Facing the Enemy

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a great honor to share the Word of God with the saints of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church. Our church exists by grace, for glory, in love.

I’d like to begin this morning by the Foreward from Foxe’s book, “Voice of the Martyrs.” I normally wouldn’t read this long of a passage, but I think it serves as both a great introduction for our text this morning, and a sobering reminder of what it means to follow Jesus.

Gracia Burnham writes, “What did you expect following Christ would be like when you first started following Him? I had read verses on suffering over and over while growing up, but somehow thought they didn’t apply to me. My husband, Martin, and I did feel ‘called’ to go overseas as missionaries, but I didn’t really hear God calling us to ‘suffer for His sake.’ if I had, maybe I wouldn’t have answered the call!

I was perfectly content to live in a small barrio in the Philippines with my jungle pilot husband and our three children. We loved our ministry and our life overseas. We loved each other and our Lord Jesus.

Then came May 27, 2001. Martin had to go to the southern island of Palawan to fill in for another New Tribes Mission pilot and I decided to go with him as he would have a heavy flying schedule and would need help. It would also be a chance to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We left our children with coworkers and told them we would return in one week. But life doesn’t always go as planned—and we were taken hostage by militant Muslims while on Palawan. For the next year, we lived with the Abu Sayyaf in the jungles of Basilan—running from the military, sleeping on the jungle floor, starving, drinking dirty river water, watching the atrocities that these men inflicted on others, all the while wondering if we would ever see our home and family again.

In one swift moment in time, everything I had—except Martin—was taken away from me. When everything is gone and you’re in an uncomfortable position, you see what is really in your heart. And what I saw was not pretty.

I had always prided myself that I was a ‘good’ Christian. After all, we had left the American dream to go overseas as missionaries, hadn’t we? But in the jungle I came face-to-face with a Gracia that I didn’t want to see. I saw a hateful Gracia. There were times that I really hated those Muslims for what they were doing to us—for the pain they were causing our family. I saw a covetous Gracia. When we were starving and I saw someone with food and they didn’t share it with us, I coveted what they had. I saw a despairing Gracia. A faithless Gracia.

When I saw the darkness of my heart, I began to cry out to God to change me. And in His faithfulness, He did just that! As the months rolled on, we began to see our captors as the needy men that they were. My hatred was replaced with concern and even love for them. Contentment and joy began to grow in my heart as I began acknowledging God’s goodness to me on a daily basis instead of looking at the trials. God never leaves us as He finds us, and I am grateful for His work in my life during that year!

After 376 days as hostages, in gun battle #17, Martin was killed. I was wounded but rescued that day. When I got home to America, I learned that God had been touching the hearts of countless believers to pray for us. What would have done without the prayers of God’s people?

Is the life of a Christian not so much ‘God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life’ but ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me?’ The testimonies of the martyrs…will challenge you faith. I don’t know what cross you are called to carry will look like. I do know that it won’t be easy. As you [hear stories of those who have given their life for the sake of Christ] remember that these are not Super Christians. They are ordinary men and women who have faced situations beyond themselves and have died to themselves and found Christ to be sufficient.

1 Peter 2:21, 1 Peter 2:23 “21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” “23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

God calls us to carry our crosses. Jesus shows us how to do that. Follow in His steps.”

With the Story of Gracia Burnham fresh on our minds and the realization that her account is one of many happening even now today, I invite you to open your Bibles with me to Matthew 10. This morning, we will be working through verses 16-25.

I wanted to read Miss Gracia’s story to us all because today we are going to be reading about Jesus’ warning to the 12 disciples He was sending out on the missionary journey of the persecution that would follow them. As we walk through the text we are going to attempt to make practical application to our life together as a church and followers of Jesus Christ in our direct context here in Kentucky. However, I don’t want us to begin to think we are victims, nor should we try to contrive persecution, nor exaggerate our condition. We have been given grace to freely assemble, praise our God, and share His name with others. We’re thankful for all of those who have given their lives to give us that right. It’s my hope that through the Word of God this morning, we will cherish the grace God has shown to us, capitalize on our freedoms, and serve the Lord faithfully even if we were to walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death.

Begin with me in verse 16.

Matthew 10:16 ESV

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Let’s begin with the reminder that when we are working through this text in Matthew 10, it is first and foremost Jesus’ direction for the 12 disciples He is sending out at this particular time. Once we grasp what is happening in the specific context, we can then draw out application for our church and our lives today.

