Matthew 10:16-33

I want to speak from Matthew chapter 10, verses 16 to 33, we're going through Matthew's gospel.

Matthew 10:16–33

! And if you remember last week, you'll remember that Jesus was speaking to his ambassadors,

! He was speaking to those who were going to carry his mission to the world.

And we saw, didn't we, that those words were given to the apostles, they were not given directly

to us, but they are given for us. And they were to go to the Jews and speak of the Jews

in Matthew 10. And we learn lots about God's plan and the progress of God, about his priorities

for mission, how God provides for us. And all those things are directed by the gospel.

But verse 16 shows us that Jesus is now looking further ahead. Look at verse 16. He's looking

beyond the immediate concerns of the 12 disciples. And he's looking to that time beyond Pentecost,

when the gospel would kind of go out to all peoples. When they would bring the gospel to

the world, verse 18. It speaks of mission to the Gentiles, whereas verse 6 speaks about

mission to the Jews. And if you look at verses 21 and 22, he's still speaking there, isn't

about the church's mission, about us and our mission to the world. It stretches to today.

This turmoil of parents against children. Of this hatred. And what Jesus is doing this

morning is he is shocking us. He is saying that in the mission of Jesus, which we carry

out, we must expect persecution. And in the light of that, we must be ready to persevere

to the end. So look at verse 16. It's an abiding principle. He says, doesn't he?

Behold, I'm sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and

innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over the courts and flog you in their

synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness

before them and the Gentiles. It's really smart, isn't it? He's saying, to be saved, you've

got to endure to the end. You've got to keep going. It means enduring to the end of the

persecutions. Enduring to the end of our lives as good soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Christian life is about keeping going. You fight the fight. You run the race so that

you will receive the crown. And it really is an obvious passage about persecution and perseverance

and endurance. And there will be much hardship in the Christian life and Christian witness.

What he's saying to you is, to live as a Christian, there will be danger and heartbreak. There will

be disappointment and there will be struggle. And that is Christian discipleship. That is what

it is like to be a Christian. And that is such a contrast, isn't it, to what we're often told

by the church today. You know the words like celebration. Words like experience, like worship.

You don't find, do you, on any website that I've gone on this week about churches, on the front

page, persecution, suffering, hatred. But there's no triumphalism with Jesus. There's no naivety

either. He says, beware of people. They are like, verse 16, they are like wolves. That's

pretty blunt. And he says you must therefore have wisdom and realism. You must be wise as

servants, gentler stuff. And it's clear, isn't it, that Jesus is not naive of a

Christian life. It's going to be tough right to the very end. And he says you must be surprised

by that. You must be shocked by that. But why is it going to be so tough? Well the answer

is very clear. And that is that the gospel of Jesus Christ always, always divides. So

do you remember in chapter 9, verse 33, we saw it in the summer, don't we? That after

all these miracles, the crowds, they marvel. We've never seen anything like it, they say.

We rejoice in the faith. But look at the very next verse. Look at verse 34. It's very clear,

isn't it? But the Pharisee said, he casts out demons by the prince of demons. Do you notice

how Matthew does that? He puts, doesn't he, faith and unbelief side by side. The gospel

of Jesus always divides. And the messages of Jesus always divide. So verse 34 is very clear,

isn't it? There is a division. Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I've not come to bring peace, but sort of division. Can we reach up a sun? There are, there's stark

words, aren't there? There are two ways, two ways to live. Two gates. Two roads. There's a road

of life and the road of death. And the gospel is always a double-edged sword. It divides men

and women and boys and girls. And that is why it's hard to be a Christian. And the mark of

a false gospel, the mark of a false gospel preacher is that there's no division. The whole church

claims, isn't this wonderful? Isn't this terrific? This is the ministry that we want. And when the

ministry is uniformly popular, that means it's not likely to be the biblical gospel. If the

reaction to the gospel ministry is not the same reaction as what Jesus received, it's not

his message. Some are, on the one hand, will be hungry, they'll desire more, they'll want

more. But others, well there will be those whose hearts are closed. Or closing. And hardening.

And we have to come to terms with that in the Christian life. And it's not easy. From the

perspective of the preacher, it's not easy. It's hard to know if you're being faithful to

the message of Jesus. It's hard to know that if you are, you will always see division.

