Preparation for Opposition

Transcript

GR 399
5/3/1981
Preparation for Opposition
John 16:1-7
Gil Rugh

John chapter 16 in your Bibles. John’s Gospel and the 16th chapter. We come to the beginning of a new chapter in John this morning, but not a change in material. Up in verse 18 of chapter 15, Jesus began to talk with the disciples about the opposition, the hatred, the persecution, and the suffering that they would experience and continues on that theme down into chapter 16. That with His departure, the blunt of opposition and hatred will be directed towards them as His disciples. Up in verse 18, He assures them of the world’s hatred. Verse 18 of chapter 15 began, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you." And we noted that does not imply a question or a doubt that maybe it will and maybe it won’t, but it assumes a fact in reality. If the world hates you, and it does is the idea. In other words, those who are followers of Jesus Christ are the objects of the world’s hatred. The reason being, after the explanation in verse 18 that the world has hated Christ first, the reasons in verse 19, "We are not of the world." The world loves its own. The word for love there denotes a family love and affection—the phileo love. The world does have that family love, family affection for its own kind, for others of the world. But we have been chosen out of the world by Christ. Therefore, the world hates us because we are no longer part of the world and the world system.

Verse 20. We can expect to be treated as Christ was treated. Those who responded and believed the word of Christ will respond and believe our word. Those who rejected the word of Christ will reject the word of His disciples. This inseparable link will be emphasized repeatedly—that the way people respond to Christ is the way they will respond to the followers of Christ.
We are inseparably joined in our relationship to Him.

Their actions, in verse 21, flow out of ignorance of God and His son, Jesus Christ. "They will do these things to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me." Ignorance of God. And as we're going to see in chapter 16 in a moment, that the persecution will center in the people who are the most religious, but they are identified as the people who do not know God. In spite of being very religious.

In verses 22-25 of chapter 15, Christ emphasized that the hatred of the world is inexcusable. They had had the fullness of revelation give through the Son of God Himself, and they have rejected that revelation. They have responded with opposition and hatred. They are without excuse. There is no fuller revelation that could be given, and yet they still hate God.

He closes that chapter by drawing attention to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and we noted that this discussion on the opposition and hatred of the world is going to be broken by an emphasis on the ministry of the Spirit. And in verse 26 the Spirit, the Comforter, the Helper, that comes from the Father will bear witness of Me. The Spirit of God will carry on that ministry of testifying concerning Jesus Christ and then in verse 27, "and you will bear witness of Me." Focal point there is the disciples in particular. The apostles. They are the ones who are with Him from the beginning, and their testimony will continue after He is gone but by extension we will see this through the New Testament—that we who are His followers also bear witness of Him. We continue in that same pattern, that same mold, and you put the two together and the Spirit of God bears witness to Jesus Christ through the Word of God and through the proclamation of the Word of God by those who are the disciples or followers of Jesus Christ. That accounts for the opposition. Opposition is directed toward Jesus Christ, and you and I are accepted by and acceptable to the world except when we verify the fact that we are identified with Jesus Christ and we proclaim His message. Then we begin to experience the opposition and hatred of the world. As long as we are of the world, the world loves us; but when we become part of the kingdom of God, identified with Jesus, then we become the recipients and objects of the world’s hatred.

Now chapter 16 opens up with an explanation of why Christ is talking about these things. And it's a negative, a negative note. We are within hours of the betrayal. Just a brief time. Why would He spend this time talking about such negative things as hatred, persecution, rejection? Chapter 16 explains,
"These things I have spoken to you that you may be kept from stumbling." I am speaking these things to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. The world stumbling means to be caused to fall, to be offended, to stumble. We carry the word over into English with the word scandalize. It’s the Greek word scandalize. You can hear it—scandalize—but it's a little different connotation the way we use the word today. It means to cause to fall, to cause to sin, to stumble, to error from the way, to be offended—those kinds of ideas. Now Christ says, I'm speaking these things to you because I don't want you to stumble. I don't want you to be offended, to be led astray. In other words, Christ's concern is that He is about to leave and after He leaves the focal point of persecution and opposition will center on the disciples. Now He does not want them to be taken by surprise. He does not want them to be caused to turn from the proper path because they are confused with what is happening. We expected a positive reception. We expected acceptance of our message. Christ has warned them and prepared them.

