Stand firm to the end
Matthew 10:17-33
Key Verse – Matthew 10:22
“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be
saved.”
Introduction
Jesus chose 12 men and
gave them authority to heal the sick and drive out demons. This was so that
they could deliver the message of the kingdom of God to Israel more effectively.
Through last week’s message, Jesus taught how the apostles should conduct themselves
while on this mission.
He mentioned that,
since God had promised the kingdom of God to the nation of Israel, Jesus wanted
to deliver this message to them first.
Also, the message of
the kingdom of God was not just an idea, but a powerful reality in their lives,
as they saw from the healing of all sicknesses and driving out of all demons.
This power was delivered through their King, Jesus.
Furthermore, the King’s
presentation was also notable, because he did not present himself as a mighty
warrior, but rather he let the people taste the blessings and joy of His coming
kingdom. So the kingdom that he offered was the kind of kingdom in which people
would have no sicknesses, no demonic forces, but would be full of joy and
peace. This is the kingdom that all of us human beings have wanted. The king is
offering this for free, and is willing to accept any and all people, no matter
how much they have lived a wicked life; however, the king demands one thing: full
allegiance to him. The world has its own ideas and is not willing to accept
this offer easily. Therefore, Jesus’ disciples will face difficulties and
hardships, both then and now.
Today’s passage looks
further into the disciples’ mission trip in order to get the full scope. It is
about the world’s response to their message of the kingdom of God. We will also
discuss how we can handle many different forms of hostility from the world,
based on this passage.
- The world will persecute Jesus’ disciples [Matthew 10:17-18, 21].
"Be on your guard against men; they will
hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.” (Matthew
10:17).
As we know from early
church history, the apostles were persecuted by the Jews; Paul was brought to King Agrippa and tried in
the Roman Emperor’s court. Jews chased after Paul’s life, because they had the Law,
according to which they were righteous.
Paul addressed this in
his letter to the Galatians:
“Brothers, if I am still preaching
circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the
cross has been abolished.” (Galatians 5:11).
Self-righteousness is God’s
worst enemy. It worked evil in the Garden of Eden. Israel killed Jesus in her
self-righteousness. Also men’s self-righteousness is an integral part of the
laws of all governing authorities. So out of their self-righteousness, the
world will judge the message of the Gospel of Jesus, according to their own
rules. Likewise, the world will challenge us too because we honor Jesus as our King
and his truth, the Gospel. Its governments and rulers want us to be subservient
to them only, but we serve only one king, Jesus. So they are jealous and demand
our allegiance, resulting in a struggle for power.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).
As it says here, the
struggle is ultimately between the power of darkness and the power of truth. We
who have the power of our Lord Jesus must face the power of darkness in this
age. What is God’s purpose in this?
“On my account you will be brought before
governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.” (Matthew 10:18).
Through the trials,
God wants us be witnesses of Him and His truth. We can summarize the truth to
which we are to give a witness as follows:
1.
The gospel that we
live by is genuine and true. We are in total allegiance to the King Jesus.
2.
At the same time, we
must acknowledge the fact that the world’s righteousness is evil and ungodly.
By this sin, they killed Jesus, the Son of God.
3.
Salvation through
Christ is offered as God’s grace to the world. His righteousness is proven
through Jesus’ resurrection.
The gospel must be
proved right in the world’s courts through the love that God imparted in
sacrificing His Son, Jesus. We are to give witness to this.
- 2. How are we to handle oppositions and persecutions [Matthew 10:19-31]?
Persecution is an
unavoidable challenge of missions. How about in this age?
Such persecution is
not uncommon, even in the United States. It presents itself in various subtle
and ambiguous forms. Though the United States is the best country whereby
religious freedom is most secure, the postmodern culture suppresses God’s truth,
in exchange for many other pagan religious ideals. In order to accommodate
pagan ideals, we Christians no longer enjoy priority treatment. In other
nations, the situation is far worse. For instance, in China, there is active
suppression of the Gospel by the government; they put people in jail when the
Gospel is preached. The same is true for many Middle Eastern countries. There
are many missionaries working in these countries who must work under intense
persecutions.