There will always be a mixed reaction. No matter how good your sermon is, no matter how good

your church is, how faithful it is, Jesus says there will always be a division. But Jesus

tells it as it is. He's not a spin doctor. And he says we must expect hardship and persecution

and struggle, and we must prepare for it, so that we're able to persevere to the end. And

he says we go out as sheep. Sheep in the world's eyes are powerless. We are foolish. We are

weak. Who is here of sending out sheep to convert wolves? It's madness. It's ridiculous in the

world's eyes, but we are not valueless, Jesus is saying. You go out as sacrificial lambs

for my sake. For my sake. That is why you're hated. And you have heavenly power and heavenly

resources the world doesn't see. Just look at verse 19 of chapter 10. When they deliver

over you, 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. For it is not you who speak, but the spirit of

your father speaking through you. I am with you. And because I will never abandon you,

well you must know that as well. So in this first paragraph, there are three areas where

persecution comes from. Three areas where you and I must expect persecution. The first

area is from the religious establishment. Look at verse 17. The danger is when we read the

gospels, we think of it like westerns. Do you remember westerns where you can always tell

the goodies and the baddies really easily? The baddies had stubble and beards. The goodies

were clean shaven when they, but it's not like that. It's not like that in life in general.

And it's not like that when you come to the gospels. We mustn't think of the Pharisees and

the synagogue leaders as these kind of very obvious bad and evil people. You see they were

the church of the New Testament age. Synagogues and rulers, they are closing their eyes and

hardening their eyes. The church, when Jesus came to it, persecuted him because they were

so adrift from the reality of the grace of God, they couldn't stand it. And so they flogged

the ministers of Jesus Christ and nothing has changed in 2,000 years. And so around the

world, so much of the persecution of true believers in Jesus Christ comes from institutional

churches. Just ask Christians in some of the former Iron Curtain countries where the Orthodox

church in Russia and in Greece persecutes relentlessly the evangelical people. It's the same in our

country. Religion despises evangelical gospel faith. It despises the words of Jesus and the

apostles' words being taken seriously. So save us from these fundamentalists. Let the church

be broad. Let it be very broad as long as it's narrow enough to keep us out. Because that's

the reality. Religion always hates real faith. And it always has done. It always will do.

Because real faith, real faith in Jesus Christ liberates people. That's why, where religion

it always seeks to control and enslave people. And religious leaders always want to make you

dependent upon them. They love to make you enslaved of them. They love to make the institution

the one that is in control. So there will always be persecution from the institutional church.

Secondly, there will be persecution in verse 18 from the state. From governors. From society

at large. That's true, isn't it? Throughout history. The history of the Christian faith. It's

something that is real and alive and has always been a terrible threat to society. Gospel believers.

A society that is militantly anti-Christ. That is why Nero burned those Christians in the first

century. Blamed the burning of Rome on them. Butchered them. That is why the Nazis and the

Soviets rounded Christians up and sent them to gulags and concentration camps. In our Western

secular democracy, it's no different. There's not the same physical violence, is there? But

there is the same vehemence. Just think of the media. How sneering and how scornful they are

of the biblical faith. They laugh Bible-believing Christians. They scorn, don't they? The disdain

of someone like John Humphreys. Or even Ricky Gervais. They love the liberal churchmen who

will tell them everything they want to hear. But when somebody is actually really clear on

stating the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching of the apostles, there will be

nothing but scorn. The third area is, it will be from within the family, verse 21. And maybe

that is most painful of all, isn't it? Think of the hurt and the hostility. The bitterness,

the pain that is in people's families. When a child is converted and they turn to Christ.

And the parent cannot stand the loss. Maybe the loss to their career or to their future.

When a child goes against the pattern of their parents by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ,

what a heartbreak and what a pain that is. Or a husband against a wife.

But Jesus is saying, isn't it? This is genuine Christian discipleship. And this is what will

happen. And when that does happen, when your family turns on you being a Christian, that

is not an evidence of failure. That is the reality of following Jesus. So to sum up, verse

22, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. And sometimes that experience is very

real, and we know that. I think as some of you hear it, it is very lonely, isn't it, for

you to bear the name of the Lord Jesus today. Sometimes it seems almost too much to bear.

