5/24/08
How to Avoid Persecution
Today we are looking at the
last of the beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:10-12. Please turn with me to this passage, and we
will begin our study with Jesus’ important words. We know that they are important, because they
are the final words of the most important section of the most important sermon
ever preached.
The first thing that I want
you to notice in this passage is something very obvious: IT’S NOT SIMPLY THOSE
ARE PERSECUTED WHO ARE BLESSED; IT’S THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE WHO ARE TRULY
BLESSED. This is an important
distinction.
There are all kinds of
suffering and trouble and persecution that we can experience. Sometimes bad things just happen to us. Jesus is not talking about this general kind of persecution or
suffering, in the beatitudes. He is
talking specifically about being
persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
He’s talking about suffering
due to right living, moral choices, godly behavior, and the like. Raise your hand if you have ever suffered
because you did something righteous.
It’s a specific kind of suffering that is tied directly to our obedience
to God, and love for God.
Now, right here at the
beginning of our study, I want you to remember a famous dyad in human
history. A pair of men. The first brothers, actually, Cain and Abel. Here is what the Word of God tells us about
these men:
“Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And
the LORD respected Abel and his
offering” Genesis 4:4
“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through
which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts;
and through it he being dead still speaks.”
Hebrews 11:4
“Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass,
when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”
Genesis 4:8
The reason why Cain (actually Satan
working through Cain) had a problem with Abel was because Abel acted righteously; he pleased God. Cain committed the first murder in human
history because his brother was a righteous man who listened to God.
Listen—the moment you decide to follow God
and put His principles into practice in your life, you can be sure that Satan
will be on the attack. We will come back
to this in just a moment.
“Blessed are those who
are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil
against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is
your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.”
Matthew 5:10-12
Notice that heaven is mentioned twice in
this passage. Jesus wanted to make sure
that we understood the connection between suffering for Him and a glorious
future. We can rejoice and be not just
glad but exceedingly glad, even in
the midst of suffering, because we have a heavenly reward awaiting us. That is wonderful.
Notice also that FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE =
FOR MY SAKE (JESUS). The two expressions
are interchangeable, because the Son of God is the very essence of
righteousness. When we suffer
persecution for right living and right choices, we are suffering for Jesus
Himself. He takes it very
personally. He wants us to understand
this morning how much He appreciates our sacrifice in suffering for His sake. He gives us a forever home with Him in
heaven.
When we give in to a weakness that is
sinful or unhealthful, we are not merely violating propriety or principles of
temperance. We are hurting Jesus. And when we do that which is right, pure, or
godly, we are not just showing ourselves to be commandment-keepers; we are
loving Jesus and honoring Him through our actions. Every choice, every decision we make is personal for Jesus.
And lastly, notice that we have the
prophets—holy men and women of old—who have gone before us. They have given us a legacy of holiness and
obedience, so that we may follow their example in serving the Lord. If we live as they did, no doubt persecution
will come to us as well, in some form.
“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke
in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count
them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the
end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and
merciful.” James 5:10-11
James reminds us that the prophets, who
spoke in the name of the Lord, are an example to us of godly suffering and
patience. Not only does God consider
those blessed who suffer for His sake, people do as well. We are amazed, strengthened, and we stand in awe
of people who endure hardship, suffering, persecution of all sorts.
I think it’s interesting that Job is
mentioned here. Why was Job
persecuted—tell me. The devil saw that
he was righteous—that his actions were holy—that he pleased God, right? So the devil went on the attack. He had to get God’s permission first, but he
didn’t waste any time socking it to poor Job.
This is a perfect example of the nature of
the spiritual battle that is going on in each of our lives. When we start doing things God’s way, the
devil starts pouring on the inconvenience, the trial, the embarrassment, the
personal suffering. He doesn’t want us
to do what’s right.
LISTEN—IF THE DEVIL IS MESSING WITH YOU,
IT’S BECAUSE OF ONE OF TWO THINGS: YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT, OR YOU’RE
ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING RIGHT, OR YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.
