We have been encouraged and greatly challenged in our personal walk with the Lord. We always face death as Christians remembering that our God has promised us a resurrection. Suffering is suffering. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. take up his cross, and follow Me. The cross is an instrument of death. 6:9). He wants to be acclaimed and accepted and praised by them. Well be here listening. It is one of the truths of life. There was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in me sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up (1 Ki. Say away with the atheist.. 5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. A fervent love for the people of God(John 13:34-35, 15:12-13, 17, 1 John 3:14, 4:7, 11), A. John repudiation of the world, a. Jesus Some of you will be thrown into prison for a time. WebUnto death! It has never happened in the history of the world. . will tell you one of the driving forces in human life is to be accepted, Deliberately choosing the cross(Matthew 10:38, 16:24), 1. Listening to a man expound the unsearchable riches of the Word of God. The real hero is not he who makes the fastest schedule but he who lasts the longest. He famously died a martyrs death in 155 or 156, and when he died the church at Smyrna sent out a letter, To tell the story of those who have suffered martyrdom, especially blessed Polycarp, who as though he had set his seal by his martyrdom brought the persecution to an end.. Yet Paul told Timothy that anyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But we also know that suffering brings with it many temptations. read more, Scripture: The weakness of men, universally, is to please one another. Of course it does. WebWe know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. [First John] 4:7, Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth Holiness. And the Lord noticed it. . IF we are in CHRIST. He was soon to dieto be rejected [Mark 10:32-34]. Amen. (Revelation 2:8-11) And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are How do you respond when you are living your best, walking by faith, serving God and the bottom falls out? 5:17; And of those 8 billion Christians in the 2000 years since Christ, even nominally Christian, about 70 million have been martyred by one definition or another, a little less than 1%. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) But in 1776, he joined the Revolutionary Army. In 23 B.C. heroes of the faith(Hebrews 11:9-10, 16), 1. So the first command to the Church dont be afraid what youre about to suffer. The one who overcomes, who conquers, will not be hurt by the second death, that is, the eternal punishment in the lake of fire. By a living faith, I mean one consumed with one desireto please our Lord. Evil influences prevent people from being faithful. It would be possible for one to worship weekly and yet be as unfaithful as one who seldom, if ever, attended. In fact, Polycarp was a disciple of John, who wrote this book of Revelation. EASTER SUNDAY 2014 SERMON We all love to be accepted. God(John 8:31-32, 14:23-24), A. 1 John 5:16-18, ON POINT, III We allow ourselves to be involved in so many activities that we no longer have the time to devote to Bible study and prayer. A third characteristic of the true child of Christ: we are one who has deliberately chosen the cross. He told the disciples do not worry about what you will say in that day. You have no picture of what actually that word describes at all in He was sad at that saying. The word is stugnaz. Files Audio Faithful Unto Death (Video) Notes Transcript . [He] went inside the house and sat down and wrote what I think is the most preciously beautiful hymn in the English language. The clouds are boiling and the face of the heaven is angry. Romans 1:17, Denomination: It is like manna from heaven to a hungry heart. read more, Scripture: Dont you find those martyrdom stories inspiring and yet utterly overwhelming? 4:2). If they refuse to swear by Caesar, if they refuse to worship our gods, then we must punish them., Polycarp replied, For 86 years I have been His servant and He has done me no wrong. He literally opens up his heart and lets us look inside. 31:23). Were at 7, 8 now? 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he Faithfulness. Pastor Wayne Tindale Or do with your weekends what everyone else would do. 23127). Certainly under all of the rules of logic the one who assumes that an apparently dead person is still alive should be able to produce substantial proof. This lesson examines the Rev. The love of God is a powerful force in our efforts to be faithful. Committed to a belief in another world(Colossians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:19), A. Clarence Genesis 49 Be faithful even unto the point of death because brother, sister, friend, when youre faithful to the point of death for Jesus, you get a crown of life. