Proclamation and Persecution

Good morning everyone, it's great to worship with you.

This is my great enjoy and privilege to preach that worship this morning.

! Please turn with me your Bibles to Matthew chapter 10.

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand.

I'd love to give you a copy of the Bible you can use while you're here and take some of you.

Thank you.

Heavenly Father, this passage that you have for us this morning, which calls for radical discipleship,

a radical followership of Christ,

this message that really doesn't make sense unless we see you for who you really are.

Unless we see your glory,

your authority,

your love,

your mercy.

Father, I plead with you that you would help us by our spirit.

That you would magnify

your name,

magnify Christ,

your son, for us.

that we might be able to follow us

to the end of the earth

and be faithful even unto that.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Please stand if you are able for the reading of God's word.

We stand to honor God as we read from

his word as he addresses us.

From Matthew chapter 10,

Matthew 10:16–32

verses 16 to 32.

Behold,

I am 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 to courts

and plod you in their synagogues,

and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake,

to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

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.

For it is not you who speak,

but the spirit of your father speaking through you.

Brother will deliver brother over to death,

and the father his child,

and children will rise against parents

and have them put to death.

And you will be hated by all for my name's sake.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

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.

A disciple is not above his teacher,

nor a servant above his master.

It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher,

and a servant like his master.

If they have called the master of the house Beelzele,

how much more will they malign those of his household?

So have no fear of them,

for nothing is covered that will not be revealed,

or hidden that will not be known.

What I tell you in the dark,

say in the light,

and what you hear whisper,

proclaim on the housetops.

And do not fear those who kill the body,

but cannot kill the soul.

Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?

And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father.

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear not, therefore.

You are of more value than many sparrows.

So everyone who acknowledges me before men,

I also will acknowledge before my father who is in heaven.

But whoever denies me before men,

I also will deny before my father who is in heaven.

And God, the only human being before may be seated.

The desire for affirmation and approval

and the praise of men from others

has always been a part of human nature.

Because we're a social creature.

However, in a digital age

where much of human interactions are driven by social media,

the approval of others is now quantified

and constantly visible through metrics like likes

and follower counts and shares.

The immediacy and constancy of such social feedback

amplify the human craving for acceptance and approval.

Especially in a culture like ours

that highlights self-expression and identity.

The pursuit of personal validation

can easily become someone's highest pursuit.

But Jesus calls us in this passage

to forfeit that pursuit once and for all.

As Christians in this sinful world,

Jesus warns us that we will be slandered,

betrayed, persecuted,

and sometimes even killed for our allegiance to Christ.

Why?

Because we follow the crucified Lord

and His servants will fare no better

than their master.

So the main point of my message this morning is simple.

Acknowledge Christ before men.

First, in order to do that,

we must beware of men who persecute us,

the reality of persecution.

And secondly, we must fear not.

Fear not men,

but fear rather than God instead.

Since we took a break last week

from our series in Matthew,

let me remind you that Jesus,

in the preceding passage,

commanded His twelve apostles

to go and proclaim the good news

of the Kingdom of God.

And He told them as He sent them

that the harvest is plentiful,

but the laborers are few.

And as Jesus sends them out on this mission,

He gives them this solemn warning.

Behold, I am sending you,

I'm sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.

How's that for a pet thought?

Sheep?

As I mentioned two Sundays ago,

sheep are proverbially weak and vulnerable.

They're not big or strong.

They don't have sharp claws or teeth.

They can't run away very fast.

That's why no professional sports team

ever names themselves the sheep.

I know some of you are from Minnesota.

Imagine if the Minnesota timber rules

were called instead the Minnesota tender sheep.

That's what they look like

when they play against the Celtics.

That's not exactly a morality, right?

We call sheep like that.

What happens to sheep among wolves?

That's a no-brainer.

Everybody knows.

Sheep get mauled by the wolves.

And that's exactly Jesus' point.

The allure of power

has been too difficult to resist

for many Christians throughout history.

So it's imperative that we remember this truth.

Jesus does not send out his followers

into the world to be commanders,

the conquerors, the predators.

He sends us out as the prey,

as sheep among wolves.

