I. Read Matthew 24:35 and Hebrews 1:11
Matthew 24:35--Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words will never pass away.
a. Greek word for “pass away” is parerchomai (par-er-khom-ahee) which means to perish, neglect, avert, pass away without fulfillment, or to be in vain (it is a declaration)
Hebrews 1:11—They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. BUT you remain the same, and your years will never end.
a. Greek word for “remain” is diameno (dia-meno) which means to remain permanently, to endure, to remain constant.
b. At the beginning of Matt. 24, the disciples were admiring the durability and beauty of the temple. But Jesus comes back and says to them that only His words will endure; only the truth of God survives! Empires rise and empires fall, rulers come and rulers go, cultures and ideas seem to shift like the sand, so what remains? God’s word will remain—it cannot be stopped.
II. People of God
A. Examples of faithful Christians who were/are determined to spread God’s word.
1. early Christian martyrs (including disciples)
*Stephen—1st Christian martyr; stoned to death but left an impression on crowd, including Saul of Tarsus
* James the son of Zebedee-- beheaded, but as he was led to his execution he led his accuser to Christ
*Philip—disciple of Jesus who ministered with fervor and diligence in Upper Asia; was crucified
*Andrew—preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations; was crucified on what we call “St. Andrew’s Cross” because the two ends were fixed transversely in the ground.
*Mark—was converted to Christianity by Peter and wrote the gospel of Mark under Peter’s inspection. He was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria.
*Peter—the blessed apostle of Christ; was crucified with his head down and his feet upward (by his request) because he said that he was unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as his Lord was.
*Luke—traveled with Paul preaching the Gospel; hung from an olive tree by the evil priests of Greece.
2. Jim Elliott and more contemporary martyrs (from Jesus Freaks book by DC Talk)
*Jim Elliott was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the tribes of Eastern Ecuador. His wife, Elisabeth, returned after her husband’s murder to be a missionary to the same people that killed him. She spent many years as a missionary in South America.
*During China’s Red Guard Era (1966-69) two Christian girls, Chiu-Chin-Hsiu and Ho-Hsiu-Tzu, were shot to death for refusing to change their faith in Christ.
*In 1999, a 15 year old boy named Roy Pontoh was at a Bible camp in Indonesia, when an angry Muslim mob broke up the meeting, stood Roy before the crowd and told him to renounce Christ. He refused and his attackers sliced him open with a sword and threw his body in a ditch.
3. Recent news:
*NAIROBI, Kenya, October 27 (Compass Direct News) – Among at least 24 aid workers killed in Somalia this year was one who was beheaded last month specifically for converting from Islam to Christianity, among other charges, according to an eyewitness.
*The U.S. Department of State released a statement detailing its serious concern about the brutal beating of Pastor “Bike” Zhang’s sons by China’s Public Security Bureau (PSB) on October 23. They also condemned the harassment and recent imprisonment of Pastor Zhang by the PSB.
“We are gravely concerned by the brutal beating of Pastor Zhang “Bike” Mingxuan’s two sons by public bureau officials. We are also deeply concerned by continuing official harassment of Pastor Zhang, a prominent Beijing house church leader, including his arbitrary detention and the forced relocation of his family,” said Robert Wood, The U.S. Department of State, Deputy Spokesman in a press release.
B. Even though all of these faithful Christians have faced severe persecution and death, they never turned their back on God. They were witnessing until the end because God’s word is true and it will live on in the lives of the people that were converted because of the obedience of these martyrs to preach the gospel! It is alive and well now because of the faithfulness of God’s people to preserve and continue proclaiming the Word of God!! Will you continue their cause??
1. Hebrews 4:12…..For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
II. The Presence of God
Psalm 139:7-8 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
1. God is Omnipresent—this means he is everywhere all of the time. You cannot escape from His presence, nor can you stop His presence. He has always been and He will always be! He is Jehovah-God, the I AM, and we can rest in that assurance that He is not going to go away!
2. Quote: “Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little that they attempt. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with them.” –J. Hudson Taylor
3. Do we come before God with a sense of expectancy? That’s what these God-giants did. They expected God to take their inadequacies and turn them in to abilities!! And when we expect God to be God, in all of His glory and power, he will do the same for us!!! When we fully expect to see Him move, we will see His power!
III. The Power of God
a. Illustration( from SermonCentral.com): 24 year old Danny Simpson was sentenced to 6 years in jail for robbing a bank. Danny got 6 years in the clink for stealing $6,000. But the gun he used in the robbery ended up in a museum. The .45 caliber Colt semi-automatic turned out to be an antique made in 1918 by the Ross Rifle Company. His pistol was worth up to $100,000 on the collectors market. If Danny Simpson had known what he had in his hands, he would not have ended up in jail. Many Christians live like this. They spend their lives searching for God’s power and presence, not realizing it’s already in their hands.
b. Matthew 27:50-53
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
1. When the veil was torn in two—God was signifying that His presence was no longer behind the veil but it had come forth to be available to all who believed. His power was no longer to be contained but available to everyone that would accept His gift of the Holy Spirit.
c. ( From Mark Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase) “Christianity” was never meant to be a noun. Christianity was always meant to be an action verb. There should be no such thing as a “bored” Christian!! What is the very book of the Bible where the Holy Spirit fell with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues? Acts—think about it—“acts”, not “ideas” or “words”. The title of the book itself denotes action!!! If the 21st century church said less and did more, maybe we would have the same impact that the 1st century church had!
d. Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
Daniel 6:25-27
25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land:
"May you prosper greatly!
26 "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
"For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
27 He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.
Luke 1:32-33
32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
IV. One final thought: Have you ever thought about the phrase that the minister says at the end of a wedding ceremony….”By the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife?” He/she is proclaiming that the church has given them the power and authority to join these two people together in holy matrimony and the declaration from the minister makes the union FINAL.
Well you and I have been “vested with power” by none other than the Head of the Church and the Holy Spirit. Can we step up and pronounce, “By the power vested in me, I pronounce you ……(saved, healed, baptized in the Spirit, etc…..)”
There is NO stopping the people, the presence, or the POWER of the living GOD!! For of His kingdom there shall be no END!