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, It had a fierce loyalty to the Caesar, to the Emperor. read more, Scripture: The other place it is used is to describe the face of that young man. Foursquare. read more, Scripture: He knows the fear that you have. Death has no power over anyone who is in me! Thats why Jesus is able to say in verse 10, Be faithful unto death, and I will give you Any Amazon link on this site is an ad. And in Jerusalem, they nailed Him to a cross [Matthew 27:32-50]. Lets pray. Not only that, but to receive from Jesus this comfort, its not simply the comfort of a really good friend who can put an arm around you or a counselor or a therapist or a pastor who can listen to you say and say, I feel so bad for you.. We are given by choice, by volition, to our Lord and Master forever. Genesis 50:1-26, Denomination: 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, [NEW YEAR] 4-Week Series to kick off 2023, [PRODUCTIVITY] Fulfill your full potential, [FOUNDATIONS] Getting back to what matters most. I started with the story of Polycarp. For the white city thats soon coming down. A long time ago, in the 1700s in a little town in Yorkshire, a county in northern England, there was a very, very poor family. Elishas dedication to Elijah might The author of Hebrews had just finished writing about great men and women of faith-He wrote about how they obeyed God out of their faith. I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You (Ps. I AM the LIFE. 2:10). And I wonder if those of you this morning who are facing uncertain times, facing hardships, illness, chronic problems, test results, wayward family members Can you hear this comfort? He lived to be 86 years old, and for the second half of his life he served as the bishop of Smyrna, which we just read is the second city in Revelation, today the modern city of Izmir in Turkey. Because when the Lord looked into the heart of that rich, young ruler, he loved things more than he loved God [Matthew 19:21-22; Mark 10:21-22]. Friends. We come to see that the thing of value is not speed but endurance. You couldnt help but know a man like that. We are called to be a people of the Gospel; the Gospel must be central to our lives. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. They are clear and unequivocal; the first one is this: supreme love for Jesus our Lord. He was called to be pastor of a little church in a little town in Yorkshire called Wainsgate. WebIts a very tender and touching sceneone of the most moving and heartwarming farewell speeches thats ever been recorded in literature. THREE IMPORTANT LOOKS OR PAUL'S LAST TESTIMONY This is a study of the book of Genesis. Why didnt the Lord say that to him? Losing focus of whats important in life prevents people from being faithful. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.. They were most affluent and well-to-do. Jesus knows. William Akehurst HSWC You dont get angry with God. II Kings 2:1-12 Whatever the church is facing, and here in Smyrna it was persecution, hatred, opposition, suffering, what they need to see more than anything is not a 12-step plan, not a 3 steps to their better life now, they need to know ultimate reality of the One who sits on the throne and they need to know the ultimate reality that will be theirs should they be faithful unto death. The major influence for me on this study of Genesis is The Genesis Record by Henry Morris. For Jesus sake we pray. Heres the key-those men and women were just like we are. More were killed by other religious groups, and far and away, most of those Christian martyrs were killed by the state, some 55 million out of those 70 million. Scripture is a powerful force in our efforts to remain faithful-You must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them (2 Tim. Please, sir, your Majesty, said the pastor, could you grant pardon to the boy? He did it. And when John Fawcett stood and preached before the king, the king was so moved he said to the preacher, Ask anything and I will give it to thee. And the wonderful preacher replied, Sir, I have nothing for myself, but one of my families has a boy, a wayward boy who faces the sentence of death for forgery, in the strict laws of that time. Its called the Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians. He dressed like a Tory schoolmaster. Or suppose I were to stand here, and if I were trained to be a scientist; suppose I were to lecture on science three times every week? Why Jesus, in His letter to the church at Smyrna, instruct those Christians to Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.. Faithfulness means you keep bearing witness to Jesus. The Bible discusses faithfulness as being much more than worshipping God. But when that acclamation and acceptance violates our commitment to Christ, it is to be repudiated by the disciple of our Lord. To us, we use the word cross to refer to some handicap or some suffering or some disappointment, I have an incorrigible child, an obstreperous child, and it is a cross for me to bear. Or, I have some physical ailment, I have a cross to bear. Or, I have a frustration or a disappointment in my life; it is my cross. There is no such idea of that in the Bible; in the Scriptures a cross is something to die on. . For me I have it written down. Since we know that God will richly reward us, we should be faithful. read more, Scripture: Nathan Hale entered Yale University as a ministerial student studying to be a preacher. But what our Lord refers to is, compared to our love for Himour supreme devotion to Himall other love for wife, child, home, brother, sisters, all other love, compared to our love for Christ is as hate; our supreme love for Christ. 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