OR
YOU ARE CONTINUING TO SIN AGAINST GOD, AND
HE CANNOT PROTECT YOU FROM SATAN’S
ATTACKS. YOU ARE VULNERABLE, DUE TO YOUR
REPEATED DISOBEDIENCE.
Take it from someone who has been on the
receiving end of Satan’s attacks for BOTH of these reasons at different times,
I can tell you that IT IS MUCH BETTER TO BE ATTACKED FOR DOING WHAT’S RIGHT.
Jesus said that it would get bad—real
bad—the closer we got to the Second Coming.
He forewarned us that if we decide to obey Him and to live for Him, we
would be put in some tough situations and face tough circumstances:
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the
midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But
beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in
their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake,
as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do
not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in
that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of
your Father who speaks in you.”
“Now brother will deliver up brother to
death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents
and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s
sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Who knows what is coming
around the bend for you and me. Will you
be able to stand up for Jesus in a court room?
Before the
Jesus tells us that He will
show us what to speak at that time. It
is quite possible that you and I will be HATED BY ALL, simply
because we serve God and do
what He says. It’s not fun to be
hated. We tend to avoid being hated as
much as we can. But Jesus says that if
just keep enduring, keep the faith, obey His Word, come what may, no matter
what, TO THE END, WE WILL BE SAVED!
During
The power of godly example .
. .
Please turn with me to 2
Timothy chapter 3 verse 1. Timothy is in
between Thessalonians and Hebrews in your Bible. Here we will read something that is very true
and very precise.
“But know this,
that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without
self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers
of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying
its power. And from such people turn away!”
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Paul says that in
the last days—our days—perilous times will come upon the earth, because people
will be LOVERS OF THEMSELVES and LOVERS OF PLEASURE MORE THAN LOVERS OF
GOD. Isn’t that a great summary of life
as we know it, here in the 21st century? It’s all about pleasure and personal comfort
and personal gain.
Paul says it’s
even worse than that. He says the in the
last days, people will be going through the motions of spirituality and
religion, but they won’t have any real
connection with God, and therefore no actual power to do anything. Pretty much walking corpses, in the last
days.
A school teacher lost her
life savings in a business scheme that had been elaborately explained by a
swindler. When her investment disappeared and her dream was shattered, she went
to the Better Business Bureau. "Why on earth didn't you come to us
first?" the official asked. "Didn't you know about the Better
Business Bureau?" "Oh, yes," said the lady sadly. "I've
always known about you. But I didn't come because I was afraid you'd tell me
not to do it." The folly of human nature is that even though we know where
the answers lie--God's Word--we don't turn there for fear of what it will
say. As human beings who desperately desire our lives to be consistent and
untroubled, we'll go to great lengths to reject a message that implies we're
wrong.
Paul continues in
2 Timothy 3:10-17, and he talks about his own personal life of faith and
obedience, and the resulting persecution that followed:
“But you have
carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering,
love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at
Three cities are mentioned:
We are told how incredibly
useful the Word of God is to us, in our spiritual development and
survival. Paul is drawing a contrast
between “evil men and impostors” and “you” (Timothy, and all believers). The “evil men and impostors will grow worse
and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
This is really the case, when you follow a path of sin. You adopt a lifestyle of deception and stretching
the truth. This routine of
self-deception and deceiving of others is a revolving door, Paul says, because
you are continually re-deceiving yourself and being deceived by the devil, when
you are in a state of rebellion and sin.
Gary Richmond, a former zoo
keeper, had this to say: Raccoons go through a glandular change at about 24
months. After that they often attack their owners. Since a 30-pound raccoon can
be equal to a 100-pound dog in a scrap, I felt compelled to mention the change
coming to a pet raccoon owned by a young friend of mine, Julie. She listened
politely as I explained the coming danger. I'll never forget her answer.
"It will be different for me. . ." And she smiled as she added,
"Bandit wouldn't hurt me. He just wouldn't." Three months later Julie
underwent plastic surgery for facial lacerations sustained when her adult
raccoon attacked her for no apparent reason. Bandit was released into the wild.