Yes, there is a sense in which

Christians ought to be conquerors.

We just read that in Revelation.

We're commanded over and over again

to conquer in the book of Revelation.

But Revelation also tells us

exactly how Christians ought to conquer.

It says in Revelation 12, 11,

which we read for assurance of pardon,

they have conquered them

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

for they loved not their lives

even unto death.

In other words,

we conquer in this world

by being killed

with our testimony to Jesus,

by following in the footsteps

of the Lamb of God.

Christian witness

should not be characterized

by force, aggression,

but by patient endurance

through persecution.

But the fact that we are sheep

doesn't mean that

God wants us to be dumb.

Sheep are often perceived

as unintelligent

because of their herd mentality.

They will follow their herd

and get lost sometimes

and they will easily get spooked

and then run headlong

into danger sometimes off cliffs.

But Jesus doesn't want us

to be gullible

or ignorant.

So he qualifies

that image of sheep

with another animal image.

He says,

to be as wise as serpents.

The word wise here

is a translation

of the same Greek word

that's used

in the Greek translation

of Genesis 3, verse 1,

Genesis 3:1

which says that the serpent

was more crafty

than any other beast

of the field.

It's the same word

that is translated

as shrewd in Luke 16, verse 8.

Luke 16:8

He described

a shrewd financial manager

who uses his position

of influence and power

to do favors for people

and make friends for himself

so that knowing that

he will soon lose

his job and position

and after he loses his job

he might have some friends

who will take care of him

and do some favors for him.

That's shrewdness,

cunning, craftiness.

If sheep are proverbially

vulnerable,

then serpents

are proverbially cunning.

They are famously stealthy,

they move without

making much noise,

and they hide

by blending

into their surroundings.

They're also known

for their exceptional patience.

Some snakes

that hunt by ambush

have been observed

to lie and wait patiently

for days,

even weeks,

without moving.

just waiting for that smell

of movement

to stir it by.

And then,

patience.

They also have

many means of survival

when they're in danger.

Some snakes play dead,

you know,

to trick predators

into losing interest.

And because they're

very sensitive

to vibrations

in the ground

and to heat,

they can flee

dangerous predators

or disasters

like wildfires

long before they come

to where they are

to threaten them.

Serpents are

one of the most

adaptable creatures.

They've been found

to live in jungles,

mountains,

even deserts,

and in water.

In short,

serpents are

shrewd animals

who know how to adapt

and survive

in the face

of danger.

So then,

while we are

sheep among wolves,

we are not to run

headlong into danger

like sheep sometimes do

and invite persecution

and marginally.

For example,

in John 8, 59,

when an angry

Jewish mob

picks up stones

to throw at Jesus

to stoning to death

for claiming to be

the pre-existing God,

Jesus doesn't just

stand there

and become a target.

He says that

he hid himself

and went out

of the temple.

Similarly,

when the Jews

fought to kill

the Apostle Paul

repeatedly throughout

the book of Acts,

we see the early church

often hiding him

or sneaking him

out of the city

to protect him

in Acts 9, 14, 17.

When their time

for death

and martyrdom

came,

the early Christians

followed Jesus' example

and faced death

with faith and courage,

but they never walked

blindly into persecution.

We are not to be

naive, gullible,

or ignorant

of the schemes

of those who speak

to do us harm.

We should be shrewd

and vigilant

in recognizing traps

and avoiding

unnecessary danger.

We should be prudent

and give thought

to our steps.

In conversations,

we should answer

those who question us,

those who are hostile

toward us,

with grace,

wisdom,

and discernment,

know when to speak

and when not to speak.

And we should be aware

of and make

judicious views

of the legal protections

and recourses

that are available

to us

as Paul himself does,

for example,

in Acts chapter 22,

Acts 22:25

verse 25.

And that brings us

to the third animal

image that Jesus uses.

We are as innocent

as doves.

This command is paired

with being wise

as serpents

to qualify that.

Serpents are shrewd

and cunning,

yes,

but for that reason

they're also associated

with deceitfulness,

with venom,

and manipulation.

