It is used twice in the Bible. But when that acclamation and acceptance violates our commitment to Christ, it is to be repudiated by the disciple of our Lord. Inspirational devotions delivered right to your email inbox. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Denomination: Why didnt the Lord say that to the family at Bethanyto Lazarus and Mary and Martha? love for Him so great, any other in comparison is as hate, B. Supreme love for Jesus our Lord(Luke 14:25-26), A. Give it up. approved we fear repudiation, censure, 2. Fawcett converted listening to George Whitefield preach, 1. 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. Once they become a Christians, they begin visiting the sick and shut-in but its just too much trouble so they quit. Now, listen to His exact word: Give away what you have. The third thing that had happened is by the end of the first century, some Jews had compromised with Rome. Its been translated into English. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. Over time, the distinction between sacrificing to the Emperor as a ruler to honor him, and sacrificing to the Emperor as a god, well, that gets pretty fuzzy, and in some peoples minds a difference, a distinction without a difference. 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. It would be possible for one to worship weekly and yet be as unfaithful as one who seldom, if ever, attended. You couldnt help but know a man like that. John 13:34, 35: I new commandment that I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved youBy this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another. That about 1 out of 120 Christians in the broadest sense of the term, may face martyrdom for the cause of Christ. It is interesting to note the things Jesus DID NOT say to them on how to overcome. But after thirty-nine years, standing here in this pulpit, there are thousands and thousands who come every Lords day listening to what? You couldnt see their god, so they said they were atheists. Theyre such a testimony to Gods grace. Death to sin through Christ 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. 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%. read more, Scripture: The second death is. As your mind scans His life from the wilderness temptations to the last agonizing utterance from the cross, He is observed to be faithful. 1 John 5: 13-21 WebTo know Me is to have life! 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. Number one. 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. Were at 7, 8 now? IF we are in CHRIST. 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. All seven of the churches of Asia have some castigation from our Lord except this church. The Word of God tells us to have compassion for our brothers and sisters who are facing difficulty and prison and opposition, and some will even pay the ultimate price of martyrdom. He told the disciples do not worry about what you will say in that day. And after he began his preachingafter he was a preacher, he was wonderfully converted. If only everyone could live knowing deeply this one true fact. 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. Amen.. Web 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. For me I have it written down. That right there was meant to be comfort. It had a fierce loyalty to the Caesar, to the Emperor. That is the mark of a disciple of Christ. And if you would just swear by Caesar, recant Christ, just let them go. 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. read more, Scripture: Why didnt the Lord say that to Zaccheus? Featuring a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and and the rich young ruler(Mark 10:21-22, Matthew He wants to be acclaimed and accepted and praised by them. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is 2:10 states, Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. There are too many professing Christians which the Lord cannot depend upon. Which leads to a second point of application. 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. Nathan Hale entered Yale University as a ministerial student studying to be a preacher. View all Sermons Faithful Unto Death Series Contributed by Allen James on Sep 29, 2011 (message contributor) (rate this sermon) | 6,507 views Scripture: They are all doing it. But here in the second half of the first century, several things had happened to make this situation untenable. Rev James Porter Be Thou Faithful Unto Death Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. 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. So 36billion total. And that leads them into all kinds of things that break the hearts of their parents. As long as Christianity was a sect of Judaism, there was little trouble. 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. 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.. sanctified, hallowed, blessed, II. Say away with the atheist.. 1:6). If they were faithful to the end, surely we can be as well. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. read more, Scripture: It is called a martyr church. 2:4). Because if were reading Scripture, well have the power to overcome temptation. All of us do. In broad, open daylight where everyone could see, he knelt down before the Lord, the Prophet from Nazareth saying, Agathai didaskai [Mark 10:17]. Thats what it is. For almost 300 years Smyrna had a close connection with Rome. Of course it does. If youre faithful unto death, you will get the crown of life. Wed be fooling ourselves to make any sort of comparison. 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]. 2 letter from Jesus to the church at Smyrna. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important II Timothy 4:6-8 Paul was looking with Number one let us pray for the persecuted church. Since we know that God will richly reward us, we should be faithful. Pentecostal. deep, never sated thirst for the Word(Romans We fail to put God first in our lives-we dont base all our decisions based on what he would want, we neglect to mention the Gospel to our family and friends. WebUnto death! Polycarp by all accounts was a venerable man, highly respected for his holiness and orthodoxy. To Smyrna, the challenge is one of keep on keeping on or continue to do what you are already doing. And Jesus will reign now and into eternity. And they will come and go, and the worse they can do to you is put you to death. UNTO DEATH THE MARKS OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN, I. You may say, Well, wait a minute, Pastor. That is our faith. We dare not just go through the motions without loving God with all our heart. If there was a crime worthy of death, what would it be? Do not be afraid. He never knows a turning back or an ultimate defeat. The first death is not avoidable. 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 ( Rev. Try to set an example from time to time to pray for it here from the pulpit. 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. We all love to be accepted. Let me finish with three points of application. False doctrine prevents people from being faithful. 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 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]. You can read it. It was a way for Rome to save, kind of save face and yet not have to go through this extermination of all the Jews, so well let them get by on a technicality. There are many benefits to remaining faithful. Truly, temptations----works of the devil challenge our daily thoughts and decisions. All England came to know him. 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. So the first command to the Church dont be afraid what youre about to suffer. 5:17; Centuries earlier, during the period when Rome was struggling with Carthage for supremacy, Smyrna sided with the Romans. Paul takes a look around as he gives his last testimony. And the Lord noticed it. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight. Each time Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus replied, It is written. One of the best ways to learn how to sin well is never to read the Bible. The love of God is a powerful force in our efforts to be faithful. For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. Roman subjects were required to offer sacrifice to Caesar as a god. 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). Jesus knows. Well be here listening. It is one of the truths of life. He hands it back to you doubly blessed; sanctified, hallowed when I place Jesus first in my life. 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. Our reward is not here, it is there [Matthew 5:12]. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) Friends. 1 Corinthians 15: 3-4 5:14)-Just as Christs love compelled Paul to evangelize, it should compel us to live holy lives. Now may I give, point out a poignant illustration of that in the Word of God? If God says anything, preacher, tell us what does God say? 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. Preacher, just stand up there and tell us what God says. He knew they would experience difficult times in their lives. 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. 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. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love (Jn. But listen to the heroes of the faith. If they overcome in the first death, they will not be hurt by the second death. [He] went inside the house and sat down and wrote what I think is the most preciously beautiful hymn in the English language. The sermons and original blog posts are Copyright by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr. You read these stories of the martyrs and even allowing that perhaps the Church spoke at times with some exaggerated spirituality, maybe, yet we believe that its historically true and happened and happened much like that. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Heres the mayor, heres the governor, heres the president. Psalms 20:5-6 The other place it is used is to describe the face of that young man. He stayed there in that tiny church over fifty years; their pastor over fifty years. They werent so much concerned that the Christians were going to overthrow the Empire, but they thought this, This is a bad look for Rome. [Matthew 27:57]. 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. 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. It may be in your classroom, when they think that all your beliefs make you a bigot. Almost half of those were murdered, starved, died in prison camps in the Soviet Union. Each sermon has to do with our Christian life down here in the earth. Verse 10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Lets peer inside Pauls heart, and see whats in there. Heres part of the story. WebSermons by Bible: Sermons by Category: Sermons by Topic: Sermons by Speaker: Sermons by Language: Sermons by Date: Staff Picks: Comments, ALL -1 sec: Top Sermons: Online Bible: Hymnal: Daily Reading: Our General Washington needed information concerning the British troops. But if a man loves God, every day is a sweeter day, a triumphant day, and some day, a victorious day. Romans 6: 10-23 A third characteristic of the true child of Christ: we are one who has deliberately chosen the cross. In the little city of Bethany, they plotted His death. Most of us, if were honest, are scared of suffering. 8 billion called themselves Christians in some broadest sense of the word. Psychologist Denial of self(Matthew 16:24-25), A. 15:9). 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. It is a sermon in the series on the Great Doctrines of the Bible. And in this section, composed of about five sermons, the messages are addressed to us who are Christians. After their conversion, they stop using alcohol but after a while they begin using it again. Isaiah 38:1-8, James 1:2-4, 1 John 5:14-15, 1 Peter 3:12, Denomination: [Matthew 19:20; Mark 10:20]. It is on the Aegean Sea; it is in Turkey on the western shore of Asia Minor. (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 Acceptance violates our commitment to Christ, it is interesting to note the things Jesus DID not to. Reading Scripture, well, wait a minute, Pastor were honest, are scared of suffering gives his testimony... 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