An Eternal Perspective on Persecution
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Text: Matthew 10:16-42
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
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.
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.
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.
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.
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Main Point/FCF:
Application:
Persecution is part of the Plan.
Persecution is part of the Plan.
Jesus is sovereign over persecution.
Jesus is sovereign over persecution.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Just as he is sovereign over nature, the spiritual world, and—as we saw last week—the harvest, so too he is sovereign over persecution.
I love this song by Newsong:
Not one of us will get through life unscarred
If no wounds upon our body, then our hearts
Lord you work all things by Your plan
And nothing comes without passing through Your hand
And You are sovereign over all
that's been broken by the fall
So give us strength, Lord, here and now
In the days between The Cross and Crown
Sometimes this world seems to be spiraling out of control. But it’s not.
Jesus calls his disciples to willingly go into hostile territory.
Jesus calls his disciples to willingly go into hostile territory.
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
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.
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.
We have talked repeatedly about the Kingdom of God and how Jesus is presented in Matthew’s gospel as the arriving King who is advancing his kingdom in this world.
But, as with any invading King and Kingdom, there is opposition.
We should not be surprised that there are many around us who want nothing to do with our king and refuse to bow to him.
Students, don’t be surprised when people make fun of you because you’re a believer. When I was in school, people called me “preacher boy.” There were a lot of parties and events I didn’t get invited to. I wasn’t terribly popular. There were times I was bullied. If you’re following Christ and living the way you’re supposed to, you’re not going to fit in. And if you’re actually sharing your faith and talking to people about Jesus, it’ll be even worse. When you go to school as a believer, you are in enemy territory. You’re a sheep in the midst of wolves.
As representatives of the King, we have targets on our backs.
Becoming like Christ invites persecution.
Becoming like Christ invites persecution.
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.
The more we look like Jesus, the more we represent him, the more that rebels to the king will hate us.
Jesus suffered rejection and persecution at the hands of Jewish and Roman leaders because his Kingdom challenged the kingdom that they served.
Just like Jesus, early Christians found themselves in the cross hairs of both Jewish and Roman leaders. The Jews hated them because they claimed that Jesus was the Messiah, and that the Jewish leaders had murdered their own Messiah and Lord.
Romans grew to detest Christians because Christians refused to worship Caesar or the Roman gods. Roman and Greek mythology were so central in the culture that Christians came to be seen as a threat to the welfare of Roman society. Christians were often called “atheists” because they refused to worship the Roman gods and instead worshipped a seemingly non-existent, invisible God.
Several Roman Caesar’s, including Caligula and Nero—both of whom lived during and before the time the New Testament was written—demanded to be worshipped as gods. Trade guilds, which were at certain times in history mandatory in order to practice your trade as a craftsman, often held sacrifices to the gods or engaged in Emperor worship. A lot of NT scholars think that the trade guilds were the background for concept of the Mark of the Beast in Revelation—without worshipping the Emperor, you could not be a part of the trade guilds and, therefore, were prohibited from buying and selling in your business.
Nero is well known for his persecution of Christians after the great Fire of Rome in AD 64. He even used Christians in some cases as human torches to give light to his parties.
Satan hates Jesus. The more you look like him, the more he will come after you.
Enduring persecution is one way we can show the worth of Christ.
Enduring persecution is one way we can show the worth of Christ.
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
We exist for the glory of God. That means that the purpose of our lives is to show that God is worthy, that he is “worth it.”
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
The meaning of the word “worship” is “to ascribe worth to something or someone.”
When we think of “worship,” we often think of singing. But, at its core, worship is saying “He is worth it.” How do you define or show the worth of something? By how much you’re willing to give in exchange for it. That is why David once refused a gift that was offered to him to give as a sacrifice.
23 Then Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.”
24 But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
Worship that costs us nothing is not worship. If you’re afraid to sing in church because you don’t have a good voice and you’re afraid that others might judge you, remember, worship that costs you nothing is not worship. If you’d like to be a part of the worship team on Sunday morning but you just can’t commit to getting up a little early on Sunday, remember: worship that costs you nothing is not worship.
