The Coming Persecution
Matthew • Sermon • Submitted
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· 14 viewsJesus warns the apostles about the coming persection and teaches the how to endure.
Notes
Transcript
Oppening:
Good-morning Connection Church!
As always it is good to be gathered with you on the Lord’s Day. We are so blessed to be able to gather together and worship God.
Hebrews 10:23-25 Says
English Standard Version Chapter 10
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
We come together on this day to corporately worship God together. This is a great thing! It builds us up in our faith, it strengthens us to go out into the world through the week, it encourages us to remain faithful, and it reminds us of the hope we have in Christ Jesus. This is so important. It is vital to gather together on the Lord’s Day.
On the Lord’s Day we worship together through fellowship, singing, prayer, the learning of truths, the reading of the Word of God and hearing it preached, and we finish by gathering around the Lord’s Table to take communion together. All of these things are acts of worship to God. Now we are going to move into our time of worship where we read the Word of God together and I will preach.
Introduction of the Text.
With this in mind, please open with me to Matthew 10:16-25. As you turn there, let’s do some recap on what we have covered so far.
Matthew wrote this book, he was a tax collector whom Jesus called to be one of the 12 disciples. Jesus also commissioned him to be an Apostle. But why did Matthew write this book?
Matthew wrote this book so that we could get to know who Jesus is. Specifically that Jesus is the King, the fulfilment of the covenant God made with David.
Matthew has shown us that Jesus was the fulfilment of many prophesies. He did this to show us an attribute of God. He is showing us that God is… what? It starts with an “S.”
God is Sovereign. This means that He is in complete control. God laid out prophesies about Jesus in scripture hundreds and even thousands of years in advance of Jesus’ coming. This shows clearly God’s sovereign control over all things; that what God has ordained will come to pass exactly as He has ordained it.
Good! But now lets get closer to what we have just read. In the last section we saw Jesus commission the 12 Apostles. What did He give them authority to do?
Jesus gave the Apostles authority to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons.
What did Jesus not give the Apostles authority to do?
Jesus did not give the Apostles authority to forgive sins. Only God can forgive sins.
Good! Well, this week we are picking up where we have just left off. Jesus has given the Apostles their instructions for the mission they are going to embark on. But not Jesus is going to teach them about the persecution they will face in the future and what they are to do during this persecution.
Reading of the Text:
With this in mind, stand with me out of reverence for the reading of God’s Word.
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.
Prayer:
Let’s pray together.
Almighty Father, we come before you today humbled by the very ability to be able to gather together and worship You. Thank You for Your grace to allow us the freedom to meet together and worship without persecution. Lord, if persecution ever does come, we pray that You would give us boldness to continue to meet in-spite of the struggle.
Lord, I pray that You would open hearts to hear from You today. If there is anyone here who does not know You, we ask that You would call to their heart and save them today. Let today be the day they respond to the hope of the Gospel. For those who are here and are Your sheep, I ask that You would encourage and strengthen them. Continue to grow them in holiness before You.
Lord, we ask that You would use us to reach the lost of this community. We cannot do this without You. We long to see the lost of this community come to faith in You. Please use us to do this! We long to be used by You here. Please use us. Do not let us, Your Church, be idle. We beg You to use us, oh God of all. Save people, and let us be instruments of Your work here.
We ask this in Jesus Holy and Precious name, Amen.
Sermon:
As we open this text we see it has several different elements. Jesus is teaching the Apostles. He has just commissioned them as Apostles and told them to go to Israel and proclaim the Gospel and heal all the sick there. Now Jesus transitions to discussing the Apostles larger mission. Jesus, being all knowing God, knows that He will die and rise again and then ascend into Heaven, leaving the Apostles behind. Jesus already knows that they will be the Church. He knows that they will be His instruments to reach the world. In great love, Jesus proceeds with this teaching.
So as we dive into this, we see that it is not like a text that simply describes what Jesus did or where He went. This is an intimate discourse where Jesus is teaching and equipping His beloved Apostles for the pain and deaths they will face for Him. He in Love unveils what they are going to face. So as we dive into this, we must examine this discourse. What does Jesus tell these twelve?
First, we see that Jesus warns the Apostles of the Persecution to Come.
1. Jesus Warns the Apostles of the Persecution to Come.
1. Jesus Warns the Apostles of the Persecution to Come.
Explanation:
Jesus starts this discourse off by describing the dangers and persecution the Apostles will face. His first words in this section are that He is sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves. This is not a pretty description. Sheep in the midst of wolves does not paint a great image of ease. It is an image of terror and death. Sheep don’t survive long when they are surrounded by wolves.
