Faithfulness means you keep bearing witness to Jesus. FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH If I die, praise His name, it is to be with Him. That number of about 0.8% of Christians throughout history, in fact, has been constant over many centuries. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is Its a very human response to fear death. That sadly has happened. Some of you will be thrown into prison for a time. Charles Wesley was an Anglican minister. ( Rev. knows nothing about defeat (Romans 4:17-21, Genesis And worse than strange, is thought hateful. That grace, should that come, and for most of us, maybe all of us, it wont come like that, but when the opposition comes, when the moment comes at your workplace, youre going to go along with this program or who knows what happens to your job. Give it up and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 5:14)-Just as Christs love compelled Paul to evangelize, it should compel us to live holy lives. One, starting with Nero, Christians were blamed for things in Rome and were being persecuted, at least intermittently. repudiation of the world, a. Jesus There are absolutes in the Christian life. However, to sin is an everyday reality of truth---a reality of faith. That is what the Bible said about Jesus: Jesus, looking upon him, loved him [Mark 10:21]. It may be in your classroom, when they think that all your beliefs make you a bigot. But to be repudiated and to be censored and to be disliked is a terrible thing to bear. 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? And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. The clouds are boiling and the face of the heaven is angry. However, many Christians are not as faithful as they need to be in their service to God. Truly, temptations----works of the devil challenge our daily thoughts and decisions. In fact, Polycarp was a disciple of John, who wrote this book of Revelation. So the men prepared the pyre and stripped Polycarp of his clothes, and as they were about to nail him to the stake, Polycarp interrupted. 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. 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. Let me finish, then, where we started. We 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 is born of God. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another [1 John 4:11]. So if we have a late date for Revelation around 90 A.D., then this is some 65 years later, not that long. The How do you respond when you are living your best, walking by faith, serving God and the bottom falls out? Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) Nathan Hale entered Yale University as a ministerial student studying to be a preacher. The Resurrection of Jesus says it all. You, too, can read that. We dont have a little God. We respond in Faith! Supreme love for Jesus our Lord(Luke 14:25-26), A. It was the first city, in fact, in the ancient world, to build a temple in honor of Rome. When the lad was thirteen years old, because of the poverty of the family, they sent him away to London; there apprenticed him to a tailorjust receiving something to eat and something to wear. Pleasure leads many to neglect the Lord. by choice to our Lord and Master forever, 1. Matthew 9:24, Luke 8:53), 2. In Matthew 16:3 Jesus uses it describing the face of a sky before a violent storm. So the first command to the Church dont be afraid what youre about to suffer. Now even saying it that way can make us nervous, is this anti-Semitism? UNTO DEATH THE MARKS OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN, I. Since we know that God will richly reward us, we should be faithful. John 19:17-27. The LORD preserves the faithful (Ps. 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 Holiness. The Importance of Christs Resurrection WebIts a very tender and touching sceneone of the most moving and heartwarming farewell speeches thats ever been recorded in literature. And it is one of the seven churches of Asia [Revelation 2:1-3:22]: Ephesus, and then right north, Smyrna. And the Lord noticed it. It is a place on which somebody is executed, a cross. 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. read more, Scripture: Genesis 50:1-26, Denomination: That is the child of God. The third thing that had happened is by the end of the first century, some Jews had compromised with Rome. Some of you perhaps pray for it every day, that would be wonderful. Listen to this: Romans 4:17: God, who quickeneth the dead, calleth those things which be not as though they were, Abraham [Genesis 17:5], against hope, believed in hope. We can remember the love that God has for us. Ritual of piercing the ear of a slave who refuses to leave his master after Of those 70 million that scholars estimate, 70 million Christian martyrs in the history of the Church, 45 million were killed in the 20th century, in the last 100 years. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Would to God we had ten thousand lives to offer to Jesus. Centuries earlier, during the period when Rome was struggling with Carthage for supremacy, Smyrna sided with the Romans. I read in the Book of Hebrews beginning at the eleventh chapter beginning at verse 9: By faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange countryFor he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Our WebSermons by Bible: Sermons by Category: Sermons by Topic: Sermons by Speaker: Sermons by Language: Sermons by Date: Staff Picks: Comments, ALL -0 sec: Top Sermons: Online Bible: Hymnal: Daily Reading: About | $1 Signup! 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. 15:58). Smyrna won the special privilege to build a temple to Emperor Tiberius. 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. Tempted to disbelieve the Word of God. This is the pastor bringing the message entitled Faithful Unto Death. WebFeaturing a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and is the most effective way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands including all mobile platforms + newsletter. read more, Scripture: Polycarp was born in A.D. 69, so just before the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the Temple, well within the lifespan of some who would have been eyewitnesses to Christ and his work. Picking things up after Polycarp has been arrested and hes being brought into the stadium in Smyrna. You cannot help but admire this young man. Near the close of the previous chapter Paul had said," The law entered that the offence might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did much more Call to worship: Revile Christ. This was typical Roman procedure. If only everyone could live knowing deeply this one true fact. Most of us, if were honest, are scared of suffering. Title: Death of two great patriarchs but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. When a man loves the world and the things that are in the world, the day finally comes when he finds his hands empty and his heart broken. It was a difficult situation. 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. 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. Faithfulness. Individuals become Christians and know the truth, but they have a friend who attends a denominational church, so they attend every now and then, and before they know it, they believe what that church teaches. Romans 6: 10-23 And what you do and what you believe and how you carry yourself is thought strange? Number one pray for the persecuted Church. It is in riches. 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 Rev. In fact, we do. Jesus calls us to overcome. [My Glorious Victor, Prince Divine, Handley C.G. That is the mark of a disciple of Christ. And our Lord, bless these to whom the Holy Spirit makes appeal this morning; some to put their lives with us in the church, some to follow our blessed Lord Jesus in baptism [Matthew 3:13-17], some to accept Thee as Savior; bless each one. Faithfulness involves giving our whole heart to God and trying to please him each day we live. And He uses the word stugnaz, translated lowering, the sky is stugnaz, it is lowering. They were poor, but rich in what really matters. Would I run away? He was called to be pastor of a little church in a little town in Yorkshire called Wainsgate. He was soon to dieto be rejected [Mark 10:32-34]. Now, before I mention the last one may I recapitulate? It tarries through the last breath. Pray for the persecuted church. And it happens. Polycarp by all accounts was a venerable man, highly respected for his holiness and orthodoxy. They assume they will go to heaven. 2 Kings 2:1-12. It appears that some 65 years earlier the Christian church in Smyrna was facing many of the same trials. Each sermon has to do with our Christian life down here in the earth. In the little city of Bethany, they plotted His death. It was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David (1 Ki. WebTo know Me is to have life! But in 1776, he joined the Revolutionary Army. . And this commandment that we have from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also [1 John 4:21]. You could not help but love him. That is a big number. WebBe faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight. Please, sir, your Majesty, said the pastor, could you grant pardon to the boy? He did it. The most remarkable Polycarp, who proved to be an apostolic and prophetic teacher in our own time, bishop of the catholic church, meaning the orthodox, universal church in Smyrna. [Luke 9:62]: No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.. Many deal with doubt and fear, but it is possible to be certain of salvation and live abundantly in Christ. That was the comfort for the church at Smyrna. And on page four hundred he says, If there is one scrap of proof that we are alive after we are dead, why is not that scrap given to the world? FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH II Kings 2:1-12 For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. And as a youth, I read The Story of My Life by Clarence Darrow. Any Amazon link on this site is an ad. 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