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. Our inheritance is not here, it is there [1 Peter 1:4-5]. 1: 5). And if the challenge in Ephesus was lovelessness, here it is the hatred of those who do not love Christ, or love the truth. And they will come and go, and the worse they can do to you is put you to death. But pastor, does God say anything? But we also know that suffering brings with it many temptations. Give it up. Its been translated into English. If I live, bless God, it is to love Him. And it is one of the seven churches of Asia [Revelation 2:1-3:22]: Ephesus, and then right north, Smyrna. The tragic and terrible civil war he was fighting in his heart registered in his countenance, stugnaz; and he lost the battle. We allow ourselves to be involved in so many activities that we no longer have the time to devote to Bible study and prayer. They will be there on your social media feed, theyll be there on your Instagram, calls to be like-minded ally in things that Christ cannot commend. The Resurrection of Jesus says it all. II Timothy 4:6-8 Paul was looking with You cannot fail in Godnever, ever, ever. WebFaithfulness unto death is Gods standard for human life. It was a great city in the day of the flesh of our Lord. Indeed, the devil will throw some of Isa 38:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH II Kings 2:1-12 For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. Call to worship: 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. He famously died a martyrs death in 155 or 156, and when he died the church at Smyrna sent out a letter, To tell the story of those who have suffered martyrdom, especially blessed Polycarp, who as though he had set his seal by his martyrdom brought the persecution to an end.. King James Version (KJV) < Previous Verse Next Verse > View Chapter Revelation 2:10 Context 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. He never knows a turning back or an ultimate defeat. Heres the key-those men and women were just like we are. After several months of study we have come to the concluding passage of 1st John. Amen. 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). 23127). When we suffer, were tempted to doubt Gods goodness, to question His sovereignty, to find Him less glorious, to wonder if Hes left us or forsaken us. When one is baptized into Christ and becomes a Christian, he begins a new life ( Rom. 8 billion called themselves Christians in some broadest sense of the word. approved we fear repudiation, censure, 2. [Luke 9:62]: No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Job said, My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go (Job 27:6). He died and He came to life, therefore whatever happens to you, Christian, whatever befalls you, Smyrna, whatever happens among you, Christ Covenant, know that Im the beginning and the end, and even if you die for your faith, listen to the One who died and came to life. 2014.04.20 HE AROSE and you can too! Do you need to come to Jesus right now? May I turn to 1 John 3:14? Thats loving Jesus. deep, never sated thirst for the Word(Romans 2:10 )? 1 Corinthians 15: 3-4 read more, Scripture: Sometimes people do. But why do you delay? And this allowed the Jews and the Romans to coexist. That is the mark of a disciple of Christ. What youre about to suffer need not be fearful. It would be possible for one to worship weekly and yet be as unfaithful as one who seldom, if ever, attended. You dont forget His promise. 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. He said, Now if you want to learn the doctrine of Christianity, name a day and give me a hearing. The proconsul told Polycarp, No, persuade the people of your Christianity. Polycarp replied that he had been taught to respect the rulers and authorities and he would be happy to meet with the proconsul, but this was a lawless mob and he wasnt going to waste his time., So the proconsul said, I have wild beasts if you dont change your mind. Polycarp said, Call for them. The proconsul said, You will be consumed by the fire. Polycarp said, You threaten with a fire that burns only briefly and after just a little while is extinguished, for you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. Holiness. We dont have a little 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.. I hope you have that somewhere in your regular rhythm. Genesis 50:1-26, Denomination: The Lord never said that to him. The church in Smyrna was a church of paradoxes. Smyrna was a very pro-Rome city. 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. This lesson examines the Rev. Truly, temptations----works of the devil challenge our daily thoughts and decisions. Theyre such a testimony to Gods grace. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is Repent. What does it mean for us? The Bible tells us that there is a sin that leads unto death - one single sin - and it might not be what we expect. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) You may say, Well, wait a minute, Pastor. Files Audio Faithful Unto Death (Video) Notes Transcript Give us ears, give us courage, no matter the time, no matter the opposition, no matter the circumstances. It is a message to Be faithful until death.. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. There was He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. His townspeople where He grew up in Nazareth took Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built to cast Him along to His death [Luke 4:28-29]. Remember? They are clear and unequivocal; the first one is this: supreme love for Jesus our Lord. having been freed(Deuteronomy 15:12-18), B. He knows your tribulation. 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 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. Our reward is not here, it is there [Matthew 5:12]. Especially and particularly is that true with our young people. and the rich young ruler(Mark 10:21-22, Matthew 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. Hebrews 9:24-27. today we want to focus our attention on John. It is in riches. In fact, as I said last week, the two most struggling churches, the ones facing the greatest weaknesses, at least in an earthly sense, Philadelphia and Smyrna, are the ones about whom Jesus has nothing but good to say: I know your tribulation and your poverty. Because if were reading Scripture, well have the power to overcome temptation. 