Persecution & Fear

I. Introduction
A. Just months after He chose the 12 disciples, Jesus sent them out on a mission to proclaim His message. But before they left, He told them what to expect. And in telling them, He also tells us what to expect as He sends us into this world to represent Him and communicate His message.
B. Matthew 10:16-39 “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. 26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
II. In sending out His 12 disciples on their first preaching mission in Matt.10, Jesus first warned them that they were sure to face persecution.
A. Conflict just permeates this passage. Every single verse – beginning with v.16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves,” speaks to the conflict that Jesus' disciples will experience out there in the world, being a light for Jesus.
B. Ever since Jesus was born, He and His people have been under attack, just like He said. That opposition ebbs and flows in intensity at times, but it is always there.
C. Persecution can come from within your closest circle of relationships, as it did for Jesus.
1. Even our families are sometimes not places of peace but of war.
2. Matt.10:21-22a “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me.”
3. Christianity may well be hazardous to our family relationships.
4. If family relationships are top priority for you, you don’t want to be a follower of Christ.
D. This family division has existed since the time of Adam and Eve when God said he would put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.
1. We can see it in the story of Cain and Abel.
a. Abel could have made peace with Cain, if he had been willing to offer a sacrifice like Cain's. They could have been one in their religious practice, they would have been in harmony and in unity. And Cain would not have killed Abel.
b. He would have counted Abel as his friend, as his companion, as his real brother.
c. But Abel was determined to do what was right before God. He sacrificed his relationship with his brother in order to maintain his relationship with his God.
d. And so his relationship with his brother was ruined. He counted his friendship with Christ as more important than his friendship with his brother, and they were divided forever.
2. Moses likewise turned his back on the harmony, unity and respect he enjoyed in the eyes of his fellow Egyptians, in order to be persecuted and walk in righteousness before God.
a. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." Heb.11:24ff.
E. But, brothers & sisters, conflict wasn’t just for the 12. Jesus here commands US to not think He came to bring peace on earth. He commands us to not think of this world as a place of peace!
1. Many people try to paint Jesus as the champion of unity among all men, peace on earth, the brotherhood of all mankind. But everywhere Jesus went, people were divided into those who loved Him & those who hated Him.
2. Optimism about this world can be a sin. Tranquility on this earth is a false hope.
3. This world is not a place of peace, but a place of war and conflict.
4. It’s the ultimate polarization!
5. I don’t mean we root for conflict or enjoy polarization on account of Christ, and I certainly don’t mean that we seek to stir up trouble.
6. But I do mean that we resign ourselves to it. This is the way it’s going to be.
F. Following Christ involves being hated because of Him.
G. When Jesus says, “I send you out as sheep among wolves,” He clearly wants us to expect vicious opposition. He clearly wants us to know that we’re being sent out into a dangerous world.
III. Is America an exception to this rule? Are these expectations not true here?
A. Beloved, somehow we’ve fallen into thinking that in America we’re not supposed to expect to be persecuted, that somehow, we’ve created a country where Christians are not persecuted.
1. Instead of accepting the danger and taking advantage of the benefits of being persecuted, many American Christians have bought into the idea that it’s different here.
2. But I’ve looked very carefully at this passage, and there’s just no exception made for America!
3. And so to conclude that America is an exception is to deny what Jesus says here and elsewhere!
4. And when Christian people buy into this false notion that America is exceptional when it comes to persecution, instead of accepting what Jesus said, and learning to be content in the midst of persecution, they spend all their efforts trying to remove the danger of persecution and silence the threat of it.
5. In my opinion, this is a major problem in the American church.
6. One of my favorite classes in college was a class on the history of utopian groups and movements in America. More than any other country on earth, America as a very strong utopian element to its character. It’s what gave birth to the American dream.
7. Years ago God showed me that I myself was guilty of this utopian thinking, that I had a vision of an ideal life here on the earth, and that my mood and morale were based on whether I perceived those dreams were coming true or being thwarted.
8. But the Lord showed me that this is a wrong expectation, a wrong perception of the nature of life on this earth. “Man is born to trouble just as sparks fly upward.” Job 5:7
9. John 16:33 In the world you will have tribulation.
10. Acts 14:22 It is through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
11. I have had to learn to accept that my life on this earth will not be ideal, that my dreams of earthly prosperity and security were wrong-headed and idolatrous, that my goal can’t be to avoid the pains and distresses of the world, but rather to learn by God’s power to live content in the midst of them – knowing that my Savior walks with me and that He is preparing a better home.
12. Because Jesus was subjected to the wrath of God, we are no longer subject to it. But Jesus made it crystal clear that – like Him – we are still very much subject to the wrath of the world.
a. 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.
IV. And then Jesus went on to talk about having the right frame of mind in the face of persecution.
A. He talked about being alert and on guard. You cannot rest when you are among wolves.
B. He talked about being wise/shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
C. He talked about the need to be bold and to trust God for what to say.
D. But then three times He tells them not to be afraid: 26 “Have no fear of them.” 28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” 31 “Fear not.”
