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.
The disciples were not greater than their Master, and they could not expect to be treated any better either. So for them persecution was unavoidable.
Jesus was falsely accused of doing the work for the devil, so His disciples also would be accused, by association.
Jesus told the disciples not to fear, but to proclaim the Gospel in the face of this persecution, because God’s truth would be revealed.
You know, Jesus said that even family members would hate us for our faith. He warned the them to be despised.
John 7:1-9
Jesus’ Brothers Disbelieve
7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the [a]Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not [b]yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.” 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
So if you, too, have been rejected by family members for your beliefs, you’re in good company! And by the way, I also went through some of that early in my walk, and almost every member of my family now believes. We got a few stragglers, but we’re all tag-teaming them so honestly, they don’t stand a chance!
Jesus did not downplay the cost of following him. We live in a brazenly evil world, which hates the name of Jesus, for whose name we will also be hated. Those who oppose Christ will despise those who follow him– they are like wolves, wanting to devour and destroy all that represents Jesus. We must be harmless and peaceful. We know their relentless hate has led to the bombing of churches and the terrorizing and slaughtering of Christians in China, the Middle East and Africa. In the U.S., evil has risen up against prayer in Jesus Name, forbidding military member sfrom sharing their faith, the court ordered removal of statues and paintings of Christ, and even covered crosses ON CHURCHES as well as at political events. Jesus continues to face false accusations. Modern day persecutors deny his divinity, which is to call Him a liar. If Our Lord is called a liar, then we, too, as his servants will be called liars. The sword Christ brought to the world continues to divide we who accept His sacrifice and believe in Him from those who reject Him in favor of sin and a worldly lifestyle. The people are different, but the spirit behind the persecution is the same.
In the midst of these events, we as Christians cannot abandon the Gospel, or deny Jesus. He must increase and we must decrease – we must continue to witness that those who are lost have a chance to believe. He wills that we follow His example of being bold but blameless. We must set our hearts to endure, and not fear the persecution of men but the judgment of God.
There can be NO COMPROMISE in this battle!
via The Book: Matthew 10:16-42: Jesus warns about Persecution.
John 15:18-19
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
What are some different ways people answer persecution?
Peter's denial of Jesus (but he got it right in the end, yall!)
Paul and Silas sang praises to bring light into a dark prison. All the other prisoners heard them – what a witness!
the young man in a linen cloth near Jesus ran away when persecution showed up:
Mark 14:48-52
New King James Version
48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
50 Then they all forsook Him and fled.
A Young Man Flees Naked
51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.
And I don’t think his physical nakedness was nearly as much a problem as his SPIRITUAL NAKEDNESS. He was trying to learn about Jesus, and his learning was cut short. When he saw the disciples take off, HE RAN, TOO!
Three Hebrew men said Whatever. We know our God.
Stephen... witnessed that he saw God in heaven and Jesus beside Him – and then prayed Father forgive them
Jesus... was both bold AND blameless. He did not even cry out when they physically persecuted Him.
We have talked about only a few of the Martyrs throughout history.
What will Our response be to persecution in this hour?
Denial... Many Christians are in total denial about what is coming in these end times. I am more than a little concerned that those who believe that way. If they only know the Butterflies and Daisies side of Jesus, when they see so much bad happening, I am concerned they are going to abandon their faith when the end times don’t go according to their plans.
Our Father God is like any loving father. He prefers obedience to discipline, mercy to judgment, but disobedience will be answered with judgment if we do not turn from our wickedness.
Will you Accept that most likely you are going to be persecuted and maybe even martyred and prepare? Oh and by the way, my friend called me today and said some guy is telling everyone that if they get a 5g phone they will be martyred. Ugh. NO. You’re not martyred for what phone you buy. People are martyred when THEY REFUSE TO DENY THE TRUTH OF JESUS CHRIST. Period.
Will you Fight back. Against God??? - and if you do, do you REALLY think you’re gonna win that fight?
Daniel 3:16-18 - Abshach, Meshach & Abednego and the fiery furnace. Abshach, Meshach & Abendego were going to be thrown into a fiery furnace that was so hot it killed the guards who carried them up (Daniel 3:22). I LOVE their response to King Nebuchadnezzar when he questioned them about bowing down to his statue!
Daniel 3:16-18
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
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.
