of suffering,
spk_0
there are some future suffering ahead of you.
spk_0
And then after that it says, the devil will throw
spk_0
some of you in prison that test you.
spk_0
Some of you will go to prison, not all of you.
spk_0
And here is a very, very difficult truth
spk_0
that is tough to communicate as a pastor.
spk_0
Some people suffer more than others.
spk_0
Some go to prison, not all.
spk_0
Sometimes God in His sovereignty,
spk_0
and I don't know how, but in His sovereignty He knows how
spk_0
when, why, and who, some people suffer more than others.
spk_0
But the calling on all believers is to fear, not,
spk_0
to walk forward in life without fear or trepidation.
spk_0
Why?
spk_0
Because Jesus reigns and Jesus knows.
spk_0
And here's what happens, especially if you're in this room
spk_0
and life is going pretty good.
spk_0
Like work is pretty good,
spk_0
relationships are pretty good,
spk_0
finances are pretty good, health is pretty good.
spk_0
What happens in the, in the reason I say why this happens
spk_0
because I've done this before, is if things are going good,
spk_0
you kind of tense up because you're waiting
spk_0
for the other shoe to drop.
spk_0
You're tracking with that.
spk_0
Like life is good and instead of enjoying life,
spk_0
life is just going, yeah, but something bad's got to happen.
spk_0
It can't be this good for this long.
spk_0
And what happens is you're so fearful of what might happen
spk_0
or could happen, you miss the joy and the blessings
spk_0
of what is happening.
spk_0
And so God's giving you this abundant, amazing life
spk_0
and you're so worried about what might happen tomorrow
spk_0
that you've failed to enjoy and be grateful
spk_0
for the life that God has given you today.
spk_0
And Satan loves that.
spk_0
Satan loves it.
spk_0
God's blessed you and God is saying,
spk_0
yeah, yeah, yeah, but what could happen?
spk_0
What, what might happen?
spk_0
You're thinking about this, you're thinking about that
spk_0
and you're going, oh my goodness,
spk_0
and so worry and fear and anxiety begin to come all
spk_0
on top of you.
spk_0
Why?
spk_0
Because it might happen.
spk_0
And Jesus saying some of your suffering is about to come.
spk_0
Some of you go to prison, but not all.
spk_0
You can envision them hearing this letter
spk_0
being read to them.
spk_0
Suffering is happening, suffering is about to happen.
spk_0
Some of you go to prison, some of you not all fear, not.
spk_0
I don't know if any of you have or had the honor
spk_0
and I say the honor, that's a very specific word choice.
spk_0
I don't know if any of you have had the honor
spk_0
of speaking to someone in life that has been physically
spk_0
persecuted for their faith.
spk_0
If you've ever had that humbling honor,
spk_0
it's a very overwhelming, humbling thing
spk_0
to speak to somebody, face to face,
spk_0
that has been physically persecuted for their faith.
spk_0
And you may not know this, but about a year ago,
spk_0
we made a very intentional decision as a church
spk_0
to significantly and financially fund
spk_0
and help out church-plending efforts
spk_0
and church-plending networks going on over in the 1040 window.
spk_0
If you don't know what the 1040 window is,
spk_0
I'm just showing you a map geographically
spk_0
just so you know where I am.
spk_0
That's the 1040 window there in the blue.
spk_0
It's the 1040 window and in that blue area
spk_0
is where 95% of the world's unreachable groups live.
spk_0
They're in that little blue window.
spk_0
God made me aware of it.
spk_0
Last year broke my heart for it
spk_0
and you guys have and continue to be very faithful
spk_0
in giving generously.
spk_0
And we support church-planners
spk_0
and church-planting networks over there.
spk_0
But in that blue space where 95% of the world's
spk_0
unreachable groups live, in that space is an amyance,
spk_0
amount of persecution and hardships for people like you
spk_0
and like me trying to live out their faith.
spk_0
Earlier this year, I was over there
spk_0
visiting with some pastors and church-planners
spk_0
and the church-planting network.
spk_0
And I took about three or four guys
spk_0
from our church over there.
spk_0
And just to sit down with these individuals
spk_0
and hear them describe the persecution
spk_0
that they go through,
spk_0
it's like the way they describe a Tuesday morning.
spk_0
Like it is just part of their life.
spk_0
And they get about as frustrated with it
spk_0
as you and I get with the frustration
spk_0
of leaving traffic from church.
spk_0
It was this same level.
spk_0
Like well, you know, that's just kind of what happens
spk_0
and but man, God's moving, gospel spread
spk_0
and appraised Jesus.
spk_0
Like to hear these stories, like your jaw just drops
spk_0
listening to this men and women talking.
spk_0
When we were there, we had this little conference,
spk_0
about 30 or 40 people in the room.
spk_0
And we're in this like private meeting room
spk_0
and they begin to sing worship songs
spk_0
in their own native language.
spk_0
Now mind you, what we're doing there, it's illegal.
spk_0
But they gather together and they're worshiping Jesus
spk_0
and setting us word.
spk_0
And when they sing, no instruments,
spk_0
but y'all, when they sing
spk_0
and I don't understand the word they're saying,
spk_0
but gosh, they sing with such volume and such passion
spk_0
and such heart, like so much more passion,
spk_0
heart and volume than we sing here on a Sunday morning.
spk_0
Why?
spk_0
Because Jesus is all they got.
spk_0
We'll sit here and go, well, you know,
spk_0
they missed the lyrics on that
spk_0
and the lights on and all that great
spk_0
and there's little laughs, little softs,
spk_0
not the song selection that I like.
spk_0
We're connoisseurs of music around here.
spk_0
They're crying out, why?
spk_0
Because their friend got beat up last Tuesday.
spk_0
And Jesus is all they got.
spk_0
And they walked through life without fear
spk_0
and out in trepidation.
spk_0
Why?
spk_0
Not because the persecution's gone away,
spk_0
but because Jesus reigns and Jesus knows.
spk_0
And we get email updates from them about every quarter
spk_0
and a couple of weeks ago,
spk_0
I got an email from one of the guys
spk_0
that I met over face to face, super great dude.
spk_0
And he just emails about, hey,
spk_0
I wanna let you know what's going on over here
spk_0
in some of these regions and districts.
spk_0
He goes, they're passing anti-conversion laws.
spk_0
And he sends us a little video explaining
spk_0
these anti-conversion laws means that if you get accused
spk_0
of converting people to Christianity,
spk_0
you legally get beaten and imprisoned just like that.
spk_0
And the burden on proof is on the accused, not on the accuser.
spk_0
So if you accuse me all of a sudden,
spk_0
I'm gone without question, jail, prison, and beaten.
spk_0
And then they had this thing in there
spk_0
called the bulldozer activity clause.
spk_0
And the bulldozer activity clause says
spk_0
that if they deem a building to be used for mass conversions,
spk_0
they can bulldoze it without permits,
spk_0
without anything else, just fire up the bulldozers,
spk_0
knock the building down.
spk_0
So a building used for mass conversion, IE, a church,
spk_0
fire up the bulldozers, let's knock him down.
spk_0
And so he just goes, hey,
spk_0
one lets you know what's going on over here
spk_0
and kind of gives us an update.
spk_0
And then he emails this and here's his prayer word
spk_0
for word in his email.
spk_0
We are not scared, but request your kind prayers
spk_0
that all these problems turn into opportunities.
spk_0
What?
spk_0
If I'm him, I'm going, can y'all pray
spk_0
that Lord gets me out of here?
spk_0
Can y'all pray?
spk_0
Like this has got to end his request for our kind prayers.
spk_0
Now this is for us, like he's emailing us as a church, okay?
spk_0
So he's asking you, he's asking me to pray
spk_0
that these problems persecution
spk_0
were turning out opportunities for gospel expansion.
spk_0
I don't know about you, but if I'm in his shoes,
spk_0
that's not my prayer request.
spk_0
Pray that these problems would become opportunities.
spk_0
And I just thought, godly, the guy who's there
spk_0
preaching, ministering, threat of his life,
spk_0
threat of buildings being bulldozed,
spk_0
just, hey, in your kind prayers,
spk_0
pray these problems come opportunities.
spk_0
The last night I read that to my 17 year old son
spk_0
where up at the dinner table, I said,
spk_0
hey, here's what's going on.
spk_0
And I said, here's what this guy said,
spk_0
and my son's eyes get really big.
spk_0
And he goes, that is one bad dude right there.
spk_0
So yeah, he is.
spk_0
Yeah, he is.
spk_0
And I don't say that to guilt you, but to inspire you.
spk_0
Now listen, this guy is over there,
spk_0
threatening for his life and he goes,
spk_0
hey, if you could just pray that these problems
spk_0
are opportunities for gospel expansion,
spk_0
that's what I'm asking for.
