Faith of Our Fathers
Last week we looked at what we call the plan of salvation. I
want to ask you today, how many of you went home and felt like
you were saved? How many of you heard the words and knew that
they were true? How many of you heard the words and didn't feel
like you are being saved, but decided to act as if it were true
because God said that it was?
Today, right now, how many of you are so assured of your
relationship with Christ that if you were facing death you could
do it calmly?
I want to share with you some stories out of Christian history.
These are from Fox's Book or Martyrs.
"Timothy, a deacon of Mauritania and Maura his wife, had not
been united together in the bands of wedlock above three weeks,
when they were separated from each other by the persecution.
Timothy, being apprehended as a Christian, was carried before
Arrianus, the governor of Thebais, who, knowing that he had the
keeping of the Holy Scriptures' commanded him to deliver them up
to be burnt; to which he answered, "Had I children, I would
sooner deliver them up to be sacrificed, than part with the Word
of God." The governor being much incensed at this reply, ordered
his eyes to be put out, with red-hot irons, saying "The books
shall at least be useless to you, for you shaIt not see to read
them."
"His patience under the operation was so great that the governor
grew more exasperated; he, therefore, in order, if possible, to
overcome his fortitude, ordered him to be hung up by the feet,
with a weights about his neck, and a gag in his mouth. In this
state, Maura his wife, tenderly urged him for her sake to
recant; but, when the gag was taken out of his mouth, instead of
consenting to his wife's entreaties, he greatly blamed her
mistaken love, and declared his resolution of dying for the
faith. The consequence was, that Maura resolved to imitate his
courage and fidelity and either to accompany or follow him to
glory. The governor, after trying in vain to alter her
resolution, ordered her to be tortured, which was executed with
great severity. After this, Timothy and Maura were crucified
near each other, A. D. 304.
"Sabinus, bishop of Assisium, refusing to sacrifice to Jupiter,
and pushing the idol from him, had his hand cut off by the order
of the governor of Tuscany. While in prison, he converted the
governor and his family, all of whom suffered martyrdom for the
faith. Soon after their execution, Sabinus himself was scourged
to death
In Bohemia, "An unnamed nobleman and clergyman, who resided in
a Protestant village, hearing of the approach of the high court
of reformers and the troops, fled from the place, and secreted
themselves. The soldiers, however, on their arrival, seized upon
a schoolmaster, asked him where the lord of that place and the
minister were concealed, and where they had hidden their
treasures. The schoolmaster replied that he could not answer
either of the questions. They then stripped him naked, bound him
with cords, and beat him most unmercifully with cudgels. This
cruelty not extorting any confession from him, they scorched him
in various parts of his body; when, to gain a respite from his
torments, he promised to show them where the treasures were hid.
The soldiers gave ear to this with pleasure, and the
schoolmaster led them to a ditch full of stones, saying,
"Beneath these stones are the treasures ye seek for." Eager
after money, they went to work, and soon removed those stones,
but not finding what they sought after, they beat the
schoolmaster to death, buried him in the ditch, and covered him
with the very stones he had made them remove.
"Some of the soldiers ravished the daughters of a worthy
Protestant before his face, and then tortured him to death. A
minister and his wife they tied back to back and burnt. Another
minister they hung upon a cross beam, and making a fire under
him, broiled him to death. A gentleman they hacked into small
pieces, and they filled a young man's mouth with gunpowder, and
setting fire to it, blew his head to pieces.
"As their principal rage was directed against the clergy, they
took a pious Protestant minister, and tormenting him daily for a
month together, in the following manner, making their cruelty
regular, systematic, and progressive.
They placed him amidst them, and made him the subject of their
derision and mockery, during a whole day's entertainment, trying
to exhaust his patience, but in vain, for he bore the whole with
true Christian fortitude. They spit in his face, pulled his
nose, and pinched him in most parts of his body. He was hunted
like a wild beast, until ready to expire with fatigue. They made
him run the gauntlet between two ranks of them, each striking
him with a twig. He was beat with their fists. He was beat with
ropes. They scourged him with wires. He was beat with cudgels.