And Jesus is warning you and I, and encouraging you and I, and saying, do not be deceived. It

is not a sign of failure when that happens. My mission is not out of control when these things

happen. Rather, it's the only way it can be in a world that disdains our Saviour. And

he says, rejoice in it for my sake. It can't be any other way. Do you remember the Beatitudes?

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and slander you on my account. Rejoice.

Why? Well, they persecuted the prophets that went before you. In other words, what does

it show you? It shows you that you are the genuine article of faith when people hate you.

And great is your reward in heaven. In other words, you're not forgotten when these things

happen to you. And God is saying, I've not abandoned you. And he's preparing a reward and he sees it

all. And you've got to realise that is how mission works. Look at verse 80. He says,

and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness to them and

the Gentiles. The word there, bear witness, it's the word we get martyr from. That's how

the church grows. Tertullian, in the second century, he was right when he said that the

blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. And Jesus, you see, is teaching his followers

all of this. That they will be prepared for lives of witness and discipleship and so they'll

be able to endure to the end. It's so much the opposite of what we hear today, isn't

it? So people say to me, do not speak about the negatives of the gospel up front. It'll

put people off. And don't talk about sin and suffering and the demands of Christ, particularly

in the area of sexuality. Don't speak about that on Sundays. Because on Sundays we are visitors.

This is great to have so many visitors here today. And those who are new to the Christian

faith. And we don't want those who come to be put off by the rough stuff. But if you don't

preach it on Sundays, when do you preach it? It's actually deceitful and dishonest, isn't

it, to hide this. And actually, a bigger problem is it's the antithesis of what Jesus does in

this chapter. Because Jesus is brutally and absolutely up front and clear. And you see,

Jesus knows your heart and mind. And he knows, doesn't he, Jesus knows that there are great

weapons in the hand of our enemy. And the great enemy of all Christians in particular. And fear,

fear is a great enemy, isn't it? Fear is a great enemy of Christian mission. Fear can neutralise

mission in our churches and in our lives and in our families even. And wherever fear is

so often the great enemy within, it is something that must be confronted and overcome. And how

Jesus helps you and I to do that is he forces us to face up to the causes of fear, which are

real and they're understandable. But Jesus wants to show you this morning that you should not

allow your thinking to be directed by fear, but by the true gospel. So that we need not

fear and we can endure. And so the second paragraph of verses 24 to 33, Jesus puts his finger on three

specific dangers that our great enemy, fear uses to cripple us. Three times Jesus tells you this

morning, do not be afraid. And each time he gives you the remedy. So the first fear that comes to us

is he brings before us the fear of the terrible sting of slander. The terrible sting of slander.

Slander. And slander, when people speak evil against you, leads to a silencing of the witness of the gospel.

Look at verse 25 and just see how horrible that sting can be.

Here is the religious establishment.

And here is the church of the day.

And they brand Jesus, the Son of God,

the Messiah.

They brand him Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons.

The devil himself.

Here is the clever and the powerful

religious experts of the day.

The theologians. The ones that come on the TV

and are asked to speak on documentaries.

And they sneer at gullible

simpletons who take the Bible seriously.

Who believe things like heaven or hell.

Or two ways.

Or a final judgment.

Or an exclusive way to God through Jesus Christ alone.

They say things,

Well I used to be like that.

But I've grown out of it.

I used to be a word man.

But then I discovered the Spirit.

Don't get me wrong,

I'm very glad of my evangelical roots.

But you have to move on.

It's far more complex.

It's too simplistic to take the Bible seriously.

In fact, people who do that

are quite a danger.

They are fanatically.

So how do you feel

when that kind of slander

is directed at you

and what you believe

and what you cherish most deeply

in your heart?

What you want to do

at that point

is shrivel up, don't you?

And hide.

And to get away from the

horrible, stinging sarcasm.

And it's very easy

for the sting of slander

to silence us.

To silence the gospel.

To silence the truth.

So we basically live

our privatized religion.

And the assault comes on us

from those three directions

that Jesus has already spoken about.

From the religious establishment.

From those who call themselves Christians.

And that particularly stinks, doesn't it?

That particularly stinks

when we feel

that we need to be accepted.

It's particularly hard

for Christian leaders.

I hope you pray for your elders.

We're not immune

from this.

And you must pray for those

who are in far harder places

than we are.

But it is often

a very, very lovely furrow.

When you're looked at

as a kind of narrow,

bigoted, fundamentalist.