Back in John chapter 6, verse 61, Jesus used this same word, stumble—to cause to scandalize, to stumble. Only two uses of this word in John's gospel— in our passage in chapter 16 and then back in chapter 6, verse 61. Jesus has been talking about Himself as the bread of life, eating His body, eating His flesh, drinking His blood. Verse 61, "Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, 'Does this cause you to stumble?"' Are you tripped up by this? Are you ensnared by this, entrapped by this? Interesting. This word was used as background of a stick that was used to prop open a trap, and then when an animal walked under the trap, he triggered the stick and the trap encompassed him and he was caught. He didn't want them to be ensnared. Does this cause you to stumble? Are you ensnared by what I have been saying? Note here—it's His teaching misunderstood and misapplied which caused His disciples to stumble, to be confused, to fall into error. He does not want this to happen.

Look at the use of this word back in the Book of Matthew. It has a broad usage—back in Matthew chapter 11. We want to see that believers ought not to be caused to stumble by the Word of God, but ignorance of the Word of God or misunderstanding of the Word of God often causes even believers to stumble, to be confused and thus led astray. In Matthew chapter 11, verse 6, "Blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me." We see that Jesus Christ becomes the issue in each of these verses we'll look at. To be offended or caused to stumble over Christ, that He is the problem, in effect. Christ says, "Blessed (happy) is the one who does not stumble over Me."

Chapter 13 of Matthew, verse 21. We have the parable of the soils and the different kinds of hearts depicted with the different kinds of soils—from the hard stony ground heart, that here is the Word of God and there is no receptiveness, down to the fertile ground—the person who hears and believes and responds. And in verse 20, "And the one on whom seed was sown (seed is the Word of God) on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away." That's our word—scandalidzo. Immediately he stumbles. He is offended. He's not ready to accept the opposition that is aroused by allegiance to the Word of God, so he falls away.

Matthew chapter 15. Interesting context here, it's going to be significant in the next passage we look at in John, that Christ has been teaching that when religion is not a matter of externals, that a person is not defiled by external things like the things that he eats. Note this because sometimes we Christians misuse some of the verses of Scripture. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I cannot primarily defile my body by what I eat. Defilement of the body is a spiritual matter. And that’s what Christ is emphasizing in the context in chapter 15. The Jews religion was a religion of externals, eat this, don't eat that, touch this, don't touch that. And they are offended when Christ says that's not the substance of true religion. And in verse 11 it says, "Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man." Parallel to the idea in Mark chapter 7—out of the heart proceeds all manner of wickedness. Then verse 12, "Then the disciples came and said to Him, 'Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?'" Not so different from today, is it? Ever talk to a very religious person and tell them that going through all those religious activities did not bring them into right relationship with God and they are very offended? Why? Christ becomes the offense. It's not what's going on externally that makes the difference. It's the internal, personal relationship, and what you are on the inside that is the determining factor. People are offended. That's our word in verse 12—scandalidzo, caused to stumble by this statement. By simply being told the truth regarding their relationship with God, they are offended.

Over in Matthew chapter 24—just a little bit of a word study on scandalidzo. Talking about the time of tribulation and persecution, and you note often in the context these verses it is persecution, it is opposition, it is suffering that causes people to stumble. And in chapter 24, verse 10, "At that time, many will fall away..." There's our word scandalidzo, stumble, to be offended.
"...and will betray one another and hate one another." Verse 9, "They will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name." Result of the persecution and opposition, many will fall away, be caused to stumble.