Okay, I forgot where I found this list online, I think I found it on OpenDoors. It may have been on Voice of the Martyrs or one of those sites. This is a list of the people who were persecuted in the Bible. I think it might be a complete list but it may not be. Anyway, it’s a very informative list.
Joseph
As a child Joseph is thrown down a well, exported to a foreign land, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape, and forgotten in prison. All of this lasts for 17 years, and the unspoken question in all this is “where is God? Why is he letting this happen?”
If Job taught that God will reward faithfulness, Joseph’s story shows that God will use the specific details of our suffering and use it to redeem his people. The administrative gifts and cultural awareness Joseph develops while imprisoned become vital to God using him to feed the Hebrew people during a famine.
David
King Saul pursued him, threatened his life, and on several occasions tried to kill him out of jealousy, and as a result of God’s choosing David to be the next anointed king.
Elijah
Both Ahab and Jezebel threatened his life and pursued him, all because he exposed their sinfulness and proclaimed the word of God (e.g., 1 Kings 19:1–3).
Micaiah
This prophet declared to the kings of Israel and Judah the word of the Lord, and was then arrested and imprisoned for it (1 Kings 22).
Hanani
He prophesied to King Asa and was imprisoned for it (2 Chronicles 16:7–10).
Zechariah, son of Jehoiada
For prophesying about the sin of Judah he was attacked in the Temple courtyard and stoned to death (2 Chronicles 24:17–22).
Uriah
During the time of Jeremiah there was a prophet who spoke the word of the Lord against Jehoiakim, king of Judah. The king threatened his life, so he fled to Egypt. Jehoiakim had him captured and brought back to Jerusalem, where he was executed (Jeremiah 26:20–23).
Jeremiah
The prophet Jeremiah, prompted by a God-given “fire shut up in his bones” is compelled to speak truth to a corrupt religious culture around him. In exchange Jeremiah is rejected, mocked, put in stocks, and thrown down a well. His story is the story of millions of faithful Christians throughout the years who have lost everything for faithfully speaking the message of Jesus.
But the lesson of Jeremiah’s persecution goes one step further: in chapter 20 of his book, Jeremiah accuses God of having basically forced himself on Jeremiah. That he was deceived, seduced and taken advantage of. The original language is shockingly brutal.
John
John the Baptist spoke truth to power, calling out the king for immorality, and because of this boldness rotted in prison, questioned whether Jesus was truly the Messiah, then was decapitated when the king promised his daughter any request after she danced seductively for him and his friends. If you read this story here on the Open Doors site, and that was the end, you would think it was a horrible, senseless tragedy.
And yet that’s not how we look at John the Baptist’s life at all. We think of him as one of the great heroes of the faith who paved the way for Jesus himself.
Sometimes the stories of the persecuted end tragically, but that doesn’t mean they are not pointing the way to Jesus. Sometimes it takes time for us to see how God works “all things together for good.”
Jesus
We are told that when God became flesh that he was “a man of sorrows” and “acquainted with grief.”
Jesus was rejected by members of his own family, endured the shame of his hometown community who gossiped about his “illegitimacy,” was hated by the religious leaders of his day, betrayed by friends, falsely accused, beaten, and tortured to death. And again, this was the path of the incarnate God, one he chose and willingly endured.
What a beautiful message for our persecuted family around the world, to remember that whatever path of suffering they are walking, the footsteps of their savior go before them, leading them on, and that through the Holy Spirit Jesus is also there with them, encouraging them, giving them strength, saying “me too.”
And what a powerful message for those of us blessed to live a life of relative comfort to remember as well: the path of Jesus is a path of suffering and sacrifice.
• Followers of Jesus should not be surprised or caught off guard by suffering (1 Peter 4:12).
• We need to endure suffering without compromising their integrity (2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Peter 2:19).
• They must love their persecutors and pray for their welfare (Matt. 5:43–47).
• It will help us to learn, and to remember as this time progresses:
• We cannot take revenge (Rom. 12:14–21).
• We must trust God as we suffer, and continue doing good (1 Peter 4:19).
• We need to remember we suffer so we can be a comfort to others who suffer (2 Cor. 1:3–7).
• No matter what, we must keep our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:1–3).
• We need to do our best to rejoice. I have failed at this more than once, but I have found it gets easier the sooner we see we are going Home. Just remember you are making Him proud, that helps a lot. “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:13).
