3. Audio Text for Previous Slide
I want you to meet Martha Meyers
Martha was born on March 13, 1945
She graduated from Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama in 1963
She earned her Bachelors degree in Biology at Samford University in 1967
She earned a medical degree from the University of Alabama in 1971
While attending the University of Alabama, she completed a residency in the country of Yemen.
While in Yemen she fell in love with the people of Yemen.
She later attended seminary and after completing seminary she became a missionary in Yemen for the then
Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention—Now called the International Mission Board.
She served for 24 years as a Southern Baptist Missionary to Yemen working at the Jibla Baptist Hospital.
While at the hospital, she made countless visits to families out in the country providing medical attention to
adults and children.
She was always aware of the danger of being a Christian missionary in a Middle Eastern country.
One day, while on one of her trips for medical visits, her vehicle was hijacked and she was taken hostage.
Her captives put her in the back of her SUV covered her with a carpet and commanded that she stay quiet or
they would kill her.
She replied “I will be in heaven”
She was later released
Three years later, on December 30, 2002, she and two other Southern Baptist missionaries were killed when
a lone gunman smuggled a gun into the hospital and opened fire. Martha was 57 years old.
She had already shared with others that when she died she wanted to be buried in Yemen.
Martha Myers is one of an estimated 70 million Christians who have died for the cause of Christ in the last
2,000 years. Most of them in the 20th Century.
4. Dying for Christ
• Over the course of American history, 1.3
million Americans have died serving their
country in a time of war.
• In that same period, over 45 million Christians
gave their life for the cause of Christ.
• It is estimated that at least 170,000 Christians
will die for their faith this year.
• In this hour, 20 people will die because of
their faith in Jesus Christ.
5. Persecution
• At this moment, over 200 million Christians
are suffering persecution worldwide.
• Incidents of persecution are on the rise
worldwide according to a 2011 study by
Stonegate Institute.
6. No Surprise
• Jesus warned his followers that they would
suffer persecution and even face death.
• “Then you will be handed over to be
persecuted and put to death, and you will be
hated by all nations because of me.”—
Matthew 24:9 (NIV)
7. Called to Give Up Our Life for Christ
• “34 Then he called the crowd to him along with
his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his
life for me and for the gospel will save it.’ ”—
Mark 8:34-35.
8. “Whoever loses his life for me”
• This saying of Christ has been given more
emphasis than any other of Christ’s sayings.
• Found in at least 7 places and in all four
gospels.
• Luke 9:24, Luke 14:26-27, Luke
17:33, Matthew 10:38-39, Matthew 16:24-
25, Mark 8:34-35, John 12:25
9. What does it mean to
lose your life for Christ?
• You may be called literally to give your life for
Christ.
• As our society becomes more hostile to
Christianity and to the gospel, this becomes
more and more likely.
10. What does it mean to
lose your life for Christ?
• We are all called to give up our life for Christ.
• “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is
your spiritual act of worship.”—Romans 12:1
• We belong to Christ. We were bought by the
blood of Jesus Christ.
• It is no longer about us. It is all about Jesus
Christ.
11. How is it possible?
• We are incapable of living our life pleasing to
God.
• It is only possible through the power of Jesus
Christ in our lives.
• It is only possible when we rely on the
guidance and strength provided by yielding
to the Holy Spirit in our lives.
12. What is the cost for trying
to keep your life?
• Losing you life and soul.
• Forfeiting the joy of serving God.
• “For whoever wants to save his life will lose
it.”—Mark 8:35a (NIV)
• “What good is it for a man to gain the whole
world, yet forfeit his soul?”—Mark 8:36 (NIV)
13. What is the cost for trying to keep
your life?
• “and anyone who does not take his cross and
follow me is not worthy of me.”—Matthew
10:37 (NIV)
• We are called to put to death our will and
commit ourselves totally to God.
• God demands your whole being.
• We cannot present yourself a sacrifice to God
if you are not obeying His will and His Word.
14. What are the results?
• The lost will be reached for Jesus Christ.