One more passage in Matthew—chapter 26. Incidentally, this verse is used in other places, I just limited it to Matthew for simplicity this morning. Matthew chapter 26, verse 31. ’’Then Jesus said to them, ’You will all fall away because of Me this night...’" Important context—same period of time as we have in John 16, the night of the betrayal. Now Jesus says, You will all fall away and there is our word. Now in chapter 16 of John, verse 1, Jesus says "These things I am speaking to you in order that you might not be caused to stumble," so that you might not be offended, so that you might not fall away. And yet that very night He tells them, Tonight you’re all going to be scandalized. You’re all going to stumble because of Me this night. You note again that the issue is Jesus Christ. Now here, the most intimate group, the disciples are going to stumble because of Christ tonight. "It is written,’I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. But Peter answered and said to Him, ’Even though all may fall away (and there’s our word, fall away—scandalidzo) I will never fall away.'" And there's our word again—fall away. Peter didn’t know himself very well. He had confidence in himself and it is misdirected. He will be offended.

A couple of other verses you might jot down. Romans chapter 9, verse 33. Jesus is called a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. In that verse it is the rock of offense—the word offense is the translation of the word scandalidzo. Another way it is translated is stumbling, so to keep them separate they translated it a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

First Peter 2:8 quotes the same verse. Christ is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense—the word offense again is the word scandalidzo. In other words, Jesus Christ is the issue and people stumble over Him. They are offended by Him, and He becomes the issue.

First Corinthians chapter 1, verse 23. "We preach Christ crucified..." You note it’s the preaching of Christ crucified. "...to Jews a stumbling block" and there is our word, scandalon here. This is the noun rather than the verb but it is the same word. To the Jews it is a stumbling block, to the Greeks it is foolishness. When the Jews were confronted with Christ the Messiah crucified, they stumbled. They were entrapped, ensnared. They couldn’t understand it. It confused them and they were led astray.

In Galatians chapter 5, verse 11. "But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision..." In other words, if he still preached the message of circumcision and that circumcision was necessary for salvation—as the Judaizers were saying—why am I still persecuted? "Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished." There is our word, stumbling block, scandalon of the cross. It has been abolished. You note, it is the preaching of Christ crucified. Salvation by faith in the finished work of Christ alone is the stumbling block to the world. Stumbling block to the religious people. The average Protestant, the average Catholic today is willing to say, Yes, believe in Christ crucified but they add to it a whole system of works. But Paul says they are removing the scandal of the cross because the offense of the cross is the preaching of Christ crucified alone for salvation. Not Christ plus your baptism. Not Christ plus your good works. Not Christ plus! Paul says as soon as you do that you have removed the offense of the cross. You simply have a system of works, and that is not offensive. You see what offends the world? Preaching salvation by faith in the finished work of Christ alone. And you preach that, you testify to that and you will be offensive to religious people, and the result will be hatred and rejection.

Come back to John 16. It is important to see here. He is speaking so that the disciples, the followers of Christ, not be caused to stumble. Many of the verses we looked at dealing with unbelievers stumbling over Christ and His works. But Christ is concerned that His followers not be confused and misled. And you’ll note the remedy for being confused is the Word of God. "These things I have spoken to you...” It is My Word. Why has He spoken it? The purpose? In order that "...you may be kept from stumbling." We mentioned earlier, many believers are confused, are led astray, stumble because of ignorance of the Scripture. Christ is saying, I am teaching you these things, I am telling you these things so when it happens you will say that’s just according to the Word of God. How many Christians get into a situation and they go into despair and depression. What is happening? Doesn't God love me? Is there no power in the Word of God any longer? What is wrong? What is wrong is that we are ignorant of what God has said. If you knew what God has said, we could say, Yes this is exactly what He said would happen. This is exactly what He told me would come about. And to be forewarned is to be forearmed!