Sheep don’t have natural defense. They have no shell or claws to defend themselves. As far as animals are concerned, they are helpless. Jesus is not describing a sweet scene here. As John Calvin puts it, “By calling them sheep, he does not refer to the sweetness and mildness of their manners, or to the gentleness of their mind, but only means, that they will have no greater strength or fitness for repelling the violence of enemies, than sheep have against the rage of wolves.”
The Illustration Jesus uses of how He is sending out the Apostles is not one with an overtone of success. The term “dead meat” comes to mind.
Argumentation:
This opening line is a clear warning that the Apostles will face persecution. By this example, it does not appear that the persecution will be light either. They in essence will be helpless in the face of this persecution. Their enemies will be going for blood. They will be out to destroy the Apostles. One must wonder if the Apostle upon hearing this had to ask if they had heard Jesus correctly.
“Did He say we are like sheep surrounded by wolves?”
But they did hear Him correctly. And Jesus does not stop there. He lays out what these men will face for His sake with no room for a different meaning. It is clear that Jesus is warning these men of the coming persecution.
As I read and studied this passage, I see Jesus warning the Apostles of at least four things He makes clear they will face.
a. The Apostles will be Hated.
a. The Apostles will be Hated.
Explanation:
The language Jesus uses in this passage reeks of hatred. People will not do these things outside of a passionate hatred for those they do these things to. Hatred must be the motivation for doing anything even remotely like this. but then Jesus clearly states it in verse 22. He says “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”
There is no doubt in this passage that Jesus is warning the Apostles that they will face hatred for following Jesus. It is a clear statement. There is no room for any other interpretation. Jesus makes the hatred they will face abundantly clear.
Argumentation:
What a cheerful way to start out this commissioning. From the outset it is made clear that the Apostles will face hatred for their following of Jesus. They are not promised gold or silver, popularity, health, love, or any other physical benefit for following Jesus. In stead, Jesus promises his closest followers hatred and persecution.
Jesus even tells them that their families will hate them. They will find no refuge. Not among their people or even their families. This is not a good way to encourage a crowd or get people excited. But it is honest and loving. It is true. The Apostles did face massive hatred and Jesus was extremely loving to tell them the truth.
But it does not end at hatred. Jesus warns that the Apostles will be Maligned.
b. The Apostles will be Maligned.
b. The Apostles will be Maligned.
Explanation:
It is a natural progression from hatred to maligning. One could say that the Apostles should expect to have all manner of terrible things said about them. It makes sense that if you are hated, people will malign your character, but Jesus still makes sure to warn them about this. He shows that they maligned Him, and if they maligned Jesus, how much worse will it be for the Apostles? The implication is that it will be much worse for them.
Argumentation:
Jesus’ character was openly maligned. We talked about this in our discourse on Matthew 9:27-38. The Pharisees said that Jesus cast out demons by the prince of demons in Matt 9:34. This is what Jesus is talking about in this passage. They called Him Beelzebul, the prince of demons. If they called God, the devil, they will obviously do worse to His servants.
But still it does not end here. Jesus warns that the Apostles will be Apprehended and Tried.
c. The Apostles will be Apprehended and Tried.
c. The Apostles will be Apprehended and Tried.
Explanation:
It does not end for the Apostles in simply being hated and maligned. No, they would not simply be spoken bad about. The persecution would not just be emotional and verbal, the persecution would be physical as well. Jesus makes clear that the Apostles would be apprehended and face trial. They would be delivered over to the courts.
But this is not just being turned over to any court. These men would be turned over to the Synagogs. These Jewish men would be turned over to the Jewish courts. They would be rejected by their own people. And then they would be brought before the Roman Governors and even kings. They would find no refuge with the Gentiles from their own people. They would be arrested and tried on all sides. There would be no refuge.
Argumentation:
What a disheartening discourse for these men. They are being sent to Israel but Jesus is warning them that they will be rejected by Israel. And then if they suspect to find any hope in the order of the Roman empire, that hope is crushed. Jesus tells them that they will be dragged before the governors. Dragged. That is not a pretty word. None of the language used to describe how the Apostles will be treated gives any hope.
They will be rejected and tried. They will be brought to court for their faith in Christ. This is not a good report. They will be hated on all sides, even by family, they will be maligned by all, they will be rejected and arrested and brought before courts.
