[Music] I'd like to take the next few minutes to share with you a precious story about faithfulness to God until the very end. Hopefully, this historical account of one man's life will encourage you to remain loyal and faithful in your daily walk with God. At a time when the early church was hated by society, a time when the Roman government was trying to stamp out Christianity for various reasons.

Reasons like refusal of Christians to participate in pagan rituals or to sacrifice to their gods. In such an environment, a few were raised and called to be faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ even unto death. One such man was called Polycarp.

Polycarp was a bishop in the church of Smyrna. He was also an elderly man around 86 years of age according to historians. In this particular period of time, persecution intensified and Polycarp was persuaded to leave the city and head out to the country because he was a prominent figure in the community and undoubtedly he was going to be targeted.

While he was in the country in prayer for all people in the churches throughout the world, 3 days before he was arrested, while he was praying, he had a vision of the pillow under his head in flames. He said prophetically to those who were with him, "I will be burnt alive. " As the authorities tracked him down, they seized two young men from his own household and tortured them into confession.

Eventually, they did find Polycarp in the upper room of a cottage. He could have escaped, but he refused, saying, "God's will be done. " When he heard that they had come, he went down and spoke with them.

They were amazed at his age and his unwavering faith. Those who were there even said, "Why did we go to so much trouble to capture a man like this? " Immediately he called for food and drink for them and asked for an hour to pray uninterrupted.

They agreed and he stood and prayed so full of the grace of God that he could not stop for 2 hours. The men were astounded and many of them regretted coming to arrest such a godly and vulnerable old man. When he finished praying, they put him on a donkey and took him into the city.

As Polycarp was being taken into the arena, a voice came to him from heaven. Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man. No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the voice.

When the crowd heard that Polycarp had been captured, there was an uproar. The proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to persuade him to apostasize, saying, "Have respect for your old age.

Swear by the fortune of Caesar, repent and say, down with the atheists. " Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium and gesturing towards them he said down with the atheists. Swear urged the proconsul reproach Christ and I will set you free.

86 years I have served him Polycarp declared and he has done me no wrong. How can I blasphe my king and my savior? I have wild animals here.

The proconsul said, "I will throw you to them if you do not repent. " "Call them," Polycarp replied. "It is unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil.

I will be glad though to be changed from evil to righteousness. You threaten me with fire, which burns for an hour and is then extinguished. But you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly.

Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want. As they prepared the fire, they went to restrain him with nails.

But he said, "Leave me as I am. For he that gives me strength to endure the fire will enable me not to struggle without the help of your nails. " So they simply bound him with his hands behind him.

Ready to be an acceptable burnt offering to God, he looked up to heaven and said, "Oh Lord God Almighty, the father of your beloved and blessed son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers, and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before you. I give you thanks that you count me worthy to be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice as you, the true God, have predestined, revealed to me, and now fulfilled.

I praise you for all these things. I bless you and glorify you along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, your beloved son. To you with him through the Holy Ghost be glory both now and forever.

Amen. With this said, the fire was lit and Polycarp went to meet his beloved Savior in heaven. This is a wonderful story of faithfulness to Christ.

In the face of certain death, in the face of unimaginable torture, all Polycarp needed to do was to recant and say he no longer believed in Jesus Christ. But he didn't do that. Instead, he said, "86 years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong.

How can I blasphe my king and my savior? Dear listener, I urge you, do not turn your back on Jesus Christ. Our situations may be very different from some of the Christian martyrs in early church history.

But we should pray that we will continue to be faithful followers of Christ even to the end. Lord Jesus, help us to be faithful followers of your word in this world that is filled with immorality and sin. Help us to remain faithful and to live our lives in obedience to your word.

Dear Lord, we give you our lives. We give you our hearts. And today, Master, we make room for you to do as you will in our hearts.

Despite the challenges we face, despite the calls for us to compromise our faith, let us remain strong, God. Let us stay true to your word and to your will. Help us to live lives that bring you glory both now and forever.

Father, in obedience to your word, I commit everything to you. The plans I have made, they're in your hands, Father. The goals that I've written down, all of the things that I ever want to achieve, I commit them into your hands, Father, in agreement with everyone under the sound of my voice.

We commit our ways to you. We commit our lives to you, Lord Jesus. Our families, our children, our marriages.

We commit them all to you, Almighty God. Father, take control and have your way. Let your will be done in our lives.

May the Holy Spirit lead and move within our hearts and our homes so that we may do what is pleasing in your sight. Father, in committing all that I have to you, I'm saying that I submit to you, Lord Jesus. I trust you, Lord.

I believe in you and I believe your word, Lord Jesus. As I commit everything to you. As I declare my loyalty and devotion to you, I also submit my thought life into your hands.

I submit my heart's desires to you, oh God. Reshape my thinking, Lord. Let my thinking be aligned to the word of God.

Let my heart's desires be pure in your sight. This world may try and get me to conform to its ways. However, I pray that you would give me the strength to overcome all the temptation of the world.

Friends may try to entice me so that I conform to their sinful ways. But Lord, I pray that you would give me the strength to overcome every temptation. May I be so committed to following you, Lord, that nothing in this world could take my focus or draw my affection.

Lord, I will not fear the unknown because my eyes are continuously fixed on you. I pray and declare Psalm 16:es 8-9. I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope.

With you before me, Lord, I will not be moved by any situation. My heart is filled with gladness and joy because I'm under your care, Lord Jesus. Father, I may not know what tomorrow has in store for me, but I do have faith that whatever the enemy means for evil, you, Lord, will make it good.

I may not know what tomorrow has in store for me. I do have faith in you as my provider. Father, I trust that you'll be my safe place.

Lord Jesus, I'm at peace because I know who my God is. I am at peace because I know who my source is. I am at peace because I know who my protector is.

Lord, you have my focus. You have my attention. I look to you and you alone for direction, for strength, and for comfort.

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for all that you've done. I praise you for all that you are doing and I praise you in advance for that which you are still yet to do. I thank you for your grace and mercy.

I thank you for hearing my prayer. It's in Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[Music] And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands as at this time. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them.

For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope.