A Messiah Who Sends Part 2: Expecting Opposition
Text: Matt. 10:16-23
Introduction
1. Illustration: John Stott wrote, “I could never believe in God, if it were not for the cross… In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in light of his. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering.”
2. The Apostle Paul also said something to us is shocking and uncomfortable.
3. Philippians 3:10-11 (NLT)
10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,
11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
4. The point that we would like to avoid, but have to deal with, is if we want to follow Jesus we have to follow him not only to the victory of the Resurrection but also to the pain and suffering that produced it.
5. If we want to follow Jesus we need to realize that:
a. Opposition Is Expected
b. Opposition Will Be Fierce
c. Opposition Will Come From Unexpected Places
d. Jesus Empowers Us to Overcome Opposition
6. Read Matt. 10:16-23
Proposition: In following Jesus, we sign up for both his suffering and his victory.
Transition: Jesus tells us that...
I. Opposition Should Be Expected (16)
A. Sheep Among Wolves
1. One of the key elements to being successful in ministry is to realize that it is going to be difficult.
2. Jesus makes this very clear to the ones he is sending out by saying, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves."
a. Sheep are perhaps the most dependent, helpless, and stupid of all domesticated animals.
b. They are as often panicked by harmless things as by those that are dangerous.
c. And when real danger does come, they have no natural defense except running, and they are not very good at that (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
d. But the sheep's greatest enemy is predators, the worst of which in Palestine and in many other parts of the world has always been wolves.
e. People in Palestine understood the nature of sheep and the danger of wolves.
3. What Jesus is doing is preparing them for what they will face because he himself faced the same struggles.
a. John 15:20 (NLT)
Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.
b. In the figure of the sheep and wolves, Jesus gave a graphic illustration of the rejection and persecution by a God-hating world they would face because of Him.
c. So before the twelve went out into their first brief and relatively undemanding service for the Lord, He set before them the cost of discipleship.
d. Just as He did not escape opposition and persecution, neither would they(MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
4. However, Jesus not only prepares them to be persecuted, but how to act when they receive persecution. He says, "So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves."
a. The vulnerability of sheep is enhanced by their proverbial stupidity, but the disciples are not to act like that (France, 390).
b. The serpent was the emblem of wisdom, shrewdness, and intellectual keenness, while the dove represented simple innocence.
c. This is a difficult but necessary balance to maintain.
d. Without innocence the keenness of the snake is crafty, a devious menace; without keenness the innocence of the dove is naive, helpless gullibility (Wilkins, 392).
e. Therefore, Jesus tells them, and us, to embody the best characteristics of both animals.
f. The disciples cunning is to be directed not at harming their opponents, but to their own survival and the spreading of the gospel (France, 391).
g. We are to be wise but not vengeful; we are to be innocent but not doormats!
B. Don't Be Surprised
1. Illustration: Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who was an enemy of the Nazis because he refused to go along with their state idea of a church that practiced the anti-Semitism of the Nazis. In his book "The Cost of Discipleship," Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “The cross is laid on every Christian. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death–we give over our lives to death. The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
2. 1 Peter 4:12-13 (NLT)
12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.
13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
3. For Christians, suffering and opposition are facts of life.
a. If Jesus faced it we will face it.
b. If the apostles faced it we will face it.
c. If the great martyrs of the church past and present face it we will face it.
4. For Christians, how we view persecution is the key.
a. We can be angry and vengeful.
b. We can say "Oh poor pitiful me!"
c. Or we can rejoice that we have been considered worthy to share in the sufferings of Jesus.
Transition: Jesus also said...
II. Opposition Will Be Fierce (17)
A. But Beware
1. Jesus moves from the general to the specific.
2. He tells them "But beware!..."
a. The word beware here means "to be in a continuous state of readiness to learn of any future danger, need, or error, and to respond appropriately (Louw and Nidda, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Symantic Domains).
b. He tells them to always be on guard agains the wolves.
c. The wolves of whom believers are to beware are people.
d. The ultimate enemies against whom we struggle are Satan and his demonic hosts, the non flesh-and-blood "rulers,... powers,... world forces of this darkness, [and] spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).
e. But the agents of those supernatural enemies are human beings.
f. It is through people that Satan opposes and persecutes the church of Jesus Christ.
g. People are the wolves who malign, oppress, imprison, torture, and kill God's people (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
3. A part of being shrewd is being aware of threats that can harm you.
a. Beware of these opponents, Jesus says—be on guard, be watchful, be perceptive.
b. To be innocent is not to be naive.
c. When well-meaning believers insist on putting the best face on every evil, they are not demonstrating love but foolishness and self-deception (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
4. Ironically, the ones that we are to be the most leary of are those who appear to be spiritual. Look at what Jesus says, "For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues."
a. This language echoes Jesus’ prophetic statement of the way that Jewish religious leaders will mistreat missionaries.
b. Matthew 5:11-12 (NLT)
11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.
12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
c. The synagogue was not only the place of assembly for worship but also an assembly of justice, where discipline was exercised(Wilkins, 392).
d. Sometimes those we need to beware of are those whose body is in the right place but their heart is the wrong place.
5. However, the most important thing to beware of is the severity of the opposition. Jesus says, "For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips..."
a. Not only are people going to say bad things about them, but they are also going to do bad things to them.
b. Sometimes discipline was administered in the form of flogging; under second-century rules, Jewish flogging consisted of thirteen harsh strokes on the breast and twenty-six on the back.
c. These words would have struck Jewish Christians as particularly painful, because they signified rejection of their preaching among their own people (Keener, IVP Bible Background Commentary – New Testament).
d. It was more than just getting your feelings hurt, but actually physical pain would be involved.
e. We think we have it bad when people won't listen to our message or they heap verbal abuse on us, but we need to realize that there are Christians around the world at this very moment who are literally giving their lives for the cause of Christ.
B. For the Cause of Christ
1. Illustration: Here are a few statistics:
a. Since the death of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, 43 million Christians have become martyrs
b. Over 50% of these were in the last century alone
c. More than 200 million Christians face persecution each day, 60% of whom are children
d. Every day over 300 people are killed for their faith in Jesus Christ.— World Evangelical Encyclopedia
2. To be willing to follow Jesus means all the way to Calvary.
a. Matthew 20:22 (NLT)
But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”
b. It is easy to follow Jesus when he turned water into wine.
c. It is easy to follow Jesus when he feed the five thousand.
d. It is easy to follow Jesus when he raised Lazarus.
e. However, the real test is are we willing to follow him up the hill called "the place of the skull!"
3. To follow Jesus means to love him more than life itself.
a. Revelation 12:11 (NLT)
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
b. It means loving him more than your desires.
c. It means loving him more than your possessions.
d. It means loving him more than your relationships.
e. It means loving him more than your life.
Transition: Jesus also wants us to understand that...
III. Opposition Will Come From Unexpected Places (21-23).
A. Brother Will Betray Brother
1. Jesus indicates in v. 21 that not only will the opposition be physically severe, but also emotionally severe.
2. He says, “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed."
a. Both the word "betray" and the verb "to death" suggest an official execution by the governing officials (France, 393-394).
b. However, notice where the betrayal come from - brother, father, child!
c. During Roman persecutions of the second and third centuries an untold number of Christians were betrayed to civil authorities by a brother or father or child.
d. That tragic practice has been repeated many times, and it is not unknown even in our own day (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
e. Years ago I had a friend named David, who had grown up in Morocco in a Muslim family, whose parents told him that if he ever came home they would kill him for becoming a Christian.
3. Someone has observed that only two things are stronger than natural love; one is born of hell and one is born of heaven.
a. Stronger than natural love are the love that is of God and the hatred that is of Satan (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
b. Zechariah 13:3 (NLT)
If anyone continues to prophesy, his own father and mother will tell him, ‘You must die, for you have prophesied lies in the name of the Lord.’ And as he prophesies, his own father and mother will stab him.
4. Yet we need to see that it is not us that they are rejecting. Jesus said, "And all nations will hate you because you are my followers..."
a. The phrase "because you are my followers" is literally "because of my name" and is an important expression that harks back to the Old Testament significance of God’s name as representing his person.
b. Jesus’ disciples will have the privilege of carrying his name, but it also brings suffering, because the hatred directed against him will naturally fall on his followers (Wilkins, 393).
