Perseverance In The Midst Of Persecution
Acts 4:1-22
Kayla Mueller was a young woman who traveled to Turkey in 2012 to assist Syrian refugees. After some time she entered Syria with her boyfriend and was captured by ISIS. She was forced into marriage to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Following this she was enslaved, raped and tortured for many months. Through all she endured, Kayla Mueller consistently refused to deny her faith in Christ. In February 2015 Kayla was killed while in captivity. Her testimony of steadfast faith and perseverance in the midst of horrific circumstances serves as an example to others. She is not the only one... there are multitudes of Christians all over the world who are willfully facing extreme persecution as a result of their Christian faith.
We often take for granted just how blessed we are here in America. It is true that our religious liberties are increasingly under attack but we have it much easier than most of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.
It is a fact that if you attempt to live for Christ persecution will come. Our adversary will attack those who seek to be productive for Christ.
When we (as a church) seek to move forward for God... when we attempt to have an impact outside of these walls, you can rest assured...trouble is coming!
Satan will use every resource at his disposal to stop you from living a godly life. Paul tells us in - 2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. - The way I read this verse it seems that persecution is a guarantee for those who seek to be faithful to their Master. If that is the case (and it is) then we must be ready to persevere in the midst of that persecution.
Perseverance is defined as "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success".
Paul told Timothy to "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Timothy 2:3) Enduring hardness refers to facing hardship, suffering affiliation and enduring trouble. As followers of Christ, we WILL encounter troubles that will test our faith. It is important that we are ready and determined to move forward in the face of oppression and difficulty.
In Acts chapter 4, some of the Lord's Apostles found themselves facing a time of persecution because of their work for Jesus. We can learn a great deal from how they responded to the persecution they encountered. I would like to walk through this passage and preach on the subject "Perseverance In The Midst Of Persecution.
In Acts 3:1-11 Peter and John encountered a lame beggar at the temple gate. The man asked them for some money. Peter told the man that he had no silver and gold to give him. But what Peter had was far better, he looked at this man and said "in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. The man's legs received strength and he began "walking and leaping and praising God". - After this, all who were present were astonished. A vast crowd gathered together at Solomon's porch. Peter seized the opportunity to preach repentance and salvation through Christ to these people and as a result many of them came to faith in Christ (Acts 4:4) As we arrive at Chapter 4 trouble arises for the Apostles.
- This story serves as an example for believers throughout the ages. When you work for Christ, you must be prepared for opposition! This fact is seen in verses 1-3. Let us consider:
I. THE TROUBLE THAT WE WILL ENCOUNTER - Persecution is defined as "hostility and ill-treatment, because of race, political or religious beliefs."
As a church, if we seek to advance the Kingdom of Christ ...troubles are on the way. As Christians when we seek to grow closer in our walk with Jesus...difficulty will arise. When we obey God's call on our lives we can rest assured that ....persecution will come!
- In verse 1 we see:
A. THE SOURCE OF OUR TROUBLE - v1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
The Apostles were calling these people to repent and be saved. Peter boldly preached that Jesus was the way of salvation. This did not sit well with the religious rulers in Jerusalem so they came against Peter and John. There are 3 groups mentioned in this verse:
1. "The Priests" - these men possessed hostility for Jesus from the beginning of His ministry.
2. "The Sadducees" - they did not believe in the resurrection and Peter was preaching that Jesus died and rose again.
3. "The Captain of the Temple" - these were Levites who policed the Temple.
These religious rulers were not the true source of this persecution. They were mere men who were doing Satan's work for him. Satan was the ultimate source of this persecution. When we face trouble, oppression or persecution it can be traced directly to him. But he does have many people doing his bidding here on earth. Times have changed but the Devil's mode of operation remains the same.
From the United Nations general assembly to the U.S federal government down to our state and local government, Satan has people in places of influence and authority who implement policies that are opposed to Christ and Christianity. He will use Presidents, Prime ministers, Representatives and Senators, Governors, Mayors and Judges to carry out his plan of causing trouble for the followers of Christ. We like to blame those in authority for the troubles we encounter, but we must not be deceived, Satan is behind it all!
And it is not just government leaders who can cause trouble for the church. You see, Satan will oppress us from without, but we loves to attack us from within! Our adversary will use a Sunday School teacher, a Deacon, a layman, a little old lady or even a Pastor to stop a church from being faithful and fruitful. Wherever and whenever he sees an opportunity he will attack!
- The Devil is the source of our trouble and as we move on to verse 3 we will see:
B. THE SEVERITY OF OUR TROUBLE - v3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
Peter and John were arrested and held overnight. The ultimate goal of The Apostles accusers was to stop them from preaching in the name of Christ. The authorities were not concerned with the lives that had been changed, they just wanted this uproar to go away. Those that would oppress and persecute the church today do not care about the great things that Christ is doing in the lives of His people. They just want to silence the people of God. If we are honest, it seems that they are having great success. Our own government consistently implements policies that are directly opposed to what we stand for.
There are many examples of the increasing hostility toward the people of God. Business owners are being fined and sued for refusing to participate in practices that contradict their religious beliefs. Local government officials have been jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. Some have lost their jobs and/or businesses for taking a stand for Christ. There is a push to prosecute pastors who preach against homosexuality and charge them with hate crimes . There are many more examples that I could give to illustrate the increasing opposition to Christ and His Church here in America. If Stockdale Baptist Church is serious about moving forward for Christ.... we will face great trouble.