They're coming

to family circles,

can't they?

That young teenager

who is converted

and starts to take God seriously

and the family

are desperately worried

about their fanaticism.

That's taken over them.

Parents worried sick

and the real temptation

is there

is you keep quiet.

We know, don't we,

it can happen in society.

In our workplace

or in our school,

in our colleges.

You get the sneers

behind your back

when you won't join

in the humour

of the office

or the classroom.

When you won't

take part

in the going on

and on

and on

about sex

or whatever it is.

I heard this week

about a young teenager

who was at work

and he had his mobile phone

stolen by his colleagues.

And they managed

to get the courage

to get into it.

One message

they found in it

was sent

from a Christian friend.

It was the words

of a psalm

to encourage him.

And they taunted

this teenager

relentlessly

and remorselessly.

What do you think

that does

in a hostile

work environment?

Well I'll tell you

what it does.

You know what it does.

It makes you want

to be silenced

doesn't it

about your faith.

It makes you

want to be quiet

completely

and to make

that horrible

stinging slander

to go away.

And that pressure

is isn't it

very very

very strong

today.

But Jesus

says in verse 26

just look at it

with me

he says

have no

fear of them.

And he gives us

a reason

he says

nothing that is

covered

will not be

revealed.

Nothing is

that is hidden

will not be

made known.

In other words

Hebrews 4.13

says nothing

in all of creation

is hidden

from God's sight.

Everything is

uncovered

but everything

is laid bare

before the eyes

of him

whom we must

give an account

to.

God is true

and in time

the truth

will out.

That is what

Jesus is saying.

There is

a coming

judgment

when everything

will be laid

bare

exactly as it

is

and he will

vindicate his

people

and we can be

sure of that.

And so verse 27

the answer to

slander is not

silence

but what

proclamation.

It is to

proclaim the

truth of God

from the

house troughs

to be

unashamed

to speak.

Don't be

silenced

because God

is true.

Never forget

that.

Proclaim his

truth.

You see the

gospel proclaims

the hidden

things.

Things which

are invisible

to the eyes

of the world

but the day

will come

one day

when these

things will

be declared

openly

and all

the world

will see

it.

And Jesus

says to his

battle

disciples

and believers

he says

live in the

light of

that day.

Keep that

day and all

will be laid

bare on that

day.

Keep that

day at the

most in

your minds

and proclaim

the truth

of God.

Don't be

afraid.

Secondly

our enemy

fear beats

us with the

dread of

violence and

persecution

doesn't

it?

Verse 28

It beats

us with the

dread of

violence and

persecution.

And those

things that

fear and

that dread

can so

easily lead

to paralysis

and compromise.

Verse 28

speaks of

the reality

and the

violence of

martyrdom.

We're not

experiencing that

in this country

at the moment

but we must

never think

that that

has gone

away.

It's affected

every century

of the church.

There were

more martyrs

in the 21st

century than

all the other

centuries put

together.

It's very

likely this

century will

have even

more.

The most

conservative

average says

that there

will be

probably 20

martyrs for

the Christian

faith today.

People are

being relentlessly

persecuted for

the sake of

Jesus Christ.

And who's it

coming from?

It comes from

the establishment

the religious

establishment

and it comes

from families

in many places.

There are

Muslim converts

in this country

who've literally

disappeared.

some have

been physically

beaten and

some have

disappeared.

Some have

been assumed

dead by their

families when

they followed

Christ.

It comes too

doesn't it

from secular

governments in

many parts of

the world.

You look at

Burma.

The systematic

persecution of

the Kaurin

people.

Largely

Christian people

and many

many more.

But in our

western secular

democracy the

hostile is just

as great.

that's what I

want you to

see.

There is no

violence at

the moment

because it's

against the

law.

But if we

teach the

uniqueness of

Christ and

the falsity of

all other ways

to God, if we

teach the truth

of God's moral

law about

sexuality and

other things,

these things will

be turned

against us.

And Jesus

says, expect

it and be

ready for it.

And worse,

verse 28,

he says,

don't be afraid

even if those

have the power

to kill the

body.

Rather fear

God.

Because he's

not only true,

he's great.

And he is the

one who has

power of life

and death.

And that

power is for

eternity.

That fear,

Proverbs 9,

Proverbs 9:10

verse 10,

says, that

fear of God

is the

beginning of

wisdom.

