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. Church Of God, Joshua 2:1-15 THE GREAT ESCAPE Intro: Ill. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight. All seven of the churches of Asia have some castigation from our Lord except this church. Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! Isaiah 38:1-8, James 1:2-4, 1 John 5:14-15, 1 Peter 3:12, Denomination: What is preventing you from being faithful? But the Jews had been given a special exemption. It is in riches. I would never think to say, Away with the atheists. I would Would I stand fast? Jesus will be there with you. It has never happened in the history of the world. Repent. I started with the story of Polycarp. If youre faithful unto death, you will get the crown of life. 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. Where, O death, is your victory? Now, before I mention the last one may I recapitulate? Of those 36 billion who have lived in the past 2000 years, by a very generous estimate, 12 billion were evangelized, had some access to the Gospel. If we live as Christians simply to avoid death, we are not living as Jesus would have us live. 11:4). A And what you do and what you believe and how you carry yourself is thought strange? Faithfulness means you keep bearing witness to Jesus. Committed to a belief in another world(Colossians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:19), A. Clarence It is called a martyr church. 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. My Glorious Victor, Prince Divine, III. 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.. And God said, Abraham, come here. However fate or providence may assail us, our commitment to our Lord is, first, and supreme. Be faithful even unto the point of death because brother, sister, friend, when youre faithful to the point of death for Jesus, you get a crown of 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. THE CHURCH THAT WOULD NOT SURRENDER 2 Kings 2:1-12. They were poor, but rich in what really matters. Dethrone And they had a little boy born to the home and they named him JohnJohn Fawcett. Or it could refer to a garland, a victors crown. 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 . This was the problem with the Ephesian church-I have this against you, that you have left your first love (Rev. John 19:17-27. Many people have is just the opposite. And the second characteristic and mark of a true child of Christ is to dethrone self in my heart and to enthrone the Lord Jesus: He is the King of my life. This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at the Alum Creek church of Christ in Alum Creek, West Virginia. 1:6). B. So 36billion total. They are all doing it. Faith, trust, commitment brings God into our lives and into our scene; and faith knows absolutely nothing about defeat. WebIts a very tender and touching sceneone of the most moving and heartwarming farewell speeches thats ever been recorded in literature. Doubt will say, How? 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 sermons and original blog posts are Copyright by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Dont think youre the only one to whom injustice has ever happened. 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. As the song says, Just one glimpse of him in glory will the toils of life repay. Surely, seeing Jesus face to face will be reward enough for our faithfulness. He was a friend of Ignatius and he was a mentor to Irenaeus. 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. If only everyone could live knowing deeply this one true fact. The other place it is used is to describe the face of that young man. Dont you find those martyrdom stories inspiring and yet utterly overwhelming? The second death is. 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. FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH II Kings 2:1-12 For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important As we remember the words of Scripture, we will be able to fight off temptation and thus remain faithful. For Jesus sake we pray. And Nathan Hale volunteered as a spy to bring back the needed information. Heres part of the story, the martyrdom of Polycarp. [The Pearly White City, Arthur F. Ingler]. "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 take up his cross, and follow Me. The cross is an instrument of death. John 1:10-11: Jesus was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. 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. We dare not just go through the motions without loving God with all our heart. 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! Supreme love for Jesus our Lord(Luke 14:25-26), A. 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]. And a man who preaches the word of the Lord is someone people love to listen to. 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]. empty and heart broken(1 John 2:15-17), IV. [John 13:34-35, 15:12-13, 15:7; 1 John 3:14, 4:7, 4:11, 4:21], Great Doctrines of the Bible: Practical Theology, And an unswerving continuance in the Word of God, A continuing living faith in a victorious Christ, And the last one that I mentioned: a devout, fervent love for Gods people. You, too, can read that. And unbelief will ask, How can such a thing be? Two commands. 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. Files Audio Faithful Unto Death (Video) Notes Transcript A I recognize the first born of Satan. So he didnt mess around. An outline from the book The Bumps Are What You Climb On "Three Important Looks" by Warren Wiersbe pg 17 1980 1 John 5:13-17. 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. read more, Scripture: Our inheritance is not here, it is there [1 Peter 1:4-5]. And that is our invitation to you: a family gathering the children coming to be with us in our pilgrimage to heaven, a couple you, or a one somebody you, Pastor, today we have decided for God, and here we stand. As the Spirit shall press the appeal to your heart, that decision you make, if it is for God, will be the sweetest and most meaningful you will ever know in your life. There are so many things in this world, which keep people from being faithful. read more, Scripture: If we are faithful, God will save us and glorify us in the life to come. INTRODUCTION: Just looking in department stores. Oh, what a beautiful thing, a precious thing, a wonderful thing: to love our Lord and to follow humbly in the way of Jesus! And as a youth, I read The Story of My Life by Clarence Darrow. 15:9). The church in Smyrna was a church of paradoxes. Rev. A long time ago, in the 1700s in a little town in Yorkshire, a county in northern England, there was a very, very poor family. It is a great vast city, today called Izmir. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions [Matthew 19:21-22; Mark 10:21, 22]. One, starting with Nero, Christians were blamed for things in Rome and were being persecuted, at least intermittently. Because the one who overcomes this present, temporary, fleeting pain will not be pained by the second and everlasting death. And Jesus will reign now and into eternity. 