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. A And if you would just swear by Caesar, recant Christ, just let them go. Youre going to suffer. We know what the commentator says, and we know what the politician says, and we know what the philosopher says, and we know what the academician says. Instead of worshipping as they should, they play golf on Sunday mornings or they go the race track or they go fishing. Because the one who overcomes this present, temporary, fleeting pain will not be pained by the second and everlasting death. Supreme love for Jesus our Lord(Luke 14:25-26), A. In order to be faithful, we must put God first in our lives-You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt. I AM the LIFE. Smyrna was a very pro-Rome city. If youre faithful unto death, you will get the crown of life. They were most affluent and well-to-do. Or do with your weekends what everyone else would do. The Importance of Christs Resurrection UNTO DEATH THE MARKS OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN, I. If I die, praise His name, it is to be with Him. It is a place on which somebody is executed, a cross. Foursquare. Inspirational devotions delivered right to your email inbox. I started with the story of Polycarp. 10/18/2006 15:58). Oh, by the way, its while Jesus Christ was reigning as King forever. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. We will suffer. 1 Corinthians 15:1-58, Denomination: Or suppose I were to stand in this pulpit and lecture on the humanities, or any subject you would choose to name: philosophy, psychology, medicine, astronomy, anything. It would be possible for one to worship weekly and yet be as unfaithful as one who seldom, if ever, attended. Paul takes a look around as he gives his last testimony. It is a great vast city, today called Izmir. And if the challenge in Ephesus was lovelessness, here it is the hatred of those who do not love Christ, or love the truth. Almost half of those were murdered, starved, died in prison camps in the Soviet Union. . They believed the promises and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims in this earth [Hebrews 11:13]: Now, they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: And I turn the pages of the Book, And I John, saw that holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband [Revelation 21:2]. All of us do. The first one is this: and I take these out of the Bible, out of the New Testament. The Resurrection of Jesus says it all. Paul said, None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy (Acts 20:24). This morning, we want to examine the biblical teachings concerning our faithfulness and call us to faithfulness to God. He literally opens up his heart and lets The word staphanos, Stephen, means crown. And when the Lord says, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life, it could be a diadem, a royal crown. Certainly Christians in many places are relatively free from that threat, but at all times there will be part of the Church that will be called upon to make the good confession in the midst of danger, hostility, and death. Faith, trust, commitment brings God into our lives and into our scene; and faith knows absolutely nothing about defeat. Committed to a belief in another world(Colossians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:19), A. Clarence This letter reported this man was certainly one of the elect. The other place it is used is to describe the face of that young man. Isa 38:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. This lesson examines the Rev. WebIts a very tender and touching sceneone of the most moving and heartwarming farewell speeches thats ever been recorded in literature. It appears that some 65 years earlier the Christian church in Smyrna was facing many of the same trials. Our home is not here, it is there [John 14:1-3; Reveltion 21:1-5]. The clouds are boiling and the face of the heaven is angry. And it is one of the seven churches of Asia [Revelation 2:1-3:22]: Ephesus, and then right north, Smyrna. It is required in stewards that one be found faithful (1 Cor. That is what the Bible said about Jesus: Jesus, looking upon him, loved him [Mark 10:21]. An unswerving continuance in the Word of Number one pray for the persecuted Church. Faithfulness. The love of God is a powerful force in our efforts to be faithful. Files Audio Faithful Unto Death (Video) Notes Transcript After several months of study we have come to the concluding passage of 1st John. Come. 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 our Lord was on the way to Jerusalem to die, in Perea on the other side of Jordan, He was met, accosted in a town over there by a rich young ruler [Mark 10:17-22]. Pray for the persecuted church. The fourth characteristic, the fourth mark of a true disciple of our Lordone who continues unswervingly in the Word of God. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. I trust everyone understands the significance of the Gospel in relation to salvation in Christ. empty and heart broken(1 John 2:15-17), IV. 8:14). He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. But faith has ten thousand answers for every how. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 14 views Watch this sermon on a Roku or Apple TV! Suppose I were to stand in this pulpit and speak and discuss English literature three times once a week? Its called the Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians. EASTER SUNDAY 2014 SERMON Its a very human response to fear death. You dont reject your Savior. He said, Now if you want to learn the doctrine of Christianity, name a day and give me a hearing. The proconsul told Polycarp, No, persuade the people of your Christianity. Polycarp replied that he had been taught to respect the rulers and authorities and he would be happy to meet with the proconsul, but this was a lawless mob and he wasnt going to waste his time., So the proconsul said, I have wild beasts if you dont change your mind. Polycarp said, Call for them. The proconsul said, You will be consumed by the fire. Polycarp said, You threaten with a fire that burns only briefly and after just a little while is extinguished, for you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. Denial of self(Matthew 16:24-25), A. So they didnt have the same protection. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it. That is to say, even in Charlotte, North Carolina should you be a true, passionate, on fire, biblical Christian, absolutely in love with Jesus, no matter what it counts, at some point you will face opposition. How do you respond when you are living your best, walking by faith, serving God and the bottom falls out? Would it be murder, rape, spouse abuse, adultery, theft, gambling, or perhaps lying? We Christians must be faithful. This is the apocalypse revelation written down by John, who was a Jew, so we ought not take this to be some sort of anti-Jewish polemic. Hes already won. Colossians 3:2: Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. First Corinthians 15:19: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.. Suppose I were to stand in this pulpitI majored in English in college, and I love English literature. Just do the sacrifices, just do the ritual, and if you want to say youre doing it to the emperors as rulers, to honor them, and not as gods, then so be it. And this allowed the Jews and the Romans to coexist. We can remember the great examples of Scripture. I absolutely love how the story ends. 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. They could offer sacrifices in honor of the emperors, not as gods but as rulers. 2 Kings 2:1-12. Suffering. Therefore, when he was brought before him, the proconsul, so the governor, asked if he were Polycarp, and when he confessed that he was, the proconsul tried to persuade him to recant, saying Have respect for your age and other such things as they were accustomed to say. 5:17)-His point is that Elijah was a human being just like everyone else, yet his prayers accomplished much. He comes with comfort, and notice He comes with commands. You cannot help but admire this young man. Remembering the things of God will help us overcome temptation. So some of the Jews no longer had qualms about revering Caesar along with the Old Testament God, as is often the pressure to syncretism. While we stand and while we pray. It is an instrument of execution, and when I am invited to take up my cross, I am invited to die to myself that I might live to the Lord. The same thing is true of those in Hebrews 11. Lets get a sense of that words meaning in The first death is not avoidable. Title: Death of two great patriarchs Psalms 20:5-6 Lets pray. A sixth characteristic of the true disciple of Christ: a fervent love for the people of God. But if I abdicate the throne, and no longer is itself, but if I enthrone my Lord, life becomes infinitely blessed, infinitely precious, infinitely meaningful. In Mark 5, in Matthew 9, and Luke 8, they laughed Him to scorn at Capernaum [Mark 5:40; Matthew 9:24; Luke 8:53]. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Once they become a Christians, they begin visiting the sick and shut-in but its just too much trouble so they quit. You cannot fail in Godnever, ever, ever. My fortieth year as a pastor still preaching the Word, V. A continuing living faith in Christ, A. The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways (Prov. After their conversion, they stop using alcohol but after a while they begin using it again. So many fall away because they are selfish-they dont care what God says theyre going to do what they want to do. And unbelief will ask, How can such a thing be? He was soon to dieto be rejected [Mark 10:32-34]. Truly, temptations----works of the devil challenge our daily thoughts and decisions. Listen to the words of our Lord in Luke 6:26: Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! We are not in this world to be acclaimed, we are to be true to our Lord, no matter what repudiation or scoffing or scorning. When the crowd learned that it would not be possible to set a lion loose, thats what they called for, then they shouted for him to be burned alive. For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. Matthew 10:38: He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. And Matthew 16:24: If any one will come after Me, let him . For the white city thats soon coming down. Say away with the atheists. And I dont know if this meant to be humorous at the moment of his almost death, but heres the story Polycarp solemnly looked at the whole crowd of lawless heathen who were in the stadium. read more, Scripture: a man loves the world and the things that are in it, he will find his hands Never. As we begin the New Year, I felt compelled to preach a series that deals with the foundational element of our faith the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can remember the love that God has for us. WebBe thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. He knew they would be tested severely. And whenever you see a monument to Nathan Hale, you will find inscribed the last word that he said, I regret I have but one life to lose for my country. That is a little comparable patriotic devotion, like us in our supreme love for Christ. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me? There proconsul continue to press him to recant Christ and swear by Caesar and Polycarp refused. Some believe godly living, great faith and positive thinking will exempt them from trials. Come. Were at 7, 8 now? knows nothing about defeat (Romans 4:17-21, Genesis What is preventing you from being faithful? Some of you will be thrown into prison for a time. Probably dates to around 108 A.D., that is shortly after the death of Ignatius. Wed be fooling ourselves to make any sort of comparison. Theres no point in being fearful now. He comes with comfort. There is one surviving document we know that came from Polycarp. Because if were reading Scripture, well have the power to overcome temptation. But we also know that suffering brings with it many temptations. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. His townspeople where He grew up in Nazareth took Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built to cast Him along to His death [Luke 4:28-29]. Fawcett converted listening to George Whitefield preach, 1. love for Him so great, any other in comparison is as hate, B. II Kings 2:1-12 The third thing that had happened is by the end of the first century, some Jews had compromised with Rome. