But I do not have a child and I am old and my wife is old. This letter reported this man was certainly one of the elect. 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. 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. FAITHFUL Some put it much lower than that, if its actually killing you because you confess Christ, the higher number is if in some way the state has starvation or death or opposition to religious groups, including Christians. Where, O death, is your victory? The text is taken out of our Lords message to the church in Smyrna [Revelation 2:8-11]. Gave his life to be a Baptist preacher, VII. A third characteristic of the true child of Christ: we are one who has deliberately chosen the cross. The first one is this: and I take these out of the Bible, out of the New Testament. Friends. and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Fathers which sent Me. Any true disciple of our Lord has a deep, haunting, never-sated thirst for the word of God. While we sing our appeal a thousand times welcome, come. Selfishness prevents people from being faithful. 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. 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 Money causes individuals to work long hours and thus neglect their families. And dont be afraid about what you would do and what you would be like should you face, the church at Smyrna, what they faced. It is required in stewards that one be found faithful (1 Cor. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Denomination: 4:2). It appears that some 65 years earlier the Christian church in Smyrna was facing many of the same trials. John 1:10-11: Jesus was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. 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. 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. The apostle John writes in 1 John 2:15-17: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. 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. Were at 7, 8 now? Faithfulness is required for all four quarters, all three periods, all nine innings. And it is one of the seven churches of Asia [Revelation 2:1-3:22]: Ephesus, and then right north, Smyrna. Give us ears, give us courage, no matter the time, no matter the opposition, no matter the circumstances. But faith has ten thousand answers for every how. The Lord said, if we are faithful unto death, He would give us a CROWN OF LIFE. read more, Scripture: You dont reject your Savior. But after thirty-nine years, standing here in this pulpit, there are thousands and thousands who come every Lords day listening to what? He told the disciples do not worry about what you will say in that day. 8 billion called themselves Christians in some broadest sense of the word. That means we are never turning back. And when the young man asked, Master, all of these commandments have I kept from my youth, but my heart is still hungry and empty, what lack I yet that I might obtain eternal life? The reason our adolescents, our young people, fall into, say, drugs, or into drinking, or into a thousand compromising positions, is because of peer pressure. 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. take up his cross, and follow Me. The cross is an instrument of death. empty and heart broken(1 John 2:15-17), IV. Centuries earlier, during the period when Rome was struggling with Carthage for supremacy, Smyrna sided with the Romans. If youre faithful unto death, you will get the crown of life. Death has no power over anyone who is in me! Thats why Jesus is able to say in verse 10, Be faithful unto death, and I will give you I recognize the first born of Satan. So he didnt mess around. However fate or providence may assail us, our commitment to our Lord is, first, and supreme. As your mind scans His life from the wilderness temptations to the last agonizing utterance from the cross, He is observed to be faithful. 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. Many deal with doubt and fear, but it is possible to be certain of salvation and live abundantly in Christ. Some of those Christians have been killed by other Christians. 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. We dont want to exaggerate it, we dont want to claim that were facing what other people are facing. This is a study of the book of Genesis. and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb. And it happens. self in my heart and enthrone the Lord Jesus, 1. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. He knew what it was to suffer as a man. 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. But if a man loves God, every day is a sweeter day, a triumphant day, and some day, a victorious day. They were human beings with faults just as we are; yet they accomplished much through their faith. Now you have it translated here, And he was sad at that saying [Mark 10:22]. 6:4 ), in which he is to set aside those things of his old way of life ( 2 Cor. You can read it. 1:6). Featuring a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and 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]. We can remember the benefits of remaining faithful. Baptist. For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person (Ps. And when they turned to drive away, his wife burst into tears and said, John, John, how can we do this? The other place it is used is to describe the face of that young man. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. The second characteristic and mark of a faithful Christian: the denial of self. Would it be murder, rape, spouse abuse, adultery, theft, gambling, or perhaps lying? heroes of the faith(Hebrews 11:9-10, 16), 1. 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. There is one surviving document we know that came from Polycarp. Theres nothing that says we cant pray for it to be removed. They will be subtle, but they will be there. My fortieth year as a pastor still preaching the Word, V. A continuing living faith in Christ, A. How faithful are you this morning? Dethrone Revelation chapter 2, verses 8 through 11. Our home is not here, it is there [John 14:1-3; Reveltion 21:1-5]. A study of Johns presence at the cross will help us in the pursuit of faithfulness. If they overcome in the first death, they will not be hurt by the second death. read more, Scripture: Because if were reading Scripture, well have the power to overcome temptation. And a man who preaches the word of the Lord is someone people love to listen to. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He wants to be acclaimed and accepted and praised by them. 11:4). For Jesus sake we pray. So we dont have to long for it and want it. [Matthew 27:57]. https://drjustinimelsr.com/sermon-on-soteriology-be-faithful-until-death A . [My Glorious Victor, Prince Divine, Handley C.G. Amen. For the child of God, heaven is our ultimate destination. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) When the boy was sixteen years old, he went to hear George Whitefield preach, and he was converted; wonderfully converted, listening to George Whitefield preach the gospel. 8:14). EASTER SUNDAY 2014 SERMON So if we have a late date for Revelation around 90 A.D., then this is some 65 years later, not that long. That was Smyrna in 155 or 156 A.D. Listening to a man expound the unsearchable riches of the Word of God. 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. View all Sermons Faithful Unto Death Series Contributed by Allen James on Sep 29, 2011 (message contributor) (rate this sermon) | 6,507 views Scripture: Psalms 20:5-6 Jesus is not going to lose. Since we know that God will richly reward us, we should be faithful. I have decided to follow Jesus, the characteristic of a true disciple of our Lord. Amen. 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. Of those 70 million that scholars estimate, 70 million Christian martyrs in the history of the Church, 45 million were killed in the 20th century, in the last 100 years. 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 -1 sec: Top Sermons: Online Bible: Hymnal: Daily Reading: Our And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. He dressed like a Tory schoolmaster. Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (September 25, 2015) The Basis of the Gospel 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. 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. 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. Revelation 2:8-11, Denomination: deep, never sated thirst for the Word(Romans If they die faithfully, they get a crown of life. John 15:12-13: This is My commandment, That you love one another . 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! Never. Lets pray. We, too, can lose focus of whats important in life. Picking things up after Polycarp has been arrested and hes being brought into the stadium in Smyrna. He was arrested by Herod when Philip of Tralles was high priest, during the proconsulship of Statius Quadratus, but while Jesus Christ was reigning as King forever. The Importance of Christs Resurrection 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. If God says anything, preacher, tell us what does God say? 16:3), B. What is preventing you from being faithful? This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at the Alum Creek church of Christ in Alum Creek, West Virginia. Amen.. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Hebrews 9:24-27. today we want to focus our attention on John. Text: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. But look at Jesus (John 1:10-11, Mark 5:40, What youre about to suffer need not be fearful. 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. But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important But as long as I listen and bow before self, my life is shriveled and small. A fifth characteristic of the true servant of Christhe possesses a continuing and undying faith in our victorious Lord Christ. You dont forget His promise. Every Christian wants to be able to say with the apostle Paul, as he thought about his own death ( 2 Tim. He comes with comfort. 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. Our Lord, before it comes to pass, we praise Thy wonderful, keeping, saving, endearing name for all You have done for us; died to save us [1 Corinthians 15:3], poured out Thy blood to wash us clean and white [Revelation 1:5, 5:9], that we might stand in the presence of God forgiven [Jude 1:24]. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. The church in Smyrna was a church of paradoxes. 3 attributes we find in Pauls heart: 1. Evangelical/Non-Denominational. I have never heard an exception to this in my life, and it is always false, it is always untrue. They are clear and unequivocal; the first one is this: supreme love for Jesus our Lord. Currently 160,000 Christians, by one estimate, are martyred every year. If I could digress here a minute and make a humble and humble observation: Next anniversary, I begin my fortieth year as pastor of this dear churchforty years, beginning. A pathway deliberately chosen death to the deepest desires of the flesh, But from salvation to glory there are three vitally important way stations that become a part of our pilgrimage. but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. When a man loves the world and the things that are in the world, the day finally comes when he finds his hands empty and his heart broken. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love (Jn. 5:17; The love of your life is in money. 22:37). Death to sin through Christ Foursquare. He hands it back to you doubly blessed; sanctified, hallowed when I place Jesus first in my life. Romans 6:10-23, Denomination: 1 Cor 15:14 Any Amazon link on this site is an ad. Some of you perhaps pray for it every day, that would be wonderful. That number of about 0.8% of Christians throughout history, in fact, has been constant over many centuries. read more, Scripture: He knows your tribulation. For almost 300 years Smyrna had a close connection with Rome. Thats the cry in each one of these churches. Most of us, if were honest, are scared of suffering. 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? having been freed(Deuteronomy 15:12-18), B. And a youngster wants to belong to the group. Give it up. 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. Wed be fooling ourselves to make any sort of comparison. read more, Scripture: But why do you delay? While we stand and while we pray. By other Christians hear is not here, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, we should faithful... On John commitment to our Lord has a deep, haunting, never-sated thirst for the child Christ... Tribulation and your poverty the sin which so easily ensnares us, we dont to... Required in stewards that one be found faithful ( 1 Cor of his old way of (... My life, and the word Lord ( 1 John 2:15-17 ), 1 and... That saying [ Mark 10:22 ] I place Jesus first in my life 1 Cor fortieth year as a expound... True child of Christ: we are faithful unto death, they will be subtle, but Fathers. 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