Was hearing a teaching about a week ago. The teacher was speaking on Polycarp.
It was the
city of Smyrna that contained a temple of the Olympian Zeus, with whose cult
that of the Roman emperors was associated. Olympian games were celebrated here,
and excited great interest in people who came from great distances.
The extreme
interest excited by the games at Smyrna may perhaps account for the remarkable
ferocity exhibited by the population against the aged bishop Polycarp. It was exactly
on such occasions that what the pagans regarded as the unpatriotic and
anti-social spirit of the early Christians became most apparent; and it was to
the violent demands of the people assembled in the stadium that the Roman
proconsul yielded up the martyr. They had to have something to culminate their hatred!
The letter
of the Smyrnaeans, in which the account of his martyrdom is contained,
represents the Jews as taking part with the Gentiles in accusing him (Polycarp) as an
enemy to the state religion-conduct which would be inconceivable in a sincere
Jew, but which was quite natural in those which the sacred writer characterizes
as "a synagogue of Satan" (Rev 2:9).
Polycarp
was executed before the mass of people with a great sword: a blade if you
will. In his dying, a great wonderful
scent filled the area and out to the city which was the scent of the fragrance
of the Lord. The Lord’s scent filled the atmosphere! And what would they speak? What captured them that day when Polycarp died?
2
Corinthians 2:12-17 12 Furthermore, when
I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the
Lord, 13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother;
but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. 14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and
through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we
are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among
those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to
death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is
sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word
of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in
Christ. NKJV
Hosea
14:4-7 4 "I will heal their
backsliding, I will love them freely,
For My
anger has turned away from him. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, And lengthen his roots like Lebanon. 6 His
branches shall spread; His beauty shall
be like an olive tree, And his fragrance
like Lebanon. 7 Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. NKJV
Song 4:9-12 9 You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace.
10 How fair
is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all
spices! 11 Your lips, O my spouse, Drip
as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are
under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garments Is like the fragrance of Lebanon. NKJV
Psalm 45:8-9 8 All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. 9 Kings' daughters are among Your honorable women; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. NKJV
Our garments, the robes of righteousness, scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia. We are robed in righteousness. We take on His scents while spending much time with Him. Displayed in Jesus ,we experience the beauty that He always gives. He is the self-less giver. We must abandon this world to know real love and real beauty!
That one purpose is to let God be Himself through us
engulfed in the flames of holiness and released from all other afflictions. In
the covenant keeping God, we are to come to His grace, consecrate ourselves not
by taking it lightly, but a command of God for every believer……that our
relationship is with Jesus, Our Husband!
……..AS the body of believer’s it is a relationship and separated unto
Him, we should know no other! God has spoken the language of love through His
Son. And His Royal Son is coming for His Bride.
We
give thanks, for it is Your presence that prevents deception or falsehood from taking
hold: Building our faith against all
falsehood ….Psalm
101:7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies
shall not continue in my presence.
By building
our faith in these words of God, those who work deceit shall not dwell within
our house. They will not continue in our presence. Another we speak is that We
are NOT canceled but we do cancel threats of harm or property damage that
belongs to God’s sons and daughters: Luke 4:28-30 NKJV So all those in the
synagogue , when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and
rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the
hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the
cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. WE also speak that those who would cancel us, that they would have an encounter with
Almighty God: their hearts would be drawn to the truth of His Word, to the love
that covers Him…leading to life to bring change to their hearts!
Acts
14:21-28 NKJV And they
had preached the gospel to that city & made many disciples, they returned
to Lystra, Iconium, & Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples,
exhorting them to continue in the faith, & saying, “we must through many
tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” 23 So when they had appointed elders in
every church, & prayed with fasting they commended
them to the Lord in whom they had believed! From Acts 14: 21-22
Tribulations: Paul taught the kingdom of God. He also taught that ‘kingdom”
people will suffer trials and tribulations. “ ……….we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
Victory is
available but not instant:2 Thessalonians 1:5 which is manifest evidence of the
righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of
God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to
repay with tribulation those who trouble, you, 7 & to give you who are
troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels. God did not promise life
without struggle; Dominion is being recovered by the presence of the King
within us, ministered by the Holy Spirit’s power.
1 John
5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory
that has overcome the world----our faith.
We confess :Romans 8:31-32 What
then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
We confess: Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but deliverance is of the LORD. We
confess: 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 NKJV O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where
is your victory? 56 The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the
law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that
your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Faith in
God carried Polycarp through the valley of death. It brought him face to face
with God. He held honor to God. His garments and body would have been strewn with dirt, blood
and ruin, but while he was dying his scented life was a tribute unto God and no one can take that from him or you
ever.
What will
our last days be on earth? Will we see the Lord coming in His glory or will we
face the valley of death….that place of sorrows? Should it come, it is not over and we are not done,
we have the scent of the Lord as we continue in His presence to His place and
to His glory forever. Amen and Amen.
New teaching at: Voice of Prayer
Violent take it By Force
Life Giving Wells now on Spotify Podcast!
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/dashboard/episode/e24hn5g
