Revelation 2:8-11 And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things said the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;… "You have a passion for people who are pelted, Dan," said Sir Hugo Mallinger. "I'm sorry for them too; but so far as company goes, it is a bad ground of selection." Our Saviour has a specially tender word to say to the pelted, and He speaks it here. I. SURRENDERS THAT ENRICH; OR THE GAIN OF LOSS FOR CHRIST. We mean that which felt, when he said in speaking of his conversion, "How sweet did it at once become to me to want the sweetness of these toys! And what I feared to be parted from was now a joy to part with!" What constitutes the true wealth of Churches? The number of moneyed men who are in the congregation? Nay, not so; but they become wealthy by accounting all that they possess as a solemn trust, and by employing every talent which they possess for the purpose which the Saviour had in view when He gave it to them. These Christians had not only endured the loss of all things, but they had been called upon to undergo even further ignominy, for they had been compelled to endure reviling and slander. To comfort them, calumny is noted in its relation to God. Perhaps the very virtues of these patient inoffensive people had been misrepresented. What had Christ to say about this form of iniquity? He styles it blasphemy; for Christ always calls things by their right names. Calumny against the saints is really blasphemy against God, for He has taken the comfort and good name of His people under His especial care, quite as much as He has assumed the responsibility of their eternal salvation. "It is our maxim," said , "that we can suffer harm from none, unless we be convicted as doers of evil, or proved to be wicked; you may indeed slay us, but hurt us you cannot." Sublime words truly, from a man who expressed his own reasonable conviction of the consequences of his faith when he said, "I also expect to be entrapped... and to be affixed to the stake." We are invulnerable if we are true to our Saviour, for no weapon which is formed against us can really prosper. Our battle is chiefly won by resistance; let us but wait, and we shall wear out the energies of our enemy and of his helpers. II. STOUT HEARTS FOR STORMY TIMES: THE COURAGE THAT CONQUERS CIRCUMSTANCES. "Fear not," saith Christ, and still continue to fear not. The "unto death" is first and mainly intensive. It marks the sublime quality, and not the continuance of our faith. Although you are robbed, suffer injustice, and are cruelly, slandered, yet fear not. Continue steadfastly in your duty, and be prepared to die rather than yield up what is committed unto you. Poverty, sickness, the loss of good name, bereavement, even death itself: Christ knows them all, for He has Himself endured them, and so He says from experience, "Fear them not!" Let us say about all the hard facts and enemies of our lives what Andrew Fuller said during a crisis in the history of the Baptist Missionary Society, "We do not fear them. We will play the man and fight for the cause of our God, and Jehovah do that which pleases Him." 1. The omniscience of Christ is a ground of courage, for the author of the mischief is known. If God's enemy be the prime mover in our sorrows, we may safely anticipate especial grace to interfere upon our behalf. It is also no small comfort for us to know that the author of our misery is known to God, who will one day tread Satan under our feet. 2. And another source of holy courage is the Divine control of evil, which is seen in the fact that the suffering is limited by Divine wisdom. It is true that ten days are a dreary time while the tribulation endures, but they form, after all, a very insignificant portion of our lives. Is it not a comfort to know that there are no contingencies in our lives that Christ has not provided for, that if, for reasons which will be made clear some day, He determines that ten days' suffering is needful for us, or for others, not more than ten days will be allotted to us. We must endure all that period, but not an hour longer than He deems requisite, for Christ is the judge of our sorrows and the giver of our affliction. 3. Another motive to courage is the fact that God does always actually triumph, and that, however unwillingly, the worst does the best for those who love Him. These Christians were to be tried, and some of them would be killed. It is hard to part with life, even with all the alleviations of the gospel. But these men were likely to die amidst cruel mocking, and with none of the consolations which minister to our loved ones when they pass away from us. Christ may require even this sacrifice of our inclinations of us; at any rate, He expects that if He should demand it, that we should be ready to yield at once to, His requirement. Nor should it be hard for us to do so, for death will only accomplish Christ's bidding. Let us then say to each other, as Annie Bronte said to her sister, "Take courage; take courage." And the more so because courage is no virtue in those who are blessed by the love of Christ; it is only natural. III. And He who exhorts us to be brave furnishes us with STRONG ANTIDOTES FOR SORE EVILS; THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET. 1. In the first place, we should ever keep in mind the fact that Christ has the last word in every conversation, and the completing touch in every work. "I am the First and the Last," He says. "I was the first in raising you, and I will be the last in preserving you. I began the conflict, and I will terminate the fight." A declaration also of our Lord's dignity, and a proof that He judges persons and events. 2. Another antidote to fear will be found in Christ's person and offices, which are a source of unfailing strength. Death has not made an end of Christ; even such agony as He endured has not changed Him. He knows therefore from His own experience what the pangs of death are. "Died He, or in Him did death die?" asks. "What a death that gave death its deathblow!" And to the victor who will seek to conquer his own timidity, and will persevere to the end, the Saviour promises a crown of life. Kingly life, the dignities and happiness of heaven, are here promised to those who will be faithful. As against the loss of a life which is burdened with care at the best, and is often embittered by failure and sin, our Saviour promises a better life, which is to come. Over the entrance of Thornbury Castle there is a scroll upon which is inscribed "Doresenevant." This is an old French word which signifies "Hence-forward," or "Hereafter." The builder was a Duke of Buckingham, who thus expressed his sanguine hopes with regard to the English crown. We may truly say "Hereafter," and the watchword should nerve us to endure the period of waiting for our kingdom, because one day we too shall be crowned. (J. J. Ellis.) Parallel Verses KJV: And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; |
    |