spk_0
And he walks without fear why?
spk_0
Because he knows that Jesus reigns
spk_0
and that Jesus knows what he is going through.
spk_0
And he can walk through persecution, abuse,
spk_0
bulldozers coming after his buildings without fear.
spk_0
The call on believer's eyes is to fear not.
spk_0
And then finally, it's a very universe, Tim.
spk_0
Very universe, Tim, he says this.
spk_0
He says, but if you remain faithful,
spk_0
underline that, if you remain faithful,
spk_0
even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
spk_0
Jesus goes, I'm raining supremely and eternally.
spk_0
I know what you're going through.
spk_0
I'm aware and I understand I need you to walk alive
spk_0
without fear.
spk_0
And finally, the fourth thing that is saying
spk_0
is I need you to remain faithful.
spk_0
Hang in there.
spk_0
Life has knocked you flat to the ground,
spk_0
remain faithful.
spk_0
Prisons about to come, remain faithful.
spk_0
More suffering lies ahead of you.
spk_0
Remain faithful.
spk_0
Why?
spk_0
Because Jesus reigns in Jesus' nose.
spk_0
And I just wonder how many of you just need to hear that
spk_0
that in the midst of your heartache, pain and suffering
spk_0
to remain faithful.
spk_0
The good news is that if you read the end of the book
spk_0
and Revelation chapter 21, in verse three,
spk_0
here's how it all shakes out.
spk_0
Since I heard a lot of voice from the Throne saying,
spk_0
look, God's home is now among his people.
spk_0
He will live among them and he will be his people.
spk_0
God himself will be with him.
spk_0
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
spk_0
We'll be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain.
spk_0
All these things are gone forever.
spk_0
And the one sitting on the throne said,
spk_0
look, I am making everything new.
spk_0
And then he said to me, write this down
spk_0
for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.
spk_0
In the end, Jesus comes back, death, sorrow, crying,
spk_0
pain, gone forever.
spk_0
All things are made new.
spk_0
And if you and I, as we were,
spk_0
if we really believe that Revelation 21 will happen,
spk_0
for really, if you don't believe that,
spk_0
that's a conversation.
spk_0
You and I need to have it a different time.
spk_0
But if you and I had to go, yep,
spk_0
I believe Revelation 21 to be true.
spk_0
Then that is where our hope is anchored to.
spk_0
When you get knocked down, you go,
spk_0
and Jesus is making all thing new.
spk_0
When you get knocked down,
spk_0
he's gonna wipe away every tear from my eye.
spk_0
When you get knocked down,
spk_0
all sorrow, pain, grief is gone.
spk_0
And so you can get back up, why?
spk_0
Because Jesus will make all things new
spk_0
and you remain faithful and you walk forward without fear.
spk_0
But if you don't have the hope that it's found in Jesus Christ,
spk_0
when life knocks you to the ground,
spk_0
you're staring up the blue skies,
spk_0
well, you just go and I might as well stay down
spk_0
because where is the hope?
spk_0
Where is the peace?
spk_0
Where is the future oriented thinking?
spk_0
But Jesus as the anchor of your soul
spk_0
is what allows you to remain faithful to get back up,
spk_0
wipe the dust off your sleeves and go, man, that hurt?
spk_0
And that was painful, but he still reigns
spk_0
and he still knows and I'm walking forward
spk_0
faithfully without fear.
spk_0
If you're around my age plus or minus,
spk_0
then you may remember this toy that I was given,
spk_0
maybe I was a kid, Christmas day,
spk_0
and it was a Fred Flintstone punching bag.
spk_0
About this tall, you blew it up
spk_0
and that the bottom of this punching bag
spk_0
was like a little bag of sand.
spk_0
And as a kid, you'd punch Fred Flintstone,
spk_0
he'd pop down and he'd pop right back up.
spk_0
You hit him again, he'd pop down,
spk_0
and he'd pop right back up.
spk_0
The reason why that happened
spk_0
is because the weighted sand in the bottom.
spk_0
The weighted sand wasn't there,
spk_0
you'd hit Fred Flintstone,
spk_0
he'd just fall down flat.
spk_0
Because the weighted sand,
spk_0
it would always bring him back up.
spk_0
If you understand that Jesus is the anchor of your soul
spk_0
and he is what your foundation is built on,
spk_0
then when life knocks you back down,
spk_0
the anchor in Jesus Christ is what brings you back up.
