Especially and particularly is that true with our young people. 14 views Watch this sermon on a Roku or Apple TV! 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Denomination: They believed the promises and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims in this earth [Hebrews 11:13]: Now, they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: And I turn the pages of the Book, And I John, saw that holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband [Revelation 21:2]. 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 fact, we do. read more, Scripture: self in my heart and enthrone the Lord Jesus, 1. 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. knows nothing about defeat (Romans 4:17-21, Genesis Suppose I were to stand in this pulpit and speak and discuss English literature three times once a week? So you add them all up, and what? To Him be the glory, honor, majesty, and eternal throne, from generation to generation. repudiation of the world, a. Jesus This was the problem with the Ephesian church-I have this against you, that you have left your first love (Rev. Verse 10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. read more, Scripture: 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. 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. There are many benefits to remaining faithful. [Luke 9:62]: No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.. The one who overcomes, who conquers, will not be hurt by the second death, that is, the eternal punishment in the lake of fire. That is what the Bible said about Jesus: Jesus, looking upon him, loved him [Mark 10:21]. It is far too easy to go through the motions of being faithful without really being faithful. Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! Jesus will be there with you. In order to be faithful, we must put God first in our lives-You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt. Oh, what a beautiful thing, a precious thing, a wonderful thing: to love our Lord and to follow humbly in the way of Jesus! That was Smyrna in 155 or 156 A.D. Or the story of Polycarp. 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. Pentecostal. That is to say, even in Charlotte, North Carolina should you be a true, passionate, on fire, biblical Christian, absolutely in love with Jesus, no matter what it counts, at some point you will face opposition. 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. 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]. It is a place on which somebody is executed, a cross. Foursquare. Evangelical/Non-Denominational. . We dont have a little God. My fortieth year as a pastor still preaching the Word, V. A continuing living faith in Christ, A. We are given by choice, by volition, to our Lord and Master forever. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) Revelation 2:10, Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Denial of self(Matthew 16:24-25), A. Lets pray. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it. But we also know that suffering brings with it many temptations. Probably dates to around 108 A.D., that is shortly after the death of Ignatius. If they were faithful to the end, surely we can be as well. The cross before me, the world behind me, [I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, attributed to S. Sundar Singh]. Remember? He comes with comfort, and notice He comes with commands. 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. But to be repudiated and to be censored and to be disliked is a terrible thing to bear. II Kings 2:1-12 I started with the story of Polycarp. The Resurrection of Jesus says it all. Is God first in your life? You may say, Well, wait a minute, Pastor. 3:11). When WebUnto death! Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Rev. It tarries through the last breath. It appears that some 65 years earlier the Christian church in Smyrna was facing many of the same trials. That is the child of God. The most remarkable Polycarp, who proved to be an apostolic and prophetic teacher in our own time, bishop of the catholic church, meaning the orthodox, universal church in Smyrna. It is called a martyr church. Picking things up after Polycarp has been arrested and hes being brought into the stadium in Smyrna. IF we are in CHRIST. The second characteristic and mark of a faithful Christian: the denial of self. As long as Christianity was a sect of Judaism, there was little trouble. heroes of the faith(Hebrews 11:9-10, 16), 1. Isa 38:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. He knew they would experience difficult times in their lives. 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. Some of you will be thrown into prison for a time. It had a fierce loyalty to the Caesar, to the Emperor. Charles Wesley was an Anglican minister. Whatever the church is facing, and here in Smyrna it was persecution, hatred, opposition, suffering, what they need to see more than anything is not a 12-step plan, not a 3 steps to their better life now, they need to know ultimate reality of the One who sits on the throne and they need to know the ultimate reality that will be theirs should they be faithful unto death. 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. Indeed, the devil will throw some of . Dont you find those martyrdom stories inspiring and yet utterly overwhelming? That right there was meant to be comfort. 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. Many people have is just the opposite. If God says anything, preacher, tell us what does God say? 8 billion called themselves Christians in some broadest sense of the word. 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. Committed to a belief in another world(Colossians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:19), A. Clarence 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. Money causes individuals to work long hours and thus neglect their families. The LORD preserves the faithful (Ps. We dont have a small Christ who is coming and just saying, Oh, I will shed a tear for you. No, this is the One who is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. And a man who preaches the word of the Lord is someone people love to listen to. The first one is this: and I take these out of the Bible, out of the New Testament. In fact, this one disqualifying sin will exclude us from ever going to heaven and receiving eternal life. Romans 6: 10-23 WebTrue faithfulness to God is maintained to the end. In the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy is one of the most unusual parabolic instances of devotion that you could ever think for or find in all literature. 