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. We dont have a weak God. 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. And unbelief will ask, How can such a thing be? And if you would just swear by Caesar, recant Christ, just let them go. The Lord knows. 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. Self, by nature, is on the throne of my heart. But here in the second half of the first century, several things had happened to make this situation untenable. And in the second chapter of the Book of the Revelation, in the tenth verse, in the address of our Lord to the church, He says, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life [Revelation 2:10]. 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. Your browser does not support the audio tag. [He] went inside the house and sat down and wrote what I think is the most preciously beautiful hymn in the English language. If I live, bless God, it is to love Him. Matthew 16:24-25: If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 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. One, starting with Nero, Christians were blamed for things in Rome and were being persecuted, at least intermittently. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faithFor by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of He went away grieved, for he had great possessions: loving the wrong world [Mark 10:22]. So the first command to the Church dont be afraid what youre about to suffer. In a different context, James says, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (Js. We are called to be a people of the Gospel; the Gospel must be central to our lives. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) All of us do. 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. This is the pastor bringing the message entitled Faithful Unto Death. Do you need to come to Jesus right now? 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). 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. Indeed, the devil will throw some of a man loves the world and the things that are in it, he will find his hands Lets pray. 8 billion called themselves Christians in some broadest sense of the word. 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]. So they didnt have the same protection. 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. 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. But why do you delay? 2014.04.20 HE AROSE and you can too! The Text: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 18:6). Wed be fooling ourselves to make any sort of comparison. They assume they will go to heaven. Later in the letter we read such is the story of blessed Polycarp, although he, together with those from Philadelphia, was the 12th person martyred in Smyrna, he alone is especially remembered by everyone so that he is spoken of everywhere, even by pagans. But heres the second thing that had happened in 70 A.D. with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, Judaism and Christianity start to form as two different paths and two different religions, no longer just another sect, Judaism had lots of sects, but as a different religion. For almost 300 years Smyrna had a close connection with Rome. So if we have a late date for Revelation around 90 A.D., then this is some 65 years later, not that long. But in particular it blames some of the Jews. 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 church in Smyrna was a church of paradoxes. For the white city thats soon coming down. We are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul (Heb. Dethrone For me I have it written down. 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. Of course it does. These things I command you, that you love one another [John 15:17]. But as long as I listen and bow before self, my life is shriveled and small. And because of the necessity pressed upon him in his growing family, he accepted an affluent church in London. Jesus is not going to lose. And as a youth, I read The Story of My Life by Clarence Darrow. 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. Now the next verse: And God counted his faith for righteousness, because he believed in the Lord [Genesis 16:6]. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. This is the second of seven messages to seven churches. Its marking out the date and time of his death. 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. 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. Remember? Instead of worshipping as they should, they play golf on Sunday mornings or they go the race track or they go fishing. They were poor, but Jesus says, Youre rich. They were persecuted by Jews who Jesus says were not really Jews. Knowing that we are not facing these exact circumstances, and we can be thankful for it, what does this mean for us? 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. We must Thats what it is. 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. If only everyone could live knowing deeply this one true fact. 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. On this He bases His judgments. Where is your? Yes, death is an enemy for sure, but there is a worse enemy. 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%. What does it mean for us? 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. Heres part of the story, the martyrdom of Polycarp. This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at the Alum Creek church of Christ in Alum Creek, West Virginia. 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. 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. We see it here in this text its the second death. II Kings 2:1-12 View all Sermons Faithful Unto Death Series Contributed by Allen James on Sep 29, 2011 (message contributor) (rate this sermon) | 6,507 views Scripture: 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 an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. We have been encouraged and greatly challenged in our personal walk with the Lord. 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. The young fellow knelt down before the Lord [Mark 10:17]. This morning, we want to examine the biblical teachings concerning our faithfulness and call us to faithfulness to God. Death to sin through Christ Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. Not some physical anguish or personal disappointment, 2. Deliberately choosing the cross(Matthew 10:38, 16:24), 1. 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]. 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. We have to remember the reality to come which will last forever and the reality that exists now. If we are faithful, God will save us and glorify us in the life to come. When I was a youth growing up, Clarence Darrow, the great agnostic and atheist, literally covered the horizon in the legal profession. Genesis 49 And he gave his life to be a Baptist preacher, John Fawcett. Smyrna won the special privilege to build a temple to Emperor Tiberius. Now, before I mention the last one may I recapitulate? 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. Will you praise Him in pain? Now even saying it that way can make us nervous, is this anti-Semitism? The love of God is a powerful force in our efforts to be faithful. Web10/ 9/ 94 FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH REVELATION 2: 10 (PAGE 1785 COME ALIVE BIBLE) JESUS CHRIST is appropriately spoken of as "the faithful witness" (Rev. read more, Scripture: But pastor, does God say anything? If I die, praise His name, it is to be with Him. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important way stations that become a part of our pilgrimage. In fact, this one disqualifying sin will exclude us from ever going to heaven and receiving eternal life. The love of your life is in money. That is the child of God. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important way stations that After several months of study we have come to the concluding passage of 1st John. 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. Matthew 9:24, Luke 8:53), 2. There are so many things in this world, which keep people from being faithful. My fortieth year as a pastor still preaching the Word, V. A continuing living faith in Christ, A. A Those who seem to be strong in the faith prove to not have been in the faith. We will suffer. Genesis 50:1-26, Denomination: . An unswerving continuance in the Word of The governor said, Swear the genius of Caesar. But, if in a household there was a slave, and when time came, when that seventh year came and the slave was freeif he so loved his master or she so loved her mistress, that he did not want to leave, then they went through this kind of a simple ritual. . I started with the story of Polycarp. How can we leave these dear people? And John her husband replied, Wife, I dont see how we can. And he turned the team around and the wagon around and went back to the parsonage and put back in the house all of the things that he had stacked on that wagon. And what you do and what you believe and how you carry yourself is thought strange? Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) It would take maybe a half hour to read. 11:4). Doubt will say, How? 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. 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. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important ( Rev. In 23 B.C. How do you respond when you are living your best, walking by faith, serving God and the bottom falls out? 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