But still this is not all they will face. Still there is more. Jesus warns that the Apostles will be beaten and Murdered.
d. The Apostles will be Beaten and Murdered.
d. The Apostles will be Beaten and Murdered.
Explanation:
The list of persecutions crescendos here. Hated, Maligned, apprehended, tried, and now beaten and murdered. They will be given up to death. Even family will hand them over to death. The ultimate betrayal will be their very brothers, fathers, children, handing them over to be executed for following Jesus.
Jesus leaves no warning unsaid here. He makes sure that these Apostles know what lies ahead of them. He makes clear the path of tears and pain that they must walk.
Argumentation:
None of the Apostles could have claimed that they were not warned. Their Lord has laid out for them the persecution that they will face in their future. He has left nothing to the imagination. “Follow me and you will be hated, maligned, arrested, tried, beaten, and killed.”
It is a clear warning to the Apostles. The prophesies of Christ will come to pass. They will face these things. One must wonder what these men were thinking. Were they internally crying for help? Were they in shock? Did they at this point grasp what He was saying? Did they fully believe Him?
Likely this went against the Apostles expectations. One does not follow someone in order to be tortured and murdered. One often follows someone for what benefit they can give. The Disciples at this point thought that they would be sit with Jesus as He re-establishes the Kingdom. As Matthew Henry puts it, “Christ tells them, they must expect greater sufferings than they were yet called to; that they should then be made prisoners, when they expected to be made princes.”
One thing is for sure however: Jesus shows His incredible love for them, not just in warning them of the persecution that they will face, but also in what He mixes in with the warnings. Jesus teaches the Apostles what to do durning the coming Persecution.
2. Jesus Teaches the Apostles what to do During the Coming Persecution.
2. Jesus Teaches the Apostles what to do During the Coming Persecution.
Explanation:
Jesus does not just warn the Apostles of the coming persecution. As we have seen already, the Good Shepherd cares for His sheep. He does not send them out without teaching the what to do. He gives guidance.
As I studied this passage, I see five things that Jesus teaches the Apostles to do or know as they face this coming persecution.
First, Jesus teaches the Apostles are to be wise as serpents, gentle as doves.
a. The Apostles are to Be Wise as Serpents, Gentle as Doves.
a. The Apostles are to Be Wise as Serpents, Gentle as Doves.
Explanation:
Wise as serpents: This is a rather confusing analogy to us in our day and age. We don’t use the imagery of serpents to indicate how cunning or wise something is. But it is an accurate one. As much as I hate snakes, they are crafty creatures. A snake will protect itself well when threatened. They coil and spin to prevent their head from being crushed. They do not wilfully put themselves in danger. Again John Calvin remarks on this where he says, “This is pointed out by a twofold comparison, wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Serpents, being aware that they are hated, carefully avoid and shrink from every thing that is hostile to them. In this manner he enjoins believers to take care of their life, so as not to rush heedlessly into danger, or lay themselves open to any kind of injury.”
Gentle as doves: Doves are gentle creatures. They are not malicious or violent. Throughout history they have represented peace or gentleness. Still doves are symbols of peace. They are timid, without defences.
Argumentation:
Jesus calls His apostles to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. They are to be wise in the persecution but also gentle. They should not put themselves into danger, but should be wise and guard themselves. But when danger and death come for them, they are to be peaceful and gentle.
They should embrace the wisdom of the serpent without it’s fangs. They should embrace the gentleness of the dove without it’s stupidity. They are not to lash out in violence against their persecutors, but they are not to be fools when facing persecution. This is a very commonsensical piece of guidance. Jesus here is giving them imagery that should guide them when the persecution comes.
As Jesus moves on, He says that the Apostles are not to be anxious when they are tried.
b. The Apostles are not to be Anxious when they are tried.
b. The Apostles are not to be Anxious when they are tried.
Explanation:
In verse 19-20 Jesus says, “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.”
In this time, people were very concerned with eloquence; especially in the roman or greek courts. It was expected to hire an eloquent lawyer or speaker to plead your case for you. This was one of the many anxieties that plagued people when they would be brought to court. Whoever the best speaker was normally won the case.
But what Jesus encourages the Apostles with is that they should not fear or be anxious about what to say when they are tried, because the Holy Spirit would speak through them.
Argumentation:
What a promise! Do not be anxious, God will speak through you. Truly there is no need for anxiety in this state. Who can match God? And who cares about the outcome? God is speaking! If the disciples ever fully grasped this, it would have been an incredible comfort to them.
But this is also Jesus promising the Holy Spirit’s coming. He knows the Apostles will be filled with the Spirit. This promise is a mere foreshadowing of the incredible things to come.
