Adoniram Judson, pt1 2019 - John 12:24

Adam Hiram Johnson was destined for a life of suffering. He knew that anyone who married him would have a difficult life. Imagine some young man wanting to marry your daughter, and his proposal something like I have now to ask you whether you can consent to degradation insult persecution or perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this for the sake of him who left his heavenly home died for her in the portion of the letter Stephen read a moment ago. It's also clear that marrying a person like Judson would be a difficult decision because it means being a willing and joyful participant in hardship today on wisdom for the heart.

Stephen Devi continues through his series entitled legacies of light throughout the series. Stephen spent looking at heroes of the Christian faith and today we begin looking at the life of Adam Hiram Johnson, you're going to find his life to be both inspiring and challenging. And now here Stephen with today's lesson in John's Gospel, the Lord Jesus is speaking to his disciples and he is foretelling his death in his resurrection and his coming glory or glorification, and in the Lord is not only speaking prophetically of his own death, but of all those who surrender to this day. Those who surrender their lives to following Jesus Christ. No matter what I look at verse 24. There will be the life verse lived out by the individual going introduce you to a tonight drafted up in a little bit deeper way. But the Lord says in verse 24 John 12 truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit Jesus certainly implies here that suffering and fruit bearing go hand-in-hand. In fact, there seems to be some parallel doesn't. There between suffering much and influencing much of the glory of Christ ever wondered why it is that people were still reading about the day and people were still studying in the Bible and church history. People who accomplished so much suffered so much. In fact, it seems like the more they suffered. The more they are studied.

To this day the words of our Lord as he enters Jerusalem, knowing that within days.

He's going to be crucified still echo to this day with this lasting principle, a legacy of spiritual fruit belongs to that man or woman young person who effectively says to Jesus Christ here on my bearing me if there was anybody in in church history that seem to fit this description lease in modern church history of a fruitful life and surrender. It would be the man who would become America's first foreign missionary, he would suffer incredibly, he would bury all but one of his children. He would dig graves for his first wife, and his second wife 19 years later, many of his associates would die as well from disease and difficulty long after becoming a living legend add an arm Judson would write this kind of appeal to potential missionary candidates ready for this. I quote remember a large proportion of those who come out on a mission here. To the east die within five years after leaving their native land. So walk softly. Death is narrowly watching your steps for recruiting strategy.

Are you willing to be a seed planted in the ground by suffering.

Even Diane Barrow harvest of fruit for the gospel of Jesus Christ was I mentioned this missionaries name was at an arm Judson. He was born into a pastor's home in 1788 in Boston, Massachusetts. By the age of three. He was already revealing that he was a rather precocious child quick learner.

His mother was able to her surprise to teach him how to read in one week. My mother the same problem with me and cross I have to bear. It was during the week while his father was away preaching and that arm surprised his father upon his return by reading an entire chapter to him from the Bible.

Three years of age, that wasn't me about you. At age 3 I was climbing the stairs. The off barking dog jumped still survive.

That was my level of intelligence that was when he was 16.

His father enrolled him in Rhode Island College now Brown University. He did that because his father although his father graduated from Yale considered at that time Yale and Harvard to be too liberal. If only things he conceded that led arm would go to Brown University be at the top of every class throughout college and graduate valedictorian. In 1807. However, he would keep a secret that would not be revealed for at least a year and when he revealed it after his 20th birthday.

It would break his parents heart admired been heavily influenced by fellow student named Jacob means Jacob Eames was popular brilliant artistic, and he was an unbeliever. Jacob became one of advance closest friends and he introduced an arm to what was called then freethinking, which is basically atheism, French skepticism, and that it ultimately denies the deity of Christ and in the gospel to buy the time at nine Judson graduated from Brown University. He had abandoned the Bible. He learned how to read the age of three and he also banned the gospel.

After informing his parents of his unbelief with their hearts shattered. He attempted the tutor for a year.

That didn't work out, and so he set out to tour New England on horseback. He eventually joined a group of actors in New York City where he lived what he called a reckless vagabond life he would write that they would find lodging in and in run up the score and then slip out of the middle of the night without paying any other bill but after only a few weeks in New York City with these accuracy, grew tired of their undisciplined lifestyle and he struck out on his own again roaming without any purpose, without any meaning.

Searching one night he he has stopped to spend the night at an Inn he'd never stayed at before and the innkeeper apologized to him when he arrived at that he would more than likely have his sleep interrupted by a young man next door the in the room next to him who was violently ill.

Sure enough during the night, moaning in the crying and the groaning of the young man in the next room kept him awake. The man seemed to be on the brink of dying his moaning and groaning and lamenting and crying Dad and arm lying awake on his bed almost all night at environment wondered about this young man's soul, where we spend eternity.

