Well, if you have your Bible, okay, if you have your Bible, go to Revelation chapter 2. We're going to look at the next church that's listed for us here. That is the church in Smyrna. And as you're turning there, I want to share with you a few stories of men from church history. Yan Hus was a Czech reformer, a theologian. He became became the inspiration for the Bohemian Reformation, a key predecessor to the Protestant Reformation.
At the place of his execution, he knelt and he spread out his hands and he prayed aloud. The executioner undressed him, stripped him down. They tied Yon Hus's hands behind his back with ropes. His neck was bound to the to the stake with a chain and wood was piled up neck high. At the last moment, the imperial marshal von Papenheim in the presence of Count Palatine asked Yon Hus to recant.
You see, the reason he was there is he was a Christian man who shared his faith vehemently, impassionately in the Lord Jesus Christ. He stood against the lies of the Roman Catholic Church. And many faulty accusations were brought against him which were verifiably untrue, but all in an effort to silence him. And they finally asked him, 'If you will recant, if you will say, 'N no, I do not believe this gospel to be true, we will spare your life. And this is what he said. God is my witness that the things charged against me, I never preached.
In the same truth of the gospel which I have written, which I have taught, and which I have preached, drawing upon the s sayings and positions of the holy doctors, I am ready to die today. And he was lit on fire and murdered. Hugh Latimer was a fellow of Clare College in Cambridge. Became the bishop of Warsester. I imagine that's where the sauce comes from. Anyways, he would later become a chaplain in the church of England and became the personal chaplain to King Edward V 6th who had a warm affection for the gospel.
He stood against the pope and he brought along with a few other men biblical reform to England. However, after King Edward V 6th passed away, Bloody Mary began her rule. She was called that because she hated Christianity and all who preached the gospel and systematically tried to snuff them out. Many were killed and destroyed in that time. Hugh Latimer was tied to the stake backto back with another reformer named Nicholas Ridley.
And as they lit them on fire, Hugh Latimer said this to Nicholas Ridley. Play the man, Master Ridley. We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as I trust shall never be put out. Polycarp was a bishop of Smyrna, the very church we're going to look at today. He was directly discipled by John the Apostle. He stood for Christ against the pressures of the emperor.
He died a martyr bound and burned at the stake. And when the fire did not fully consume his body, he was stabbed over and over until he was dead. On the day of his death, just before he died, this is what he said. 80 and6 years I have served him and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my king and my savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season and after a little while is quenched, but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked."
And then he went on to say this. I bless you father for judging me worthy of this hour so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ. What possesses such men and millions of others through church history that have been martyed who have stood for their faith and have been unwilling to recant? What possesses them to stand firm in the face of death? For all of these men listed here, if they had just recanted, if they if they had just said, "You know what? Forget it.
I I don't believe the gospel. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't believe he's the only way." Their lives would have been spared. What possesses them to press on in the face of death and never give in? Well, among other things, it comes back to this conviction that Jesus was greater to them than life or death. Jesus was greater to them than life or death.
And the question for us today, sitting here in Diamond Valley in 2026, is this, is Jesus greater to you and to me than life or death? It seemed that the believers in Smyrna, as we will see, held such a conviction in the face of intense scrutiny and persecution and trial. Let's read it. Revelation 2, picking it up for you in verse 8. The angel of the church in Smyrna, pardon me, and to the angel of the church in Smyrna, write the words of the first and the last who died and came to life.
I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich and the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested, and for 10 days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.
A short brief passage, but there's lots here. And now, I didn't leave a space if you're a f if you're a notetaker on the little sheet that we provide in the bulletin. I didn't leave a space for context. So, feel free to flip it over because I got lots of context here and you can write on the back if you are such if you're so inclined. Smyrna is a port city, another one just like Ephesus, Smyrna is about 35 miles north of Ephesus. They were Smyrna was renowned for its beauty. It was a gorgeous city.