And Psalm

34, which

we'll sing

right at the

end of our

service, teaches

us to fear

the Lord,

you his

saints.

For all

those who

fear him

have no

lack.

Fear him,

you saints,

and you will

then have

nothing else

to fear.

And that

God has

you in

his hands

now.

But more

importantly,

more importantly

than that,

verse 3,

33 makes

absolutely

plain,

doesn't it?

That we

will all be

in his

hands,

all of us,

every single

one of us,

ultimately,

on that

day.

That God

is the

one who

is to be

feared,

not the

one who

can beat

and hurt

our bodies.

So live

in the

light of

that day,

Jesus

says.

And

thirdly,

fear

taunts us

with the

kind of

desolation

of divine

distance.

What does

that mean?

That we

feel God

is far

away.

The

desolation

of divine

distance.

When God

seems to be

so far

away from

us,

that he's

abandoned

us,

and it's

so easy,

isn't it,

easy to

kind of

allow that

to lead

to an

erosion of

confidence

and a

loss of

trust.

And perhaps

this for us

is the most

difficult thing

of all.

Perhaps in

the UK,

this claims

more casualties

than any

other.

When life

is hard,

and when

our prayers

don't seem

to be

answered,

when it

seems like

the heavens

are like

brass,

and God

is dead,

where are

you,

Lord?

Why am I

still suffering

with this?

Why?

I've been

faithful.

Haven't you

prayed that?

Why have you

allowed my

beloved partner

to be taken

from me?

Why am I

still struggling

with this

sin when I

hate it?

Where are

you,

Lord?

Why haven't

I been

healed of

this disease

or this

illness that

dogs me?

Why haven't

I had any

sense of

breakthrough in

the Christian

ministry I'm

involved in?

Where are

you,

Lord?

Have you

gone away?

Are you

distant?

And you

see,

the religious

establishment

and the

world and

our families

very often

join in the

chorus.

Look at

these

pathetic

Bible

people,

so old

fashioned.

They don't

see anything

like the

kind of

church

growth

that we

see.

And God

has left

that kind

of thing.

I remember

when I

had just

come to

this

church

and

somebody

searched

me up

and said

you are

a really

good

preacher

to old

people.

Meaning,

I was

completely

out of

touch,

which may

be.

We live

in a

visual

age,

we live

in a

techno

age,

a church

that is

devoted to

the teaching

of God's

word and

the simple

means of

grace.

It just

won't cut

it anymore.

We've

left all

that behind

today.

You're a

dinosaur.

And God

feels distant.

Or your

family says,

look what you

could have

had.

Look how

you could

live if you

weren't so

fanatical.

How has

God provided

for you?

Where is

he?

Look what you

could have

had.

Where is

your God

when you

can't get

the job?

Why isn't

God provided

your wife

or husband

or family?

And we

say to

ourselves,

Lord,

have you

left us?

Well,

there's

nothing new

to that,

is there?

The

psalmist

says in

Psalm 42,

my tears

have been

my food

day and

night,

while they

continually

say,

where is

your God?

And the

answer is,

says,

Jesus is

not only,

Jesus says

that God

is not only

true,

but that he

is to be

proclaimed,

and not only

that he is

great,

and to be

feared,

but God

is far from

distant and

disinterested in

you.

So he is

near.

So look at

verses 29

and 30.

They are

wonderful

verses,

aren't

they?

it's not

just that

he sees

each sparrow

fall to

the ground,

but actually

a sparrow

cannot fall

to the

ground

without the

God of

heaven and

earth

deciding it

will happen.

Two little

sparrows,

and he

numbers the

very hairs

of your

head.

It's a

picture of

a mother,

isn't it,

with a

little girl

between her

knees,

and she's

gently

combing and

pleating her

hair,

and that

is the

Lord.

Except he's

counting them

to every single

one of them.

He is

near.

He is

near to

you,

and he

loves and

he cares

for every

single one

of his

beloved

children,

and every

hair on

your head.

And therefore

he says

in verse 31,

do not

be afraid,

because you

are more

valued than

many

sparrows.

I love

those words

God speaks

to Moses

at the

burning

bush.

