But heres the second thing that had happened in 70 A.D. with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, Judaism and Christianity start to form as two different paths and two different religions, no longer just another sect, Judaism had lots of sects, but as a different religion. Seeing that Polycarp was not being consumed by the fire, they then ordered an executioner to thrust him through with a dagger, and so finally Polycarp was dead.. INTRODUCTION: Just looking in department stores. A. Its the basic foundation of the Christian faith it is fundamental Each sermon has to do with our Christian life down here in the earth. Heres the key-those men and women were just like we are. Pastor Wayne Tindale As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Well, no, notice what this letter says: The slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not. And when they turned to drive away, his wife burst into tears and said, John, John, how can we do this? That right there was meant to be comfort. 5-12-03 Heres part of the story. Romans 6:10-23, Denomination:
It tarries through the last breath. 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. Luke 14:25 and 26: And there went great multitudes with Him: and He turned, and said unto them, If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, his wife, and children, his brothers, and sisters, and yea, his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. If they die faithfully, they get a crown of life. I absolutely love how the story ends. We are given by choice, by volition, to our Lord and Master forever. WebFAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH II Kings 2:1-12 For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. Call to worship: But I do not have a child and I am old and my wife is old. I trust everyone understands the significance of the Gospel in relation to salvation in Christ. Our home is not here, it is there [John 14:1-3; Reveltion 21:1-5]. 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. We see it here in this text its the second death. So 36billion total. 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.. WebBe faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 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. 1: 5).
A fifth characteristic of the true servant of Christhe possesses a continuing and undying faith in our victorious Lord Christ.
It may mean that you are faithful in the midst of opposition, when your own children make different choices, sad choices, sinful choices, and say that you dont love them and youre not loving if you wont affirm what theyre doing. For Jesus sake we pray. The reason our adolescents, our young people, fall into, say, drugs, or into drinking, or into a thousand compromising positions, is because of peer pressure. Listen to what it says: Now the blessed Polycarp was martyred on the second day of the first part of the month Xanthicus, seven days before the Kalends of March, on a great Sabbath, about 2 oclock in the afternoon. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. Will God reward you? Its been translated into English. 10:39). The young fellow knelt down before the Lord [Mark 10:17]. Two commands. A reference to the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Genesis, where Abraham came before God and said, Lord, You say that I am to have a child and then the seed that comes out of my body, my loins, the whole world is be blessed. 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. 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]. Hebrews says since the children have flesh and blood, He, too, shared likewise in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy the one who holds the power of death, that is the devil, and set free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.. And in the second chapter of the Book of the Revelation, in the tenth verse, in the address of our Lord to the church, He says, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life [Revelation 2:10].
Theres no point in being fearful now.
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Come do what you wish. Polycarp was then found guilty of confessing to being a Christian. He literally opens up his heart and lets Amen. 10/18/2006 The tragic and terrible civil war he was fighting in his heart registered in his countenance, stugnaz; and he lost the battle. Which leads to a second point of application. It is like manna from heaven to a hungry heart. Or it could refer to a garland, a victors crown. 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. 21:25). One, starting with Nero, Christians were blamed for things in Rome and were being persecuted, at least intermittently. That was the comfort for the church at Smyrna. General Washington needed information concerning the British troops. We must
When one is baptized into Christ and becomes a Christian, he begins a new life ( Rom. 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
[Matthew 19:20; Mark 10:20]. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
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. The second death is. Give it up. 3 attributes we find in Pauls heart: 1.
