So he tells him, Swear by Caesar, or recant. Not only that, but the Lord Jesus can sympathize because He, too, is a man, a human being, even now in heaven, the God-man. take up his cross, and follow Me. The cross is an instrument of death. 5:17; Centuries earlier, during the period when Rome was struggling with Carthage for supremacy, Smyrna sided with the Romans. 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. The seven marks of a true disciple of Jesus: Now, the last one, the seventh one, the marks of a true disciple of Jesus: he is committed to a belief in another worldliving, working, looking forward to another world. William Akehurst HSWC 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. The Lord never said that to him. Genesis 49 And this allowed the Jews and the Romans to coexist. It tarries through the last breath. Theyre such a testimony to Gods grace. Are you faithful? Job said, My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go (Job 27:6). But after thirty-nine years, standing here in this pulpit, there are thousands and thousands who come every Lords day listening to what? Now, before I speak of another, may I pause to avow; there is never, ever, a defeat, never in our commitment to our Lord. And God said, Abraham, come here. Repent. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. One, starting with Nero, Christians were blamed for things in Rome and were being persecuted, at least intermittently. So you add them all up, and what? He wants to be associated with them. Thats the promise in verse 11. We allow ourselves to be involved in so many activities that we no longer have the time to devote to Bible study and prayer. [My Glorious Victor, Prince Divine, Handley C.G. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. 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. 14 views Watch this sermon on a Roku or Apple TV! 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. After several months of study we have come to the concluding passage of 1st John. Dont fear, its all about to get better. He doesnt say that. 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. 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 FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH 1 2 3 4 Next He did NOT say, If you are faithful a few short years I will give thee a Well be here listening. It is one of the truths of life. Lets peer inside Pauls heart, and see whats in there. The sermons and original blog posts are Copyright by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. A new convert never studies Scripture, and so when a denominational group knocks on his door, he falls for what they teach. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel (Gal. 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. There are some men who are incorrect, who use that verse to say like this: Be faithful to your deathbed, and if you are, you will be saved. There is no thoughtthere is not an approach of a thought like that. Inspirational devotions delivered right to your email inbox. self in my heart and enthrone the Lord Jesus, 1. Faithfulness means you keep bearing witness to Jesus. I would love to be a professor of English literature. It was a difficult situation. Which naturally leads to the second command, at the end of verse 10 Be faithful unto death. Would I run away? Polycarp by all accounts was a venerable man, highly respected for his holiness and orthodoxy. Putting this altogether, you can understand why in some parts of the Empire it was the Jews who sometimes instigated this persecution against the Christians. An outline from the book The Bumps Are What You Climb On "Three Important Looks" by Warren Wiersbe pg 17 1980 In 23 B.C. 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.. 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3 And said, 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. The third characteristicchoosing deliberately the cross, crucifying ourselves and every worldly desire that we have, that we might love God. Jesus calls us to overcome. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. This is the pastor bringing the message entitled Faithful Unto Death. 10/18/2006 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. It would take maybe a half hour to read. Be faithful unto death. Our Lord is saying, you be faithful and true even if it costs your life, and I will give you a crown [Revelation 2:10], stephanos, crown; the word Stephen, and you read about him and his martyrdom just now [Acts 7:54-60]. The cross before me, the world behind me, [I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, attributed to S. Sundar Singh]. 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 A study of Johns presence at the cross will help us in the pursuit of faithfulness. Now even saying it that way can make us nervous, is this anti-Semitism? Genesis and Revelation are two of the most disputed books in the Bible. The handles of my plow where tears are wet. Father in heaven, our prayer is simple. Lets pray. Most of us, if were honest, are scared of suffering. Thats the cry in each one of these churches. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 1 Corinthians 15:1-58, Denomination: . My fortieth year as a pastor still preaching the Word, V. A continuing living faith in Christ, A. General Washington needed information concerning the British troops. [Matthew 27:57]. But this letter, you notice, is shot through with encouragement. But here in the second half of the first century, several things had happened to make this situation untenable. 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? Remembering the things of God will help us overcome temptation. How do you respond when you are living your best, walking by faith, serving God and the bottom falls out? All England came to know him. Hezekiah held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments (2 Ki. INTRODUCTION: Just looking in department stores. All seven of the churches of Asia have some castigation from our Lord except this church. 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. He went away grieved, for he had great possessions: loving the wrong world [Mark 10:22]. We can remember the things of God. Evangelical/Non-Denominational. Psalms 20:5-6 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]. This lesson examines the Rev. Currently 160,000 Christians, by one estimate, are martyred every year. Its been translated into English. He comes with comfort, and notice He comes with commands. Or see the movie or tell the jokes or visit the websites that everyone else. He literally opens up his heart and lets Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. He motioned toward them with his hand and then groaning as he looked up to heaven said, Away with the atheists. Meaning the atheists. And Nathan Hale volunteered as a spy to bring back the needed information. 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.. Well, no, notice what this letter says: The slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not. 5:17)-His point is that Elijah was a human being just like everyone else, yet his prayers accomplished much. Picking things up after Polycarp has been arrested and hes being brought into the stadium in Smyrna. 2:20). 22:37). It is used twice in the Bible. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it. If only everyone could live knowing deeply this one true fact. If we live as Christians simply to avoid death, we are not living as Jesus would have us live. having been freed(Deuteronomy 15:12-18), B. read more, Scripture: WebBe Faithful Unto Death The sixth step Jesus said, "Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). Would it be murder, rape, spouse abuse, adultery, theft, gambling, or perhaps lying? read more, Scripture: 31:23). For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person (Ps. Behold the 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 Remember this is a letter from whom? Well, we are all like that. sanctified, hallowed, blessed, II. read more, Scripture: How can we leave these dear people? And John her husband replied, Wife, I dont see how we can. And he turned the team around and the wagon around and went back to the parsonage and put back in the house all of the things that he had stacked on that wagon. I AM the LIFE. Amen.. by choice to our Lord and Master forever, 1. Well, Jesus said something about this. Why didnt the Lord say that to Zaccheus? It has never happened in the history of the world. You dont reject your Savior. Where is your? Yes, death is an enemy for sure, but there is a worse enemy. Tempted to disbelieve the Word of God. The Lord knows. Theres nothing that says we cant pray for it to be removed. Were at 7, 8 now? The second characteristic and mark of a faithful Christian: the denial of self. I absolutely love how the story ends. Hebrews 9:24-27. today we want to focus our attention on John. You may say, Well, wait a minute, Pastor. 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. . 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 THREE IMPORTANT LOOKS OR PAUL'S LAST TESTIMONY Come do what you wish. Polycarp was then found guilty of confessing to being a Christian. 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. And on the first anniversary of that wonderful experience, he wrote that marvelous hymn: [O for a Thousand Tongues, Charles Wesley]. 2:4). I dont want it to come. Its a letter from Jesus, who is the Jewish Messiah. Friends. That is the child of God. 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. We read when the magistrate persisted and said, Swear the oath and I will release you. In Jesus we pray. 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. Matthew 16:24-25: If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. The premise of this study is the foundation of creation. In fact, this one disqualifying sin will exclude us from ever going to heaven and receiving eternal life. WebBe thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. He knew they would be tested severely. 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. Give to Him life, home, family, business He will give it back to you False doctrine leads many astray. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important "way stations" that are a part of our Christian pilgrimage. That was the comfort for the church at Smyrna. They will be subtle, but they will be there. And because of the necessity pressed upon him in his growing family, he accepted an affluent church in London. Faithfulness in the midst of persecution doesnt mean you just grin and bear it, you suppress it, you pretend like it doesnt hurt. It may be in your classroom, when they think that all your beliefs make you a bigot. And thank Thee, Lord, for each soul You give us, in Thy precious name, amen. In the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy is one of the most unusual parabolic instances of devotion that you could ever think for or find in all literature. It continues to the last stitch. 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. That about 1 out of 120 Christians in the broadest sense of the term, may face martyrdom for the cause of Christ. read more, Scripture: read more, Scripture: We have been encouraged and greatly challenged in our personal walk with the Lord. Faithfulness is required for all four quarters, all three periods, all nine innings. When the spies arrived in Jericho, they entered into what everyone thought was a harlot's house. Dethrone Thats loving Jesus. Will you be willing to be faithful when youre misunderstood as a Christian? And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is Matthew 9:24, Luke 8:53), 2. Smyrna won the special privilege to build a temple to Emperor Tiberius. When one is baptized into Christ and becomes a Christian, he begins a new life ( Rom. We can remember the love that God has for us. May I turn to 1 John 3:14? It is like manna from heaven to a hungry heart. They were poor, but rich in what really matters. I have never heard an exception to this in my life, and it is always false, it is always untrue. Give it up and come, take up the cross, and follow me. You couldnt see their god, so they said they were atheists. And the Lord, looking deep in the soul of the young fellow, said to him, Your heart is in the world. Jesus does not offer a rebuke to Smyrna. And it happens. 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. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) heroes of the faith(Hebrews 11:9-10, 16), 1. After the resurrection 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]. Any Amazon link on this site is an ad. 1: 5). And he was invited to preach before the king, King George III, in 1780. So, what is this sin? (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 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]. Isnt that unusual, that you would have a minister really converted? 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. Suffering is suffering. It wasnt the procedure at this time that you would try to stamp out every Christian, but if somebody ratted you out, often your family, and you were brought there, then you were made to recant. What does it mean for us? Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. And after he began his preachingafter he was a preacher, he was wonderfully converted. 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. The Lord said, if we are faithful unto death, He would give us a CROWN OF LIFE. In Matthew 16:3 Jesus uses it describing the face of a sky before a violent storm. The connection of this passage will help us to understand its meaning. But when that acclamation and acceptance violates our commitment to Christ, it is to be repudiated by the disciple of our Lord. The shears with rust are spoiled and yet. Faithfulness involves giving our whole heart to God and trying to please him each day we live. The Bible says that Zaccheus was a rich man [Luke 19:1-2]. The apostle John writes in 1 John 2:15-17: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Our resurrection is dependent on his resurrection- Paul said Especially and particularly is that true with our young people. Yes, death is an enemy, and we mourn for death. Our home is not here, it is there [John 14:1-3; Reveltion 21:1-5]. They dont think anything of the second death, thats not a possibility, but maybe theres some way with the right potions and the right exercise and the right diet, I dont actually have to face my own mortality.. So the first command to the Church dont be afraid what youre about to suffer. 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