They had incredible civic pride. It was actually the birthplace of Homer. Have any of you heard of the Iliad? Homer wrote that. He was born in Smyrna. They had a blind allegiance to Rome as a city. We hold that Rome is everything. In fact, they had a temple there dedicated to the Empress Roma. Rome was everything. Beautiful city, much civic pride.
It reminds me a lot of Ottawa, Canada. Beautiful. If you ever been to Ottawa, it's gorgeous. Civic pride, a lot of it, and in many parts of the city, a blind allegiance to the government. And so, we have this going on here in Smyrna. And the church, we read here in in our letter, is enduring a whole lot of persecution. What are what's caused? What's the cause of the persecution?
Look at verse 9 there. I know your tribulation. What's going on here? Well, I would imag I I I would contend with you what we're seeing here is you have a people of God who certainly would have been obeying the government where they could. Romans 13 tells us that we are to obey the governing authorities as those who are put there by God. And so, so long as the government does not go against the gospel, does not go against the word of God, we are to obey them. But when the government opposes Christianity, we must obey God over government.
And this is almost certainly what is going on here in Smyrna. And so high was the civic pride and so high was their allegiance to Rome that any institution that would stand ever against Rome would be ostracized. It would be terrible. And so we have them here. I know your tribulation. And this is almost certainly what led to their poverty. Look what it says there. I know your tribulation and your poverty bracket, but you are rich. They were materially in poverty.
Most likely because all the employers in Smyrna were in the pocket essentially of Rome. They were loyal to Rome and the and they're not going to hire Christians. And so you have a a very impoverished group of people. They can't rub two nickels together. But they are rich. It says if you know Jesus, if you have been saved by the blood of the lamb that you have turned from death to life, you are richer than Elon Musk.
No amount of money in the world can compare to being saved through Jesus Christ. That is the greatest riches. Nothing that this world will offer you will compare to that. You can get the most incredible sports car, own a mansion, have a pool, cheer for a hockey team that actually wins. You could do all of that and it would be nothing. Nothing compared to having Christ as your savior. That is when you are rich.
If you have everything this world desires, but you don't have Christ, you are poor. You're impoverished. But here materially, they are poor. But oh, how rich they were because they know the Lord Jesus Christ. It reminded reminds me a lot of what we read in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. In 2 Corinthians chapter 8, listen to what we read here in the first five verses. Eerily similar type of believers we have here.
It says this, picking it up in verse one of 2 Corinthians 8. We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.
And this not as we expected but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will will of God to us. They were slaves of God. They loved the Lord and they were so desiring to serve God and serve his people that they gave beyond even what they had to give because they knew the Lord. They're rich spiritually even though they were impoverished materially. Very similar to what we have here in Smyrna. The only way you do that, the only way you live in that kind of way is if you know the gospel, you know it and you believe it and you love this God.
Interestingly, how this com contrasts with Ephesus that we read last week where they were doing everything right, but they did they had lost their first love. Here in Smyrna, their life is characteristic of those who love the Lord Jesus deeply. Then we read that they're holding fast in the face of slander. Some translations might say blasphemy of those who say they're Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. What does that mean?
I thought DA Carson put it helpfully when he said this. Smyrna's large influential Jewish population persecuted Christians, possibly slandering them even in Roman court, thereby aligning with Satan against God's purposes. This is almost certainly what was going on. The Jewish population was opposed to the Christians and aligned, it seems, with Rome and put themselves against the very purposes of God.
Go with me, if you will, to John chapter 8. In John 8, we have Jesus here interacting with some Jews. And at the start of this chapter, it says that they are followers of Jesus. They're following him, but they are only culturally following him. They're not true followers in their heart. And Jesus draws this out. Pick up for for me in pick it up with you in verse 39. This is the Jewish people responding to Jesus when Jesus said,"I speak what I've heard from my father."
And then they say this in verse 39, "They answered,"Abraham is our father." And Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works that Abraham did. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God." This is not what Abraham did. You were doing the works your father did. They said to him, "We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one father, even God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your father, you would love me.
