How Will You Answer Persecution?

ANSWERING PERSECUTION - How Will YOU Answer?

(NOTE: Some content in this is from other sermons on SermonCentral & website research as noted)

How Will YOU Answer Persecution?

How Can We Prepare to Answer the persecution coming in these end times?

1. Hold FAST to your faith, above ALL ELSE. NOTHING is more important than continuing to believe that without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6)

because

Ephesians 2:8 says:

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

SO To stay saved, we must hold fast to our faith. If we truly believe, we will not deny that that we believe in.

I was reading in Proverbs recently and one of the study bible notes caught my eye. It said: When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. And it reminded me of James 4:7:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Persecution is hostility and ill treatment meant to make US flee. We are to submit to God and resist what the devil is doing, which is trying to make us submit to HIM, and the Lord will make HIM flee.

When a person is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it.

Persecution against us for believing in Jesus will increase more and more as we move deeper into the end of days.

You know, we always want to believe because we love the Lord that we would never deny Him, but in the face of persecution, I suspect we will be greatly tempted to do a lot of things we wouldn’t otherwise do.

Peter did. And Peter wrote TWO BOOKS of the New Testament that we still study over 2,000 years later!! Yall, if Peter could deny Jesus, we CERTAINLY could. Especially us Americans who are used to comfort & convenience and no persecution. I’m just sayin. Let’s keep it real here.

Matthew 26:31-40

31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

Matthew 5:10–12

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Some of you have already started experiencing persecution.

2 Timothy 3:12

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

You know we think persecution is something extraordinary, but Jesus told His disciples when He sent them out that they would be persecuted in Matthew 10:16-42.

So Jesus told the disciples they were going forth into danger - That they would be like sheep among wolves and to stay aware. To be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. He told them people would hand them over to authorities and that in the time coming, even people’s own family members would deliver them up to be killed. I believe with all my heart He was referring to OUR time.

Jesus told his disciples to endure the persecution, and not surrender their faith, and salvation would be given to them. Like us, the disciples were not just disliked for serving Jesus, they were HATED for it. In the wake of great danger, Jesus advised the disciples to flee to a safe place.