be faithful unto death sermon
Let me finish, then, where we started. 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. Most of us fear death, but as a Christian were called to hope. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. 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. 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.. Jesus Himself said, Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul, rather fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.. They were most affluent and well-to-do. That right there was meant to be comfort. And anchoring every one of these commands, I said this to the leadership training on Friday night, theres a reason that chapters 4 and 5 come after chapter 2 and 3, because it is the vision of the One who sits on the throne that is the antidote for everything that challenges the churches in chapters 2 through 3. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love (Jn. Hebrews 9:24-27. today we want to focus our attention on John. For the white city thats soon coming down. It is a place on which somebody is executed, a cross. The shears with rust are spoiled and yet. 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.. There will be a temptation to want to raise your flag as well and say, Here I am, you can count on me. Or to wear the sort of clothes that everyone would wear. One of the marks, I say, of a true disciple of Christ, he never wearies, hes never seen, hes never sated listening to the Word of God. So you add them all up, and what? 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. Deuteronomy 2:1-15, Denomination: When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, We dare not just go through the motions without loving God with all our heart. Faith, trust, commitment brings God into our lives and into our scene; and faith knows absolutely nothing about defeat. It is far too easy to go through the motions of being faithful without really being faithful. As we think of Gods love, what could we do but be faithful? and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb. Are you faithful? However, many Christians are not as faithful as they need to be in their service to God. We are given by choice, by volition, to our Lord and Master forever. The governor said, Swear the genius of Caesar. 5-12-03 The other place it is used is to describe the face of that young man. This was the problem with the Ephesian church-I have this against you, that you have left your first love (Rev. When we think of all Jesus endured to save our souls, how could we not be faithful? 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3 And said, The Bible contains many examples of those who forsook God because of evil influences. 1 John 5:13-17. The apostle John writes in 1 John 2:15-17: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. When that moment comes, you trust that the Lord gives you the words to say, gives you the courage. 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. Polycarp by all accounts was a venerable man, highly respected for his holiness and orthodoxy. Isaiah 38:1-8, James 1:2-4, 1 John 5:14-15, 1 Peter 3:12, Denomination: John spoke much about our love for the Lord and for one another. Speaking of winning the lost, Paul says, The love of Christ compels us (2 Cor. You got, theres two deaths, and unless Jesus comes back in our lifetime, we all face the first death, but not all have to have the second death. 15, 16), VI. And he was invited to preach before the king, King George III, in 1780. And unbelief will ask, How can such a thing be? The Pharisees did that (Matt. 2 letter from Jesus to the church at Smyrna. I recognize the first born of Satan. So he didnt mess around. "Faithful unto Death" Sixth Sunday after Pentecost St. Mark 6:14-29 July 16, 2006 IN NOMINE JESU In the rite of Confirmation, the confirmands are reminded of what 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. It is called a martyr church. Would to God we had ten thousand lives to offer to Jesus. Knowing that we are not facing these exact circumstances, and we can be thankful for it, what does this mean for us? Would I run away? 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. But notice who this Jesus is. We always face death as Christians remembering that our God has promised us a resurrection. Jesus is not going to lose. A pathway deliberately chosen death to the deepest desires of the flesh, 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 text is taken out of our Lords message to the church in Smyrna [Revelation 2:8-11]. . 4:10). Clearly gathering in this place were not, were not living under the Taliban. Charles Wesley was an Anglican minister. 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. They were poor, but Jesus says, Youre rich. They were persecuted by Jews who Jesus says were not really Jews. having been freed(Deuteronomy 15:12-18), B. That is a big number. For almost 300 years Smyrna had a close connection with Rome. Well, Jesus said something about this. Or whether we die or whether we live, we are with Him [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. One, starting with Nero, Christians were blamed for things in Rome and were being persecuted, at least intermittently. And our Lord may the flow of our lives be in praise, and in adoration, and worship, and in love for Thee, O blessed God, that as grace and mercy reached down even to me. 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! Genesis and Revelation are two of the most disputed books in the Bible. And they had a little boy born to the home and they named him JohnJohn Fawcett. WebIts a very tender and touching sceneone of the most moving and heartwarming farewell speeches thats ever been recorded in literature. In Matthew 16:3 Jesus uses it describing the face of a sky before a violent storm. If only everyone could live knowing deeply this one true fact. Text: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. Free Sermons and Sermon Outlines for Preaching : Three Important Looks Or Paul's Last Testimony. As your mind scans His life from the wilderness temptations to the last agonizing utterance from the cross, He is observed to be faithful. Instead, He told them to be faithful unto death. Once they become a Christians, they begin visiting the sick and shut-in but its just too much trouble so they quit. Inspirational devotions delivered right to your email inbox. Some put it much lower than that, if its actually killing you because you confess Christ, the higher number is if in some way the state has starvation or death or opposition to religious groups, including Christians. 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. He literally opens up his heart and lets Foursquare. Pentecostal. He knows the fear that you have. Holiness. UNTO DEATH THE MARKS OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN, I. The 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 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. General Washington needed information concerning the British troops. read more. And when the young man asked, Master, all of these commandments have I kept from my youth, but my heart is still hungry and empty, what lack I yet that I might obtain eternal life? And thank Thee, Lord, for each soul You give us, in Thy precious name, amen. 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 . The one who overcomes, who conquers, will not be hurt by the second death, that is, the eternal punishment in the lake of fire. We have been encouraged and greatly challenged in our personal walk with the Lord. And that leads me to the exact title of the sermon today, the seven characteristics of a disciple of our Lord, the seven marks of a true Christian. They will be subtle, but they will be there. 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. We dont want to make the mistake of saying that just because one worships three times a week every week he is faithful. That may sound daunting. Youre going to suffer. 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. Dethrone Selfishness prevents people from being faithful. 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]. Do not be afraid. 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. 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]. We all love to be acclaimed. Revelation 2:8-11, Denomination: Please, sir, your Majesty, said the pastor, could you grant pardon to the boy? He did it. All of us do. 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). . 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. A study of Johns presence at the cross will help us in the pursuit of faithfulness. There was That is what the Bible said about Jesus: Jesus, looking upon him, loved him [Mark 10:21]. That is the mark of a disciple of Christ. 11:4). The love of your life is in money. Irenaeus tells the story that on one occasion when Polycarp came face-to-face with the gnostic heretic Marcion, Marcion asked, Do you recognize me? to which Polycarp responded, I do, indeed. . However, when they entered Rahab's house, they found a woman who had already been touched by the Spirit and Oh, what a beautiful thing, a precious thing, a wonderful thing: to love our Lord and to follow humbly in the way of Jesus! They are all doing it. Then, they feel they dont need God, because theyve succeeded in life. 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]. It is used twice in the Bible. Remember this is a letter from whom? The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways (Prov. All England came to know him. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. But listen to the heroes of the faith. That is our faith. Jesus knows. Verse 10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.. Yet Paul told Timothy that anyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 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 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. Believing it possible that through Christ we may live in the required manner, that we may avoid sin--desist from sinning--give it up and abandon it altogether, and put it forever away. It appears that some 65 years earlier the Christian church in Smyrna was facing many of the same trials. 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. 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be faithful unto death sermon