So, regarding suffering and persecution, it ought not to throw us into a tail spin as believers. We are prepared for it by His Word. So His Word is what prepares me for suffering, rejection, opposition. Peter develops this idea. So I come to the Word and study it and I find that suffering is accomplishing God's purposes in bringing me to maturity and perfection. That in my suffering, I am privileged to be identified with Jesus Christ, and my suffering is, in effect, His suffering.

Let me read you from 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12. "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. But to the degree you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that even also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." That puts my rejection and suffering in a whole new light. He says that's glory for me. That's an evidence of the dwelling of the Spirit upon me. He says you are one that can be counted as happy. But many Christians share their testimony and they meet rejection and they are cast into despair, gloom, severe introspection. What did I do wrong? You come to the Word of God and find out, glory! We rejoice because of our identification with Him.

Back to John chapter 16. Verse 2 elaborates on this matter of persecution as to where it will come from. "They will make you outcasts from the synagogue; but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God." That opposition will center in religious people, casting you out of the synagogue. Excommunication from the synagogue. Hard for us to appreciate the impact of being excommunicated from the synagogue for a Jew in biblical times. They were cut off from everything and everyone. Family, friends, jobs, social activities. Everything! It is hard for us to appreciate that today. The persecution would come from those who are the most religious. And they would be sincere and super zealous in their rejection because they would view it—note the end of verse 2—as offering service to God. That word service is used often in the New Testament for sacrifice rendered to God. Religious service and worship. They would view the persecution, execution of Christians as a sacrifice offered to God. So they are very zealous about it. You note how totally confused and reversed they have become. That a person who is persecuting the people of God thinks he is doing it as a service to God. The person who is hating and rejecting God thinks he is doing it as service to God. There could be no more complete confusion than that. This persecution and rejection would center in those who are the most religious. It is borne out when you go to the Book of Acts and what do you find? The Jews being the source of persecution.

Look over in Acts at the Apostle Paul's testimony. It's the only one we'll look at. Acts chapter 26. Now it's important that we as believers grasp this in the 20th century. We are sometimes intimidated by the response of religious people to our testimony, particularly members of our own family or immediate friends. We felt the pressure applied when we contemplate changing from a church or leaving a religious affiliation, denomination or group because of the response that it will bring. But it is exactly what the Scripture says the response will be. We ought to expect it to be no other, and there are some people hanging on to those religious ties expecting that down the road it will cause less of a flap when they do leave. But people will never find Jesus Christ in the message of Jesus Christ crucified more palatable and acceptable.

In Acts chapter 26, verse 9, Paul is giving his testimony. "So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities." Note, Paul says he was consumed with his zeal. He thought he was serving God. He was calling upon them to speak against Jesus of Nazareth. You know what he says now? He was calling on them to blaspheme. He thought he was calling on them to submit to God! Now you know what he says he was doing? I was trying to make them blaspheme. I was totally and absolutely confused in my religious activity and service. This ought not to surprise us. All the way back to the man Cain. What happened? The first murder, Genesis chapter 4. What happened? It was over religious activities, was it not? Cain brought a sacrifice, Abel brought a sacrifice. God accepted one and rejected the other. What happened? The one in the false system, if we can use that term, with his false worship murdered the true worshipper. Why? Hebrews chapter 4, 1 John chapter 3. Because Abel’s deeds were more righteous than Cain's deeds so Cain could not stand it and so he killed him. The apostate church, Revelation chapter 17. Turn over there quickly. The apostate church will find its full blossom in the seven years of tribulation, the first 3h years of the Tribulation, but it is in operation now. It simply comes to the full flower during the first 3h years of the Tribulation. And note what Revelation 17 says about this apostate, harlot church. Verse 6 of Revelation 17, "And I saw the woman..." the woman there depicting the false religious system. "...drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus." Note. What has this apostate religious system been guilty of? Murdering the saints! Executing those, persecuting those who are a testimony to Jesus Christ! Very religious but very ungodly.