1. What an audacious thing to ask! It’s one thing to tell us that you are sending us out as sheep in the midst of wolves, but then You tell us not to be afraid?
2. “You see all those sharks around the boat. I want you to jump in – but don’t be afraid.”
3. But He doesn’t just leave it there. Jesus goes on to give four reasons not to be afraid in the face of persecution:
a. Your persecutors will one day be exposed. 26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”
(1) One day they will be exposed, one day the curtain will be pulled aside and their wickedness and their dishonesty and their evil intentions will be revealed to all. And you’ll be vindicated.
b. There is actually a far greater danger you must fear. 28 “Don’t fear those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
(1) All our persecutors can do is kill our bodies – at the worst.
(2) God can do much worse! He can destroy both soul and body in hell. That’s the real danger!
(3) It’s easy to think that the real danger is things that threaten our finances, or our bodies, or our career or our reputation. But the real danger is things which threaten our eternity.
(4) When we fear men more than we fear God, we have lost touch with reality. It is like playing with rattlesnakes but being paranoid of butterflies. God is the one to be feared.
(5) What good does it do to spend your whole life avoiding the wrath of earthly foes and then die and suffer the wrath of an infinitely powerful heavenly foe?
c. God is looking out for you. 29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
(1) If God is in control of every little bird's comings/goings and livings/dyings, then how much more will God be governing your life of conflict and tribulation by His goodness.
(2) We may not be able to expect a dream life, but we do have a God who truly cares about us who is ever watching over us and protecting us.
(3) The Lord says, "You seek to do what is right. You seek to speak the truth. You seek to be faithful to Me. I’ll worry about taking care of you. Trust Me to do a much better job with it than you could ever do! I know every cell in your body by name.”
(4) Carolina Sandell Berg, “The protection of his child & treasure is a charge that on himself he laid.”
d. Christ says He will treat us the way we treat Him. 32-33 “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
(1) If we have any hope of being welcomed into the loving arms of God when we die, we desperately need Christ to plead on our behalf before the Father – for only through Him can we find acceptance before God.
(2) So, there is a far worse fate than facing persecution and even death at the hands of Christ's enemies, and that is facing the wrath of the living God, having Christ present a negative recommendation concerning us before the Father.
(3) We must either choose to be a friend of God – whereby we become an enemy of the world. Or we can choose to be a friend of the world and be an enemy of God.
(4) If we choose to be God's friend, we will inevitably suffer the wrath of the world. If we choose to be the world's friend, we will suffer the wrath of God.
V. Conclusion
A. The disciples of Jesus didn’t want to hear this! But they NEEDED to hear it.
1. We don’t want to hear it either. But we NEED to hear it.
B. The Christianity Jesus calls us to is a radical Christianity, not an easy Christianity.
1. Jesus didn't talk about everything being nice and smooth. He said His road was narrow and difficult (Matt.7:14). He called people to give up their lives. He called people to count the cost. He told people that they had to die to themselves.
C. If you don’t like this type of Christianity, you can shop around and find a Christianity that paints a much rosier picture.
1. You can find a Christianity that requires little of its adherents. You can find a Christianity that tells you that you can be both a friend of the world and also a friend of Christ.
2. But that’s not the Christianity of Jesus Christ. It’s not the Christianity of the Bible.
D. Why is it so difficult? Why does He send His people out like sheep in the midst of wolves?
1. Because there are things for us to learn which we can’t learn in a safe, comfortable place.
2. Biosphere 2 – trees fell over because there was no wind, so the roots never needed to go deeper.
3. Butterfly needs the struggle of climbing out of the cocoon in order to be able to fly.
4. Sending sheep out among wolves seems unsafe to us. It might even seem reckless or unloving.
5. But God is able to go with His people into those dangerous places, and protect them – even though they may not be aware of His presence or protection. It’s like when a child is learning to swim or learning to ride a bike. Even though they may feel frightened, their mom or dad is right there with them and they’re really in no danger.
6. The safest place in this world is the place of humility, the place of knowing your need for God, the place of resting on Him alone to take care of you.
7. The peace which comes from having no opposition, the peace of being able to do what you want, the peace of living a comfortable life, the peace of having better weapons than everybody else – this isn’t the peace which Jesus talks about. He talks about the peace that passes human understanding, the peace which He gives to us IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE; it’s the abundant table He sets before us in the presence of our enemies (Ps.23:5).
E. Christianity is not a spectator sport. Jesus doesn't just go out and do great things while we sit and watch. He has called us to help Him in His work.
1. Timid, insecure, ordinary, mortal, sinful human beings like the 12 disciples – and like you and me – can learn to overcome their crippling fears and become useful to God.
2. So, He trains us to not be afraid. He teaches us that He will not abandon us when we face conflict and confrontation.
3. And that even when we have our moments of weakness and fear, He is still strong.
4. In fact, His strength is made perfect when we feel weak. (2Cor.12:9-10)