• “This will result in you being witnesses to
them.”—Luke 21:13 (NIV)
• You will experience abundant life in Christ.
• “By standing firm you will gain life.”—Luke
21:19. (NIV)
15. Pray That You Will Be Willing!
• Are you willing to die for Jesus Christ?
• Equally important, are you willing to live for
Jesus Christ?
• The only way we can live our life for Christ is to
give up our life for Christ.
• Are you willing to put to death your will and
your desires?
• Are you willing to commit yourself totally to
Jesus Christ today?
• NOW IS THE TIME.
• You will never have THIS opportunity again.
16. Please commit yourself to praying
for our brothers and sisters in Christ
who are facing persecution all
around the world today.
Hinweis der Redaktion
I want you to meet Martha Meyers Martha was born on March 13, 1945She graduated from Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama in 1963She earned her Bachelors degree in Biology at Samford University in 1967She earned a medical degree from the University of Alabama in 1971While attending the University of Alabama, she completed a residency in the country of Yemen.While in Yemen she fell in love with the people of Yemen. She later attended seminary and after completing seminary she became a missionary in Yemen for the then Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention—Now called the International Mission Board. She served for 24 years as a Southern Baptist Missionary to Yemen working at the Jibla Baptist Hospital.While at the hospital she made countless visits to families out in the country providing medical attention to adults and children.She was always aware of the danger of being a Christian missionary in Middle Eastern country. One day, while on one her trips for medical visits, her vehicle was hijacked and she was taken hostage.Her captives put her in the back of her SUV covered her with a carpet and commanded that she stay quiet or they would kill her.She replied “I will be in heaven”She was later releasedThree years later, on December 30, 2002 she and two other Southern Baptist missionaries were killed when a lone gunman smuggled a gun into the hospital and opened fire. Martha was 57 years old. She had already shared with others that when she died she wanted to be buried in Yemen. Martha Myers is one of an estimated 70 million Christians who have died for the cause of Christ in the last 2,000 years. Most of them in the 20th Century.
BULLET 1—You see, people say we live in a free country, but that is not entirely true. Everything that is worth anything has to be paid for. Our liberty has been bought with a price. The price of 1.3 million lives. Liberty is not free. Each generation has to pay the price to preserve liberty. Our salvation and liberty from sin was bought with the blood of Jesus Christ. We were born in sin with not way to ever pay the price for our salvation. But Jesus Christ left the glories of heaven to pay the price for us. Our salvation and liberation from the wages of sin was bought at a very high price. But just as we have to continue to be vigilant in protecting our liberty, we have to continually give our lives for the cause of Christ. Serving Christ requires committing our lives totally to Jesus Christ. BULLET 2In the last two centuries, over 45 million Christians have given their lives for the cause of Jesus Christ. BULLET 3It is estimated that at least 170,000 Christians will die for the cause of Christ in this year alone. BULLET 4In the course of time it takes us to worship together this morning, at least one person will die because of their faith in Jesus Christ. NEXT SLIDE
BULLET 1At this very moment, over 200 million Christians are suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. BULLET 2According to a study by Stonegate Institute, incidents of persecution are expected to increase worldwide. Clearly, many Christians today are paying a high price for their faith in Jesus Christ. NEXT SLIDE…
However this should be no surprise.BULLET 1Jesus Christ Warned us of this. BULLET 2In Matthew 24:9 Jesus warned his disciples: Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.Indeed all of Christ disciples suffered some form of persecution and most of them died for the cause of Christ. At least 4 were crucified, 2 hanged, 5 stoned, 3 beheaded, and 2 were killed by either being speared or impaled. John miraculously survived being thrown into a vat o boiling oil before he was finally banished to the isle of Patmos. Indeed, Jesus’ followers knew what it meant to literally “Lose” their lives for Christ. NEXT SLIDE…NEXT SLIDE…
But all of us are called to GIVE UP OUR LIVES for Jesus Christ…MARK 8:34-35“34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.’ But how important is it to LOSE our life for Christ? And what does it mean to LOSE our life for Christ? NEXT SLIDE…
Well it must be pretty important, because of all the sayings of Christ, none are more emphasizedTo make sure that you don’t miss it…It is recorded at least 7 times and in all four gospels. 3 time in LUKE2 times in MATTHEWOnce in MarkOnce in John
So it is obviously very important…So just what does it mean to “LOSE” your life for Christ? BULLET 1YOU may be called literally to give your life for Christ. This may sound a little far-fetched, but…BULLET 2God may call you to serve in an area where you life may be in danger on a daily basis. You should never assume that God would not call you to such a place. We all need to pray for each other that we will be willing to do anything and go anywhere God calls us to go. We should never assume He would never call us to a place in which our lives would be in danger. BULLET 3But we must also remember that the Bible teaches that the time will come when all Christians will suffer persecution. We might be closer than you think. As our society becomes more and more hostile to Christianity and to the gospel, this becomes more and more likely.We already live in a society hostile to Christians and Christianity. In the name of tolerance, our society is becoming more and more intolerant of the things of God. They do not want to hear anything that reminds them of their sin. Therefore they are very hostile to hearing the Word of God.
But even if we are never called to literally die for Christ, we are all called to give up our lives for Christ. BULLET 1WE are all called to put to death our own sinful and selfish desires and offer our lives a living sacrifice to God. BULLET 2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”—Romans 12:1 BULLET 3We belong to Christ. We were bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. BULLET 4It is no longer about us. It is all about Jesus Christ. NEXT SLIDE…
BULLET 1—We are incapable of living our life pleasing to God. BULLET 2It is only possible through the power of Jesus Christ in our lives. BULLET 3It is only possible when we rely on the guidance and strength provided by yielding to the Holy Spirit in our lives. NEXT SLIDE…
And what will be the cost for trying to save your life. BULLET 1Losing your life and your soul.For life is God’s only to give. And you can only saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. Not anything you can do. Nothing you can merit. BULLET 2You will forfeit the joy of serving God and the blessings that come when you are fully obedient to His will and word. BULLET 3For “What good is if for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul”? Mark 8:36NEXT SLIDE>>>
BULLET 1 Jesus himself said in Matthew 10:37—”Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worth of me”The cross was the symbol for death. BULLET 2Therefore we are to put to death our old selves, we are to put to death our sinful ways, we are put to death our will and commit our selves totally to god’s will. BULLET 3God demands nothing less than our whole being. BULLET 4You cannot present yourself as a sacrifice to God if you are not willing to obey HIS WILL and HIS WORD. NEXT SLIDE>>>>
BULLET 1---The lost will be reached through the power of your testimony. BULLET 2---“This will result in you being witnesses to them”—LUKE 21:13BULLET 3---You will experience a full life in Christ. BULLET 4By standing firm and dedicating your life fully to Christ, you will demonstrate that Christ is your LORD and SAVIOR. You will experience the blessings that you can only experience when you are committed to serving God. You will experience the power in you life that only comes about when you are fully obedient to Jesus Christ. Remember Martha MyersMartha’s colleagues said that the gunmen didn’t take her life. Martha had already lost her life to Jesus Christ years ago. In a country where one can be put to death for professing their faith in Jesus Christ, 40,000 Yemen nationals lined the streets at Martha’s funeral singing “He is Lord” and reciting the Lord’s Prayer.In a country hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ, her grave marker is a testament to her faith. It simply reads “She Loved God
BULLET 1Are you willing to die for Jesus Christ? BULLET 2Just as important, are you willing to LIVE for Jesus Christ? BULLET 3You have to be willing to give up your life, to give up your desires, in order to live a life for Christ.BULLET 4Are you willing to allow Jesus Christ to work in your life? Are you willing to allow the Holy Spirit to put to death your will and desires and replace them with God’s will and desires? BULLET 5Are you willing to commit yourself totally to Jesus Christ today?Will you commit to praying for your brothers and sisters in Christ who face persecution and even the threat of death on a daily basis? BULLET 6BULLET 7As Travis leads us in the singing of the invitation hymn. And Brother Barry joins me down at the front. NOW IS THE TIME. You will never have this opportunity again. You come as God leads.