Turn back to Matthew chapter 23. Jesus speaks to the religious leaders of His day. Note how directly He confronts them again in the harshest language in the Scripture is reserved for false teachers and false leaders. Matthew 23, we’ll just pick up statements here. Verse 13, "Wow to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men, you do not enter in yourselves; nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." You note, the religious leaders become an obstacle to people coming to salvation. They are not being saved and they stand blocking those who would be saved. They intimidate their followers from coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Woe! Verse 14, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites." Verse 15, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte (one convert); and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." That’s a pretty direct statement Now you put yourself here, as one of these fine upstanding leaders, and Jesus is speaking to them. He says, You know what you’ve accomplished when you make a convert? He’s twice as much a son of hell as when you got hold of him. In other words, he’s in a worse position. Harder to reach because he has the security now of a false religious system that he is depending upon.

Verse 16. "Woe to you, blind guides..." Verse 17, "You fools and blind men..." Verse 19, "You blind men..." Down to verse 23, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" Verse 24, "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" Verse 25, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" Verse 26, "You blind Pharisee..." Verse 27, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" And it’s hard to beat this description—"You are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside you're full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Verse 29, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" Down to verse 33, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell? Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city;" that all the blood of righteous men from the blood of Abel down to Zechariah can fall upon you. You get the idea?
False religious leaders, their system? There is no good at all in it! That's the point—you can expect the opposition to flow from the religious people.
That's where I expect it. To a large extent, non-religious people don't care one way or another. They are "So what! If that's what you like, good." I realize there are exceptions, but by and large those that oppose you most intensely are those who are the most religious. And some of you have experienced that from your own family and friends. When you shared with them that you came to believe in Jesus Christ and experienced salvation by faith in Him, they couldn't understand it. We raised you in this church. You were baptized, confirmed, blessed, whatever else we did! What is wrong? And the family is fractured. Why? Over the issue of Jesus Christ. In many of those groups, your family and friends would have given verbal ascent to Jesus Christ and the crucifixion, but what riles them is your taking a stand that you're saved by faith in His finished work, period! Then a stumbling block is present and the opposition is aroused.

Let me read you one verse from Proverbs 29:27 to help explain this. Proverbs 29:27, jot it down. "An unjust man is abominable to the righteous..." But get this, "...he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked." Get that! "He who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked!" The wicked cannot tolerate the righteous and so the opposition, the persecution, the hatred.

Back to John 16, verse 3. "These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me." Again, this opposition flows out of ignorance.
Then repeatedly stressed, they don’t know the Father and they don't know Jesus Christ. Don’t be amazed that they don’t recognize you as a son of God, that they don’t accept you and your testimony.

Verse 4. "But these things I have spoken to you that when their hour comes you can remember that I told you of them." Interesting study for you.
Take your concordance and study the word "Remember" in the New Testament. We are to remember. Note, "...when their hour comes," when the persecution flows you can remember what I told you. This is what God said. Many of those that we lead to Christ will be further and better equipped for the conflict they are going to experience with family and friends if we would only share with them what Jesus Christ is sharing with His disciples. So that when they run home to share their testimony they would not be shattered by the rejection, but they would know what the Word of God said what they should expect. We as believers today, many of us have been believers for some time, are overwhelmed when we are rejected for our testimony for Jesus Christ and we hide behind some foolish statement like, Well I guess I don’t have the gift of evangelist; they certainly didn't appreciate my testimony. But that's the criteria, there's nobody who’s got it, including Christ! That's not the criteria. The criteria is that I present Jesus Christ crucified! As God’s Savior for mankind's sin. Now I expect in presenting that that the majority of people are going to reject it, and the more religious they are, the more upset they are going to be. Because in effect you cannot present that without telling them that their religious activity, their religious system is inadequate and unacceptable to God! And nobody likes to be told that, especially if they have devoted themselves faithfully and zealously to a religious program and system. But remember, I told you this, is what Christ says. "These things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you." Now He has shared glimpses of this along the way. But He has been with them, and while Christ was on earth the opposition, the hatred, the persecution, was directed toward Him. Now the disciples felt the spillover, but the animosity was toward Jesus Christ. He bore the brunt of the rejection. In effect, the disciples hid behind Him. He was out front taking the heat. Now He hasn’t shared with them the fullness of what He has been telling them—that I'm going to leave you and you're going to be left here to bear the brunt of the rejection, the persecution, the hatred, the animosity. I didn't tell you this before because I was with you. Now it's important that you understand it because I won't be here to bear it for you, and so you understand what is happening.