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. They assume they will go to heaven. Moule]. For almost 300 years Smyrna had a close connection with Rome. As long as Christianity was a sect of Judaism, there was little trouble. But after thirty-nine years, standing here in this pulpit, there are thousands and thousands who come every Lords day listening to what? And because of the necessity pressed upon him in his growing family, he accepted an affluent church in London. Lets pray. He knew they would experience difficult times in their lives. 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]. read more. Faithfulness involves giving our whole heart to God and trying to please him each day we live. by So he tells him, Swear by Caesar, or recant. Title: Death of two great patriarchs May I turn to 1 John 3:14? Its marking out the date and time of his death. Now may I give, point out a poignant illustration of that in the Word of God? Remember this is a letter from whom? WebClosed with a few words from Revelation chapter 2, including the line, "be faithful unto death." I trust everyone understands the significance of the Gospel in relation to salvation in Christ. And the Lord, looking deep in the soul of the young fellow, said to him, Your heart is in the world. 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. In fact, Polycarp was a disciple of John, who wrote this book of Revelation. Do you need to come to Jesus right now? WebTrue faithfulness to God is maintained to the end. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Romans 6:10-23, Denomination: The LORD preserves the faithful (Ps. 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. The love of God is a powerful force in our efforts to be faithful. Money causes individuals to work long hours and thus neglect their families. It was a great city in the day of the flesh of our Lord. Were at 7, 8 now? An unswerving continuance in the Word of He lived, he died, he's alive. 18:6). 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. Genesis 50:1-26, Denomination: We cannot be defeated. will tell you one of the driving forces in human life is to be accepted, And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is I love that. Text: Genesis 49:28-50 . Free Sermons and Sermon Outlines for Preaching : Three Important Looks Or Paul's Last Testimony. Thats the cry in each one of these churches. Wed be fooling ourselves to make any sort of comparison. Be faithful unto death. That may sound daunting. There are many benefits to remaining faithful. But we also know that suffering brings with it many temptations. 2:20). Some believe godly living, great faith and positive thinking will exempt them from trials. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. 5:17; 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. We see it here in this text its the second death. 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. Yet Paul told Timothy that anyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And a youngster wants to belong to the group. So the first command to the Church dont be afraid what youre about to suffer. The weakness of men, universally, is to please one another. Give us ears, give us courage, no matter the time, no matter the opposition, no matter the circumstances. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.. Text: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. He wants to be acclaimed and accepted and praised by them. Well, we are all like that. 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 are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul (Heb. John 15:12-13: This is My commandment, That you love one another . That was Smyrna in 155 or 156 A.D. Now the next verse: And God counted his faith for righteousness, because he believed in the Lord [Genesis 16:6]. Clearly gathering in this place were not, were not living under the Taliban. It would take maybe a half hour to read. 16:3), B. The governor said, Swear the genius of Caesar. Our home is not here, it is there [John 14:1-3; Reveltion 21:1-5]. Text: 8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: "The First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life, says: 9 I know your tribulation and poverty, yet you are rich. Or do with your weekends what everyone else would do. We allow ourselves to be involved in so many activities that we no longer have the time to devote to Bible study and prayer. 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 Genesis 49 Do not be afraid. EASTER SUNDAY 2014 SERMON Evil influences prevent people from being faithful. James 1:12: Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trail for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. Theyre such a testimony to Gods grace. Given And the Lord noticed it. It was the first city, in fact, in the ancient world, to build a temple in honor of Rome. Why didnt the Lord say that to the family at Bethanyto Lazarus and Mary and Martha? Will you be willing to be faithful when youre misunderstood as a Christian? 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. And he gave his life to be a Baptist preacher, John Fawcett. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. It would be possible for one to worship weekly and yet be as unfaithful as one who seldom, if ever, attended. But to be repudiated and to be censored and to be disliked is a terrible thing to bear. This morning, we want to examine the biblical teachings concerning our faithfulness and call us to faithfulness to God. Jesus is not going to lose. New American Bible Do not be afraid of anything that you are going to suffer. And when they turned to drive away, his wife burst into tears and said, John, John, how can we do this? 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. 1 John 5: 13-21 He literally opens up his heart and lets us look inside. 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.. Remember Paul said to the letter in Romans that those are Jews truly who are ones inwardly, written on the heart. So this letter is saying these are not spiritual Jews as we would understand the people of God, but they are people who have stirred up trouble. When that moment comes, you trust that the Lord gives you the words to say, gives you the courage. The first one is this: and I take these out of the Bible, out of the New Testament. He knows your tribulation. 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 . And they will come and go, and the worse they can do to you is put you to death. read more, Scripture: When I was a youth growing up, Clarence Darrow, the great agnostic and atheist, literally covered the horizon in the legal profession. , starting with Nero, Christians were blamed for things in Rome and were being,... 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Go, and the Lord gives you the words to say, gives you the....
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