- Trouble will come and things may get very intense. The persecution may increase and be severe. When this happens, our only hope is to look to Christ. To persevere in the midst of persecution we must trust God to see us through. Look with me to verse 5 as we examine:
II. THE TRUST THAT WE MUST EXHIBIT - v5-12
Peter and John spent the night imprisoned by the Chief of the Temple. The next day the rulers, elders and scribes met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there. Along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander and other relatives of the High Priest. The Apostles were brought before them and they asked "By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?"
Verse 8 says "being filled with the Holy Ghost" Peter responded. Listen to what he said - Acts 4:9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Peter was very bold and this was possible because he trusted in God. We know that Peter had a tendency to stick his foot in his mouth. Several times in scripture we see his quick temper boil to the surface. Remember, just a few weeks before this Peter cut off a soldier's ear as they came for Jesus. If Peter had attempted to handle this persecution himself it would have probably been a disaster. The key to him persevering in the midst of this persecution is found in verse 8 - Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost,
When trouble comes we want to take control of the situation. We want to fix things. When we do this we often make things worse. Many times when we face persecution, we want revenge. Let us not forget that the Lord said that "vengeance is His". So in order to persevere in the midst of persecution, we must look to Him. We must seek the answers in His Word, we must follow the direction of the Holy Spirit and we must trust God to see us through. Peter & John trusted God and God saw them through!
- During this time of trouble the followers of Christ were faced with the opportunity to compromise what they believed. When troubles arise in our lives and in this church, we may be tempted to give up or to compromise. As we move further let us consider:
III. THE TEST THAT WE MUST ENDURE v13-22
When persecution comes we will be tested. Here is the test that we will face... will we compromise or will we be courageous and continue to move forward for Christ?
The religious leaders who questioned Peter and John were amazed when they saw their boldness (v13) They realized that these were common ordinary men. They also recognized that these were men who had been with Jesus. Also, they could not deny that a miracle had taken place. After conferring among themselves they decided to threaten Peter and John.
Verse 17 says that they commanded them to "speak henceforth to no man in this name 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus."
At this point Peter and John had a choice to make. They could obey the religious leaders and be in opposition to God. Or they could obey God and be in opposition to the religious leaders.
Let me put the danger they were facing in perspective.... they were standing before the very men who had been instrumental crucifying Jesus. They did not know what the consequences would be if they refused to obey the command that had been handed down. But they were bold, courageous and they trusted God. Listen to what they said to their oppressors - v19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. - Guess what...THEY PASSED THE TEST!
Think back to the 3 Hebrew Children who refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's idol. They did not know what the consequences of their boldness would be. They knew that death was a very real possibility. But when given the chance to compromise they boldly said - Daniel 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
These men passed the test as well....They did not compromise.
History records the stories of many others who refused to compromise in the face of severe persecution. Let it be noted that not all were delivered. Multitudes of Christians have given their lives rather than compromise and deny Christ. This does not mean that they failed the test. Actually they received the ultimate reward!!
We have already established the fact that trouble will come. The question is... how will you respond? Will you compromise or will you continue? Would you be courageous enough to follow Christ if it brought you financial loss? Would you be courageous enough to follow Christ if it caused you physical pain? Would you be courageous enough to follow Christ if it cost you your life?
Not long ago I heard someone say "Don't say that you are willing to die for Christ if you are not even willing to live for Him!".
Jesus said in - Luke 9:23 " If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me".
- When faced with the decision to compromise or to continue... will you pass the test? If you will be bold and courageous, you see the results of your faithfulness! The leads us to the last factor concerning persevering in the midst of persecution that I would like to consider:
IV. The Triumph That We Can Experience - v21-22
The religious rulers threatened the Apostles once more and then let them go. They still were opposed to them but they could not deny what was happening in their midst. v21 says that "all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed."
Peter and John were released and they continued on the mission that had been assigned to them. And the success continued. Multitudes of people heard the good news of Jesus Christ because of these men. And ultimately God was glorified through their work. But throughout the rest of their lives these men suffered great persecution because of their stand for Christ. John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. Peter was eventually crucified. Even still, they continued to persevere until the end. We will face times of trouble when we serve Christ.
Our church will be attacked when we faithfully do what we have been called to do. We will face trouble from without and from within. Remember this, Peter and John were attacked after a great victory and that is exactly when Satan will seek to cause us harm. Progress brings persecution and sometimes that persecution is severe.
When troubles comes we must trust God. When we are tested we must be courageous And if we do we can experience a great triumph!
Young William Wilberforce was discouraged one night in the early 1790s after another defeat in his 10 year battle against the slave trade in England. Tired and frustrated, he opened his Bible and began to leaf through it. A small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. It was a letter written by John Wesley shortly before his death. Wilberforce read it again: "Unless the divine power has raised you up... I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that (abominable practice of slavery), which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might."Daily Bread, June 16, 1989.
Church, let us plant our feet... let us be steadfast and unmovable... let us move forward for Christ! Let us do what it takes to "Persevere In The Midst Of Persecution".
