PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS: HARASSED FOR JESUS
ILLUSTRATION:
In His book, Lords of the Earth, Don Richardson, author of PEACE CHILD, tells the story of Stanley Dale, a MISSIONARY to the Yali Tribe deep in the Irian Jaya JUNGLE of Indonesia in 1968. The Yali, being HEADHUNTERS and CANNIBALS, were steeped in an incredible RELIGION. They had little pieces of GROUND they believed to be so SACRED that if even a BABY happened to crawl onto one of them, it was DESECRATED and the whole village would be CURSED. In such cases, they would take the BABY and throw it off a CLIFF into the RAPIDS of
the RIVER that ran near their village.
If anyone said anything against the RELIGIOUS SYSTEM, he was SLAUGHTERED on the spot. There could be no REBELLION, no CHANGE, no QUESTIONING, no possibility of ALTERING anything. The Yali warriors called themselves “The Lords of the Earth.”
Into this difficult situation came Stanley Dale, a little, undaunted, bandy-legged Australian. He came to the Yali to teach them about Christ, and he brought with him his wife and five children.
I’ll read you the portion of Richardson’s book that describes what happened to him:
A priest of Kembu named Bereway slipped around behind Stan and, at point blank range, shot an arrow in under his upraised arm. Another priest, Bunu, shot a bamboo bladed shaft
into Stan’s back, just below the right shoulder.
As the arrows entered his flesh, Stan pulled them out, one by one, broke them, and cast them away. Dozens of them were coming at him from all directions. He kept pulling them out, breaking them, and dropping them at his feet until he could not keep ahead of them. Nalimo
reached the scene after some thirty arrows had found their mark in Stan’s body.
Stan faced his enemies, steady and unwavering except for the jolt of each new strike...
Fifty arrows - sixty! Red ribbons of blood trailed from the many wounds, but still Stan stood his ground. Nalimo saw that he was not alone in his fear. The attack had begun with hilarity, but now the warriors shot their arrows with desperation bordering on panic because
Stan refused to fall...
“FALL!” they screamed at Stan. “DIE!” It was almost a plea— “PLEASE DIE”!
A. We’ll talk about the ULTIMATE FATE of Stan Dale a little later in this message.
1. I tell you the story in order to bring fresh into your mind this fact: It isn’t always easy to be a Christian.
COMMENT:
We know that—but PERSECUTION?! No one is PERSECUTED today for being a Christian, are they? Nina Shea gives evidence in her book, In The Lion’s Den, that more FOLLOWERS of Christ around the world have been MARTYRED for their FAITH in the last CENTURY alone than in the previous nineteen centuries of the church’s history COMBINED. In many COUNTRIES
today it is a CRIME to be a Christian—PUNISHABLE by DEATH.
2. Christianity is a HATED RELIGION, not only by people in other parts of the WORLD but even by many Americas—including some who are currently serving in the highest offices of our government.
B. Jesus told his disciples- “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first”- John 15:18.
1. Jesus wants us to know that FOLLOWING Him is not always EASY—but it’s always WORTH IT!
2. We may be LIED ABOUT, GOSSIPED ABOUT, RIDICULED, TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF, and THREATENED because of our FAITH in Christ, but no matter what we go through we know that Jesus has been there FIRST—He SUFFERED for US.
COMMENT:
Since Christianity is the most HATED RELIGION in the world today, the words of Jesus presented in this BEATITUDE are as RELEVANT in 2024 as they were when He spoke them
almost 2,000 years ago. Listen to Jesus- Matthew 5:10-12 (READ and COMMENT)
With these words Jesus EXPLODES the MYTH that, in order to be TRULY HAPPY we
must be LIKED by EVERYONE.
If you are a FOLLOWER of Jesus striving to be CHARACTERIZED by the first seven beatitudes that we’ve been studying for the past several weeks, that’s just not going to HAPPEN. Even being PEACEMAKERS does not PREVENT us from being PERSECUTED. We will be HATED by somebody. …Some of you have already EXPERIENCED that in some very
HURTFUL WAYS.