When

Israel is

downtrodden,

and they

think that

God has

abandoned

them,

and they're

groaning

in slavery,

and all

the while

they're

unaware that

God is

working out

his great

plan of

redemption,

and God

says,

I have

seen the

affliction of

my people,

and I've

heard their

groaning,

and I've

come down

to deliver

them.

And maybe

you feel

this morning

that God

is distant,

that he's

got no

interest in

you personally.

And perhaps

you feel,

well, why

should God

be interested

in me?

I'm so

insignificant.

And perhaps

even more,

you're saying,

you don't

know how

I've let

him down

this week,

and he

must have

let me.

And all

your confidence

is sapping,

and your

faith is

teetering,

and the

enemy of

fear has

gripped inside

your heart,

then verse 31

is especially

for you,

isn't it?

Fear not,

because you

are of more

value than

many smarrows.

how do I

know that?

How do you

know that?

Well, because

Christ the

Redeemer came

down from

the glory

of heaven,

to die on

the cross

at Calvary,

because he

saw the

affliction of

his people,

and he

loved his

people,

so he

came.

And do

you think

he will

ever abandon

you in

your Christian

life,

having done

that?

Never.

He says,

to his

people,

I am with

you even

to the end

of the age,

even amid

all the

struggles that

you will

surely face,

right to the

end,

I am with

you.

I am

not

distant,

so take

heart.

And if

they did

those things

to you,

do you know

why they

did them

to you?

They

drew them

to you

because

they did

them to

me.

And if

they hate

you,

it's because

they hated

me,

and if

they persecute

you,

it's because

they persecuted

me.

But rejoice,

because it's

enough for

the servant

to be like

his master,

for the

pupil to be

like their

teacher.

It's for

me,

it's for

my sake.

It's not

because I've

abandoned

you.

One of the

Puritants

closest to

the

captain

is a

sure

target

for the

archers.

And so

if this

morning you

come to

worship and

you are

struggling,

take heart.

You live

life now

in the

light of

that coming

day,

that day

when a

war shall

be declared

and God

will vindicate

his people

and rejoice,

verse 32.

So

everyone who

acknowledges me

before men,

I also will

acknowledge before

my father who

is in

heaven.

You count

the cost.

And you

count the

cost of the

struggles and

the hardship

that there

will be in

the Christian

life.

Don't be

naive,

don't mistake.

Count the

cost this

morning.

But count it

in the only

terms that

matter,

that is

eternity.

Every

struggling

believer that

is faithful

to the name

of Jesus

Christ,

and the

onslaughts,

and the

assaults from

the world,

and the

flesh,

and the

devil,

and all its

forms,

every single

Christian

believer who

endures the

end will

hear the

Lord Jesus

Christ proclaim

their name

to the

Father in

heaven.

But we

need to

finish where

the passage

finishes in

verse 33,

which is a

shock.

Because what

Jesus wants

you to do in

verse 33 is he

wants you to

count the

cost of not

standing for

Jesus Christ.

Count the

cost of denying

him,

denying him

who loved

us and

gave everything

for us.

And if you

are not

willing to

stand for

him, it

will lead

to a loss

that is,

verse 33,

unimaginable.

You see, the

mission of

Jesus Christ

and his

kingdom claims

absolutely

everything.

Be clear

about that.

And

discipleship

always will

be a life of

struggle and

persecution.

It will be a

life of being

sheep amongst

wolves.

And it will

be a life of

persevering, of

keeping going

to the end.

Despite fears

within, but

Jesus says,

don't be

silenced by

the sting of

slander.

God is

true.

And so

proclaim his

truth from

the roof

jobs.

Fear not, and

don't be

paralysed by

the threat of

violence.

God is

great.

Fear him, not

men and

women and

boys and

girls and

all they can

do for you.

And don't

ever be

desolate and

think that

God has

forgotten you,

or that

God is

distant because

God is

near and

every hair

on your

head is

numbered.

And so

trust him.

He sees it

all and he

cares.

And he is

with you.

And above

all, live

now in

the light of

these, well

these light and

momentary

troubles.

But look at

them in the

light of an

eternal weight

of glory that

far outweighs

them all.

And so live in

the light of

that day.

And

everything we

face today will

only be a

cause of

rejoicing.

Even though

that joy will

be through

tears and

pain, it

will be a

solid joy and

a lasting

treasure that

only the

disciples, the

children of

Jesus Christ,

know anything

about.

Let's sing

before we

come to the

road stable.