Introduction:
We can take courage in the fact that one day, all those who ridicule and persecute us for our faith, if they do not repent, will have to face God. We need to be telling others about Him so they can avoid this encounter.
Pressure
o Some can take more than others
o We all respond differently.
o Some blow up right away
o Some get frustrated
o Still others are calm and cool and can take
whatever life throws at them
What about the pressure of your life as a Christian?
How do you deal with people who give you a hard time for your faith?
When was the last time someone ridiculed you for your belief in Christ and His Word?
How does it make you feel?
Persecution is a must for the believer
We live with the idea that we can exist in our Christian faith without being noticed
The truth is that we have not truly lived our faith until the fire and pressure of scorn and persecution have been applied to us. It proves what we are really made of and how deep we are. Here is the test. Do we fold under the pressure or withstand the onslaught.
David here is feeling the pressure
When we obey God and live Christ openly, we will experience persecution and the glorious promise of rescue and comfort.
Here are five notable facts about living our faith that we should take to heart.
1. We ought to be persecuted
A. Matthew 5:11-12 – 11“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
B. John 15:18-20a - 18“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; . . .
C. Persecution should be a part of our lives just as much as life itself.
D. People aren’t persecuted for doing wrong but for doing right.
E. Albert Barnes, a minister of the early 19th century said this, “It has become a settled principle that nothing which is good and true can be destroyed by persecution, but that the effect ultimately is to establish more firmly, and to spread more widely, that which it was designed to overthrow. It has long since passed into a proverb that ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church,’”
F. If we are not being persecuted in some way we are not a good representative of the kingdom.
G. Persecution comes in many forms:
i. Verbal abuse
ii. Physical abuse
iii. Character assassination
iv. Being ostracized
H. Luke 12:51-53 - 51“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
2. We will be wearied by persecution – 7:1-2
A. This is why God is our salvation
B. This is why God is our refuge
C. The illustration of a lion
i. Hunger and instinct drive him to kill
ii. No remorse and no regret
iii. This is the nature of the beast
D. We will become weary
E. Don’t try to be some supernatural superhero, you can’t do
F. In Christ alone you have strength
G. Isaiah 40:29-31 - 29He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. 30Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, 31Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.
H. The promise that only God can sustain and give strength to cope
I. Matthew 11:28 - Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
3. We better be persecuted for the right reason – 7:3-5
A. Fear of being unjust
B. Betraying friendships
C. Creating enemies for selfish reasons (plundered him who without cause was my enemy – v.4)
D. All these things can create a false basis for feelings of persecution
E. All of these create reactions in others that turn them against us
F. Martyr complex
G. Justice
i. Psalm 89:14 - Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You. (another Psalmist)
ii. Proverbs 21:3 - To do righteousness and justice is desired by the LORD more than sacrifice.
H. Friendship
i. Proverbs 17:17 - A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
I. Enemies
i. Luke 6:27-31 - 27“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30“Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
4. One day, our persecution will be validated – 7:6-11
A. God has appointed a time of judgment for the ungodly
i. Romans 12:18-19 - 18If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.
B. There will be a time when unsaved, unrepentant man will receive justice from God.
i. READ Revelation 20:11-15
C. But it says (verses 10-12) God is:
i. Shield – protector
ii. Salvation
iii. Righteous
iv. He continually hate sin and injustice – has indignation every day
D. We will experience rest, rescue and comfort one day
i. READ Luke 16:19-25
ii. 2nd Thessalonians 1:3-10 - 3We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; 4therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. 5This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. 6For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.
5. God’s judgment drives us to tell others about Calvary – 7:12-17
A. If man does not repent, look what happens – 12-13
i. He (God) will sharpen His sword – judgment
ii. The bow and weapons are ready – prepared to do battle
B. When he pastored the Methodist church in Scarborough, William Sangster had an eccentric member who tried to be a zealous Christian. Unfortunately, the man was mentally deficient and usually did the wrong thing.
While working as a barber the man lathered up a customer for a shave, came at him with the poised razor, and asked, “Are you prepared to meet your God?” The frightened man fled with the lather on his face!
Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 215
C. The state of man – 14-16
i. Bound in wickedness – Hebrew word means to wind tightly as a rope
ii. Conceives mischief
iii. A liar
iv. Self deceived (caught by his own trickery) – the view of the pit
v. He who lives by the sword dies by the sword (Matthew 26:52)
D. Not a wise way to live
E. Seeing this should drive us to tell others about Christ
F. We need to help them see the water of life
G. The young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he lamented, "I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink." The manager replied, "Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty." So it is with evangelism. Our lives should be so filled with Christ that they create a thirst for the Gospel.
SOURCE: Preaching, November-December 1985.
H. John 7:37 – if he is thirsty, let him come to me
I. We should never take pleasure in seeing the righteous suffer, no matter what their blind view of us is.
J. Romans 9:1-3 - 1I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,
K. God’s desire ought to be ours
L. 2nd Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Application Principle:
1. Embrace persecution for your faith
2. What you are living for is worth dying for
3. Your destiny will be so much better than those
who persecute you
4. God is your comfort
Remember: When we obey God and live Christ openly, we will experience persecution and the glorious promise of rescue and comfort.