Worship is a choice that you make that whatever the costs is, God is worth it.
The ultimate expression of the worthiness of God is found in willingly accepting persecution and martyrdom. It is the ultimate expression of the worthiness of God.
This is why suffering and sacrifice are not only inevitable, but necessary in the Christian walk.
Have you ever wondered why God allowed Satan to go after Job? Satan challenged Job’s commitment to God because God had put a hedge of protection around him.
8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”
9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
God removed this hedge of protection so that, through Job’s suffering, he would have an opportunity to magnify the glory of God by worshipping even when it was costly. In the midst of his despair and his suffering, Job said, “He is still worth it.”
15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
If that seems cruel to you, then maybe it is because you don’t understand or believe in your own heart that God is worth it.
Back in college, I worked part time as a salesman for Cutco Cutlery. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Cutco, they sell high-end cutlery. When I say “high-end,” I mean “high-end.” A block of 9-10 knives plus some matching steak knives would go for around $1,000.
Now, you might be wondering who in the world would buy $1,000 set of kitchen knives, but I’d be willing to bet that I’m not the only one in this room that owns some. The fact is, they’re wildly popular and they sell.
How? Well, when I was in training, one of the things they taught us was that people don’t buy because of price, they buy because of value.
Is $1,000 a lot of money? Well, that depends upon what you’re buying with it, doesn’t it? If I drive up in a brand new Escalade and I tell you I only paid $1,000 for it, what would you say? You’d say I got a really good deal!
But, if I try to sell you a regular old bic pen for $1,000, you’d probably say I was crazy. What determines whether or not you’ll buy what I’m selling is whether or not you think the value exceeds the price.
So then, if you think the price of following Christ is too high, the problem isn’t the price—it’s that you don’t value Christ enough. You don’t understand the value of what Christ is offering you.
Paul said it this way in Romans 8:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Paul said that what awaits us as believers is so infinitely valuable that you cannot even compare the costs in this life.
If hundreds of thousands of men and women have willingly laid down their lives for their country, counting the freedom of their country worth their very lives, then how much more worthy is the Creator of the Universe? The Almighty King who humbled himself to the point of torture and shameful death upon the cross to pay for your sins and make a way for you to be right with the Father? Is he not worthy of your life? Of everything you are and have?
Whatever you are unwilling to give up to God is, in effect, the thing you value more than him. If we are unwilling to give up our lives, our homes, our health, and yes, even our spouse and our children, then we have—in effect—deemed those possessions or family members MORE VALUABLE than God himself. And that is why Jesus can make these bold claims:
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
So persecution and all suffering is a necessary part of God’s plan because it reveals the worthiness of God, the glory of God, to a world that desperately needs God.
Persecution demands perseverance.
Persecution demands perseverance.
22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Does this mean that our salvation depends upon our actions?
No, for two reasons.
Perseverance is evidence of a changed heart.
Perseverance is evidence of a changed heart.
First, the one who endures to the end is the one who counts the sufferings of this life “not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18).” The one who endures to the end is the one whose heart has been captured by the glory of God, who loves his Heavenly Father more than his earthly father and mother and children, the one who has been changed by God through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
That’s what happens when we come to faith in Christ, and if it is genuine, it persists until the end. Listen to what John has to say about this:
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
So, it is true that we must persevere in order to be saved, but it is also true that if we have been justified and received a changed heart, we will persevere.
The second reason that our perseverance doesn’t depend upon us is...
Perseverance is the work of the Spirit within us.
Perseverance is the work of the Spirit within us.
20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Perseverance in the faith is no more our work than our coming to faith was.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
The same one who began the good work in you—the work of salvation—will bring it to completion.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
There is an unbroken chain: God predestines us, he calls us, he justifies us, and then he glorifies us.