So Jesus speaks to the disciples using two analogies from nature. Sheep and wolves in the first half of the verse, and serpents and doves in the latter. Let’s break these down individually.

First we see sheep and wolves. Who are those identified as sheep? It is the 12, the disciples, they are the “you” in verse 10. Any time metaphoric language is employed, it is used to signify a greater truth. So why is that Jesus calls the disciples sheep? Well when it comes to raising animals, sheep are perhaps the most dependent, helpless, and in place of a six letter word that starts s and ends with upid, I’ll say unwise creatures on the farm. They get panicked easily. They can be as scared by a shadow as they are a predator. And other than maybe attempting to run away, when a real threat comes along, sheep don’t really have any natural means of protection. They can kick with their legs, but its not a very effective form of defense. Sheep need protection outside of themselves.

In that area of the world, one of the primary predators on sheep were wolves. Wolves are natural predators with sharp teeth. They work in packs to devour the defenseless sheep.

Jesus is telling His disciples that He recognizes as they should as well, that they are dependent creatures, but even still they are being sent out into a hostile world. As the second person of the Triune God, Jesus knows of the persecution He is going face and His followers are going to face. He is well aware that He will be laying down His life for His sheep. He knows that the early church will face trials, scorns, and experience much physical loss at the hands of those who do not understand Christ as Lord.

The point of practical application here today is three-fold. First, God knows! God knows that following Him will not be easy. Though we may not see it coming, God is never surprised by the trials we face.

Second, He send His followers into the danger. The warning here is not to scare the disciples from going, but rather to encourage them to go with hope found in Him! We will see how He further prepares His sheep to walk into the midst of wolves as we progress in our text this morning, but we are not to shy away from service because it looks scary. As I was preparing this message I was looking into the places in Scripture where the word “sheep” is used to describe followers in Christ. My study brought me to Romans 8. Verse 36 says, For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I bring these verse to our attention because they teach us that we sheep, in desperate need of the Lord’s protection and guidance can follow His commands to walk amongst wolves because there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! As we will progress through the text, we will see more practical advice, but we can all have confidence to carry the light into dark places knowing that nothing can separate us from the Love of God.

The third practical application that we need to make from Jesus’ sending of sheep to be amidst the wolves is that we must internalize that Jesus does not promise health, wealth, and prosperity, though that may be the popular message today, it is not the biblical one. Jesus warns there will be hardship. However, as we are contextualizing this to our modern day, we need to note that we don’t have to swing from the prosperity gospel to the defeated gospel. Godly lives are not dependent upon being marked by continual suffering. They are dependent on God! Neither the life of Jesus nor His apostles were defined by hardship and persecution. We read our text and become aware that persecution is possible. We’re not seeking it out or contriving it, being scared of shadows, but if and when it comes we can hold tight to the object of our faith Jesus Christ.

The other analogy in our nature is used by Jesus to prepare His disciples for navigating persecution. He says, “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Now I know many of is get a shiver in our spine when we hear about snakes, but certainly do have some remarkable qualities. They are generally calculating creatures. They know when to strike and when to run. The greco Roman culture regarded snakes as wise creatures. Jesus is effectively telling His disciples to be precise and careful decision makers with the cunningness of a snake. However, the viscousness of the natural snake is tempered by that next clause, “as innocent as doves.” Doves are certainly gentle creatures, they avoid violent reactions when persecuted.

So putting this all together, the apostles were sheep, completely reliant on their shepherd. They were being sent out amongst wolves, those who would seek to devour them. But the disciples weren’t to sit back and cower, waiting for the wolves to attack, they were called to go right into wolves territory. And as they navigated those places, they were to use wisdom in avoiding danger, but gentleness in their overall approach.

I think Charles Spurgeon applied this text to Today’s church well when he wrote, “The Christian missionary will need to be wary, to avoid receiving harm; but he must be of a guileless mind, that he do no harm.”

The point is that we are not to seek out harm, we are to seek to be above reproach in our dealings with all people, and if harm finds us we have confidence in Christ.

So with these general principles explained, Jesus then tells His disciples of some specific challenges they will face.

look to verses 17-19

Matthew 10:17–18 ESV

17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

Jesus warns His disciples of the persecution they will face. Court hearings, floggings, drug out before governors and officials. All of these are directly specific to the disciples in that time period. Modern persecution, like what we heard about in the story of Miss Gracia, in our introduction this morning, does not always take this exact form. But the reality is that following Jesus faithfully does not guarantee a life free of persecution.

For our edification this morning, allow me to pull out three truths from this text.

