Monday, June 22, 2020

Sermon - Pentecost 3 - Matthew 10:21-33

Sometimes the Gospel doesn’t sound exactly like good news.  “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”  This is the gospel of the Lord!  Thanks be to God?

As I mentioned last week, these two readings go together as Jesus is preparing his disciples to go out and preach.  He gives them a message, he gives them authority, and he sends them out in pairs to labor in the harvest, which he promises is plentiful.  But in this following reading, he also warns them about the opposition they are sure to face.  And the warning has broader application.  It is first for the apostles, but yes, it is also for all Christians. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ has some tough words for us this morning.  Some stark reality.  A bit of a “red pill” to use a neologism.  Being a Christian means persecution.  It means suffering.  It means the hatred of the world will be directed at you.  He doesn’t sugar coat it.  And neither should we.

A servant is no greater than his master.  If they call him the Father of lies, what will they call you? If they hate and revile and mistreat and even crucify him, don’t think they won’t do the same to you. 

But he also has some strong words of comfort and encouragement to help this medicine go down.  Fear not, Christian!  For the persecution that is sure to come - isn’t the end of the story…

I ran across a website that describes and tracks the persecution of Christians throughout the world, and they shared these typical scenarios:

A woman in India watches as her sister is dragged off by Hindu nationalists. She doesn’t know if her sister is alive or dead.

A man in a North Korean prison camp is shaken awake after being beaten unconscious; the beatings begin again.

A woman in Nigeria runs for her life. She has escaped from Boko Haram, who kidnapped her. She is pregnant, and when she returns home, her community will reject her and her baby.

A group of children are laughing and talking as they come down to their church’s sanctuary after eating together. Instantly, many of them are killed by a bomb blast. It’s Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka.

According to the same website, in the last year:

  • Over 260 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution
  • 2,983 Christians killed for their faith
  • 9,488 churches and other Christian buildings attacked.
  • 3,711 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned

(https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/)

We see these things happening (if we are willing to look), and it merely confirms what Jesus teachers here.  And that we don’t, at least not yet, see things like this in our own “land of the free and home of the brave” – well, the relative peace and calm we Christians in America have enjoyed is somewhat of an exception.  No Christian I know has the ability to predict the future, there are certainly some ominous signs for us lately. Are your eyebrows raised yet?

The public square becomes ever more hostile to a Scriptural worldview.  The laws of our land seem to ensconce ever more immorality.  Many Christians are afraid to speak up for fear of losing face, losing a job, or even being sued. You may even be afraid to be known as a Christian, to hold positions that the Bible clearly teaches, or even to mention the name of Jesus in certain circles or particular places.

It’s not just the public square, however, it can even divide the family.  Jesus says “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death”

So what do we do?  Retreat?  Run off to a cave like Elijah?  Crawl into a hole and die? No, Jesus tells us what to do.  And in his command, there is also a message of hope for the persecuted Christian.  He says “fear not”.

Fear not.  It is the most common command in all of Scripture.  Fear not.  Spoken by many an angel, and here, in this reading, on the lips of our Lord 3 times:  fear not.  Do not fear the world.  Do not fear the persecution.  Do not fear those who are out to get you.  The most they can do is destroy the body.  It would be better to fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell – that’s God.  The God who wants not only our fear, but also our love and trust.

Fear not – for he cares even for the sparrow.  And if the life of a sparrow matters to God, then certainly also the least and frailest among us matter.  And certainly also those who suffer for righteousness’ sake matter.  If he has count of even the hairs on your head, then you think he won’t notice your suffering?  The all-knowing and all-powerful God is your Father, and he means you good.  You think he won’t sustain you, be with you, and carry you through?  He will.

And what’s the worst that can happen to you?  Not that they kill you – for he will raise you up.  Not that they can humiliate you, for he will vindicate you.  Take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife.  Let these all be gone, the kingdom ours remaineth.

Confess Christ.  Confess him before men, and he will confess you before the Father.  We confess Christ when we believe in him – believe in your heart and confess with your lips in Christ crucified for sinners.

Trusting Christ crucified is the precise antidote for fear.  If Christ is not your savior, if his blood is not shed for you, if your sins are not forgiven, if Christ has not been raised… well then you have every good reason to fear, both now and hereafter.  But Christ has been raised.  His blood was shed.  His life was given in your place.  And your sins are forgiven.  You have no reason to fear.  So fear not.  Fear not what God will do to you – for you are in Christ.  And fear not what man can do to you – for even if you die, yet shall you live!

The fact that Jesus warns his disciples of persecution is really a comfort.  Imagine if he didn’t warn us.  Imagine if he made it seem like Christianity would always be a walk in the park – your best life now – the magic wand that makes all your troubles go bye-bye.  And then trouble comes.  You’d think him a liar. You’d wonder whether God cared, or had any power to save at all.

But that he warns you ahead of time – is a comfort.  That he knows you will meet resistance, and suffer, and maybe even die at the hands of wicked men – means you can trust him at his word, and have no fear.

This is why Jesus can say blessed are you when they persecute you.  This is how Paul can explain that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope, and hope does not put us to shame.  This is why faith clings to Christ, and even grows, in the midst of tribulations in this world.  Because faith trusts in Christ, and Christ has promised us a future beyond the suffering and persecution, a hope even beyond the grave.

Being a Christian is both easy and hard.  It’s easy in the sense that we have nothing to do, but believe, and we are saved.  All the heavy-lifting is done by Jesus at the cross.  It’s as easy for us as receiving a gift.  But it’s also hard, in that persecutions are sure to come.  It’s hard as we struggle against the wicked world, and of course also the devil and our own sinful flesh.  It’s hard in that there is suffering, there are crosses, and this side of heaven, we have to be ready for it all.

But fear not.  For Christ is with you, even if and when you are persecuted.  Fear not, for his word is always and ever true.  Fear not, for he has redeemed you, he has called you by name, you are his.  Fear not, little flock, but rather trust the Good Shepherd, who will get you out of this valley of the shadow of death and bring you to his good pastures.  Persecution is temporary but with Christ, the blessings are eternal.

Thanks be to God, in Jesus Christ our Lord.


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