What was his hope after death, and in fact he realized he should be me asking those kinds of questions because even believe that anymore like it would work out later that he himself lay there thinking the same thoughts about his own soul if he were that young man. Eventually the moaning stopped and admirers slipped off to sleep early the next morning Adam got up and he asked the innkeeper about the young man's health, the outcome, the innkeeper confirmed that the young man had indeed died hours earlier and asked him do you know who he was in the innkeeper said oh yes, his name was Eames Jacob means and admirers could hardly move. He would stay at that in four hours pondering the death of his friend. He would later tell a friend that I quote to think that hell should open up in this country in and snatch Jacob means my dearest friend and guide from the next room. This could not simply could not be pure coincidence, and of course it wasn't the sovereign grace of Christ that garden arm realize that God was on his trail.

He said he immediately returned home, then to the joy of his parents. A few months later trusted Christ for his personal salvation and devoted himself to the Lord would be marked forever by that event, the God so dramatically use two years later he was wrapping up some seminary studies and he applied for missionary status with the Congregational church a Congregational mission board as a student he had heard a sermon that illustrated the mission fields of Burma China, India, and he determined to give his life to serve Christ and that that part of the world which is then interesting again that his parents who were thrilled with his conversion were not happy with his desire for missionary service over reason effective. It offered a faculty position at Brown University, which he declined much to the frustration of his father. He was offered a paid pastoral position in a church nearby is family home, which he declined to his mother's tears on the same day he presented himself to the Congregationalist mission board, he met a young woman named and hassle time and over the next few weeks. They quickly fell in love and I was clear about his life goal, he told her and everybody else was heading for Burma that's located between southern India and and China. A land that we now call me Omar. She turned out to be just as committed to the gospel as he was so one month after meeting her. Yet this is not what you want your children to hear about one month after meeting her.

He asked her father if he could marry her is a letter to Ann's father is revealing to read some of it to you because it reveals his passion to the lost and and it's almost prophetic in detail the letter reads. By the way dad's imagine some young man wanting to marry your daughter in his proposal sounding like 1800 and I quote I have now to ask you whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring to see her no more in this world is a. The man think about it.

Listen whether you can consent to her departure for a heathen land. Her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of the missionaries life whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean to the fatal influences of the southern climate of India to every kind of wanted to stress to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this for the sake of him who left his heavenly home and died for her and for you, for the sake of perishing immortal souls for the sake of heaven and the glory of God. Can you consent to all this in the promise of meeting your daughter in the world of glory with a crown of righteousness brightened by the exclamations of heathen thou same through her means who will there be praising her Savior has ever proposal man. Imagine I'd like to take your daughter away from you to heathen land which will probably suffer every deprived nation and more than likely a violent death you can see, can't you in this young man no holds barred. This is one of them to do so.

What were going to go. This is what matters most. Ann's father said yes and so did she and away and her father, mother really were all saying the same thing to God, just in different ways. Here am I very mean two weeks after their wedding, they are on a ship bound for India. The voyage would last four months and I want to bring up one thing because it creates problems and again shows you little bit other character is to create problems with her Congregationalist supporters back home and her family. Remember, his dad is a Congregational pastor see during during this voyage. They spent a lot of time ransacking the book of acts the Gospels studying the word on on subjects related to church planting and they came to the conclusion that salvation should precede baptism and they also concluded that baptism correctly understood, literally translated, could only mean immersion in that voyage they change their entire view and their affiliation so which means about why this is no small thing. They departed from America as Congregationalist and landed in India as Baptist. Another problem was there was no American Baptist missionary board. He's the first missionary from America so they effectively declined walked away from all of their support and their supporters bring that issue because it reveals something about them early on both of them. Their willingness to confront the religious past their willingness to potentially up to their families, their willingness to lose other financial support, all for the sake of biblical conviction reveals quite a bit about the metal their character that will be put to the test that arm and and Judson were baptized by immersion. Soon after landing in Calcutta India by the son of William Carey. Felix was his name with whom they stayed when they arrived they trust God frankly never look back.

Now the good news was when news reached America of their changed position Baptist churches rallied without a little slower than the congregation listen. They created the American Baptist missionary union and probably began reporting there are other changes ahead for them.