They tied him up by the heels with his head downwards, until the
blood started out of his nose, mouth, etc. They hung him by the
right arm until it was dislocated, and then had it set again.
The same was repeated with his left arm. Burning papers dipped
in oil were placed between his fingers and toes. His flesh was
torn with red-hot pincers. He was put to the rack. They pulled
off the nails of his right hand. The same repeated with his left
hand. He was bastinadoed (whipped with canes) on his feet. A
slit was made in his right ear. The same repeated on his left
ear. His nose was slit. They whipped him through the town upon
an ass. They made several incisions in his flesh. They pulled
off the toe nails of his right foot. The same they repeated with
his left foot. He was tied up by the loins, and suspended for a
considerable time. The teeth of his upper jaw were pulled out.
The same was repeated with his lower jaw. Boiling lead was
poured upon his fingers. The same was repeated with his toes. A
knotted cord was twisted about his forehead in such a manner as
to force out his eyes.
During the whole of these horrid cruelties, particular care was
taken that his wounds should not mortify, and not to injure him
mortally until the last day, when the forcing out of his eyes
proved his death.
England, January 29, 1555. "Bishop Hooper was degraded and
condemned,..... At dark, Dr. Hooper was led through the city to
Newgate; notwithstanding this secrecy, many people came forth to
their doors with lights, and saluted him, praising God for his
constancy.
"........As Christ was tempted, so they tempted him, and then
maliciously reported that he had recanted. The place of his
martyrdom being fixed at Gloucester, he rejoiced very much,
lifting up his eyes and hands to heaven, and praising God that
he saw it good to send him among the people a over whom he was
pastor, there to confirm with his death the truth which he had
before taught them......
"Sir Anthony Kingston, at one time Dr. Hooper's good friend, was
appointed by the queen's letters to attend at his execution. As
soon as he saw the bishop he burst into tears. With tender
entreaties he exhorted him to live. "True it is," said the
bishop, "that death is bitter, and life is sweet; but alas!
consider that the death to come is more bitter, and the life to
come is more sweet."
"The same day a blind boy obtained leave to be brought into Dr.
Hooper's presence. The same boy, not long before, had suffered
imprisonment at Gloucester for confessing the truth. "Ah! poor
boy," said the bishop, "though God hath taken from thee thy
outward sight, for what reason He best knoweth, yet He hath
endued thy soul with the eye of knowledge and of faith. God give
thee grace continually to pray unto Him, that thou lose not that
sight, for then wouldst thou indeed be blind both in body and
soul."
"When the mayor waited upon him preparatory to his execution, he
expressed his perfect obedience, and only requested that a quick
fire might terminate his torments. After he had got up in the
morning, he desired that no man should be suffered to come into
the chamber, that he might be solitary until the hour of
execution.
"About eight o'clock, on February 9, 1555, he was led forth, and
many thousand persons were collected, as it was market-day. All
the way, being straitly charged not to speak, and beholding the
people, who mourned bitterly for him, he would sometimes lift up
his eyes towards heaven, and look very cheerfully upon such as
he knew: and he was never known, during the time of his being
among them, to look with so cheerful and ruddy a countenance as
he did at that time. When he came to the place appointed where
he should die, he smilingly beheld the stake and preparation
made for him, which was near unto the great elm tree over
against the college of priests, where he used to preach.
"Now, after he had entered into prayer, a box was brought and
laid before him upon a stool, with his pardon from the queen, if
he would turn. At the sight whereof he cried, "If you love my
soul, away with it!" The box being taken away, Lord Chandois
said, "Seeing there is no remedy; dispatch him quickly."
"Command was now given that the fire should be kindled. But
because there were not more green fagots than two horses could
carry, it kindled not speedily, and was a pretty while also
before it took the reeds upon the fagots. At length it burned
about him, but the wind having full strength at that place, and
being a lowering cold morning, it blew the flame from him, so
that he was in a manner little more than touched by the fire.
