** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <September 28, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
Polycarp: Christ Has Done Me No Wrong
• READ: MATTHEW 10:17-20, 26-31; HEBREWS 12:2-3
Reading today’s verses, I wonder how I would respond if I were arrested and put on trial for my faith. I hope I would respond like Polycarp—a believer from the second century church.
According to church historians, Polycarp was a “second
generation” Christian who heard the gospel from the apostle John. He became a leader in the church of Smyrna, which often faced heavy persecution from the Roman Empire. When Polycarp was in his eighties, he had to flee Smyrna and go into hiding, but the Romans found him anyway. When soldiers came to the door, Polycarp let them in and then called for food and drink for his enemies. He went with them peacefully to his public trial in the stadium of Smyrna.
The Romans required citizens to sacrifice to the emperor, but Polycarp would not. He refused to worship Caesar (who was merely a man) and deny that Jesus was Lord.
“I will throw you to the wild beasts!” the consul said.
“Send for them,” Polycarp answered.
“I will send you to the fire!” the consul threatened. “Swear allegiance to Caesar and I will release you. Curse the Christ!”
Polycarp replied, “Eighty and six years have I served Christ, and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me? You threaten the fire that burns for an hour and then is quenched; but you know not of the fire of the judgment to come, and the fire of the eternal punishment. Bring what you will.”
Polycarp wasn’t afraid of those who could kill the body but not the soul, and he trusted Jesus to raise his body from the dead when He returns. Polycarp followed the example of his Savior: “Because of the joy awaiting him, he [Jesus] endured the cross, disregarding its shame” (Hebrews 12:2). Someday all believers will share that joy for all eternity, when Jesus returns to bring His kingdom to fruition here on earth and we get to live with Him forever. • Laura N. Sweet
• Why did Polycarp say he remained loyal to Jesus? What does this reveal about God?
• Polycarp’s peace and courage came from God, who lived inside Him through His Holy Spirit. And, if you know Jesus, the same Holy Spirit lives in you! How might this truth encourage you?
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” John 11:25 (NLT)
** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <September 29, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
Grave Conqueror
• READ: MARK 8:31-38; LUKE 18:31-34; 1CORINTHIANS 15:50-58; REVELATION 21:1-4
Why did Jesus have to die? That’s a big question for us today, and I bet it was an even bigger question for Jesus’ disciples when He started talking about His upcoming death and resurrection. They were Jesus’ closest friends, and they didn’t understand what He was saying.
Peter really didn’t like to hear Jesus talking about His own death, so he pulled Jesus aside and rebuked Him. But Jesus wouldn’t have it, and He rebuked Peter instead. Peter didn’t yet understand how Jesus was going to establish God’s kingdom.
When Jesus died by public execution, His disciples panicked. Some said they never knew Him. Others sank into despair. Jesus had prepared them, so why couldn’t they understand? They believed Jesus was the promised Messiah, but their perspectives were limited. They couldn’t comprehend God’s plan to defeat death.
It’s easy to be hard on the disciples, but we are often like them, lacking perspective and understanding. We look at what’s happening in our lives and our world, and we panic. We struggle to see how God is working. We sink into worry and despair.
But Jesus is here. He loves us. And He conquered the grave, raising from the dead after three days, just like He had promised! When Jesus showed Himself to His disciples (execution wounds and all), they were overjoyed! After Jesus ascended,
He sent His Holy Spirit to be in them, just like He had promised, and then they truly understood the good news: how Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human, died and rose again to give us new live. As His forgiven followers, they began urging people everywhere to put their trust in Jesus.
We might not understand God’s ways or see how He’s working in the midst of all the brokenness we experience. But we can trust Him. He is the victor over sin and death and keeper of His promises. God prepared for ages and generations to save humanity through Jesus’ death and resurrection, and even now He is working in all things “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Our God defeated death. What do we have to fear? • Becca Wierwille
• How might it be freeing to know that Jesus doesn’t expect us to understand without His help?
• In Christ, death does not have the final word. Jesus will return to resurrect His people to live eternally with Him. How does this promise give you hope today?
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? 1 Corinthians 15:55 (NIV)