They expected to settle in an area where they were not allowed when they arrived they do move several times and eventually they settled on an area known as Rangoon, Burma, just north of Thailand. There they would spend the next 10 years of their lives attempting to learn the Bernie's language they had to learn it without a teacher without a grammar without a dictionary without any other believers without a church without any help add them had to learn and his wife and by literally creating his own Burmese grammar God wired him at three to prepare him for what he would be doing a 23 so he would spend several years creating his own grammar. Learning the language it would take six years of study before he was able to preach his first sermon finally seven years after arriving at an arm and led the first Bernie's individual faith in Jesus Christ, think about seven years before one cover the correct way that doesn't really sell all that well the supporters back home. They stayed with part of the problem was in Burma converting from Buddhism was punishable by death. Little wonder it would take Judson 12 years before he had 18 people baptized in the church 12 years. 18 people on one occasion had an iron and another missionary travel to see the Emperor of Burma to petition for freedom to preach and for people to convert without losing their lives or the were being threatened of the loss of their lives in. He not only disregarded the request but he through the gospel tract that added iron had written to the ground after reading only a few line in the meantime, Roger William Judson their little boy died at eight months of age back in her home region and Judson continued serving along with her husband. She had been able to befriend the wife of the political leader in Rangoon's were like the governor in our culture and and begin to make inroads before long, a printing press arrived and and materials that added iron to translate in the Bernie's work now being printed by the thousands.

Still no real fruit that they were now coalescing in the printed materials that they could distributed they were being distributed in it included a full and complete translation of the gospel of Matthew. Eventually added iron would complete the entire New Testament in into Burmese by the time he finishes this translation work. War breaks out between England and Burma and all of the English missionaries are immediately suspected of being spies for the British government. There was trouble in the air five years after baptizing their first convert on June 8, 1824 Burmese officials suddenly broke into their home through added iron to the ground, tie them up and drag him away to prison. He was placed in a prison building with 100 other inmates, male and female.

They were all lying on the floor of their feet in stocks and iron chains weighing 14 pounds. In fact, at arm would wear the scars of those chains for the rest of his life at night. He records a bamboo pole was passed between the prisoners shackled feet and then hoisted up by pulleys to the prisoners, literally hung upside down at a height, which allowed their shoulders to rest on the ground while their feet were pulled above their heads all night long. After some time at an iron was moved to a cage that once housed the lien not high enough to stand not broad enough to lie down during this time and delivered their daughter Maria. She would walk to the jail every day bringing at announce food that she would negative the jailer to pass along to you because the prison supplied no food.

Inmates simply starve to death since she became ill and unable to nurse baby and finally, if you can imagine this, the jailer had mercy on them and actually let added iron take the baby. Each evening into the village and begged for some nursing mother to give their baby milk. Finally, suddenly at I was released from prison almost 2 years and there he was evidently needed to translate between the English and the Burmese without a use for him. By the time he returned home and was dead a few months later, there little Maria died a few months after that he received news that his father had also only recently died as well is crushed vital just all bore down, he entered a deep depression would last nearly 3 years. He dropped this translation work. He retreated from anything that might promote any sense of happiness or pleasure. He refused to eat with those outside the mission station.

He renounced his honorary doctorate that he'd been given from Brown University. He gave all of his savings away to the Baptist mission board and asked that his salary be reduced. He then built a hot some distance from his mission compound deep in the jungle, dangerous in the loan where he moved in. Even next to the hot and open grave where she expected to be buried, and he would sit in that grave for hours contemplating decaying of his own flesh, he would write in his journal, though one occasion during this time he wrote these words about her spiritual desolation, he said and I quote God is to me the grades unknown I believe in him, but I cannot find is it possible.it is time weighted to the scene, died not quite through with this.

Look at the life of Ada and Hiram's and will resume this lesson on tomorrow's broadcast are Bible teacher Stephen Devi is working his way through a series entitled legacies of light. He's examining the lives of some Christian heroes who provide a godly example to us today. You know it's still early in December, and there may be some people on your shopping list to could benefit from some of the resources we have available. I want to specifically remind you of the two newest resources in our collection. Stevens taken the content of this current series legacies of light and turned it into a beautifully bound hardback book with that same title. Each one of the biographies that were studying is a chapter in the book and it's a wonderful resource to add to your library or to give to a friend or family member this holiday season. We also have a new book in our children's collection was written by Stephen son, Seth, and he's called it Marvel at the mystery. Seth is both the author and illustrator of this beautiful children's book that gives insight into the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Both of these resources marvel at the mystery and legacies of light are available and in stock today and you can call us at 86 648 Bible for information that number again is 866-482-4253. We've also posted both of those resources to our website and you'll find us online@wisdomonline.org if you'd like to write to Stephen address your card or letter to wisdom for the heart PO Box 37297, Raleigh, NC 27627 if you're able, please consider including a gift when you write well. As I mentioned a few moments ago working to bring you the conclusion to this lesson on tomorrow's broadcast.

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