"Within a space after, a few dry fagots were brought, and a new
fire kindled with fagots, (for there were no more reeds) and
those burned at the nether parts, but had small power above,
because of the wind, saving that it burnt his hair and scorched
his skin a little. In the time of which fire, even as at the
first flame, he prayed, saying mildly, and not very loud, but as
one without pain, "O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon me,
and receive my soul!" After the second fire was spent, he wiped
both his eyes with his hands, and beholding the people, he said
with an indifferent, loud voice, "For God's love, good people,
let me have more fire!" and all this while his nether parts did
burn; but the fagots were so few that the flame only singed his
upper parts.
"The third fire was kindled within a while after, which was more
extreme than the other two. In this fire he prayed with a loud
voice, "Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me! Lord Jesus receive my
spirit!" And these were the last words he was heard to utter.
But when he was black in the mouth, and his tongue so swollen
that he could not speak, yet his lips went until they were
shrunk to the gums: and he knocked his breast with his hands
until one of his arms fell off, and then knocked still with the
other, while the fat, water, and blood dropped out at his
fingers' ends, until by renewing the fire, his strength was
gone, and his hand crave fast in knocking to the iron upon his
breast. Then immediately bowing forwards, he yielded up his
spirit.
Thus was he three quarters of an hour or more in the fire. Even
as a lamb, patiently he abode the extremity thereof, neither
moving forwards, backwards, nor to any side; but he died as
quietly as a child in his bed. And he now reigneth, I doubt not,
as a blessed martyr in the joys of heaven, prepared for the
faithful in Christ before the foundations of the world; for
whose constancy all Christians are bound to praise God."
What is it that allowed those, and hundreds of thousands of
others to have such an unwavering stand for what they believed
was right? How could they have the strength to be faithful when
their lands, their possessions, their families, and their lives
were taken from them?
What was the difference in those who were on our church's books
in Rwanda, between the ones who betrayed and hacked to death
their fellow church members and those who protected and hid
others at risk of their own lives?
I shudder to think of myself compared to that, when I sometimes
am careful to word a statement or answer a question merely to
avoid someone's displeasure. And in a situation that is
not
even life and death.
What motivated the disciples in their journeys and preachings?
Tradition tells us that all but John the beloved were martyred.
Paul describes his life in:
2 Cor 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ?; I speak as a fool;
I
am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in
prisons more frequently, in deaths often.
24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three
times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the
deep;
26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the
Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in
perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness;
28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep
concern for all the churches.
What motivates a Paul? What motivated Joseph to turn down the
advances of Potipher's wife?
I believe that there is only one thing that can positively
motivate a life like that. The one thing that I can think of
is
a deep abiding sincere love/trust relationship.
That relationship does not come out of feelings of duty or
obligation. In Paul's terminology, the law cannot do it.
The true Christian is motivated by something that has gone
before.
Rom 5:1 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
2 "through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in
which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
3 "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;"
4 "and perseverance, character; and character, hope."
5 "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given
to us."
6 "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly."
7 "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps
for a good man someone would even dare to die."
8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
9 "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through Him."
10 "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled,
we shall be saved by His life."
11 "And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the
reconciliation."
What is Paul trying to say to us here? What does he mean when
he says that he rejoices in tribulations?
The only thing that I can imagine that can cause that kind of a
reaction is a love, a devotion that is strong and enduring.
Where does that come from? Christ died for us while we were
sinners. As a matter of history, before we were sinners.
He
crossed the gap between sinner and holiness. He took enemies
and made friends. No matter what kind of language you put it
into, no matter how simple or fancy you make your words, we are
loved so much God died for us.
This is what makes us true Christians. This is what gets us
through the little times of trouble that crop up now and then.
This is what will get us through the last great struggles
between God and Satan.
The assurance that we are accepted in the beloved, covered with
his blood, kings and priests with Jesus, sons and daughters of
God, is what gives life meaning. It is also what gives the
death of a Christian meaning. It gives us strength to stand for
the right.
Where do you stand? Are you under the blood? Are you prepared
to accept the life that Christ has given you?
In that assurance is strength. In it is the power that makes us
real Christians.
God give us that strength.