Part of the problem in the church at Galatia was that they thought it was up to them to do good works in order to maintain their salvation:
2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—
6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
We do not begin the Christian walk by faith and then persevere and uphold our faith through works. NO! Good works are just the natural overflow of a heart that is filled up with the love of Christ. Just as faith is what brings us to faith—and that faith, according to Eph. 2:8-9—is a “gift of God,” so too perseverance is a work that the Spirit does within us
This doesn’t mean nothing is demanded or expected of you. But, it does mean that you don’t need to worry or stress about it.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
When it says with “fear and trembling,” I don’t think Paul means that he wants us to be afraid of God, because that would contradict everything he just said about the beauty and wonder of the incarnation in Phil. 2:1-11. I think he means more like “with awe and wonder,” because this same Jesus who humbled himself to the point of death on a cross and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father is now the one who is working within you to bring your faith to completion.
I think sometimes we hear the stories of believers who have endured terrible persecution and martyrdom, or even believers who have endured terrible suffering and loss here in our communities and we think, “I don’t know if I could persevere in my faith through that.”
Well, your job is not to somehow conjure up enough courage and strength in yourself, your job is to set your gaze upon Christ and let your heart be captured with the glory of God. Marvel and wonder at all that he has done for you and let your heart be completely captured with the glory of God and his infinite worth. If you do that, then whatever costs come your way in this life will be a small price to pay for the prize that awaits us at the finish line.
And that brings us to the last part…
Persecution comes with a Promise.
Persecution comes with a Promise.
Christ promises his presence in the midst of persecution.
Christ promises his presence in the midst of persecution.
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.
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.
If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it.
In the Great Commission, Jesus’ last words as he commissioned his disciples and us to go make disciples of all nations, sending us out like sheep amongst wolves, he promised Matthew 28:20 “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
Christ promises vindication for those who persevere.
Christ promises vindication for those who persevere.
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
It’s frustrating sometimes to be judged, passed over for promotions or advancement, or to constantly struggle to get ahead because you’re doing the right thing. The fact is that if you just merely tithe, you’re going to be 10% less wealthy than you might have been otherwise. Sometimes being a Christian means being honest, even when it hurts.
We’ve been car shopping the last few days and it has amazed me how many used car dealerships wipe the diagnostic codes and clear the check engine light on their cars. They don’t actually fix the problems, of course, they just clear the check engine light so that a potential customer won’t be alarmed. Believers with a conscience and the Holy Spirit at work within them can’t do things like that. It ends up costing them more money.
But one day, all will be revealed. The dishonesty and immorality of those who took advantage of others in secret to get ahead will be made public. And the quiet integrity of those who followed Christ to their own harm will be celebrated by the angels for all to see.
Those who acknowledge Christ in their lives—through their honesty, integrity, the sacrifices they make, their faithful giving, their turning the other cheek, their praying for those that insult and persecute them, their selfless love for others, their refusal to participate in demeaning and degrading others, their rejection from being part of the “cool kids” because of their faith—Christ will acknowledge them publicly as well. Your faith will be vindicated one day at the Judgement.
Christ promises eternal rewards for those who persevere.
Christ promises eternal rewards for those who persevere.
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
…whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
This life is short. Even those of us who live to be 90, 100 years old—that’s a blip on the radar of eternity.
Jesus is coming back soon. He could come back at any time. Or, maybe he’ll delay and you and I will die before then. Either way, you’re going to meet Jesus soon.
Those who live for Christ and make those sacrifices in this life will receive an eternal reward.
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
And here is the beauty of the promise—our sacrifices, in the long-term, are not really sacrifices. They’re investments in eternity.
Conclusion:
Most of us are unlikely to endure the kind of persecution described in the Bible or what our brothers and sisters in closed countries endure. But, you will definitely experience suffering in this life, and you may endure some rejection and the judgement of others because of your faith. How you endure suffering reveals a lot about your faith and the value that you place on God.
What is most important to you? What do you value? What do you love and treasure? Is he worth it to you?
