The Poor but Rich Church – Three Things Christ Knows About the Church of Smyrna
Pastor Tan Thai · Dec 1, 2019
This sermon examines Christ's letter to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:8-11, focusing on three things Christ knows: their suffering, poverty, and the slander of the Jewish community. Though poor and persecuted in the eyes of the world, the church of Smyrna is considered rich and praiseworthy by Christ because of their faithfulness unto death.
The sermon opens with the historical background of Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey), a city that was destroyed and rebuilt – mirroring Christ's self-description as 'the First and the Last, who died and came to life again' (Revelation 2:8). Smyrna is one of only two churches among the seven in Asia Minor that receives no rebuke or correction from Christ. The sermon emphasizes the contrast between the world's evaluation and God's evaluation of a truly faithful church.
The first thing Christ knows is the church's suffering. Believers in Smyrna faced persecution because they refused to worship the Roman emperor and declare Caesar as lord. Smyrna was the first city in Asia Minor to build a temple to the Roman goddess Roma and was later selected to build a temple to Emperor Tiberius. Christians were viewed as 'atheists' because they had no idols, and were accused of rebellion for refusing the Roman practice of exchanging gods. The martyrdom of Bishop Polycarp (156 AD) is cited as the most vivid historical example of faithfulness unto death in this church.
The second thing Christ knows is the poverty of the believers. Most members belonged to the lower rungs of society: slaves, women, hired laborers. Upon believing in Christ, they risked losing their jobs, facing discrimination, and having their property seized. The sermon uses the modern examples of Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A to illustrate the cost of living by biblical convictions in contemporary society. This poverty was not a sign of God's disfavor; rather, Christ declares 'yet you are rich' – true wealth is not measured by material possessions.
The third thing Christ knows is the slander from those who call themselves Jews but whom Christ calls a 'synagogue of Satan' (Revelation 2:9). The Jewish community in Smyrna exploited their exemption from emperor worship to accuse believers before Roman authorities, falsely labeling them as rebels. The sermon explains that a true Jew is not one outwardly, but one whose heart is truly set apart for God (Romans 2:28-29), and warns that outward confession alone is insufficient for salvation if the heart does not truly belong to Christ (Matthew 7:21-23).
The sermon concludes with a call to remain faithful unto death, grounded in Christ's promise to give 'the crown of life' to the one who overcomes (Revelation 2:10-11; James 1:12). It reminds the congregation that genuine faith is revealed through one's attitude in trials, not through material prosperity. Physical death is the first death, but the second death – the lake of fire for eternity – is far more fearful, and only those who remain faithful in Christ are delivered from it.