MESSAGE:
I. PERSECUTION WILL COME TO THOSE WHO LOVE AND STAND UP FOR JESUS
A. Jesus makes this statement about PERSECUTION very PERSONAL to His HEARERS.
1. He begins by speaking generally: “Blessed are THOSE who are PERSECUTED,” but then
quickly personalizes it by saying, “Blessed are YOU . . .”
a. Jesus knows that those who take a STAND for Him will be PERSECUTED in some way.
b. In fact, Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:12- “. . . everyone who wants to live a GODLY LIFE in
Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (Not maybe, perhaps, a good possibility, but “will be.”)
COMMENT:
In America, it’s difficult for us to RELATE to the words of Jesus and Paul. We look at our FREEDOM of RELIGION that our CONSTITUTION provides and think, “I’ve never been IMPRISONED for my FAITH in Jesus as the Son of God. I’ve never been PHYSICALLY ABUSED or TORTURED for FOLLOWING after Christ. I don’t know anybody personally who has been EXECUTED because of their LOVE for Jesus.”
2. It’s interesting that, although PERSECUTION can and does include PHYSICAL ABUSE and even DEATH, Jesus specifically talks about “INSULTS directed toward us and LIES told
about us because of Him.”
a. Have you ever been INSULTED because of Jesus?
ILLUSTRATION:
Kids at school made FUN of you for not PARTICIPATING in some of their
ACTIVITIES because of your LOVE for Jesus.
Your PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR in college BELITTLED you in front of the entire
CLASS because you WORE a CROSS around your NECK.
Your UNBELIEVING SPOUSE may TOLERATE your FAITH in Christ, but often RIDICULES you for ATTENDING WORSHIP, READING your Bible, and PRAYING at
the dinner table.
b. Have you ever had LIES told about you because of Jesus?
ILLUSTRATION:
On the JOB a co-worker makes FALSE REPORTS about you, simply because you openly
talk about your FAITH in Christ.
A guy from SCHOOL goes around telling all of your FRIENDS that you had SEX with him, because you made him ANGRY when you REFUSED.
B. Living the CHRISTIAN LIFE is a THREAT to many people.
1. It is interesting to me, that in our SOCIETY and especially on SECULAR CAMPUSES today, the ONLY group of people left (other than Jews since the Israel/Hamas war started), who are FAIR GAME for REJECTION who may be INSULTED without any PROTEST, who have their RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS under constant SCRUTINY, are people who live their lives
with an outspoken COMMITMENT to Jesus Christ.
a. Every other RELIGION, ETHNIC GROUP, and other CATEGORY of people are welcomed as part of the MULTICULTURAL environment, but Christians who take Jesus SERIOUSLY are RIDICULED, MISTREATED, and MISUNDERSTOOD.
b. The ASSUMPTION is that because we walk a NARROW ROAD—we are NARROW- MINDED. Because we live LIFE with a CLEAR PURPOSE—we are ARROGANT. And because we take a STAND against SIN—we are BIGOTS and we hate SINNERS.
2. We see it HAPPENING all around us.
a. Christian BUSINESS OWNERS have been BOYCOTTED and LOST their BUSINESSES because of their STANCE against HOMOSEXUALITY that the Bible clearly CONDEMNS.
b. Christian SCHOOL TEACHERS have been SUSPENDED and even FIRED because of their REFUSAL to use certain PRONOUNS to describe a child BORN one GENDER as being the opposite GENDER
c. Christian PARENTS have had their children taken away by the State, even here in Indiana, because they refused to RECOGNIZE their CHILD as being another SEX from what is INDICATED on their BIRTH CERTIFICATE and wouldn’t ALLOW them to go through SEX-CHANGE procedures.
COMMENT:
YES, those who want to “live GODLY LIVES are still being PERSECUTED”, even here in the United States of America—the nation FOUNDED on RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
II. YET, OUR RESPONSE TO PERSECUTION . . . IS REJOICING
A. Jesus said that we should “REJOICE and BE GLAD.” Quite a statement, isn’t it?
1. That’s what the APOSTLES did after being THROWN into PRISON and severely BEATEN for PREACHING Jesus: “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Jesus)”- Acts 5:41.
COMMENT:
Does that mean they ENJOYED being BEATEN? (ILLUSTRATE by leaning against the pulpit and saying, “That feels good. A little lower. Yea, that’s the spot.)