First, what is interesting is that as far as we have record in the bible, the persecution that Jesus is warning the disciples of here in our text this morning doesn’t happen during the specific mission trip he is sending the disciples on in Matthew 10. However, all of this would happen to Jesus Himself as He is delivered over by Judas the betrayer in the near future. Also as you read through the book of Acts you will see these very things happening in the days of the early church. We see that Jesus is planting the seed now in the life of the disciples, before it would be their present reality, to prepare them for faithful service along the way!

Second, we need to note that there is still a God-honoring purpose to the persecution. Look again at the end of verse 18, “you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, TO BEAR WITNESS BEFORE THEM AND THE GENTILES.” God was working through the persecution to promote the gospel! This week I met with our friends at White Sulphur Baptist Church to do a training on sharing the gospel. In that time, I had a great conversation with one of our members, talking about the overall point of salvation. We discussed something I’ve talked about many times from this pulpit. “Salvation is not simply about receiving your get-out-of-hell-free card. Its about seeing and serving the true King of Kings and Lord of lords. Its about coming into reality to praise Christ as King! Enjoying glory is the cherry on top.” Through persecution, the disciples would be living out reality that their lives, and their salvation is not ultimately about themselves, but rather about giving God glory! Through their suffering, others would hear the gospel and the Kingdom would advance! It is the joy of the Christians heart to serve the Lord even in times of discomfort.

Third, in light of point two, we must remember, “blessed are the persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” While we do not serve the Lord simply for personal promotion, we can remember that our God has given us good promises. The purpose of life is to glorify God, that sometimes means glorifying Him through suffering, but also to ENJOY Him FOREVER. We can have joy in difficult circumstances through trusting in the promises of God.

So in these verses Jesus warns the disciples of the specific persecution they will face and the purpose for it. Let’s look at how He has equipped them to handle it.

Matthew 10:19–20 ESV

19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Here we see that when persecution comes, and the disciples are put on trial, they don’t have to fret over what they will say because the Holy Spirit will speak through them. They will bear witness to the kings and gentiles through the Holy Spirit. What a marvelous relief for the disciples!

You can find direct fulfillment of this all throughout the book of Acts. Stephen’s speech before the High Priest in chapter 7, Paul’s testimony before the rulers throughout chapters 23-26.

Notice that Christ says, when and not if. Direct persecution was always going to be the fate of the disciples, even if it would come in the coming year and not in the very next moment. And notice as well what is promised. Not deliverance. Not escape. Not even assistance for ill prepared sermons. He promises Spirit-emboldened testimonies in court. The inference is that the disciples would not be so worried about the trouble that they would go through physically, but that they wouldn’t make a representation of Christ when they are put under pressure. They wanted to make much of Jesus and were worried they would mess up their opportunity, Christ assures them that they will be aided by the Spirit!

One of the misapplication of this text is that we shouldn’t have to plan and study, but in every moment provided God will supernaturally guide our speech. Henry Blackaby noted, “This eliminates the need for Bible study because God will zap the appropriate verse into our minds at the right time. Don’t we all sometimes expect God to cover for our own laziness? The truth is, Jesus was addressing a specific situation here; this is not a blanket promise. He was talking to friends who would soon be hauled before kings and governors. They would be beaten, interrogated, and expected to explain their faith under threat of death. They were all new Christians; none of them had known Jesus for more than a few years. Unlike Paul, who was well schooled in the Scriptures, these men were blue-collar workers. They had no tracts or pocket New Testaments to pull out when they were in a bind. Most significantly, they would be in danger because of witnessing for Christ, not because of their own shortcomings. As long as they were obeying God, Jesus assured them that God would intervene. This promise was not just for the disciples; it was also for the sake of their listeners who would need a word from God.

What does this mean for us? Obviously there is no open-ended guarantee that God will always bail us out when we have not prepared ourselves. However, if we are living as God wants us to live and our faith is challenged, God will not only give us the words we need; he’ll also give us the courage to say them.” Church let’s put in the holy sweat to read and learn God’s Word and trust Him to work through us in any and all situations.

Jesus is equipping His disciples and letting them know of the difficulty in the road ahead. Lets look at more that awaits the disciples:

Matthew 10:21–23 ESV

21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Here we see a warning that following Christ, proclaiming the gospel will lead to the division of families. I can’t help but think to the reports we have heard from the missionaries our church directly work with in Iraq. As people come to faith there, they are often met with ostracizing for their belief in Jesus. Sometimes it is limited to being disconnected from families. In other places they are turned into the authorities and persecuted with either jail or worse. This is happening today in this very moment around our world.

