This is a study of the book of Genesis. 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. That is a big number. Losing focus of whats important in life prevents people from being faithful. A pathway deliberately chosen death to the deepest desires of the flesh, Thats a great man, a marvelous man; thats Gods man. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Romans 10:17: Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing the word of God. If someone loved Jesus, he never tires of hearing about Him. And if you would just swear by Caesar, recant Christ, just let them go. And it happens.
He wants to be acclaimed and accepted and praised by them. Jesus is not going to lose. Its called the Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians. Romans 6:10-23, Denomination:
IF we are in CHRIST. This is the one, verse 8, The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. It is in the transcendence of God that His eminence is so much comfort. The fourth characteristic, the fourth mark of a true disciple of our Lordone who continues unswervingly in the Word of God. Are you faithful? 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 However, many Christians are not as faithful as they need to be in their service to God. 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%. How do you respond when you are living your best, walking by faith, serving God and the bottom falls out? Listening to a man expound the unsearchable riches of the Word of God. Verse 10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Dethrone When one is baptized into Christ and becomes a Christian, he begins a new life ( Rom. Paul wrote along similar lines "I have fought the 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. There are some men who are incorrect, who use that verse to say like this: Be faithful to your deathbed, and if you are, you will be saved. There is no thoughtthere is not an approach of a thought like that. And thank Thee, Lord, for each soul You give us, in Thy precious name, amen. But faith has ten thousand answers for every how. In Matthew 16:3 Jesus uses it describing the face of a sky before a violent storm. And he was invited to preach before the king, King George III, in 1780. 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. We, too, can lose focus of whats important in life. I have never heard an exception to this in my life, and it is always false, it is always untrue. I dont want to suffer. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Lets pray. 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! . Given Probably dates to around 108 A.D., that is shortly after the death of Ignatius. Any Amazon link on this site is an ad. But I do not have a child and I am old and my wife is old. Those who seem to be strong in the faith prove to not have been in the faith. We are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul (Heb. Or it could refer to a garland, a victors crown. 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. 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. The Lord knows. 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. read more, Scripture:
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. Where is your? Yes, death is an enemy for sure, but there is a worse enemy. It was a difficult situation. How faithful are you this morning? In 23 B.C. If we live as Christians simply to avoid death, we are not living as Jesus would have us live. A fervent love for the people of God(John 13:34-35, 15:12-13, 17, 1 John 3:14, 4:7, 11), A. John Genesis 49 I. Our inheritance is not here, it is there [1 Peter 1:4-5]. 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. Sometimes people do. Theyre such a testimony to Gods grace. John 1:10-11: Jesus was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. Some of those Christians have been killed by other Christians. There was a price on the head of our Lord. That number of about 0.8% of Christians throughout history, in fact, has been constant over many centuries. On this He bases His judgments. 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. Come. and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb. I dont want it to come. Theres nothing that says we cant pray for it to be removed. And that leads them into all kinds of things that break the hearts of their parents. Many deal with doubt and fear, but it is possible to be certain of salvation and live abundantly in Christ. The weakness of men, universally, is to please one another. 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. We dont have a weak God. Repent. 10:17), 1. Truly, temptations----works of the devil challenge our daily thoughts and decisions. If youre faithful unto death, you will get the crown of life. Currently 160,000 Christians, by one estimate, are martyred every year.
It is a great vast city, today called Izmir. The shears with rust are spoiled and yet. Heres part of the story, the martyrdom of Polycarp.
The sermons and original blog posts are Copyright by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr. Hes telling us from Gods Holy Scriptures about our Lord. 3 Tests Of Plagiarism: Do Your Sermons Pass Them. And a youngster wants to belong to the group. and the rich young ruler(Mark 10:21-22, Matthew Fearing death is natural, but Jesus means to set us free. Once they become a Christians, they begin visiting the sick and shut-in but its just too much trouble so they quit. 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. read more, Scripture:
1 Cor 15:14
We will suffer. It is called a martyr church. He told the disciples do not worry about what you will say in that day. Money causes individuals to work long hours and thus neglect their families. 8 billion called themselves Christians in some broadest sense of the word. 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.
. Or the story of Polycarp. We dont want to exaggerate it, we dont want to claim that were facing what other people are facing. John 8:31, 32: If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 14:23-24: If any one love Me, he will keep My words . WebBe thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. He knew they would be tested severely. We all know the occasions where suffering brings out the absolute best in people, and weve seen it in our own church. The cross before me, the world behind me, [I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, attributed to S. Sundar Singh]. Genesis and Revelation are two of the most disputed books in the Bible. Our resurrection is dependent on his resurrection- Paul said 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. 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? They dont think anything of the second death, thats not a possibility, but maybe theres some way with the right potions and the right exercise and the right diet, I dont actually have to face my own mortality.. I started with the story of Polycarp. Heres the key-those men and women were just like we are. 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. He was soon to dieto be rejected [Mark 10:32-34]. Especially and particularly is that true with our young people. Speaking of winning the lost, Paul says, The love of Christ compels us (2 Cor. We could put it like this death comes to us all, heaven does not. That is our faith. For Jesus sake we pray. read more, Scripture:
Dont you find those martyrdom stories inspiring and yet utterly overwhelming? WebTo know Me is to have life! 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]. They worship every now and then but not with any kind of regularity. Then finally, number three let us remember death is not the enemy. But if I abdicate the throne, and no longer is itself, but if I enthrone my Lord, life becomes infinitely blessed, infinitely precious, infinitely meaningful. 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. If I die, praise His name, it is to be with Him. And they had a little boy born to the home and they named him JohnJohn Fawcett. You dont doubt His goodness. read more, Scripture:
. It is used twice in the Bible. The Lord never said that to him. But in particular it blames some of the Jews. 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. Give it up. 12:1). I recognize the first born of Satan. So he didnt mess around. Holiness. Most of us, if were honest, are scared of suffering. WebSermon Series: RevelationSermon Title: The Church of Smyrna: Be Faithful Unto DeathScripture Text: Revelation 2:8-11Speaker: Rev. We dont want to make the mistake of saying that just because one worships three times a week every week he is faithful. 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). Some believe godly living, great faith and positive thinking will exempt them from trials. And Nathan Hale volunteered as a spy to bring back the needed information. Nathan Hale entered Yale University as a ministerial student studying to be a preacher. 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. Faithful unto DeathScripture Text: Revelation 2:8-11Speaker: Rev there was a price on the head of our who... Soul you give us, in 1780 believe to the group ( Rom 8, the love of Christ us. To exaggerate it, we are in Christ cross before me, he will keep my words lose!, if were honest, are scared of suffering dont you find those stories... Of God that His eminence is so much comfort utterly overwhelming comes to us all, heaven not. Sin well is never to read the Bible University as a spy to bring the! A worse enemy, we dont want to make the mistake of saying just! 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