"But now I am going to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart." Want you to note these two verses together because they are important. There is a rebuke built in here. "Now I am going to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me 'Where are you going?'" Over in chapter 13, verse 36, Peter had asked Him, "Where are you going?" Now Jesus says that none of them have asked where He is going. What He is saying here is that Peter has asked because when Christ mentioned He was leaving, Peter wanted to know where was He going. A matter of curiosity. But what Christ is rebuking them for is that no one is following up on what He has been telling them about His departure, about His going to His Father’s house. You know what the rebuke is? None of you is interested in Me and what is happening to Me. Sorrow has filled YOUR hearts. You know why? They had turned in on themselves—Poor us! Persecution, hatred, animosity, rejection. Oh, woe is me! Sorrow has filled your hearts. Know what Christ says? None of you asks where I’m going. You know where their focal point ought to be? On Him. Where are you going? Tell us more about that! But they’re not interested in Him any longer. They're taken up with themselves and their self-pity, their sorrow, at being left behind. Now a warning there. That’s what happens to us as believers when we get overwhelmed with sorrow. We take our eyes off Jesus Christ and become consumed with our own pride. Ever get together with a Christian who was down and all they could talk about was their problem? Ever had Christians quite honestly when you see them coming you try to duck into a doorway because you hate to have it all dumped out on you. No matter what, they are weighed down with their problems. You know what the problem is? Their eyes aren't where they belong. Their eyes ought to be on Jesus Christ. I take my eyes off Him and I’m overwhelmed by poor me! And all I've got to face. All the burdens I have, all the difficulties that press in upon me, etc. Jesus said, "None of you are asking about Me, but you're overwhelmed by sorrow. I want you to focus attention on Me. The solution to your sorrow is in Me. What's going to happen to you because I’m going to My Father's house." Sorrow has filled your heart, but...verse 7. "I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away..." If they had only pursued where He was going and why He was going, what was going to happen when He got to the Father's presence? This is the significant thing to take care of their sorrow. "It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go away, I will send Him to you." As always, God's plan is best for all of His children. "It is to your advantage that I go away." Interesting word. It's used previously in the Gospel of John by the man Caiaphas the high priest. John chapter 11, "It is advantageous that one man die for the whole nation so that the whole nation not die." He didn’t know that he was giving a prophecy. Advantageous. Here’s the word here—it was all part of God's plan. It is to your advantage. It is best for you that I go away. Now note here. The disciples unless their eyes are properly adjusted couldn’t see it. The problem—their master is leaving. He's not only leaving but He is going to die the agony of a criminal's death on a cross. They are going to be left to bear persecution, suffering, and death. Now you tell me what advantage there is for me in that? My master is going to leave, die the agony of a death on a cross as a criminal and I am going to be left to be persecuted, to suffer, perhaps even martyred for my faith. And you tell me it’s to my advantage! I mean, let's be practical, folks. It just ain't to my advantage! What’s the problem? Not looking at the complete picture. Not looking at the right things in the picture. He is going. He's going to be crucified. But where is He going ultimately? To the glory of the Father’s presence! To My Father's house! That’s where I’m going. Too limited in my sight. He's leaving us. He's going to be crucified. Stop too quick! Going to glory in His Father's presence! Secondly, I'm left behind. Wait a minute. What's going to happen when He gets to the Father's presence? He's going to send a Comforter, that One who is equipped to help me, to aid me, to sustain me in every way that I need. The focal point is not my suffering. The focal point is not my persecution. The focal point is the provision that He makes for me in the person of the Holy Spirit. You see, if I get my eyes focused right I can begin to see the advantage. Christ is going to glory. The One who is the Comforter, the Helper, is going to come and reside within me permanently He will meet my every need! When I look at it that way, I can say it is a tremendous advantage. I need to be careful that I look at all my situations in that light. I can look here because I can look back. Day by day as I press on. Yes, I can quote Romans 8:28. Oh yes, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, the ones who are called according to His purpose. Yes, that's right. Then I come crashing into a difficult circumstance and I say, 'God, I can't see any good in this.' What's the problem? Looking at my immediate circumstances again. Who's in control? He is. Does He ever do anything that's not for my good? No. Then what am I complaining about? I don't know. Then wouldn't it be a good idea to stop? I guess so. You know what?
There is a certain sadistic pleasure in that self-pity, isn't there? Even though I know what the Word says. Many believers stumble, why? I don't remember what He said. "I am speaking these things to you in order that you may not stumble." "Remember what I said." That's why helping Christians going through down times is relatively simple. All you do is share with them what God said.
The difficulty is my willingness to apply what He said to my life and accept it by faith. He's doing the right thing. I can't always tell how this is going to work out. I don't have the foggiest idea how God is going to bring good out of this. All I know is that He says He's in control, He's doing the right thing, it will work out for my good, that's sufficient! He has provided the Spirit for me to meet my every need and see me through every situation. He represents me in the glory of the Father's presence. Everything else falls into place; whether I see it, whether I understand it all is secondary to the fact that I am assured of the reality of what He has promised.

