The Example of the Saints

Sermon: FCC Afton 10-30-2022 Halloween: The Example of the Saints Scripture: Book of Acts; Hebrews 12:1-2 (HCSB) Reminder: Church serving at Community Trunk or Treat tomorrow night @ 6:00 PM. Still looking for volunteers to help man the church's main booth. Today is Halloween Eve, the dasy before All Hallow's Eve.; All Hallow's Eve is the evening before All Saint's Day. All Saint's Day was set apart to remember the faithful service of Christians over the past twenty centuries who have gone on to their eternal reward, specifically those who have been martyred for their faith and for refusing to deny or recant their faith in Christ. All Hallow's Eve is also expressed with the phrase "Hallowed Evening," or holy evening, which has then also been shortened to "Halloween." The holiday may or may not line up with some humanistic or occult celebrations of the earth and spirits (such as Samhain in Ireland). The roots of this day have mixed origins, but all agree on one aspect: that there are evil spirits in this world- a lot of these cultural celebrations centered around the idea that spirits gain power and access to our world near the beginning of the winter season. In Celtic tradition, this day included the passing of spirits into the afterlife, as well as the celebrations of the harvest. The custom of wearing costumes came, not out of a desire to trick neighbors, but out of an attempt to protect children from roaming evil spirits, "tricking" the evil spirits because they could not recognize the children. Halloween itself is indeed a holiday, a Holy Day, being rooted in the celebration and recognition of our fellow Believers who have faced persecution and stood firm in the faith, even to the point of death. Of course, like every other Christian holiday, it has been commercialized beyond recognition in an attempt to sell costumes, candy, and horror movies; indeed, this one has been perverted in an attempt to steal away a day that honors God, one that many Christians will barely mention for fear that it somehow worships the enemy. While some of us will partake in the commercial part of this holiday, specifically tomorrow night during the community trunk or treat, providing a safe place for kids to come and play games and get candy, and to show parents what we have to offer their kids here at FCC, our focus this morning will be on the sacrifice of the saints that have gone before us and what their faith and witness even unto death can speak to us about our own faith walks. We are going to look to answer this question: how is it that so many Believers have stood firm in their faith to the point of giving their lives in service to Christ, and yet the Church today is docile and disengaged? What does it say about my faith? What does the example of the Saints mean for how I live my life today? Read Hebrews 12:1-3. Pray here! Let's examine the passage with an eye on both the lives of the Saints and on how I am walking today. Am I putting aside every weight and sin that ensnares me with the same dedication that those Saints did? Am I running this race with the same level of endurance that those Saints did? Am I even in the race, or am I sitting on the sidelines? Am I keeping my eyes locked on Jesus and His example for my life? The Example of the Apostles: (From Foxe's Book of Martyrs:) Read through Acts 8:1-3; Acts 12:1-11; Order of Martyrdom: Stephen- Read Acts 7:55-60: stoned to death by a mob after preaching the Gospel in Jerusalem -Read Acts 8:1-3 James, brother of John, Bishop of Jerusalem- Read Acts 12:1-11 -beheaded by Herod in AD 36 Between AD 36 and 64: Thomas- preached the Gospel in what is now Turkey and eastward to India; killed in Calamina, India after preaching the Gospel. Thaddeus, also called Simon, the brother of James and John; Bishop of Jerusalem after James- was crucified in Egypt during the reign of Emperor Trajan. Simon, the Zealot- Preached in Africa and then northward into Britain- was crucified. Mark, First Bishop of Alexandria- Preached the Gospel in Egypt. Burned at the stake during Trajan's reign. Bartholomew- Preached in the east as far as India; crucified and beheaded in Armenia, which is Eastern Europe. Translated the Gospel into the local dialects of India. Andrew, brother of Peter- Read Andrew's account: Preached in Ethiopia and north into Greece; crucified in modern-day Greece. Matthew- Wrote his Gospel to the Jews in the Hebrew tongue. Converted Ethiopia and Egypt to Christ; Killed by an assassin with a spear. Matthew's work in Ethiopia had a lasting effect, as Ethiopia was one of the first Christian nations in the world; indeed, when missionaries came from Europe in the 17th Century, they were amazed to find a vibrant Christian Church in the midst of the dark continent. Philip- Preached to the Barbarians; stoned and crucified. James, the brother of Jesus: Read James' account- Thrown off the roof of the Temple, stoned, and then beaten in the head with a wooden staff. -The first of ten major periods of persecution began during Nero's reign in AD 64. Peter- In AD 64, during the reign of Nero, roughly 3 months after the Great Fire of Rome, which was blamed on Christians, Peter was crucified head down at his own request, saying that he was not worthy to be crucified the same way as the Lord. Tradition states that he had successfully been warned that his arrest was coming and had fled the city, but had a vision of Christ going to the cross a second time, so he turned and went back to the city to be executed. Paul- Beheaded during the reign of Nero in AD 68, after years under house arrest. The fact that Paul was a Roman citizen would have exempted him from a tortuous death like crucifixion. John- Exiled to the island of Patmos but was allowed to return to Ephesus upon Domitian's death in AD 97. Lived till about AD 106 to around 100 years old. One more: this one is not an Apostle, but Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, has a remarkable