By adding,

be innocent as doves,

Jesus is telling us,

be shrewd

and smart,

but be completely

innocent

in all your dealings.

never resort

to wrongdoing

or dishonesty

or manipulative tactics.

For example,

in Acts chapter 24, 26,

Acts 24 · chapter mention

while Paul is in prison

for his witness to Christ,

there's a Roman governor

named Felix

who decides

to keep Paul

in prison for a while

even though

he doesn't deserve it.

And it says

that Roman governor

that Felix

hoped that money

would be given

to him by Paul.

So he's keeping him

in prison

waiting for a bribe.

And I know

this is not as common

in the U.S.,

but in many parts

of the world,

bribes are a very

normal part

of societal dealings.

And it's an expected

means of you

getting out of

a life punishment

by paying a bribe.

But Paul refuses

to pay a bribe,

which makes sense

staying in prison

for another two years

before he's transferred

to somewhere else.

Why does he do that?

He could have easily

collected some offerings

from the local churches

that were eager

to support him

because he wants

to be sure

that's a serpent,

but also innocent

as dust.

Because bribes

are everywhere

forbidden

in Scripture

and condemned.

Doves are

proverbially harmless

and gentle

and tame.

They were

ritually clean animals

that were fit

for Old Testament

sacrifices,

so they become

a pity symbol

of purity,

which is why

even the Holy Spirit

is represented

as being like a dove

as he descended

on Jesus at baptism

in Matthew 3.16.

And pigeons

and doves

are known

for their

guilelessness.

They're really

harmless creatures.

My girls

are afraid

of all kinds

of animals.

They're afraid

of pretty much

every animal.

But even my

five-year-old

will go around

to see

one of the new

games she plays

when we're walking

around.

She'll scare

the pigeons

and she'll act

like it's her

superpower.

She'll run away.

I have a friend

who has

like an eight-year-old

daughter

who actually

catches them.

She'll just

hold them

and catch them

and they don't

do anything.

They just sit there.

They're that mild

and tame

even though these

are wild pigeons.

That's how

blameless

and innocent

we ought to be

as Christians.

Shrewd

yet never

dishonest

or manipulative.

Innocent

yet wise

and prudent.

We are sent

out as sheep

in the midst

of wolves

therefore we ought

to be wise

as servants

and innocent

as dogs.

In verses

17 to 18

Jesus moves

away from

the theoretical

language

and gives

us more

direct

literal

instruction.

He says

Beware of men

for they will

deliver you

over to courts

and flog you

in their synagogues

and you will

be drafted

for governors

and kings

for my sake

to bear witness

before them

and the gentrists.

We must

beware

Jesus says

because not

all are

well-meaning

and some

are out

to give us.

Jesus'

prediction

here has

been borne

out throughout

church history.

Already

in the first

century

we can see

in the book

of Acts

that Christians

were delivered

to courts

sloughed

and dragged

before governors

and kings.

But even

such

difficult

and unfavorable

circumstances

are meant

to be an

opportunity

for us

to tell people

about Jesus.

Because it

says that

we will

get to

bear witness

before our

prosecutors

and jenties.

But when

we are

taken to

court

and have

to testify

before governors

and kings

how will we

know what

to say

in such

an intimidating

environment?

Jesus said

in verses 19

to 20

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 their

honor.

For it

is not

you

who

speak

but

the

spirit

of

your

father

speaking

through

you.

There are

several

helpful

suggested

parallels

between

this

passage

and

Matthew

Matthew 6:25–33

chapter

6

verse 25

to

33.