In the case of Miss Gracia from our introduction, her faith was deepened and embolden through the direct persecution she faced in the Philippines.

We see in verse 23, that we don’t have to seek out persecution and can even actively avoid it if possible.

The overarching point is to endure, to remain grounded in faith with sights set on glorify Christ, until the end. Remain grounded in Christ. Keep that thought and we will return to it in our conclusion.

Before we look at the final verses of our selection of Scripture this morning, I do want to make a brief note about verse 23. Jesus says, “you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” There is much debate within the theological world as to what exactly that is referring to. If you’d like to talk that out with me, I’d be happy to do so. But at the end of the day the overarching purpose is to encourage Christ's followers to stay at the work of spreading the gospel until Christ comes.

Let’s look to the final section of our text this morning:

Matthew 10:24–25 ESV

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

Now at this point in His ministry, Jesus has had some run ins with the Scribes and Pharisees, but nothing in comparison to what He will go through during the week preceeding His crucifixion. Everything that He has described and warned His disciples of in our text this morning, He would walk through Himself. Then as He promised in this text, these things would occur to the disciples as well. Particularly in the early days of the church after the Resurrection of Christ.

The principle being given in this section of Scripture is quite clear. Jesus, our Lord, is the Suffering Servant. Those who follow Him should not expect to anything different. He does not promise them riches and health. He tell His disciples that people thought He was evil, calling Him Beelzebul, Lord of Dung, Satan. And thus they will malign His followers as well.

Spurgeon noted, “Thank God, they may call us what they like, but they cannot make us evil…God was slandered in Paradise, and Christ on Calvary; how can we hope to escape?”

The reality presented in the whole of Scripture this morning, is that following Christ is not a walk in the park.

So what are we to make of all this? Walking into the midst of wolves, being delivered to courts, flogged, dragged before governors, brothers delivering brothers over for death, the master maligned, and the followers as well.

This certainly isn’t a very “fun” text. Should we read this and be weary? Should we read this and begin looking over our shoulder? Should we be actively seeking out others to persecute us?

No! The point of what we read through this morning is first a direct warning to the 12 of the specific challenges they would face in the near future, and secondarily a warning to all believers, all disciples that following Christ is not promised to be easy! But it is worth it!

Our response to to this text is to understand that we don’t need to be surprised when trials and tribulations come our way because our God is not surprised and He warned us they were coming. Church, we have to make sure we have a right understanding of the gospel. The gospel is not that we will live our best life now. The gospel is that we have come to understand Christ is King worthy to be served even if it means walking amidst wolves, even if it means snarls and snares are placed in our way, because the King is our salvation and through Him we endure to the end!

Now listen, we live in a place where we don’t face the immediate threats that the disciples would face. We don’t have the same social pressures as our brothers and sisters in Iraq. We don’t typically have to worry about being held captive as was Miss Gracia. So shouldn’t that me we are even freer to share the gospel and follow the Lord! Christian hearing this message this morning, I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. It may be the case that the biggest form of persecution we face is some sideways looks from people who don’t want to hear us talk about Jesus. it could be the case that our society changes in such a way that puts our life at risk. Whatever the case may be, JESUS IS WORTHY TO BE SERVED.

Draw Christ Bubble with crown.

He is King of Kings, Lord of lords. He displayed His Majesty by stepping out of heaven, living a perfectly righteous life, dying on the cross, and raising from the dead on the Third day.

Without Jesus, we are stuck in our sin and brokenness. Separated from the perfect God by our sin.

When We see Christ for the King He is, We are compelled to repent of our sins and believe in Him for our salvation, for our reconciliation to our Holy Creator.

For our sake He made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.

We are enabled to grow in Christ and serve Him! Those who endure, those who hold on to Christ, are those who have truly seen Him for the King He is. When we see the King for who He is and trust in Him, we can follow Him faithfully in any and every situation. From the Philippines to the Bible belt and everywhere in between, He is our prize, our consolation, and worthy to be served.

Do you understand Christ as the King He is? If so, then do not worry about what tomorrow may bring, but keep your hand to the plow and follow Him! In times of peace? Follow Him! In times of Distress? Follow Him!

Christ is King! Do you understand that today? If so, follow! If you’re coming to understand that for the first time, make that known! If I can help you in any questions you have about following Him, ask! But in any case I assure you this, Christ is King.

Let’s Pray