For I came from God, and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You, boy, I would have loved to been a fly on the wall right here in this conversation. You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. It's a eerily similar type of statement here. The synagogue of Satan. You are following your father, the devil and doing the works that he would have you do against and opposed to the works of God. So imagine here what it's like for these people, these poor saints in Smyrna, right? Look at what it says. They're in tribulation. They're facing persecution from the larger community. And because of that, they they they can't get work.
They got no money. They can't rub two nickels together. It's difficult. You know, it's like in in economically difficult times. It's hard. And then on top of that, the Jewish people in the community, many of them are slandering, are blaspheming, are working systematically against the the plans and purposes of God against his people. Wow. And then on top of all that, there's a prophecy of what's coming. You would hope here if I'm if I'm a believer in Smyrna, I would hope that the letter would say, "I know your tribulation. I know your poverty.
You're rich, but I know your poverty. I know that you're standing against the trials of these people who say that they're Jews, but they're actually part of the synagogue of Satan. I know all that, but trust me, better days are ahead." That's what I would hope it would say, but that isn't what the text says. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. The Lord said you I can see your suffering. And then he says, don't fear what you're about to suffer.
There's more suffering coming. And he and he gets a little more specific. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested and for 10 days you will have tribulation. So what what's being said here? Is that 10 days a literal 10 days or is it figurative of a a brief period? It could be one or the other. 10 days. We do see that in scripture in the book of Daniel chapter 1. If you remember Daniel and his three friends Shadrach Meshach and Abednego, they're in Babylon and they're the Babylonian authorities are seeking to assimilate them into their culture.
And Daniel says, "No, we won't. We don't want to eat the food and be assimilated into your culture." So he says, "Test me for 10. Test us for 10 days. Give us water and vegetables and see how our appearance is after 10 days." And so against these pressures, they're tested for 10 days and God sustains them. So could it be a literal 10 days, a 10-day period being spoken of here? Absolutely could be. Or it could be a a picture of of a short, brief, intense period of persecution that's coming for them.
Could it be in that period when Polycarp was martyed? Remember Polycarp came right after this? John the Apostle discipled Polycarp. Polycarp became the bishop of Smyrna and he was imprisoned, persecuted, and killed. So it could be that period of time. We don't know. But whatever the case, there's a time coming when you're going to face incredible persecution at the hands of the enemy working through the people of our wicked world. And to be imprisoned and to be mistreated is no small thing.
Hebrews chapter 11, listen to what we read here. I want to pick it up for you in verse 35. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute and afflicted and mistreated, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about in deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth.
Again, some might so some might say if you're here and you're not a Christian, you might say, why on earth would Christians do this? Why would they willingly put themselves in a position to be treated this way? For those who truly know the Lord, Jesus is greater to them than life or death. Saw me in two. Send me to the mouth of a lion. Throw me into prison. Jesus is greater and he's more important.
He is my life. This is the conviction we need to come to and the place we need to come to. I remember being in a small setting. There's a small group of us pastors talking one day and and Pastor Tim Stevens from Fair View Baptist Church was talking about his imprisonment during CO and the physical actual stepbystep process of when they brought him to the jail and what actually happened when he stepped into the door and the physical momentby-moment account of what took place. It's degrading.
It's humiliating. It's undignified. But he was willing to do that for what his convictions were based on the gospel of Christ and the word of God. And so it ought to be for brothers and sisters in Christ that we would say, "Yes, I may go through trial and hardship." But it's all temporary. It's all temporary. I'm 50 years old. If they throw me in prison for preaching the gospel and I live till 85, 35 years in jail, whoopde-doo, eternity awaits.
35 years is a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. This is the conviction a believer must live with live with at all times. You know, John chapter 16, Jesus says in this world you does he say you might have trouble. John 16:33 Jesus says in this world talking to his disciples and by extension to all who would be a disciple after after them in this world you will have trouble but John 16:33 carries on to say take heart I have overcome the world in Psalm 56 and verse 11 it says this in God I trust I shall not be afraid What can man do to me?