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). read more. 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. It would take maybe a half hour to read. The author of Hebrews had just finished writing about great men and women of faith-He wrote about how they obeyed God out of their faith. May angels attend you in the way as you come. Some believe godly living, great faith and positive thinking will exempt them from trials. love for Him so great, any other in comparison is as hate, B. We can remember the benefits of remaining faithful. The other place it is used is to describe the face of that young man. He knew what it was to face external temptation when that suffering came. In fact, we do. So many fall away because they are selfish-they dont care what God says theyre going to do what they want to do. FAITHFUL EVEN UNTO DEATH The first one is this: and I take these out of the Bible, out of the New Testament. He told the disciples do not worry about what you will say in that day. I absolutely love how the story ends. 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. And what you do and what you believe and how you carry yourself is thought strange? My Glorious Victor, Prince Divine, III. 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. It continues to the last stitch. But in this context, in Smyrna, apparently, it was some of the Jews, whether because they felt like the Christians had sold them out or because they were worshiping another god, or they claimed to have had the Messiah, they would sometimes rat them out and be the informers that would then bring upon the Romans to these Christians in Smyrna. And a youngster wants to belong to the group. The Bible discusses faithfulness as being much more than worshipping God. 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. He literally opens up his heart and lets us look inside. The things of this world prevent people from being faithful. Jesus will be there with you. 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. We have been encouraged and greatly challenged in our personal walk with the Lord. Because the one who overcomes this present, temporary, fleeting pain will not be pained by the second and everlasting death. Dr. Matthew Everhard This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at the Alum Creek church of Christ in Alum Creek, West Virginia. You couldnt help but know a man like that. An outline from the book The Bumps Are What You Climb On "Three Important Looks" by Warren Wiersbe pg 17 1980 Certain things I try to pray for each day, certain things I try to pray for on a day of the week, and persecuted church is one of those. And on the first anniversary of that wonderful experience, he wrote that marvelous hymn: [O for a Thousand Tongues, Charles Wesley]. He stayed there in that tiny church over fifty years; their pastor over fifty years. But what our Lord refers to is, compared to our love for Himour supreme devotion to Himall other love for wife, child, home, brother, sisters, all other love, compared to our love for Christ is as hate; our supreme love for Christ. If only everyone could live knowing deeply this one true fact. Psalms 20:5-6 You cannot help but admire this young man. 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. Nathan Hale entered Yale University as a ministerial student studying to be a preacher. 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3 And said, That is our faith. The Centuries earlier, during the period when Rome was struggling with Carthage for supremacy, Smyrna sided with the Romans. Jesus calls us to overcome. 14:14). Committed to a belief in another world(Colossians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:19), A. Clarence I AM the LIFE. All England came to know him. For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. 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.. He was soon to dieto be rejected [Mark 10:32-34]. An appeal for faithfulness in an era when If we live as Christians simply to avoid death, we are not living as Jesus would have us live. Its a letter from Jesus, who is the Jewish Messiah. Give to Him life, home, family, business He will give it back to you Romans 1:17, Denomination: 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.. read more, Scripture: Dont you find those martyrdom stories inspiring and yet utterly overwhelming? Hold fast to what you have, that no one may take your crown (Rev. 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. Its marking out the date and time of his death. The Bible says that Zaccheus was a rich man [Luke 19:1-2]. Or suppose I were to stand here, and if I were trained to be a scientist; suppose I were to lecture on science three times every week? 5:17; So to his sorrowing little congregation, he preached a farewell message and they placed everything on the wagonhis books, his furniture and everythingand he and his wife and the children climbed on the wagon, and they turned to leave. 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. There is a marvelous thing that happens when a man places Jesus first in his lifeloves our Lord supremely above all other loveHe hands back to you your home, your family, your wife, your business, your children, every dream and vision of your soul. The Importance of Christs Resurrection Revelation 2:10, Do not fear what you are about to suffer. It is interesting to note the things Jesus DID NOT say to them on how to overcome. 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. Let me finish, then, where we started. Jesus told the church in Smyrna, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Revelation 2:10, KJV). We have to remember the reality to come which will last forever and the reality that exists now. Yet Paul told Timothy that anyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. WebWe 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

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