2. Persecution itself doesn’t make us HAPPY. Persecution is DIFFICULT. It’s HARD. It
HURTS—whether PHYSICALLY, VERBALLY or EMOTIONALLY.
COMMENT:
Why the apostles REJOICED is because they were willing to STAND UP for Jesus even when it HURTS—even when it’s HARD. It would have been so much easier on them to DENY
Jesus as the Christ and WALK AWAY, but they TOOK it because of their LOVE for Him.
They went home and very DELICATELY TREATED their WOUNDS, but their HEARTS were REJOICING.
B. When you are INSULTED and RIDICULED, LIED and GOSSIPED about because of Jesus,
REJOICE and be GLAD because you have been “found worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name.”
1. When you are HARASSED for your FAITH in Jesus, IT MEANS THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST
CAN BE SEEN IN YOUR LIFE.
a. 1 Peter 4:12-14 (READ and COMMENT)
COMMENT:
Satan and his BUNCH will do all that they can to DISCOURAGE Christians from living the LIFE of Christ. They will bring HEARTACHE & SUFFERING and VERBAL & PHYSICAL ATTACKS upon us . . . so we might as well EXPECT them.
b. But what is not EXPECTED from those who ATTACK us—is our REJOICING.
2. I know it’s NOT EASY when people INSULT us and LIE about us because of Jesus.
COMMENT:
I’ve been there, and it HURTS. Yet, if we are living the LIFE of Jesus, PERSECUTION will come—sometimes even from WELL-MEANING PEOPLE who should know better—sometimes even from our own BROTHERS and SISTERS in Christ who still don’t understand the GRACE of God.
Be READY for it. EXPECT it. And, when it comes, remember that they did the same to your MASTER. You’re not out of place. You are standing right where He stood. But never LOSE HEART, because our REWARD in HEAVEN is great.
CONCLUSION:
A. ….Oh, yes, the story of Stanley Dale, the MISSIONARY to the Yali Headhunters.
ILLUSTRATION:
As Stan Dale took ARROW after ARROW into his body, a second missionary appeared on the scene—American Phil Masters (NEWSPAPER ARTICLE of Phil Masters and his family as they arrived in the jungles of Irian Jaya). Don Richardson's book tells the rest of the story:
Yemu did not hear Phil say anything to the warriors as they aimed their arrows at him. Phil made no attempt to flee or struggle. He had faced danger many times but never certain death. But Stan had showed him how to face it if he needed an example. That example could hardly have been followed with greater courage.
Once again, it was Bereway who shot the first arrow. It took almost as many arrows to down Phil as it had Stan.
Yemu and three of the Yali tribesmen waited until they knew Phil was too badly wounded to survive...
At the sight of the killings, after both missionaries had fallen on the stony beach, the Yali dragged their battered bodies away from the stones and placed each of them in separate forest alcoves, overhung with boughs... Bunu, moved with fear, beheaded Stan and Phil.
B. Now, I know someone is thinking, “That was a HORRIBLE story! Why did you tell it?”
1. Most of us probably expected it to have a HAPPY ENDING. (We expect that of stories. The HEROES should always WIN, right?)
2. Well, there is a HAPPY ENDING, even though these two COURAGEOUS Christian men ended up
GIVING their LIVES for their FAITH.
a. You see, as a direct RESULT of Stanley Dale and Phil Masters willingness to DIE for their
FAITH, the Yali PEOPLE don’t gather around to eat MISSIONARIES anymore.
COMMENT:
Many of the CHILDREN and GRANDCHILDREN of the very TRIBESMEN who took the LIVES of Stan and Phil now gather around the LORD’S TABLE.
Under the sponsorship of World Bible, Yali Christian leaders have TRANSLATED the entire Bible into their own LANGUAGE.
b. And what of Stan and Phil? Where is the GOOD in their DEATHS? What did they GET OUT OF it for their ULTIMATE SACRIFICE?
COMMENT:
They, like all others PERSECUTED for RIGHTEOUSNESS before them, got the PROMISE of their Master: “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven...”
C. Are you being PERSECUTED?
THE DEVIL IS BEHIND EVERY PERSECUTION