story. Read Polycarp's account- AD 161, during the fourth period of intense persecution. Main Idea: This topic is in no way intended to bring about misplaced worship of the saints but instead to remind us how we are surrounded by a who's who list of the Saints of Christ. And this is where we find ourselves: surrounded by the Saints of the Old Testament and surrounded by those who gave their lives for Christ. We are reminded here in Hebrews 12: since we have this great cloud of witnesses, then let us examine our own lives and see where we can do better. Now, obviously, I am not asking everyone of you to be martyrs, although as Paul says in Philippians 1:21 "to die [for Christ] is gain," but what I do want to do with our time here is to see what the lives of these saints who came before can do to encourage positive, Godly changes in our own lives. Faith in the west has become cold- it has become more about 'What do I get from this?' than 'How can I serve my Lord and Savior?' Even though we wouldn't say this out loud, church has become more about entertainment that it is about edification and equipping. Yet when we examine the Believers who came before us, this cloud of witnesses, these examples of how faith is supposed to be lived, we see Believers who came together to worship, not in ease and peace, but in the knowledge that that death for the Savior could likely be coming soon- their faith was great and they changed the world. Question: What does the faith of those who have given their lives in service to Christ show me about my faith? What does it tell me about the status of the church? What does it show me about how I should live my life today? Let us turn back to Hebrews 12:1-3: Since we are surrounded by this great cloud of witness- this includes all those in the "Faith Chapter," Hebrews 11: Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Gideon, Samson, the prophets, those who "by faith" in something that they couldn't yet see, accomplished all these amazing things and were thus approved by God; we add to this list all those whom we have discussed here today- those that gave their lives because of the surety of hope they had in Jesus- since we are surrounded by all these, then let us make sure that we too are living out a faith that is rooted in honoring and serving Christ. These are the ones who God honors because of their faith and their sacrifice. In Revelation 20:4-5, we read that John "saw those who had been [martyred] because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God's word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were completed. This is the first resurrection." These witnesses in the cloud who are watching us and cheering us on, they are the embodiment of Christ's command in Matthew 20:16 that the "first will be last and the last will be first." They endured the shame of the world and perished for their faith, yet they will be the first to be resurrected, 1,000 years before every other Believer. Our desire should be to be counted among this group, not to throw our lives away needlessly, but to give our lives in service of our Lord and Savior. But being okay with that idea, let alone embracing it, requires a high level of spiritual maturity and a high level of surrender. There are three things that will help you develop in your faith and help you become a more mature Believer and Follower of Christ. These are the things that help you develop out of infancy, so you will no longer be someone who (Ephesians 4:14) can be "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming." Rather, you will become the person who is secure in their faith; who, like Polycarp, can say "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?" and then stand with a face like flint in the face of any threat of persecution. Truth 1: Lay aside every weight and the sin that ensnares. Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us." Give to God the things that weigh you down; get rid of, steer clear of, the sins that ensnare you! You know the things that weigh you down- the things that bring your spirit down. Avoid those things! Don't do them. If talking to a certain person who is always negative and rude, avoid talking with that person. If going to a certain place, or doing things with certain people, consistently drags down your spirit, then stop doing them! Stop doing the things that you know you shouldn't be doing. Run away from the sins that ensnare you! As Paul states in 1 Timothy 6 "Run from all these kinds of evil!" He is literally instructing us to run away from those things that we know will trip us up and cause us to sin. For the one dealing with the sin of alcoholism, it means not stepping foot near a liquor store or bar, not having a secret stash of alcohol in your house, and not going places where they are not going to have other options to drink; if you're not an alcoholic, then this may not be an issue for you and you may not need to have such restrictions on your life, but be aware of your need and the restrictions you may need. For the glutton, it means not stashing that gallon of chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer, not having lots of sweet snacks in your home, and not spending time in all-you-can-eat buffets. For the person struggling with adultery, it means breaking off communication with that person that you've begun connecting with, even if its just emotionally, that isn't your spouse. It means recognizing what the sin is and running away from it- removing yourself from situations where it could continue to be an issue. Whatever the sin, you know what you struggle with! The maturing Christian looks at it and doesn't say "That's just who I am;" rather, the mature Christian looks at that sin, recognizes it, recognizes the spiritual attack that makes it look so inviting, and says "Nope, I think I'll go another way tonight. I'll not drive by the bar, because I know I can't resist the draw to stop, even if my intention is just for a minute to say hello to my buddies. I'll not walk down the ice cream aisle at Walmart, because I know that mint chocolate chip will end up in my cart." I know what my flesh will make it into! The maturing Believer says "I know that being around that person is going to bring out a side of me that does not please Jesus, so I cannot allow myself to spend time with them. Even if they are my old friend, even if it is going to hurt them, I've got to break contact." How can I focus on Christ and what He desires of me if I am distracted or weighed down by sin? How can I be effective for Christ if the enemy has me so distracted that I can't see anything except for my own troubles? We look at all of these witnesses that are surrounding and ask this question, 'If they could stand up in the face of intense persecution and graciously go to their death to glorify Christ, why can I not put down the snacks, put away the drink, stop the inappropriate relationship? Why is their faith so much greater than mine? Why is their commitment to Christ stronger than mine?' Truth 2: Run with endurance the race set before us. Hebrews 12:1 "Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us." -Know the race that you're in, that God has set before you. Know the "X" marks the spot place, where God has made your gifts and passions able to meet the needs of the world. And then run that race with endurance; work at that task God has given you with everything you have. This is the image of the long-distance runner, not a sprinter. This implies taking the time to train for the long-haul race; you are going to have to train and condition yourself for the race that God has put before you. As Paul said to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 9:27, "I discipline my body and bring it under strict discipline (other translations say 'make it my slave'), so that after preaching the Gospel, I myself will not be disqualified." Once you have accepted the gift of salvation, you are committing to running this race, and committing to not giving up once you are in it. This doesn't mean that your race will always be on one path. There may be twists and turns, highs and lows, but you run forward with the endurance of a champion! It is saying, like Peter, I will serve as long as He has for me to serve; then, when it is time to walk toward my death, I will run with endurance, because He has already shown me how to do so. You stick with it, this race that God has placed you in, no matter what! The church has largely been lulled to sleep by the enemy; we are definitely not running toward the goal that our Lord has set for us. We are maybe slowly walking, but our focus has become more on entertainment and remaining relevant in a culture that is pulling away from God and His truths; we are definitely not showing the world what it means to run this race called life with endurance. Truth 3: Keep our eyes focused on Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 "Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross and despised the shame and has set down at the right hand of God's throne." This is probably the simplest of the three instructions: keep yourself focused on Jesus, but it is not one that we are doing well. Let's be frank here: most Christians in the US spend about 1-2 hours each week focused on faith stuff. Maybe an hour and a half on Sunday; 30 minutes on Wednesday. Maybe, we'll get some in there who spend a bit of time each day praying and reading their Bible, but those are the crazy religious nutjobs out there. But this verse says: Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus! Fixated! Locked in! Jesus should have all your attention! I know that there's a part of your heart that probably just said, 'But when will I have 'me time? If all my focus is on Jesus, then when do I get to devote myself to the things I love, the things I want to do?' It gives us the reason: He is the author and perfector of your faith. He endured the cross and took the shame of your sin on His own shoulders, so that you could have salvation and find the way back into right relationship with the Father. He joyfully took the punishment that you owed, in order that you could experience the love that God has for you. Do you get it yet? Christ did these things for you. He has offered you salvation- in exchange, you give Him your life; you give up control. Now, one of the awesome things about our God is that He is the one who gave you the passions that you have, and He wants you to use them for His purposes- you no longer get to have control over them, but you will still get to enjoy the things you love, just doing them on Christ's behalf. This means, if God brings someone into your path on Sunday morning who needs your help, you help, even if you'd rather be running home to flip on the football game. It means not sitting in the back so you can be first out of the church; it means engaging in this Body of Christ for more than just a casual hello before you slip out. It means focusing on what Christ is doing and what He desires out of you before giving your time to whatever it is you wish you were doing. Focus on Jesus. Life is good? Stay focused on Jesus. Life is rough? Focus on Jesus and let Him get you through. Faced with persecution because of your faith? Focus on Jesus; nothing else matters. Conclusion: As we conclude and we move into our time of invitation, follow the lead of those who have gone before us, those who are watching us now and cheering us on; strive to become a mature Believer that is not tossed about by every wave and who instead can stand firm like flint in the face of any trial. Be a mature Believer that lives every moment with the thought: only Jesus matters in the end. If you have something you need to set aside, or if you are ready to surrender your life to Jesus and you need to talk about what salvation and surrender mean, come- let's talk and pray. God is ready for you to become part of His family.