Sin, too, often comes dressed in an adorable guise, and as we play with it, how
easy it is to say, "It will be different for me." The results are
predictable.
It’s a vicious cycle of
deceit, when you live to please your sinful nature. But the apostle Paul says that we who trust
in Jesus Christ must CONTINUE in the things that we have learned. We must continue in the Word of God—the Holy
Scriptures—because they are ABLE TO MAKE US WISE FOR SALVATION.
What a contrast Paul is
painting here! When your heart is set on
evil and love of pleasure, you get WORSE AND WORSE, as times goes on. BUT THOSE WHO TRUST IN JESUS CHRIST AND LIVE
FOR HIM WILL GET STRONGER AND STRONGER AS TIMES GOES ON!! THIS IS BECAUSE WE ALLOW THE WORD OF GOD TO
TEACH US AND CORRECT US ON A DAILY BASIS.
NOTICE THAT THE END RESULT OF THIS HOLY SCRIPTURE TEACHING PROCESS IS
THAT THE PERSON OF GOD BECOMES “COMPLETE, THOROUGHLY
EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK.”
Completeness, and
thorough preparation for the GOOD PLANS that God has for us in these last
days. That is what the Holy Scriptures
can do for us. And what a big, big difference
between this outcome and the outcome associated with neglecting God and
choosing our own way.
Notice that right in the
middle of the passage in 2 Timothy, we are told emphatically:
“All who desire to live
godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
2 Timothy 3:12
What brings persecution is
godly living.
What brings persecution is
righteous, holy behavior.
Throughout human history,
whenever there has been godly living, persecution has followed.
So, if there is no persecution happening . . . what is
not occurring?
Godly living.
What does that say about our times?
What does that say about the church in the 21st
century?
Think about it. Paul wasn’t always a disciple of Jesus. But the Lord sure got his attention! And when Paul realizes that he has been
working against the
before God. Now, look what happens when a person decides
to obey God—here is what Jesus said to Ananias, concerning Paul:
“Go, for he is a
chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children
of
Persecution is a
natural result of living for Jesus; godly living.
Paul describes our
relationship to Christ as one of joint-heirship. Because we are a part of Jesus Christ, we are
heirs to the throne, as it were. We will
inherit a royal kingdom of heaven!
“The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if
children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we
suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:16-17
We are to be so closely
united with Christ that we act like Him, talk like Him, make decisions like
Him, love like Him. If we become like
Christ, through our daily relationship with Him, this will result in suffering along with Him. The same kinds of attacks that came to Him
will come to us. We will walk in His
footsteps. The same kind of suffering
will occur. And we will one day SHARE IN
THE HIS GLORY!
The suffering comes before
the glory.
Paul developed his theology
of suffering with Christ, in 2 Corintians 4:8-11:
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not
crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck
Intimacy. Paul is discussing intimacy with Jesus. Being so connected with Him and loving Him so
much that we look forward to opportunities to be embarrassed for Him, laughed
at because of Him, suffering because of Him.
What a high privilege it is to suffer in any way for the Lord Jesus, who
suffered indescribable pain for us.
Paul knew what it meant to
suffer for Christ. He had a hard
life. He also knew firsthand that Jesus
gave him all the strength he needed, all the wisdom he needed, and all the hope
he needed, so that he could endure the suffering. The life of Jesus manifested in mortal
flesh. We die to self, and live for
Jesus. Nothing compares.
The early Christians
considered it a privilege to suffer for Christ.
Here is just one freeze-frame of one episode for the believers:
“And they agreed
with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them,
they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were
counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in
every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the
Christ.” Acts 5:40-42
They had the
right attitude! Boy, if Jesus showed
them anything in their lives that needed that they needed to surrender to Him,
they would do it in a flash! Anything
for Jesus!