But Jesus continues. He makes clear that the Apostles are to Endure.
c. The Apostles are to Endure.
c. The Apostles are to Endure.
Explanation:
Jesus, after telling the Apostles how that their own families will give them over, and how all will hate them for His sake says, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Endure, and you shall be saved. Keep on to the end and you will be in glory with Christ. This is not Christ adding a requirement to salvation, this is Him giving encouragement to those who are saved. Saving faith is the faith that endures. And He is encouraging the Apostles to keep their eyes on what is ahead. True salvation.
Argumentation:
What a promise of hope. In the darkest hour look to what lies beyond. “ 22. But he who endureth to the end shall be saved. This single promise ought sufficiently to support the minds of the godly, though the whole world should rise against them: for they are assured that the result will be prosperous and happy.” says Calvin. And this is true. The Apostles at this point were still looking for worldly benefits. They had no idea what lied ahead. Those who endured to the end would receive a happiness beyond understanding. The suffering and death they would face was merely the doorway into this glorious heaven that awaited them, and where they still are today.
Endure to the end.
Jesus continues His teaching and says that the Apostles are to flee persecution when they are able.
d. The Apostles are to Flee Persecution When they are able.
d. The Apostles are to Flee Persecution When they are able.
Explanation:
Here again we see the wisdom Christ is commanding these men to have. They are not to throw their lives away without wisdom. They are to flee to other towns when the persecution starts. There will come a time when they will be handed over and killed. This much has been made clear, but they are not to willfully throw their lives away.
Argumentation:
Jesus is not calling the Apostles to a suicidal life. They are not to throw away their lives, but they are to sacrifice them. We know that the Church did heed this command of Christ. They did flee from persecution. This fleeing was what God used to spread the Gospel. The Church would face persecution and flee to other towns, and then share the gospel there. They bravely sacrificed themselves for Christ, but they were not fools.
But through all of this and at the end of this section, Jesus is saying the Apostles are not to be surprised by the coming persecution.
e. The Apostles are not to be Surprised by the Coming Persecution.
e. The Apostles are not to be Surprised by the Coming Persecution.
Explanation:
Jesus points to his own treatment, and then says that because He is treated in this way, the Apostles should expect to be treated worse. Jesus tells them not to be surprised. “Look at how they treat me. They will treat you worse.”
Argumentation:
One must wonder if the Apostles and disciples remembered this at the crucifixion. Likely this was a reason that they all went and hid. Jesus’ statement of how they were to be treated would have hung over them like a death sentence.
And we know that Jesus spoke the truth. These men, aside from Judas, would face horrific death. We see the Fulfillment of Prophesy.
3. The Fulfillment of Prophesy.
3. The Fulfillment of Prophesy.
Explanation:
Christians have an amazing tradition of writing. Even though it is not scripture, the early church kept diligent records. They wrote many things down that have been preserved. One of the things kept has been the record of the death of the Apostles.
Jesus did not warn these men in vain. These men suffered horribly. They died horribly.
Peter was crucified upside down in Rome.
Andrew was crucified.
James the son of Zebedee was executed with a sword.
John was boiled in oil and then exiled to Patmos.
Philip was “Cruelly put to death.” possibly beheaded or crucified.
Bartholomew was either flayed with knives then beheaded, or crucified.
Thomas was run through with spears in Asia.
Matthew was stabbed to death.
James the son of Alpheus was stones and then beaten to death with clubs.
Thaddaeus was either crucified or killed with an axe.
Simon the Zealot was possibly sawn in half.
Though there may be differing acounts of how these men died, one thing is for sure: these men died horribly for the sake of Christ.
Argumentation:
But one must ask, why did they go through all of this? They did so because Jesus was their Lord. He was worth it to them. They gave all for Him. He was worth their death.
“You will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
Explanation:
Before we move on, I do want to address one thing. What did Jesus mean in verse 23 when He says “you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”?
In short, I have no idea. There are many different views on this verse.
Some say that it means Jesus was going to return before the Apostles left Israel to go to the Gentiles. This clearly cannot be what it means.
Some say it means simply that Jesus would catch up with the Apostles shortly after He sent them out on this particular trip. I personally don’t agree with this interpretation because Jesus is speaking prophetically about the Apostles future mission. However, He could have been switching back to talking about their current mission.
Some say Jesus’ use of the term “comes” could be referring to the destruction of the temple that Jesus foretells later on. I think this is reading something into the text that isn’t there.
It could be prophetic about His second coming and we just don’t get it because we are still on the waiting side of Jesus’ second coming. Maybe it will make perfect sense when He returns.
My loosely held belief is one of two options. It could be that Jesus is here referring to His resurrection and ascension. They will not leave Israel until He comes into power. But I do not know.
The other belief I tend to agree with is that Jesus is here referring to the gathering of all the elect. Christians are grafted into “Israel” as the fulfilment of God’s covenant with Abraham. So Jesus is saying when all the elect are gathered in, He will return. But I do not know.
Argumentation:
Even some of the wisest Bible scholars on earth look at this verse and say “I have no idea what Jesus is talking about here.” As I was reading and studying this week I took great comfort in the fact that wise men who have gone before do not understand this verse. I even remarked to several of my friends, “If John Calvin is confused by this passage, then I am fine being confused by it.”
My encouragement to you, beloved, is do not twist this verse to mean something you do not know it to mean. Many people have manipulated this verse to try to set dates and times for Christ’s return. We do not even know for sure if it talking about Jesus’ second coming. When you encounter a verse like this that is confusing and does not make sense, study it. Try to find the answers. But never ever read into it something that is not clear within it.
It is unfaithful to Scripture and God to try to manipulate His Word to say something we don’t know if it is saying.
But, as we move on, what do we do with Jesus teaching to the Apostles?
Application:
Application:
This passage was Jesus addressing the Apostles. He was prophesying what they specifically would go through. We do not read ourselves into the text, but we can draw clear applications from the text for us. We are declaring the same gospel message that the Apostles declared. Because of this we must see what we can learn about persecution.
1. What we Can Learn About Persecution.
1. What we Can Learn About Persecution.
We are the spiritual descendants of the Apostles. They shared the gospel and the ones who were saved shared the gospel and the ones who were saved shared the gospel and so on and so on until we get to you and I. Because of this, we can learn from discourses like this. It is likely that what happened to our Spiritual forefathers will happen to us. If we are serving the same Jesus and preaching the same gospel, we will face persecution.
a. We will face Persecution.
a. We will face Persecution.
Explanation:
Persecution has been a constant within the Church for all of church history. The times where there has been no persecution have been very rare and very detrimental to the Church.
We have had the unique privilege to live in a country where we have had religious freedom. We have not faced persecution for being a Christian here in America. Sure we may face some odd looks here and there for our Christian convictions, but we have not been jailed, or beaten, or killed for our faith. This is a strange blessing. It has blessed us but in ways it has also made the Church fat and lazy.
Argumentation:
We have not been challenged in our convictions. We have not had to sacrifice to gather together. Chances are, if you are here, you take being here for granted. You did not have to sneak into this building. You will face no consequences if it found out that you are here. We do not have to keep our voices low to avoid discovery. We hung banners out to let people know we are here worshipping God.
But because of this, we take this gathering for granted. It is no big deal if we cannot be here. We have lost our sense of value for the sacred things of church. “So what if we can’t gather together. It’s not that big of deal anyway. I worship better on my own.”
These are horrific thoughts but I fear they are too common amongst us. But let me ask you this: what will we do if we start facing persecution?
As I said, religious liberty is a unique blessing. It is not common in the life of the Church and it is not promised to us. What do we do if we go back to the normal life of the Church where we are actively hunted and persecuted for being the Church? We live in a fallen world that hates God. Our world is drifting farther and farther from God. It is not getting more holy. Our nation is on the path of secularization. This means that it drifting away from the Christian worldview it was founded on. It is heading down a path to a more and more worldly mindset. The one thing that does not mix with a secular worldview is Christianity. The two are completely incompatible.
I am not a conspiracy theorist. I do not see the world through the lens of “everyone is out to get us.” But I do recognize that for the vast majority of Church history, the Church has been greatly persecuted. I see religious liberty as a wonderful thing. But I recognize that it is not promised, nor is it likely to remain forever. Because of this, we must ask what we will do if we face exactly what the Church has faced it’s entire life.
So many people think that even though they have no commitment to the church now, “If persecution starts, then I’ll get serious about church.” Here me, if you don’t see the value in gathering together with the Church when people encourage and beg you to, you certainly won’t see the value in it when you are punished for doing so.
The fact of the matter is that we are virtually promised in scripture that we will face persecution for following Christ. So we must look to this passage and see what we should do during persecution.
2. What We Should do During Persecution.
2. What We Should do During Persecution.
Explanation:
We can draw hope from the promises in this passage. We are not left hopeless. We can draw true hope. We can learn from this what we should do during persecution.