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarahs womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith being fully persuaded that, what God had promised, He was able to perform. We come to see that the thing of value is not speed but endurance. You, too, can read that. He was arrested by Herod when Philip of Tralles was high priest, during the proconsulship of Statius Quadratus, but while Jesus Christ was reigning as King forever. The second death is. After the resurrection 6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faithFor by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of 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.. A study of Johns presence at the cross will help us in the pursuit of faithfulness. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) Its been translated into English. When that moment comes, you trust that the Lord gives you the words to say, gives you the courage. . It is far too easy to go through the motions of being faithful without really being faithful. Instead, He told them to be faithful unto death. They assume they will go to heaven. When I was a youth growing up, Clarence Darrow, the great agnostic and atheist, literally covered the horizon in the legal profession. And they will come and go, and the worse they can do to you is put you to death. Dont you find those martyrdom stories inspiring and yet utterly overwhelming? Or it could refer to a garland, a victors crown. The No one is agathai but One, that is, God [Mark 10:18]. Dr. Matthew Everhard A Compelling Conclusion (Part 1) # 18 And that is our invitation to you: a family gathering the children coming to be with us in our pilgrimage to heaven, a couple you, or a one somebody you, Pastor, today we have decided for God, and here we stand. As the Spirit shall press the appeal to your heart, that decision you make, if it is for God, will be the sweetest and most meaningful you will ever know in your life. I dont invite it. The Lord said, if we are faithful unto death, He would give us a CROWN OF LIFE. Currently 160,000 Christians, by one estimate, are martyred every year. When we think of all Jesus endured to save our souls, how could we not be faithful? FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH As your mind scans His life from the wilderness temptations to the last agonizing utterance from the cross, He is observed to be faithful. That is our faith. You couldnt see their god, so they said they were atheists. Deuteronomy 2:1-15, Denomination: The church in Smyrna was a church of paradoxes. Kids, young people, you will face even more pressures. His face beneath the cross is the face of faithfulness. We are called to be a people of the Gospel; the Gospel must be central to our lives. It is used twice in the Bible. As long as Christianity was a sect of Judaism, there was little trouble. We all love to be praised. The connection of this passage will help us to understand its meaning. All seven of the churches of Asia have some castigation from our Lord except this church. Now, before I speak of another, may I pause to avow; there is never, ever, a defeat, never in our commitment to our Lord. When the boy was sixteen years old, he went to hear George Whitefield preach, and he was converted; wonderfully converted, listening to George Whitefield preach the gospel. And the Lord, looking deep in the soul of the young fellow, said to him, Your heart is in the world. Yet Paul told Timothy that anyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 23127). Many of us would say that murder is worthy of the death penalty; and if any of us had a child that were raped, we would probably believe the person who John 19:17-27. Matthew 16:24-25: If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Genesis 50:1-26, Denomination: Or whether we die or whether we live, we are with Him [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. A. Its the basic foundation of the Christian faith it is fundamental 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. WebTrue faithfulness to God is maintained to the end. FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH II Kings 2:1-12 For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. You may say, Well, wait a minute, Pastor. And you cannot enter heaven loving the wrong world. Thats what it is. General Washington needed information concerning the British troops. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. And because of the necessity pressed upon him in his growing family, he accepted an affluent church in London. Then finally, number three let us remember death is not the enemy. You have no picture of what actually that word describes at all in He was sad at that saying. The word is stugnaz. Well, Jesus said something about this. Some of you perhaps pray for it every day, that would be wonderful. When one is baptized into Christ and becomes a Christian, he begins a new life ( Rom. Any psychologist, any psychologist, will tell you that one of the driving forces in human life is to be acceptableespecially to be acclaimed among our peers. Jesus is not going to lose. And dont be afraid about what you would do and what you would be like should you face, the church at Smyrna, what they faced. Revile Christ. This was typical Roman procedure. [Luke 9:62]: No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.. It had been for a long time. 8 billion called themselves Christians in some broadest sense of the word. Thats the promise in verse 11. Now may I give, point out a poignant illustration of that in the Word of God? Oh, what a beautiful thing, a precious thing, a wonderful thing: to love our Lord and to follow humbly in the way of Jesus! I would never think to say, Away with the atheists. I would Would I stand fast? So, what is this sin? 5-12-03 We read when the magistrate persisted and said, Swear the oath and I will release you. Often looking with no purpose. The Bible discusses faithfulness as being much more than worshipping God. Number two let us be faithful even in our limited kinds of persecution. Thats the cry in each one of these churches. So he tells him, Swear by Caesar, or recant. In 23 B.C. Theme: Show the faith of these two great patriarchs. Are you faithful? 