This is the heart of the believer in Christ Jesus. This is what keeps our hearts afloat. But more than that, I I would contend with you the text gives us three distinctly clear things that keeps the believer's heart afloat. It would have kept us the believers in Smyrna kept their hearts afloat and it should keep our hearts afloat as we carry on in this world. First one is this that Jesus is the first and the last. You see that there in verse eight to the angel of the church in Smyrna, write the words of the first and the last.
He is eternal. Jesus is not a fleeting fad. I've seen people wearing t-shirts that say, "I'm on team Jesus." And it's cute, but I don't know if that's strong enough because team Jesus might be something that fades. That that could be that implication. No, no, no, no. He never fades. Jesus is eternal. He's the first and the last. When this world is broken down and destroyed, Jesus will remain. Look what we read in Job chapter nu 19.
Job right before Psalms. Job 19 verse 25. It's fascinating. Job is one of the oldest books of the Bible written during the the patriarchal period in Genesis actually. And listen to what we read in verse 25 of Job 19. For I know that my redeemer lives and at last he will stand upon the earth. He is the first and the last.
At last, at the end, he's going to be standing on the earth. He is beginning, he is end. He is alpha, he's omega. He's the first, he is the last. We read this often in Isaiah's book. A lot of texts. Listen to these words from Isaiah. I'll pick it up for you in chapter 41. Who stirred up pardon me, who stirred up one from the east, whom victory meets at every step.
He who gives up nations before him so that he tramples kings underfoot. He makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. He pursues them and presses on, pard, and passes on safely. By paths his feet have not trod. Who has performed and done this? Calling the generations from the beginning. I the Lord the first and with the last I am he. Psalm 43 or pardon me Isaiah 43:10 and 11.
You are my witnesses declares the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed nor shall there be any after me. I I am the Lord and besides me there is no savior. Psalm 44:6 to8 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the first and I am the last. Besides me there is no God who is like me.
Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me. Since I appointed an ancient people, let them declare what is to come and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid. Have I not told you from of old and declared it, and you are my witnesses? Is there a God besides me? There is no rock. I know not any. And finally, Psalm 48:12 and 13. Listen to me, oh Jacob and Israel, whom I called. I am he.
I am the first and I am the last. My hand laid the foundation of the earth and my right hand spread out the heavens. When I called to them, they stand forth together. Do you get the picture? I'm the first. I'm the last. I am God. There is no other God. I'm eternal. And Jesus is saying this is me. This is speaking about me. He is this is a claim here in Revelation 2 to the deity of Christ. I am the first and the last.
The words of the first and the last, the eternal one. There is no God but our God. There is no other God. Allah is not a God. He's dead. He's He's useless. He's broken. He's nothing. Joseph Smith is no God. Charles Tae Russell of Jehovah's Witness lore is no God. There is no God but the God that the word of God tells us of. He's the only God and he will last and he will be there at the very end.
And so for you and me, if we are in him, this boys our hearts, at least it should, all the trials I'm going through in this world when I stand for Christ and I'm persecuted and the difficulties mount up and I might even be imprisoned. I might be cut in two even. And who knows it's temporal. Jesus is eternal. And if I am in him, my life will be forever with him. This strengthens the heart.
It should have strengthened the heart of the believers in Smyrna. And it should strengthen ours as well. Not only that, Jesus conquered over death. I am the words of the first and the last who died and came to life. Verse eight. Who died and came to life. This, by the way, brothers and sisters, is verifiable fact. Go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I'm going to pick it up for you in verse three.
This is probably the most succinct overview of the events of the good news of Jesus, the gospel, right here. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, that he appeared to Cphus, that is to Peter, and to the 12.
Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive. Though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. So the testimony is this that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified that he was buried in a tomb that he rose bodily from the grave three days later and then was seen by by Peter by the 12 and by over 500 witnesses most of whom were alive at the writing of this scripture such that people could go and verify it.
