Post by Les Brewer on Nov 12, 2015 21:39:19 GMT
The Lord’s Word to His Church: Smyrna Revelation 2:8–11
I want to draw your attention in a message to the 2nd chapter of Revelation – Revelation, chapter 2 – and I told you a couple of weeks ago when we began this little series that I wanted to give you a perspective on the church living in a pagan world, the church in a hostile environment. And that is exactly what we have in the opening three chapters of the book of Revelation. We have evidence that the church is under persecution, severe persecution.
In chapter 1 of Revelation, as the book unfolds and John introduces himself in verse 9, he says, “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” John, the last living apostle, the time the final decade of the first century. John has been faithful as an apostle, as a preacher, as an evangel. The Lord has used him to give leadership to the churches in Asia Minor, modern Turkey. But as Revelation opens up, John is an exile. He has been sent to basically a prison island, an exile, a penal colony, living on a rock in the Mediterranean where they crushed rocks and did manual labor with no hope of ever escaping. John says he is there because of two things: the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
To continue text sermon please follow this link or scroll down for video message..... www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-473/the-lords-word-to-his-church-smyrna
I want to draw your attention in a message to the 2nd chapter of Revelation – Revelation, chapter 2 – and I told you a couple of weeks ago when we began this little series that I wanted to give you a perspective on the church living in a pagan world, the church in a hostile environment. And that is exactly what we have in the opening three chapters of the book of Revelation. We have evidence that the church is under persecution, severe persecution.
In chapter 1 of Revelation, as the book unfolds and John introduces himself in verse 9, he says, “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” John, the last living apostle, the time the final decade of the first century. John has been faithful as an apostle, as a preacher, as an evangel. The Lord has used him to give leadership to the churches in Asia Minor, modern Turkey. But as Revelation opens up, John is an exile. He has been sent to basically a prison island, an exile, a penal colony, living on a rock in the Mediterranean where they crushed rocks and did manual labor with no hope of ever escaping. John says he is there because of two things: the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
To continue text sermon please follow this link or scroll down for video message..... www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-473/the-lords-word-to-his-church-smyrna