We live, we die, we live again. living faith, consumed with one desire to please Him(John 12:42-43), 1. The third thing that had happened is by the end of the first century, some Jews had compromised with Rome. Why didnt the Lord say that to Zaccheus? When we suffer, were tempted to doubt Gods goodness, to question His sovereignty, to find Him less glorious, to wonder if Hes left us or forsaken us. They will be subtle, but they will be there. 2 Kings 2:1-12. Faithfulness involves giving our whole heart to God and trying to please him each day we live. This lesson examines the Rev. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. 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. Losing focus of whats important in life prevents people from being faithful. EASTER SUNDAY 2014 SERMON
Remember, they considered the Christians to be atheists because they didnt have any statues, they didnt have idols. Church Of God, Joshua 2:1-15 THE GREAT ESCAPE Intro: Ill. 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%. 1 Cor 15:14 II Timothy 4:6-8 Paul was looking with
Tempted to disbelieve the Word of God. He hands it back to you doubly blessed; sanctified, hallowed when I place Jesus first in my life. The handles of my plow where tears are wet. That is our faith. Title: The Face of Faithfulness: John He motioned toward them with his hand and then groaning as he looked up to heaven said, Away with the atheists. Meaning the atheists. 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. In fact, this one disqualifying sin will exclude us from ever going to heaven and receiving eternal life. 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.. Suffering. Preacher, just stand up there and tell us what God says. While we sing our appeal a thousand times welcome, come. Romans 1:17, Denomination:
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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. The third characteristicchoosing deliberately the cross, crucifying ourselves and every worldly desire that we have, that we might love God. You may say, Well, wait a minute, Pastor. They were poor, but Jesus says, Youre rich. They were persecuted by Jews who Jesus says were not really Jews. We dont want to exaggerate it, we dont want to claim that were facing what other people are facing. Our reward is not here, it is there [Matthew 5:12]. Lets peer inside Pauls heart, and see whats in there. And on the first anniversary of that wonderful experience, he wrote that marvelous hymn: [O for a Thousand Tongues, Charles Wesley]. There are absolutes in the Christian life. 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. Verse 10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. We have to remember the reality to come which will last forever and the reality that exists now. Remember this is a letter from whom? Fearing death is natural, but Jesus means to set us free. He said you can avoid that second hellish death and though you may face martyrdom, you can live a glorious, joyous life, because on the other side of the first death, is eternal life. This is the one, verse 8, The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. It is in the transcendence of God that His eminence is so much comfort. 1 Corinthians 15: 3-4 This comes in chapter 21, the final chapter in some of the manuscripts of The Martyrdom of Polycarp. The ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity (Lk. We dont have a little God. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother,
When we think of all Jesus endured to save our souls, how could we not be faithful? [Matthew 27:57]. B. If we live as Christians simply to avoid death, we are not living as Jesus would have us live. Text: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. ( Rev. If I could digress here a minute and make a humble and humble observation: Next anniversary, I begin my fortieth year as pastor of this dear churchforty years, beginning. The weakness of men, universally, is to please one another. FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH II Kings 2:1-12 For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. . We have been encouraged and greatly challenged in our personal walk with the Lord. UNTO DEATH THE MARKS OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN, I. read more, Scripture:
WebFaithfulness unto death is Gods standard for human life. THREE IMPORTANT LOOKS OR PAUL'S LAST TESTIMONY 6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he
The governor said, Swear the genius of Caesar. And this commandment that we have from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also [1 John 4:21]. As we remember the words of Scripture, we will be able to fight off temptation and thus remain faithful. So he tells him, Swear by Caesar, or recant. 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]. 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]. Smyrna was a very pro-Rome city. It is one of the marks and the characteristics of a good disciple of Jesus; our love for one another. I love that. Featuring a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and Were at 7, 8 now? Come. 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. And what you do and what you believe and how you carry yourself is thought strange? The apostle John writes in 1 John 2:15-17: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
Later in the letter we read such is the story of blessed Polycarp, although he, together with those from Philadelphia, was the 12th person martyred in Smyrna, he alone is especially remembered by everyone so that he is spoken of everywhere, even by pagans. Repent. THE CHURCH THAT WOULD NOT SURRENDER
Wed be fooling ourselves to make any sort of comparison. WebTo know Me is to have life! The real hero is not he who makes the fastest schedule but he who lasts the longest. 4:10). It is required in stewards that one be found faithful (1 Cor. Isnt that unusual, that you would have a minister really converted? And worse than strange, is thought hateful. The shears with rust are spoiled and yet. Friends. Heres the mayor, heres the governor, heres the president. and the rich young ruler(Mark 10:21-22, Matthew That sadly has happened. Three points of application. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. Knowing that we are not facing these exact circumstances, and we can be thankful for it, what does this mean for us? The other place it is used is to describe the face of that young man. 22:37). Pentecostal. Isaiah 38:1-8, James 1:2-4, 1 John 5:14-15, 1 Peter 3:12, Denomination:
But faith has ten thousand answers for every how. However fate or providence may assail us, our commitment to our Lord is, first, and supreme. The Bible says that Zaccheus was a rich man [Luke 19:1-2]. Well, the magistrate was not happy with this. Every Christian wants to be able to say with the apostle Paul, as he thought about his own death ( 2 Tim. People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? Dont you find those martyrdom stories inspiring and yet utterly overwhelming? Web10/ 9/ 94 FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH REVELATION 2: 10 (PAGE 1785 COME ALIVE BIBLE) JESUS CHRIST is appropriately spoken of as "the faithful witness" (Rev. And as a youth, I read The Story of My Life by Clarence Darrow. 1 Corinthians 15:1-58, Denomination:
I AM the LIFE. read more, Scripture:
A Faithfulness is full time until the end of time. 1 John 5:13-17. [He] went inside the house and sat down and wrote what I think is the most preciously beautiful hymn in the English language. 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. That means we are never turning back. 4:2). There are so many things in this world, which keep people from being faithful. Some believe godly living, great faith and positive thinking will exempt them from trials. Currently 160,000 Christians, by one estimate, are martyred every year. Theyre such a testimony to Gods grace. Smyrna won the special privilege to build a temple to Emperor Tiberius. Our and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Fathers which sent Me. Any true disciple of our Lord has a deep, haunting, never-sated thirst for the word of God. How faithful are you this morning? And you cannot enter heaven loving the wrong world. 12:1). And God said, Abraham, come here. Doubt will say, How? Give it up and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And it is one of the seven churches of Asia [Revelation 2:1-3:22]: Ephesus, and then right north, Smyrna. 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. The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways (Prov. The gate is too strait, and the way is too narrow for a man to enter heaven holding the love of the world in his arms [Matthew 7:13-14]. It had been for a long time. Would I run away? FAITHFUL 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]. Behold the King James Version (KJV) < Previous Verse Next Verse > View Chapter Revelation 2:10 Context Or do with your weekends what everyone else would do. 2 letter from Jesus to the church at Smyrna. Revelation 2:10, Do not fear what you are about to suffer. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal.
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. Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world (2 Tim. He knew what it was to suffer as a man. A sixth characteristic of the true disciple of Christ: a fervent love for the people of God. Our resurrection is dependent on his resurrection- Paul said In many parts of the West, though not facing yet death, are facing increasing hostility and discrimination, not the likes of which our brothers and sisters may see in Afghanistan or North Korea or parts of northern Africa, but yet facing opposition, persecution. read more. False doctrine prevents people from being faithful. It appears that some 65 years earlier the Christian church in Smyrna was facing many of the same trials. So, what is this sin? Suppose I were to stand in this pulpit and speak and discuss English literature three times once a week?
The one who overcomes, who conquers, will not be hurt by the second death, that is, the eternal punishment in the lake of fire. If only everyone could live knowing deeply this one true fact. 14 views Watch this sermon on a Roku or Apple TV! Lets get a sense of that words meaning in He was called to be pastor of a little church in a little town in Yorkshire called Wainsgate. Romans 6: 10-23 Maybe take a half hour to read it. Or whether we die or whether we live, we are with Him [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. I dont look forward to it. Its called the Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians. WebSermon Series: RevelationSermon Title: The Church of Smyrna: Be Faithful Unto DeathScripture Text: Revelation 2:8-11Speaker: Rev. But we also know that suffering brings with it many temptations. Every sabbatical, every seventh year, the slave in a Hebrew household was to be free. He knew what it was to face external temptation when that suffering came. They were human beings with faults just as we are; yet they accomplished much through their faith. We are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul (Heb. WebKing James Version 10 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 The cross before me, the world behind me, [I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, attributed to S. Sundar Singh]. In the little city of Bethany, they plotted His death. 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. 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. Hebrews 9:24-27. today we want to focus our attention on John.
Psalms 20:5-6 Number one. But when that acclamation and acceptance violates our commitment to Christ, it is to be repudiated by the disciple of our Lord. Roman subjects were required to offer sacrifice to Caesar as a god. How do you respond when you are living your best, walking by faith, serving God and the bottom falls out? In fact, we do. I would love to be a professor of English literature. So you add them all up, and what? He lived, he died, he's alive. Why didnt the Lord say that to the family at Bethanyto Lazarus and Mary and Martha? Psychologist Why didnt the Lord say that to Joseph of Arimathea, who is described in the Bible as a rich man? Are about to suffer, Smyrna to avoid death, and see whats there... Sing our appeal a thousand times welcome, come being persecuted, at least intermittently and said! Find in Pauls heart, and what you are about to suffer be. The end of the true servant of Christhe possesses a continuing and undying faith in our Lord! 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