And we know Peter and the 12 whom the resurrected Christ appeared to gave up their very lives, martyrdom, exiled to Patmos in John's situation for this testimony that Jesus died and he rose again and we saw him alive and he is Lord. Now, if it was a lie, if they knew, if the disciples knew, if the 12 knew that it was a lie and they were making it up, when the knife was to their throat, you know what they would have done?
If they knew it was a lie, they would have recanted. The only way you would say, "No, put me to death is if you know it's true." And they were put to death and right to their grave. They said, "No, no, no, no. Jesus is Lord. He died. He was buried. He rose again. And we saw him and they would never change their mind. 500 witnesses saw him. Some would say, "Wow, people were just having a delusion when they saw Jesus." A mass delusion of 500 people. I don't think so.
Verifiable fact that he conquered the greatest enemy, sin and death. He reigns. He rules over it. And those who are in Christ rule with him. We're we reign. We conquer. Not because we did anything, but by the work of Christ. Hosea 6 actually speaks about this. So does Romans chapter 6. Let me take you to to Romans 6 just for a moment here. In Romans 6, I'm going to pick it up for you in verse four.
Listen to what we read here. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
For the one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. And it goes on, glorious chapter. If we've if we are in Christ, we will be raised with Christ. He conquered over sin. He died and came to life. So that then says to me, if this is true that and I am in Christ, I have repented.
I have turned from a life devoted to self and sin. I have turned to Jesus Christ by faith. I have believed savingly upon him and my life is now lived for the glory of God. Guess what, friends? I too will rise one day because he is risen. He has conquered sin and death. That grave is empty. And one day my grave will be empty too. That should strengthen the heart. This strengthened the hearts of Yon Hus and Hugh Latimer and Polycarp and countless others through church history.
And it should strengthen our hearts as well. Why would we ever abandon him? The only way you abandon him is if you want temporal right now pleasures. I want to live right now for another 10 years. That's what you give up when you abandon Christ. Or that's what you gain. I guess you gain 10 more years maybe of this world, this gross, disgusting world. Great. That's your reward. Or you say, "No, Jesus is my Lord. He is my everything.
And I have an eternity awaiting me. Which is greater to you? Jesus was greater than life or death to these people?" One more thing that boys the heart from our text and that is this that Jesus is the giver of the crown of life. Notice that here in our text be faithful. Here's the imperative in the text. An imperative given here, a command. The word be faith. The word be here is a is an imperative word.
Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. Be faithful unto death. Don't be faithful close to death. Almost making it there. No. Finish the race. Be faithful unto death to the very end. Be faithful to our God as he has been faithful to us. We read about this in 2 Timothy in that passage that Becky read to us earlier in 2 Timothy 4.
This is understood to be Paul's last letter. He would have died shortly after this. And we know this because he what he said in 2 Timothy 4:6 here. I am for I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. In other words, I'm about to die. And he says, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. And some might say, "Wow, it's easy for him to say. He's the Apostle Paul." He had supernatural empowerment by the Lord.
Easy for him to say, "For me, it's a whole lot different. I'm not the Apostle Paul. Easy for him." You think it was easy for Paul? You think Paul's life was a cakewalk? If you do, let me read to you from 2 Corinthians 11. He lived with far more far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews 40 lashes lest one. Three times I was beaten with rods.
Once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I was a drift at sea. On frequent journeys in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil, in hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, and often without food, in cold and exposure, and from apart and apart from other things. There is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
I often will read, I shouldn't say often, I should do it more often, but occasionally I will go to this text when I'm having a pity party about how hard my life is. And I'll read this and then I'll say to myself, this is what I say to myself. Oh, muffin, you got it so hard. Nothing compared to Paul. And yet he is able to say in 2 Timothy chapter 4, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the race or kept the faith. There is therefore laid up for me what? Crown of righteousness.
And not only for Paul. Notice what he says here in 2 Timothy 4. There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. Who's going to do the awarding? Jesus. Can you imagine getting home, crossing the finish line, and you're there, and who hands you the award? Go. Yeah. Jesus. He hands you the Are you kidding me? Because think about this. Here's the amazing thing about this. Who enabled me to finish the race?