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. However, many Christians are not as faithful as they need to be in their service to God. When Jesus said follow Him, this is our life's course. It is interesting to note the things Jesus DID NOT say to them on how to overcome. He wants to be associated with them. 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. 1 2 3 4 Next He did NOT say, If you are faithful a few short years I will give thee a And he was invited to preach before the king, King George III, in 1780. Jesus does not offer a rebuke to Smyrna. 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. As your mind scans His life from the wilderness temptations to the last agonizing utterance from the cross, He is observed to be faithful. They were poor, but rich in what really matters. 5:17)-His point is that Elijah was a human being just like everyone else, yet his prayers accomplished much. But I do not have a child and I am old and my wife is old. Its been translated into English. Dont think youre the only one to have this struggle. The Word of God tells us to have compassion for our brothers and sisters who are facing difficulty and prison and opposition, and some will even pay the ultimate price of martyrdom. 4:2). If they overcome in the first death, they will not be hurt by the second death. It is used twice in the Bible. 2:10). Supreme love for Jesus our Lord(Luke 14:25-26), A. read more, Scripture: We must Pray for the persecuted church. 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. Amen.. We all love to be accepted. But pastor, does God say anything? Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. We Christians must be faithful. Where, O death, is your victory? Darrows The Story of My Life said there is no evidence of immortality, B. Gods We are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul (Heb. But look at Jesus (John 1:10-11, Mark 5:40, I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. They were most affluent and well-to-do. Any Amazon link on this site is an ad. Certainly under all of the rules of logic the one who assumes that an apparently dead person is still alive should be able to produce substantial proof. A. Its the basic foundation of the Christian faith it is fundamental If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. He knew what it was to suffer as a man. Since we know that God will richly reward us, we should be faithful. Notice the Lord Jesus says in verse 9, I know your tribulation and your poverty. This was a church that had more pain than they had money. As we apply this standard, our views on many things undergo a radical change. Theres nothing that says we cant pray for it to be removed. 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.. The Pharisees did that (Matt. Some believe godly living, great faith and positive thinking will exempt them from trials. And that leads them into all kinds of things that break the hearts of their parents. Doubt will say, How? Faithfulness is full time until the end of time. And a youngster wants to belong to the group. Let me finish with three points of application. It is a great vast city, today called Izmir. 31:23). 4:7 ), I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. While God promises that He will keep all that He saves, the process is They could offer sacrifices in honor of the emperors, not as gods but as rulers. 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. 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? https://drjustinimelsr.com/sermon-on-soteriology-be-faithful-until-death We read when the magistrate persisted and said, Swear the oath and I will release you. He motioned toward them with his hand and then groaning as he looked up to heaven said, Away with the atheists. Meaning the atheists. And on page four hundred he says, If there is one scrap of proof that we are alive after we are dead, why is not that scrap given to the world? Or whether we die or whether we live, we are with Him [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. By a living faith, I mean one consumed with one desireto please our Lord. An unswerving continuance in the Word of Its been translated into English. [My Glorious Victor, Prince Divine, Handley C.G. And I wonder if those of you this morning who are facing uncertain times, facing hardships, illness, chronic problems, test results, wayward family members Can you hear this comfort? Smyrna won the special privilege to build a temple to Emperor Tiberius. Listen to this: Romans 4:17: God, who quickeneth the dead, calleth those things which be not as though they were, Abraham [Genesis 17:5], against hope, believed in hope. Jesus knows. Tempted to disbelieve the Word of God. 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. 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. Jesus told the church in Smyrna, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Revelation 2:10, KJV). Most of us, if were honest, are scared of suffering. A pathway deliberately chosen death to the deepest desires of the flesh, Now, listen to His exact word: Give away what you have. Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world (2 Tim. I would never think to say, Away with the atheists. I would Would I stand fast? 2 letter from Jesus to the church at Smyrna. Evil influences prevent people from being faithful. After several months of study we have come to the concluding passage of 1st John. For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. 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. I hope you have that somewhere in your regular rhythm. Could I take time to turn aside? He dressed like a Tory schoolmaster. Theyre such a testimony to Gods grace. The connection of this passage will help us to understand its meaning. False doctrine prevents people from being faithful. 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.