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. And a youngster wants to belong to the group. This was the problem with the Ephesian church-I have this against you, that you have left your first love (Rev. Certain things I try to pray for each day, certain things I try to pray for on a day of the week, and persecuted church is one of those. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important way stations that become a part of our pilgrimage. . The tragic and terrible civil war he was fighting in his heart registered in his countenance, stugnaz; and he lost the battle. 1 Corinthians 15: 3-4 Faithfulness is required for all four quarters, all three periods, all nine innings. And He took him out under the chalice of the night sky and said, Abraham, count the stars. And Abraham said, Lord, I cannot count that many. And God said, So shall thy seed be [Genesis 15:3-5]. Will you praise Him in pain? And worse than strange, is thought hateful. Knowing that we are not facing these exact circumstances, and we can be thankful for it, what does this mean for us? Revelation chapter 2, beginning at verse 8. And God said, Abraham, come here. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important I. ON POINT, I 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%. FAITHFUL That was the comfort for the church at Smyrna. It is like manna from heaven to a hungry heart. Hebrews 9:24-27. today we want to focus our attention on John. This comes in chapter 21, the final chapter in some of the manuscripts of The Martyrdom of Polycarp. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. Revelation 2:10, Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Now, before I mention the last one may I recapitulate? Where is your? Yes, death is an enemy for sure, but there is a worse enemy. We allow ourselves to be involved in so many activities that we no longer have the time to devote to Bible study and prayer. Jesus knows. If they overcome in the first death, they will not be hurt by the second death. And when they turned to drive away, his wife burst into tears and said, John, John, how can we do this? Jesus does not offer a rebuke to Smyrna. Text: Genesis 49:28-50 [The Pearly White City, Arthur F. Ingler]. Heres the mayor, heres the governor, heres the president. Selfishness prevents people from being faithful. But I do not have a child and I am old and my wife is old. However, to sin is an everyday reality of truth---a reality of faith. There was a price on the head of our Lord. False doctrine leads many astray. May angels attend you in the way as you come. So we dont have to long for it and want it. The young fellow knelt down before the Lord [Mark 10:17]. However fate or providence may assail us, our commitment to our Lord is, first, and supreme. Father in heaven, we give thanks for Your many blessings. Ritual of piercing the ear of a slave who refuses to leave his master after So the first command to the Church dont be afraid what youre about to suffer. [Matthew 19:20; Mark 10:20]. Continuing with our series through the seven letters to the seven churches, this morning to the church in Smyrna. But as Polycarp entered the stadium, there came a voice from heaven: Be strong, Polycarp, and courageous. Or some translations, be strong and play the man. And no one saw the speaker, but those of our people who were present heard the voice and then, as he was brought forward, there was a great uproar when they heard that Polycarp had been arrested. 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]. It is a message to Be faithful until death.. He motioned toward them with his hand and then groaning as he looked up to heaven said, Away with the atheists. Meaning the atheists. Number one let us pray for the persecuted church. I would love to be a professor of English literature. Which naturally leads to the second command, at the end of verse 10 Be faithful unto death. Two commands. This is the pastor bringing the message entitled Faithful Unto Death. But look at Jesus (John 1:10-11, Mark 5:40, by 15:9). It may be in the workplace when you will not agree to do the advertising campaign they want to do, or the training that theyre making everyone do. The Basis of the Gospel INTRODUCTION: Just looking in department stores. I dont want it to come. You allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols (Rev. Evangelical/Non-Denominational. 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. There are absolutes in the Christian life. Each sermon has to do with our Christian life down here in the earth. The love of your life is in money. But to be left out like a lone, lost black sheep is to be hurt and the child is a thousand times sensitive to it. Which leads to a second point of application. The master of the house was to take an awl, a punch, and pierce the ear of the slave and drive it against the wall, against the door of the house; a sign and a symbol that this slave was driven to the loving service of his master forever [Deuteronomy 15:16-17]. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. 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. William Akehurst HSWC Evil influences prevent people from being faithful. take up his cross, and follow Me. The cross is an instrument of death. Now even saying it that way can make us nervous, is this anti-Semitism? They think theres a way to avoid death and they dont have to think because everyone just goes to heaven and consequently most people spend more time trying to avoid death than they do spending time preparing and making sure theyre on the path to heaven. It has never happened in the history of the world. Do not be afraid. WebUnto death! There was That is the mark of a disciple of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. We have been encouraged and greatly challenged in our personal walk with the Lord. And yet, my God, keep me from turning back. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. Those who seem to be strong in the faith prove to not have been in the faith. Or see the movie or tell the jokes or visit the websites that everyone else. 1:6). He gained the information, but on his way back to report to General Washington he was recognized and seized and hanged in what is today New York City, on Market Street and East Broadway. 2014.04.20 HE AROSE and you can too! 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