Him. But yeah, here he is saying, "Well done." Praise God. And but not notice what he says. And not only to me, but also to all who've loved his appearing, who long for his return, who are living for the glory of God, who see the loveliness of Christ, who see the beauty of the gospel, and their lives are marked by faith in him. Just like these believers in Smyrna, that crown's awaiting for them, too. The crown of life.
Now, friends, it is a certainty. It is 100% certain every one of us here unless the Lord returns before then. But every one of us here will face the first death. You and I will die. Everyone in this room is going to die. But those in Christ need not fear the second death. Verse 11 tells us, "The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death." The second death is referred to in Revelation 20. We'll get there.
So, I don't want to do too much of a spoiler alert, but spoiler alert, the second death is not what you want. You're cast forever into the lake of fire. Eternal judgment and damnation for those who are opposed to Christ. Oh, may it never be. If you are here and you are not in Christ, I plead with you, do not put it off another day. Not one of you knows what your next day holds. There was a young man, a draft pick of the St. Louis Blues who a few weeks ago was doing a routine workout, suffered an incredible a whole bunch of health issues. He's in a coma.
He's probably never coming out of it. Young, fit. None of us knows what the tomorrow holds. Not one. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. If you are in Christ, even if that happens to you, the first death will come, but not the second. The crown of life rather awaits you. So be faithful. That was actually the last instruction John MacArthur gave to his boys.
His sons were standing at his bedside. He was about to die. And the last words he said to them were, "Be faithful." It's a good instruction for us. It's right here in the text. Be faithful even unto death. All the way to the end. Be faithful. God has been so faithful to us. He's ever He's been ever faithful. And I am called to be faithful to him that I might finish this race. The most grueling bicycle race on planet Earth is the Tour to France.
Anyone who does this must be slightly mentally unstable. I'm convinced of it. It is an event that takes place annually. And a man named Gilbert Duclls Lassal wrote an article many years ago in the National Geographic about preparing and training and racing in the Tour to France. The race covers approximately 2,000 miles. It includes some of France's most difficult terrain, mountainous up, down, highs, lows.
Eating and drinking is done on the run, on the fly. There are extremes of heat and extremes of cold and you go through it all in in a matter of a day. To train for this event, Lasal said he would ride his bicycle 22,000 miles per day or probably two per day. That' be something per year. Not per day, per year to train for this event. 22,000 miles a year to train for the tour to France. What makes him do this?
Is it the prize money? There is prize money. It started off lower at 10,000 and went up to 100,000. I think now it's in the millions that you get. But for him, he said he was motivated by one thing, getting that winner's jersey. The the winner at the end gets a gets a special jersey. And he said, and then he said this because the the the person asking the questions asked him, "Well, what if you don't get that jersey? What if you don't? What if you're not It's pretty rare to be the winner. There's a lot of people that compete in it.
What if you don't get the jersey? And he said this because the guy has what then is your motivation? Why? It is to sweep through the arc to triumph on the last day and to be able to say that you finished the race. Brothers and sisters, our race is also hard. Our race is also fraught with peril. It is difficult for the faithful believer in this hard world that's opposed to Christ, but oh to finish the c cross the finish line and to hear the Lord say like we read about in Matthew 25, well done, good and faithful servant.
The one who is the first and the last. The one who has conquered sin and death. The one whom I will be with for eternity. To hear him say, "You finished well. Enter into the joy of your master." What a day that will be. And may it be said of us that we too would hold fast and we would be faithful even unto death. And so God, I pray that you would make us so faithful because you are first so faithful. Your faithfulness truly is great. It's a marvel to know that we are in Christ, we who believe, and that there's eternal life in this God.
That we have hope beyond this world, that this world is not all that there is. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Lord God, I pray that that you would keep us faithful, keep our eyes fixed on the author and finisher of our faith, and may we glorify you as we do this. We pray these things in the precious name of our savior Jesus. Amen. Let's stand together.
Transcribed automatically from YouTube captions, so names and words may be misheard.