There

in Matthew

6

Jesus

said

do not

be anxious

same

command

do not

be anxious

about

your life

what

you will

eat

or drink

or

about

your body

what

you will

put

on

which

of you

by being

anxious

can add

a single

hour

to his

span

of

life

therefore

do not

be anxious

say what

shall we

eat or

what

shall we

drink or

what

shall we

wear

for your

heavenly

father

knows

what

you

need

he

knows

that

you

need

them

all

Jesus

tell us

not

to worry

about

life

about

our

basic

necessity

because

no

amount

of

worrying

will

enable

us

to

extend

our

life

by

a

single

hour

instead

we should

trust in

our

heavenly

father

who

provides

for us

Jesus

point

in our

passage

is very

similar

again

he gives

the same

command

do not

be

anxious

because

when

the hour

of need

comes

then you

must

testify

before

these

governing

authorities

he

says

he

will

heavenly

father

will

again

supply

our

need

for

it

is

not

you

who

speak

but

the

spirit

of

your

father

speaking

through

you

now

please

don't

misunderstand

me

Jesus

is

not

saying

that

we

should

never

rehearse

the

gospel

or

to

never

prepare

or

write

sermons

imagine

if

I

never

wrote

my

sermons

because

I

want

to

rely

on

the

Holy

Spirit

to

spontaneously

inspire

me

in

this

whole

Sunday

that

would

be

a

misapplication

of

this

passage

he's

saying

that

when

we

are

under

such

dire

circumstances

when

we

are

being

persecuted

and

have

to

testify

before

governing

authorities

under

duress

our

heavenly

father

will

himself

intervene

by

his

spirit

give

us

what

to

say

so

that

what

we

say

goes

well

beyond

our

limited

powers

of

intellect

and

speech

God

himself

will

speak

through

us

so

Jesus

wants

us

to

trust

in

and

depend

on

our

heavenly

father

to

provide

for

us

in

our

time

of

need

but

our

father

speaking

through

us

does

not

guarantee

that

we

will

receive

favor

from

the

authorities

or

get

out

of

jail

some

of

us

will

still

pay

the

ultimate

price

because

the

father's

goal

in

helping

us

is

so

that

we

bear

effective

witness

to

Jesus

so

we

might

be

faithful

to

him

and

preserve

our

souls

not

necessarily

so

we

might

preserve

our

bodies

he

says

in

verse

21

to

23

brother

will

deliver

brother

over

to

death

and

the

father

his

child

and

children

will

rise

against

parents

and

have

them

put

to

death

and

you

will

be

hated

by all

for my

name

sake

!

Jesus

is

going

for

the

shock

factor

here

by

using

familial

relations

where

you

would

most

expect

loyalty

and

speaking

of

betrayal

many

Christians

throughout

history

can

bear

witness

to

this

fact

of

being

betrayed

by their

own

family

members

being

kicked

out

of

their

home

by

their

own

parents

Jesus

foretells

that we

will be

hated

for our

allegiance

to

Jesus

and

he

says

that

some

of

us

will

be

put

to

death

for

our

faith

it's

important

to

note

that

this

persecution

is

inescapable

of

course

the

intensity

varies

from

place

to

place

but

persecution

in general

is

inescapable

we

must

not

think

that

oh

if

we

just

learn

to

be

more

diplomatic

as

Christians

if

we

learn

to

be

a little

kinder

and

more

gracious

oh

then

we

can

avoid

all

this

persecution

that's

not

what

it

says

we

mustn't

!