spk_0
It wasn't Fred Flintstone kind of pushing himself up,
spk_0
going, I'm getting out of my own,
spk_0
it was the weight of the bottom.
spk_0
You're not gonna push yourself at life, life hurts.
spk_0
And when you're flat on your back, you're going, man,
spk_0
but it's the hope found in Jesus,
spk_0
the anchor for your soul is what brings you back up
spk_0
and allows you to remain faithful.
spk_0
And you walk forward without fear,
spk_0
clinging to the truth that Jesus reigns when Jesus knows.
spk_0
So here's the question I have for you today,
spk_0
in light of all of this.
spk_0
The question is this is,
spk_0
what do you hear Jesus saying in the midst of your suffering?
spk_0
Like, I don't want you to hear anything that I'm saying.
spk_0
I want you to hear directly what Jesus is saying to you.
spk_0
What is Jesus saying to you in the midst of your suffering?
spk_0
He reigns, he knows, he'll walk without fear,
spk_0
and he remains faithful.
spk_0
I'll finish with this.
spk_0
It's a story of a hero of the faith,
spk_0
a guy by the name of Polly Carp,
spk_0
and Polly Carp lived late for century, early second century.
spk_0
He died 155 AD.
spk_0
Polly Carp was known as the Bishop of Smurna.
spk_0
He lived in this city of Smurna that we just read
spk_0
and talked about.
spk_0
Polly Carp was a disciple of John who wrote the book of Revelation.
spk_0
When Polly Carp was an old man,
spk_0
he was a faithful Christian, faithful believer,
spk_0
but when he was an old man,
spk_0
he got put on trial there before the Roman Pro Council,
spk_0
brought into the arena before everybody,
spk_0
and was given a choice.
spk_0
The choice to Polly Carp was this.
spk_0
We need you to hail Caesar and curse Christ or die.
spk_0
Old man, been there, done a lot of good things,
spk_0
and in front of everybody,
spk_0
we need you to hail Caesar, curse Christ or die.
spk_0
And as an older, frail man,
spk_0
he says these very famous words.
spk_0
He says this,
spk_0
AD in six years, I have served him,
spk_0
and he has done me no wrong.
spk_0
How then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?
spk_0
And with that, they killed him.
spk_0
Hail Caesar and curse Christ.
spk_0
I've been serving him for 86 years.
spk_0
He's my king.
spk_0
He saved me.
spk_0
Why the world would I blaspheme him?
spk_0
He reigns, and he knows.
spk_0
So I'm gonna faithfully stand here without fear
spk_0
and you do whatever it is that you want to do.
spk_0
My hope and prayers,
spk_0
and the midst of your suffering,
spk_0
of your pain, of your heartache,
spk_0
that Jesus would speak to you,
spk_0
he is raining supreme overall.
spk_0
He knows exactly what you're going through
spk_0
and the calling on all of us as believers
spk_0
is to remain faithful without fear.
spk_0
Let me pray for us.
spk_0
God, I pray for the people in this room
spk_0
that are in the midst of some pain and suffering.
spk_0
Or I know some of the stories, but you know them all.
spk_0
God, I pray that in this moment, you would speak to them.
spk_0
Speak to them specifically.
spk_0
Encourage them, comfort them,
spk_0
guide them,
spk_0
remind them that you're still king
spk_0
and that you know what to go through.
spk_0
And if you're here today and you've never placed your faith
spk_0
in Jesus and life has knocked you to the ground,
spk_0
the only way that you're really and truly going to get back up
spk_0
is by surrendering your life to Jesus Christ.
spk_0
If you've never done that,
spk_0
you can right here and right now
spk_0
and you can receive peace and hope
spk_0
and an abundant life with Christ.
spk_0
If you've never done that, you can just say something like this
spk_0
and if you don't get the word,
spk_0
that's the word, it's important.
spk_0
What's important is what's going on in your heart.
spk_0
Just say something, just say like this,
spk_0
just say today, Jesus, I placed my faith in you
spk_0
for the salvation of my soul,
spk_0
of forgiveness of my sins.
spk_0
I surrender my whole life to you today, Jesus.
spk_0
I turn from my sins and turn to you, Jesus.
spk_0
Thank you for my salvation.
spk_0
Father, I pray for all of us.
spk_0
God, remind us of these truths.
spk_0
God, give us the courage and wisdom to respond
spk_0
and a godly holy matter.
spk_0
We love you, Jesus.
spk_0
Nice to see you, precious and holy name.
spk_0
Amen.