So, key section on the difficulties, the problems, on the opposition that we are going to face. One thing. Biblical Christianity is realistic! You come to believe in Jesus Christ this morning, you are called to a life of suffering, persecution, rejection, by family and friends. But you're also called to a life of glory. You're not called to do battle in your own strength and power. But One who is Himself God will take up residence in your life to sustain you, to empower you, to enable you in every situation. That puts it all in a different light, all in a different perspective. That we are those privileged to bear testimony to the person of Jesus Christ. We need to take hold of the verse that Paul gave to Timothy—"God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, timidity." We need to be a people who are courageous, aggressive, willing to bear rejection, to bear persecution, to bear suffering, to bear ostracism from friends and family, whatever, for the name of Jesus Christ. Because reality is the same. Unless you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died to pay the penalty for your sins, was raised from the dead because that penalty was paid, you are destined to an eternity in hell. And if that offends you, I can’t help it. It’s true. My desire is that you come to believe it and know the glory of a salvation that He provides. Let’s pray together.

Father, we thank you for the glory of our calling. We are called to be your sons. Lord, to enter in to an eternal relationship with you the Eternal God of Glory. Father, how privileged we are as human vessels, vessels of clay, to be channels in whom and through whom you proclaim to a lost world the glory of your Son, Jesus Christ. Father, what a great honor committed to us, sons of men that we should be taken and placed as sons of God and used to proclaim the glories of salvation. Father, keep our perspective, our eyes fixed on those things which are of eternal significance. Lord, keep our eyes off ourselves, off our suffering, off our difficulties, our hardships. Lord, keep them fixed upon the Lord of Glory Himself, Jesus Christ. Lord, that our mind might be set and fixed on heavenly things. Lord, we pray that we might draw on that power that is provided for each of us, that we might be willing to courageously and in love and boldness make Jesus Christ known in every place to every person. Not to be intimidated by rejection, by scoffing, by hatred. May we be motivated by the love of Christ which constrains us. Lord, we thus judge that One died for all, therefore all were dead.

We praise you for all that you do in and through us, for we pray in Jesus’ name