Peter had the
same attitude as Paul. In 2 Peter 2, he
talks about the right kind of
suffering:
“For this is
commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering
wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your
faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it
patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called,
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should
follow His steps:
“ Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
“who, when He was reviled, did
not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself
to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the
tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose
stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now
returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
2
Peter 2:19-25
Praise the Lord! He has brought us back to the safety of the
flock! He has purchased our salvation
with His own blood! He died on a cross—a
tree—for our sins! And now, says Peter,
the only appropriate response is dying to our sins, and living for
righteousness! The only appropriate
response for the forgiven disciple is following in Jesus’ footsteps, and obeying
Him.
Obey God, and let the chips fall where they may!
When we live like that, we will
suffer for doing good. That’s the right
kind of suffering.
In 1 Peter 5:6-10, Peter
addresses the purpose of suffering
for godly living:
“Therefore humble yourselves under
the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your
care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings
are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace,
who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a
while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” 1
Peter 5:6-10
We
face a desperate enemy, who wants to devour us and destroy us! Instead of being slaves to him, we are to
RESIST him! That means resisting
temptation! And notice that the purpose
of suffering for the Christian is so that GOD CAN PERFECT US, ESTABLISH US,
STRENGTHEN US, AND SETTLE US. What do
you think of that?
If we
live for God; if we live to please Him and to obey Him, we will face
persecution and suffering. The enemy of
our souls will consider us a threat to his kingdom of darkness. BUT EVERYTHING—EVERY BIT OF SUFFERING WE
ENDURE ON BEHALF OF CHRIST WILL ONLY SERVE TO ESTABLISH US AND PERFECT US AS
CHILDREN OF GOD! Isn’t that fantastic?
Now,
this brings me to the point of this message.
The title of this message this morning is “How to Avoid
Persecution.” Based on what we have
looked at this morning, how would you answer that?
The
We
have become comfortable in our careers, in our families, in our memberships, in
our education, in our desire to fit in with the world around us. We compromise sometimes because we are
insecure. We want to be accepted and
liked. We don’t want to be thought of as
weird. We don’t dare cause a scene, take
a stand, or upset the applecart of mediocrity.
And
time goes by……..and we think that since there is no persecution and life
is relatively peaceful and it isn’t hard to be a Christian, THAT GOD MUST BE IN
APPROVAL OF OUR LIVES.
But
nothing could be further from the truth.
The very fact that there is no persecution or suffering for Jesus should
tell us that SOMETHING IS VERY, VERY WRONG!
What
brings about persecution, according to the Bible?
Godly
living.
If
there is no persecution, then what is lacking in God’s people?
If you
want to avoid persecution and suffering—the kind that Paul and Peter talk
about—just keep going in the same direction.
Don’t shake anything up. Don’t
you dare surrender to Jesus Christ, and let Him have full control of your
life! Just keep seeking the path of
least resistance. Live for yourself,
live for pleasure, live for the moment.
When you see that God says something in His Word that convicts you of sin,
just turn the page and say, “It’s all right.
I’m saved by grace, and my salvation is not based on obedience.”
And
you will never, never, suffer persecution for the sake of Jesus.
That’s
how you avoid persecution. That’s how
you avoid life. That’s how you avoid eternity.
But my
prayer for you and me, is that we would love Jesus SO MUCH that we LOOK for
ways to get closer to Him. We LOOK for
ways to please Him. We LOOK for new ways
to put His Word into practice.
My
prayer is that we will be the kind of people who, in the midst of compromise
and increasing evil, SHINE LIKE LANTERNS IN A MINE SHAFT! Pointing people to the One who can save
them. Being so fed up with SELF and SIN
that we are VESSELS FOR THE LORD TO SHINE THROUGH!
The
world around us needs to see Jesus lifted up!
We lift Him up in our lives. We
lift Him up through our conversion to His truth. We lift up Jesus through obeying Him and
following His lead. When we neglect His
truth or disobey Jesus, we hide Him in our lives. He can’t be seen unless we are transparent
before Him, and allow His life-changing power to flow through us; allow His
love to flow out of us to others.
May our anthem be,
“Not I, but Christ”. That we might agree
with Paul, who said, “that I may know Him
and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from
the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11