we

mustn't

say

oh

it's

just

a

big

misunderstanding

oh

if

people

just

realize

how

nice

Christians

really

are

then

they

will

never

persecute

us

no

that's

not

what

it

says

look at

the

reasons

that

Jesus

gives

for why

we

will

be

persecuted

he

says

in

verse

18

you

will

be

dragged

before

governors

and

kings

why

for

my

name

sake

he

says

in

verse

22

you

will

be

hated

by

all

why

you

will

be

hated

by

all

for

my

name

sake

the

real

reason

for

persecution

is our

allegiance

to

Jesus

Jesus

said

in

verses

24

to

25

a

disciple

is

not

above

his

teacher

nor

servant

above

his

master

it

is

enough

for

the

disciple

to

be

like

his

teacher

and

a

servant

like

his

master

if

they

have

called

the

master

of

the

house

beelzobol

how much

more

will they

malign those

of his

household

the

envious

Jews

who slandered

Jesus

in his

day

by saying

that he

cast

out

demons

by the

power

of

the

prince

of

demons

which

is

what

they

said

in

Matthew

9

34

and

later

on

chapter

12

does

specifically

achieve

Jesus

miraculous

power

exorcism

to

beelzobol

which

probably

comes from

beelzobol

meaning

the chief

god

of the

canons

who

dwells

in the

high

place

beelzobol

it's

another

name

in this

context

for

Satan

if

Jesus

the

son

of

God

is

maligned

as

being

doing

things

by the

power

of

the

prince

of

demons

by

Satan

how

much

more

will

they

malign

his

followers

if

they

despise

and

disdain

the

teacher

who

of

course

deserves

no

respect

in

the

students

then

how

much

more

will

they

despise

and

disdain

his

students

if

they

crucify

the

master

what

will

they

do

to

his

servants

the

language

of

servants

and

master

have

been

used

once

already

in

Matthew

6

24

25

he

told

us

that

no

one

can

serve

two

masters

either

you

must

love

the

one

and

hate

the

other

you

cannot

serve

both

God

and

money

in

that

context

the

master

was

God

and

we

were

the

slaves

were

the

servants

and

Jesus

here

applies

that

to

himself

I

am

the

master

again

Jesus

is

claiming

for

himself

divine

prerogatives

divine

authority

if

this is

how

they

treat

me

they

treat

you

that

person

isn't

it

enough

for

the

disciple

to be

like

his

teacher

and

the

servant

like

his

master

isn't

it

our

destiny

to be

conformed

to the

image

of

God's

son

as

it

said

in

Romans

8

2

so

that

one

day

when

he

appeared

when

Jesus

returns

and

we

shall

be

like

him

if

we

want

to

partake

in

the

resurrection

from

the

dead

like

Jesus

Christ

we

also

must

partake

in

his

sufferance

becoming

like

him

in

his

death

says

in

Romans

3

did

you

know

that

this

is

in

fact

what

!

you

signed

Jesus

does not

promise

us

that

we

will

be

loved

and

liked

by

the

world

he

said

we

will

be

hated

Jesus

does

not

promise

us

safety

and

comfort

he

speaks

instead

of

persecution

and

martyrdom

why

then

do

so

many

of

us

Christians

make

concession

after

concession

compromise

after

compromise

us

groffling

before

the

sinful

world

to

win

their

affirmation

and

approval

when

Jesus

already

told

us

that

they

will

hate

us

why

then

do

so

many

of

us

live

as

if

safety

and

comfort

are

the

absolute

non-denotiables

of life

and make

all of our

life choices

to promote

that end

when

Jesus

already

said

that

those

who

are

faithful

to

him

will

meet

tribulations

and

persecution

the

overriding

goal

of the

Christian

is

not health

and longevity

and wealth

and prosperity

it is

faithfulness

and loyalty

to Christ

our

Lord

and it

is

only

the

one

who

endures

to the

end

who

will

be

saved

I

think it's

providential

that we're on

this passage

after what

happened

this week

with the

murder

of

Charlie

Kirk

if you've

been in our

church

for any

length of

time

you know

that I

don't

talk about

politics

often

I

intend

to do

so

now

yes

he had

a

confrontational

style

and no

I don't

agree with

all of his

politics

and I know

many of you

don't

but

it seems

abundantly

clear to me

that he was

a brother

in Christ

he shared

the gospel

with tens

of thousands

of people

with exceptional

clarity

and boldness

and many

of his

most unpopular

views

like his

views on

abortion

and his

views on

LGBTQ issues

they all

stand directly

from his

commitment

to the

scriptures

as the

word of

God

we will

behave

if you

live as a

public

Christian

we will

behave

but the

one who

endures

to the

end

will be

saved

one

who

as

Revelation

2.10

says

is faithful

unto death

will be

saved

the one

who

forsakes

Christ

to save

his life

might be

spared

for a

little

while

but his

ultimate

fate

will be

eternal

perdition

and this

soaring

message

to give

his

disciples

some hope

Jesus

tells

them

this

in

verse

23

when

they

persecute

you

in

one

time

flee

to

the

next

for

truly

I

say

to

you

you

will

not

have

gone

through

all

the

times

in

Israel

before

the

son

of man

comes

many

people

automatically

assume

here

that

Jesus

is

speaking

of

his

second

coming

because

he

speaks

of

the

son

of

man