Do Not Save Me From Martyrdom
Ignatius urges the church to allow him to be martyred, seeing it as an opportunity to please God and attain to Him.
Ignatius of Antioch emphasizes the importance of pleasing God rather than seeking approval from men, urging the congregation to prioritize their devotion to God above all else. He highlights the significance of being willing to be sacrificed for God's work and the honor that comes with serving Him faithfully. Ignatius expresses his desire to be a martyr for Christ, embracing the opportunity to glorify God through his suffering and ultimate transition from the world to God.
Text
For it is not my desire that ye should please men, but God, even as also ye do please Him. For neither shall I ever hereafter have such an opportunity of attaining to God; nor will ye, if ye shall now be silent, ever be entitled to the honour of a better work.
For if ye are silent concerning me, I shall become God's; but if ye show your love to my flesh, I shall again have to run my race.
Pray, then, do not seek to confer any greater favour upon me than that I be sacrificed to God, while the altar is still prepared; that, being gathered together in love, ye may sing praise to the Father, through Christ Jesus, that God has deemed me, the bishop of Syria, worthy to be sent for from the east unto the west, and to become a martyr in behalf of His own precious sufferings, so as to pass from the world to God, that I may rise again unto Him.
Sermon Outline
- The Desire to Please God
- The Opportunity for a Greater Work
- The Request to the Church
- Pleasing men vs pleasing God
- The importance of pleasing God
- The current opportunity for martyrdom
- The consequences of silence
- Do not seek to save Ignatius
- Prepare the altar for sacrifice
Key Quotes
“For it is not my desire that ye should please men, but God, even as also ye do please Him.” — Ignatius of Antioch
“Pray, then, do not seek to confer any greater favour upon me than that I be sacrificed to God, while the altar is still prepared;” — Ignatius of Antioch
“that I may rise again unto Him.” — Ignatius of Antioch
Application Points
- We should prioritize pleasing God over pleasing men.
- We should be willing to take risks and make sacrifices for the sake of our faith.
- We should trust in God's plan and timing, even in difficult circumstances.