5. Furthermore, we need to see the promise of Jesus - "But everyone who endures to the end will be saved."
a. By this statement Jesus gives great assurance that in spite of an increase in persecution, the hatred of humanity will not overcome his disciples.
b. Active resistance may be included in standing firm, but much more in view is their enduring fortitude under any circumstance, including the most hateful persecution.
c. Those who endure until the end of the age, when the Son of Man comes, or to the end of their lives will be saved (Wilkins, 393).
B. Rejection By Those Closest to You
1. Illustration: In my office hangs a tie and a pair of suspenders enclosed in a glass and wood case. Those mementos belonged to my academic advisor, mentor and friend from my days in seminary - the late Dr. Gary McGee. About half way through my program, I stood in his office tired, burned out and in tears. I told Dr. McGee, "I can't do this anymore!" He smiled and gently reaffirmed me, "Mark, you can and you will!" If it had not been for his encouragement and reassurance I never would have graduated. This is the same word of encouragement that Jesus gives us everyday.
2. You will have family members who will not understand your relationship with Jesus.
a. They will ostracize you.
b. They will criticize you.
c. They will call you names.
d. Luke 18:29-30 (NLT)
29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God,
30 will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”
3. Your friends will not understand.
a. They will write you off as dead.
b. They will stop associating with you.
c. They may even attempt to harm you physically.
d. 1 Peter 4:4-5 (NLT)
4 Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.
5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.
4. However, God will replace everything you give up with something better.
a. Luke 9:25 (NLT)
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?
b. This world has nothing for you.
c. This world cannot compare with the joy of knowing Jesus.
d. This world cannot compare to the amazing things that await you in heaven.
Transition: But take heart because...
IV. Jesus Empowers Us to Overcome Opposition (18-20).
A. But This Will Be Your Opportunity
1. Jesus puts the grim reality before us when he said, "You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers."
a. Jesus said, that His disciples would suffer abuse and persecution. The world hates Christians because the world hates Christ.
b. Every person who identifies himself with Christ through salvation becomes a potential target of Satan and his evil forces, including evil men (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
2. However, Jesus also gives us reason to rejoice in our persecution when he says, "But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me."
a. Persecution and official opposition will thus contribute to the spreading of the gospel rather than the stifling of it (France, 392).
b. The great part about persecution is that it cause the gospel to flourish.
c. Today in China, a government whose founder swore to stamp out Christianity, has a Christian church of more than 300,000,000 believers.
d. This last week when I posted the pictures of our vandalized church sign on Facebook, I got this reply from a friend of mine who was a missionary in Nigeria: "Hi Mark! Praying for your Church. It sounds like Hell is not happy with you all. May God anoint your people for the task ahead and may these vandals be saved in JESUS' name!"
3. Jesus goes on to say, "When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time."
a. Many of the most memorable and powerful testimonies of the great martyrs were uttered just before they were put to death.
b. God gave them a special presence of mind and clarity of thought to present a testimony more powerful than they would otherwise have been able to give (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).
4. Jesus empowers us through our advocate. He says, "For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
a. In their future mission, the disciples are to depend on the Holy Spirit to speak through them in the moment of their most difficult opposition.
b. The Spirit is the creative, empowering, guiding force in Jesus’ own life.
c. Through this same Spirit his disciples will find their own empowering and guidance to give their witness (Wilkins, 393).
d. This does not necessarily mean that when we are brought before these enemies that we will all of the sudden start speaking in tongues, although that could and probably has happened throughout history.
e. However, what is being referred to here is probably more like the Spirit teaching, reminding, and guiding us to know what to say (France, 393).
B. More Than Conquerors
1. Illustration: “One of the adversary’s most useful schemes is to keep Christians focusing on their problems rather than on God’s provision” (John R. Cionca).
2. Romans 8:31 (NLT)
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
3. As Christians we are more than conquerors.
a. We may get pushed around.
b. We may get pushed down.
c. We may get threatened and harassed.
d. But we cannot be defeated.
3. As Christians we serve a sovereign and all-powerful God.
a. Jesus said upon this Rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it.
b. The church will endure.
c. The church will survive.
d. The church will thrive.
Transition: There is victory in Jesus!
Conclusion
1. We can expect:
a. Opposition
b. Opposition will be fierce
c. Opposition from unexpected places
d. Jesus will empower us to overcome
2. When opposition comes we can do one of two things:
a. Turn and run
b. stand and see the glory of God!
