I wonder how many of you have ever
heard the name Polycarp?
Do you know anything about Polycarp?
I believe if you know some church history,
you know the name of Polycarp, the bishop
of the church in Smyrna, who was martyred
because he refused to call Caesar Lord.
Now, let me ask you another question, friends.
How many of you have ever heard the
name Croesus?
Do you know who Croesus was?
He was a contemporary of Polycarp.
Anyone ever hear this man Croesus?
No, I don't believe you have.
But he was the most famous man in
his time.
He lived in Sardis, and he was the
richest man living in his day.
He controlled all the wealth of Asia Minor.
But you've never heard of him.
But you have heard of a poor man
called Polycarp, whom the risen Christ was familiar
with the church in Smyrna, for he said,
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty.
I don't think Jesus paid too much attention
to this rich man Croesus.
But I can assure you, friends, the risen
Christ received glory when Polycarp laid down his
life as a testimony to the gospel.
The Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates, and Warren
Buffets of the world, all the atheists and
agnostics that rule now, and control all the
wealth of the world today, and whose money
is their God, will one day be insignificant
and forgotten in light of eternity.
How many people waste their life in a
vain pursuit of money and pleasure that ends
up getting burned up anyhow?
In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we read, beginning
in verse 11, For other foundation can no
man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ.
Now, if any man build upon this foundation,
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every
man's work shall be made manifest, for the
day shall declare it, because it shall be
revealed by fire, and the fire shall try
every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath
built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he
shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be
saved, yet so as by fire.
Listen, friends, how tragic if we live for
the wrong reasons, for the wrong things in
light of eternity.
If we spend our life on the pursuit
and accumulation of this world and attend church
and make Christianity an afterthought, and at the
end of our life, when we stand before
the one who has eyes of fire, as
he reviews our life and all is placed
into the fire to test the work, how
tragic it will be if we stand there,
knee-deep in the ashes of a wasted
life, as we bend over to scoop up
those ashes and press them into his nail
-pierced hands.
How are we living our life now?
We'll either stand or fall in light of
eternity.
Do you want to be remembered as a
Croesus or a polycarp?
Only one life will soon be passed.
Only what's done for Christ will last.