1. Jesus is saying to be prepared. This is consistent with what we talked about a few weeks ago: “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” Smyrna was at the heart of the Spiritual battle, already being persecuted, and Jesus is saying be prepared for more. Today, are you prepared for persecution? Are you prepared to be misunderstood for following Jesus, to be ostracized, to lose friendships, job, to become poor in the eyes of the world, but rich in the eyes of God? This is a convicting thought, because let’s be honest, we don’t like to talk about this, because we live under the illusion of freedom – know this: few nations have lasted longer than 200 years, and the fall of a nation begins from within, when morality, in- fighting, and apathy lead to its ultimate demise – this is not doom and gloom, but look around – we must be prepared

2. Jesus is saying the persecution is part of following him. John 15:18-21 – Jesus clearly says we will identify with him in suffering – this is hard truth – 2 Timothy 3:12 – it should be the reality of every believer – What is your faith costing you? Is your reputation that of a Christ-follower, or would you say that you are more a CINO, following out of convenience – Our lives should look different – how we spend our money, how we spend our free time, how we talk, how we work, how we play – It should ALL REFLECT A COUNTER-CULTURE –

3. Jesus is saying it is worth it in light of eternity. Without an eternal perspective, none of this will make sense – James 4:14 says it best, “Your life is a vapor” – without an eternal perspective, you will continue to give yourself to things that don’t matter – and, let me take a step further – you can store up treasure here or in heaven – Does this mean you should quit your job, sell your possessions and go live in a 3rd world country? Maybe, but more likely it means you have to begin to leverage what God has given you for his purposes and not your own. What is sure is that there is a 2nd death for those who reject Jesus, Matthew 7:22-23 and we should be sure that we understand how to live in Jesus so we can receive the victor’s crown in eternity.