• We dont rejoice in suffering because we enjoy pain, but because Jesus is so worthy that we take delight in being identified with him. All suffering is temporary. It isn’t worth comparing with the glory that awaits us (2 Cor. 4:16). In that place of glory, all pain and suffering will be gone forever (Rev. 21:4).
Instead of saying Why me when persecution arises against us, we should be saying Why NOT me??? ESPECIALLY to persecution because persecution is actually a sign of REAL BELIEF, yall. They don’t persecute those whose lives hold no evidence of their belief!
IN FACT, if all the believers you know are suddenly getting persecuted and the persecutors are leaving YOU alone, YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED that there wasn’t enough evidence of your faith for them to bother with you!!! Can I just say that.
Just because we are Christians who love the Lord, who try to do everything right, who go to church on Sundays and always pay our tithes does not mean nothing bad will ever happen to us. In fact, it actually guarantees satan will always be hot on our heels in pursuit, watching for his chance to land a direct hit if we slip up even a little bit. It guarantees we will be persecuted, that we will be PURSUED WITH THE INTENTION TO DO HARM TO US. All those who live godly in Christ Jesus WILL suffer persecution.
Another thing we should remember is persecution does NOT mean the Lord does not love us. He has warned us in His Word that the world would hate us, and it does. In this time when it is so common for people to call evil good and good evil, the question isn’t Will we suffer persecution.
The question is HOW WILL WE ANSWER WHEN WE ARE PERSECUTED. The question is What will happen to our faith WHEN we are persecuted. THIS is what I want yall to be thinking about!
Will we….
• Be in denial? WILL WE DENY JESUS TO SAVE OUR TEMPORARY HIDES ANOTHER DAY??? OR TO OBTAIN A BOWL OF PORRIDGE?
• Put up a fight?
• Praise God in spite of it? Will we be like Stephen and glorify God with our praises and our words and
• WILL WE remember to ask the Lord to forgive our attackers? Knowing without Jesus, they have no earthly idea what they are doing? What destruction they are bringing down on their own heads?
Will we be like faithful Job?
15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. - Job 13:!5
Or will we run from it. IF YOU RUN like the young man in the linen cloth? IF YOU RUN, where do you think you’re going to go?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. (John 6:68)
WHERE are you going to run to??? There IS no place to run but to the Rock of our Salvation.
Let’s look at some well known victims of EXTREME PERSECUTION in the Bible and let us remember THAT WE ARE NO BETTER THAN THEM – THEY WERE NOT EXEMPTED FROM IT, AND IT IS LIKELY WE WON’T BE EITHER.
Daniel, 3 Hebrew Men, Stephen, Jesus
HOW WILL YOU ANSWER??? –
I’ve been working on my answer.
1. If I am imprisoned, I will preach the gospel and glorify my God to everyone around me.
2. If I am standing somewhere waiting to be killed in public, I will preach the gospel and glorify my God to everyone around me. Notice I said I will PREACH because I can’t hold a tune to sing. Although THAT might be fun to aggravate my persecutors with – singing OFF KEY - LOLOLOLOL
3. I am asking the Lord for this!!! My viewpoint is this, IF I end up being martyred, I am asking Him to #1 - save whoever kills me. And if I’m beheaded, I want my body to pick up my severed head and follow them around giving them words of knowledge, prophesying to them and PREACHING A SERMON TO THEM THAT THEY NEED JESUS !!!!!!!!! LOLOLOLOL
4. So that’s my plan so far!
Even the most difficult of circumstances is easier to face if you have a plan.
Lets have a prayer before I close this.
Precious King Jesus, we honor Your Holy Name today. Lord God, Your people desire to honor you in all we do. We know persecution is on the rise and You have told us in these end times You will not always be able to answer our prayers to make something unpleasant stop.
Lord God, we ask You to help us to be bold witnesses who walk blameless before You in this time. We ask You would strengthen us with Your mighty strength and courage to face whatever comes in the sure knowledge of You and without denying You and in a way that witnesses to all those who see or hear of our persecution. May You touch those who persecute us with Your great love while helping us to walk in it. Help us, Lord, to endure to the end so we can spend eternity in heaven with You! May our soft answer be amen and Hallelujah to the Lamb of God now and always. We pray in the mighty Name of our precious Savior Jesus. Amen.
A song to help you endure – Even If by Mercy Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6fA35Ved-Y