First, we should pray for wisdom and a sound mind.
a. Pray for Wisdom and a Sound Mind.
a. Pray for Wisdom and a Sound Mind.
Explanation:
Jesus commands the Apostles to be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves. We can learn from this. We should ask God to give us wisdom. As life gets difficult and if persecution comes, we will need wisdom. So let’s ask God for wisdom.
Argumentation:
Prayer must be our first response. We must seek the Lord. Without prayer the Church flounders. We need to be a praying people. But as the world crowds around us to snuff out the flame of the gospel, we must pray to God for wisdom. We must know when is the right time to boldly go to the stake to be burned, and when is the time to flee to the neighboring towns.
We must know when to boldly declare the truth publicly, and when it is best to whisper the truth in our basements.
But this is not just true for times of persecution. This is something we need right now. We need to ask God to give us wisdom. We need wisdom to know how to share the gospel with the people in our lives. We need the wisdom to know wether someone needs a bold declaration of the truth or simply a shoulder to cry on.
The christian cannot go wrong in praying to God for wisdom. But it is not the only thing we should pray for. We should pray for gentle hearts.
b. Pray for Gentle Hearts.
b. Pray for Gentle Hearts.
Explanation:
We must pray for gentle hearts beloved. We cannot hope to be effective in times of peace or persecution without gentle hearts.
Argumentation:
When we are hated, reviled, arrested, beaten, or executed we must have gentle hearts. We are at war, but it is not a war of violence. We are gentle with those who are so rough with us.
If the day comes, beloved, when you are marched off to be punished or killed for your faith, do not be violent. Do no harm to your captors. Go where they lead, and be gentle with them. Do not curse them or utter any kind of vile words at them. Be as gentle as doves. Be firm. Do not deny anything you believe. But do so in a way that honors Christ.
As you go from here, in this time of freedom, be gentle with those in your life. Let your disposition be that of a dove. When you share the gospel, to not be mean to those you are witnessing to. Be loving and kind. When they malign the name of Jesus, do not spit venom back at them.
Be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. I have heard is said that a Christian is to be velvet covered steal. Soft, but immovable. Do not be evil in these evil times. Be gentle, but be firm. Do not bend one inch in your commitment to Christ, but be faithful in word and deed.
Finally beloved, endure to the end.
d. Endure to the End.
d. Endure to the End.
Explanation:
Never bend or give in. Endure to the end, for we know that Christ’s promise to the Apostles holds to us to! We know that heaven is our reward. Not pain or trial on this earth can ever dampen the glory we will experience there. Our reward is beyond any pain we can ever face. So endure to the end.
Argumentation:
Saving faith endures to the end. Paul says in Romans 8:18 “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Literally, Paul is saying that no matter what we suffer here, it is not even worth comparing to what we will have in heaven with Jesus. This is true hope.
If you are here and you are saved, then you have this eternal hope. Nothing that happens to you will ever even compare to the good that waits for us in heaven. To be with Jesus melts away all the pains of this life.
But if you are here and you do not have that hope in Jesus, then you have no hope. But perhaps you want to know how to have that hope? Scripture says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Confess. To confess means to verbally acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of saving and to confess that Jesus is your only hope and that He is Lord. Believe means that you put the weight of your eternity on what He has done for you. If you have never done that, then we beg you to do that today.
We are going to have a time when we pray and examine ourselves for communion. We will be praying and confessing our sins before God. If you are here and need to confess sins and pray with someone, or if you need to confess for the first time and to place your faith in Jesus, I would ask that you come. I would love to pray with you. If you do not wish to come to the front, you can raise your hand during this time and I will come to you and pray with you right where you are.
I cannot save you or forgive you, but I can pray with you and point you to the one who can save and forgive you.
Prayer before communion:
At this time I would ask everyone to bow their heads and pray. Ask God to reveal the sins in your heart and life. Ask Him to forgive you. If you need prayer, or need to surrender your life to Christ, Now it the time to come, or to raise your hands and I will come pray with you.
give time for prayer/response.
Communion:
We are now going to join together in partaking of the Lord’s Table. We do this because Jesus commanded us to do it. It is to be done is memory of Jesus’ death on the cross for us. This is powerful act that is reserved for Christians only. Followers of Jesus are to partake of this in remembrance of the cross until Jesus returns. So at this time, if you are a Christian, even if you just got saved today, I would ask that you come and receive the elements and then go sit back down.
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Singing of Hymn:
Closing Benediction:
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.