Genesis 50:1-26, Denomination: When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, We can remember the things of God. Files Audio Faithful Unto Death (Video) Notes Transcript Remembering the things of God will help us overcome temptation. Our The real hero is not he who makes the fastest schedule but he who lasts the longest. I would love to be a professor of English literature. Roman subjects were required to offer sacrifice to Caesar as a god. 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.. Its a letter from Jesus, who is the Jewish Messiah. Fearing death is natural, but Jesus means to set us free. Moule]. They are clear and unequivocal; the first one is this: supreme love for Jesus our Lord. 10:39). Psalms 20:5-6 Not only is there no evidence of immortality, but the facts show it is utterly impossible for us that there should be a life beyond this one on earth. Thats what they say, the unbeliever and the infidel and the agnostic. If youre faithful unto death, you will get the crown of life. However, many Christians are not as faithful as they need to be in their service to God. As we apply this standard, our views on many things undergo a radical change. Theyre such a testimony to Gods grace. But listen to the heroes of the faith. Faithfulness is required for all four quarters, all three periods, all nine innings. read more, Scripture: read more, Scripture: 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. When the crowd learned that it would not be possible to set a lion loose, thats what they called for, then they shouted for him to be burned alive. Isnt that unusual, that you would have a minister really converted? Dont think youre the only one to whom injustice has ever happened. 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. 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. Are you faithful? 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. Instead of worshipping as they should, they play golf on Sunday mornings or they go the race track or they go fishing. You, too, can read that. 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. So if we have a late date for Revelation around 90 A.D., then this is some 65 years later, not that long. Well, the magistrate was not happy with this. 5-12-03 He uses these reminders as an example to us of how we, too, can accomplish great things through our faith. (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 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]. Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. King James Version (KJV) < Previous Verse Next Verse > View Chapter Revelation 2:10 Context We are given by choice, by volition, to our Lord and Master forever. 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. The Bible contains many examples of those who forsook God because of evil influences. The Lord never said that to him. I AM the LIFE. read more, Scripture: A study of Johns presence at the cross will help us in the pursuit of faithfulness. WebBe thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. He knew they would be tested severely. And it is one of the seven churches of Asia [Revelation 2:1-3:22]: Ephesus, and then right north, Smyrna. But as long as I listen and bow before self, my life is shriveled and small. Most of us fear death, but as a Christian were called to hope. 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. One, starting with Nero, Christians were blamed for things in Rome and were being persecuted, at least intermittently. But in 1776, he joined the Revolutionary Army. Be faithful unto death. The Pharisees did that (Matt. Pray for the persecuted church. THE CHURCH THAT WOULD NOT SURRENDER 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. This letter reported this man was certainly one of the elect. 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. John 12:42-43 writes: Among the chief rulers, many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than they loved the praise of God.. WebBe faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. But we also know that suffering brings with it many temptations. This was the problem with the Ephesian church-I have this against you, that you have left your first love (Rev. Many of us would say that murder is worthy of the death penalty; and if any of us had a child that were raped, we would probably believe the person who The third thing that had happened is by the end of the first century, some Jews had compromised with Rome. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. But faith has ten thousand answers for every how. Repent. And a man who preaches the word of the Lord is someone people love to listen to. He knows the fear that you have. Behold the Lets get a sense of that words meaning in You may say, Well, wait a minute, Pastor. But here in the second half of the first century, several things had happened to make this situation untenable. Would You hold fast Your Church around the world, facing so much more in opposition than we face, and when we are called upon to face whatever trials and difficulties, whether suffering at the hands of others or suffering from natural disasters and infirmity and the age of life, may we be faithful even unto death. Call to worship: So the first command to the Church dont be afraid what youre about to suffer. Smyrna won the special privilege to build a temple to Emperor Tiberius. 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. 15:58). He knew what it was to face external temptation when that suffering came. 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. His salary was less than two hundred dollars a year. 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. We live, we die, we live again. . So some of the Jews no longer had qualms about revering Caesar along with the Old Testament God, as is often the pressure to syncretism. It is used twice in the Bible. Suffering. It is like manna from heaven to a hungry heart. They assume they will go to heaven. Thats a great man, a marvelous man; thats Gods man. Well be here listening. It is one of the truths of life. 119:11). Or whether we die or whether we live, we are with Him [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. But here God says dont be surprised, dont, when it comes, do not think God is against you. The LORD preserves the faithful (Ps. The tragic and terrible civil war he was fighting in his heart registered in his countenance, stugnaz; and he lost the battle. You could not help but love him. So, what is this sin? The governor said, Swear the genius of Caesar. 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.. In order to adequately embrace the Gospel, we must understand the Gospel. Revile Christ. This was typical Roman procedure. Number two let us be faithful even in our limited kinds of persecution. 6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he https://drjustinimelsr.com/sermon-on-soteriology-be-faithful-until-death It is one of the marks and the characteristics of a good disciple of Jesus; our love for one another. 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. read more, Scripture: The church in Smyrna was a church of paradoxes. So you add them all up, and what? And they had a little boy born to the home and they named him JohnJohn Fawcett. Its a very human response to fear death. Oh, what a beautiful thing, a precious thing, a wonderful thing: to love our Lord and to follow humbly in the way of Jesus! John 8:31, 32: If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 14:23-24: If any one love Me, he will keep My words . We find them suggested in II Kings 2:1-12. He went away grieved, for he had great possessions: loving the wrong world [Mark 10:22]. 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. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight. FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH II Kings 2:1-12 For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. When one is baptized into Christ and becomes a Christian, he begins a new life ( Rom. As long as Christianity was a sect of Judaism, there was little trouble. I hope you have that somewhere in your regular rhythm. 1: 5). That may sound daunting. What does it mean for us? Why didnt the Lord say that to the family at Bethanyto Lazarus and Mary and Martha? That sadly has happened. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. 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]. Baptist. Your browser does not support the audio tag. repudiation of the world, a. Jesus Will God reward you? I trust everyone understands the significance of the Gospel in relation to salvation in Christ. Yet Jesus came that it would not keep you in bondage, because the end of this life, for the Christian, is the beginning of a life that is far better. Remember, they considered the Christians to be atheists because they didnt have any statues, they didnt have idols. Leave me as I am, for the One who enables me to endure the fire will also enable me to remain on the pyre without moving. Then Polycarp prayed a final prayer and when he said amen, the men in charge of the fire lit it. Those who seem to be strong in the faith prove to not have been in the faith. Say away with the atheists. And I dont know if this meant to be humorous at the moment of his almost death, but heres the story Polycarp solemnly looked at the whole crowd of lawless heathen who were in the stadium. 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. 5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. 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. WebTrue faithfulness to God is maintained to the end. 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