Through persecutions,
the world threatens believers in various ways; it threatens our lives, forces
us to question our faith, entices us to deny our allegiance to Jesus, and demands
that we live by their rules.
Such demands have no
exceptions, even from our families.
"Brother will betray brother to death,
and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them
put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to
the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:21-22).
Our families are the
foundation of our comfort and peace. They provide us rest from all of life’s hardships
and companionship. But even within our own families, there can be division and
hate because of our allegiance to our Lord Jesus. This can lead us into a very
precarious situation; we may be left to be a lone runner for the truth. There
might be no one to help us. Matthew 10:22 says that all men will hate you. ALL
MEN! In such situations, all that we stand for will be brought into question!
How can we overcome this?
If we cannot escape
from persecution, we must tackle them in their various forms. How can we do this?
“But when they arrest you, do not worry about
what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for
it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through
you.” (Matthew 10:19-20).
First, the Holy Spirit
is with us; we must rely on Him for all of our needs. What can we say about the
Holy Spirit?
- 1. Though families or even our fellow believers may not help, God, through the Holy Spirit is with us in any place and at any time. We can seek His help, no matter where we are.
- 2. We fear that our knowledge cannot compete with the knowledge of the world, but the Holy Spirit guides us to understand the situation and equips us with wisdom of the truth.
- 3. We fear death and that the pain and suffering we may face might be too much for us to bear; however, the Holy Spirit assures us of our place in God’s kingdom, encourages us in this hope, and emboldens us to persevere through all kinds of pains and trials.
- 4. We fear that we may not remember God’s words to fend off the world’s wisdom, but, in Christ, the Holy Spirit reminds us of all the truth found in Scripture. The Holy Spirit is the source of godly wisdom and truth.
- 5. We fear that we might be caught up in our passion and zeal and ensnared by demonic accusations, but the Holy Spirit helps us to see the truth so that we may not be drawn into our own wicked desires. Rather, He equips us with love and patience.
- 6. We fear that, when all of our fellow brothers and sisters in faith are cut off from us, our loneliness will lead us to seek ungodly help and attention, but even in lonely situations, the Holy Spirit is our comfort and companion. In and with Him, we find peace and rest in the midst of fear and uncertainty of life.
What does this mean for
us? We must rely on Him in all situations, and seek Him before we evangelize.
We must honor the Holy Spirit’s guidance, even while we debate with each other.
We seek His help in every aspect of our lives and believe in and act on His
guidance.
The next question is how
long will times of difficulty last? When will we be finished with such
persecutions and hardships?
“When you are persecuted in one place, flee to
another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of
Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:23).
Persecution is the
final sign of the world’s rejection of the Gospel. The only thing left for
those who persecute others will be judgment; there won’t be any more recourse
for them, because Jesus and God’s love through him was the final message for both
this generation and the generations to come. As soon as Lot escaped the city of
Sodom, God’s judgment upon the city came with rains of fire. The same will be true
for any family, city, or nation that persecutes believers; they will be left to
face God’s final judgment. Believers must run and go to the next city or
country where there will still be room for the Gospel of Jesus.
Then how long will
these persecutions continue? This is answered in Matthew 10:23.
“I tell you the truth, you will not finish
going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew
10:23b).
When Jesus says ‘I
tell you the truth’, it is very important and we must pay attention to what he
says next. Since this section describes all aspects of upcoming persecutions, ‘you’ here includes not only the apostles, but
also all those who have received God’s mission since that time. Also, ‘before
the Son of man comes’ refers to when Jesus comes in His glory. His coming is
awaited and meaningful, because when Jesus comes again, he will take his
believers into his glory, where there will be no more persecutions and
suffering. Until the time of Jesus’ second coming, his servants must preach the
good news and endure the suffering that will continue. The phrase “you will not
finish going through the cities of Israel’ is difficult to understand. I
believe that this means that the Gospel will never be fully preached to the
entire nation of Israel before Jesus comes back. In other words, Israel will continue
to be resilient in their self-righteousness and won’t accept the Gospel before
Jesus comes back to take us to the kingdom of God.
What is the ending
point of the persecutions and suffering we face? It is Christ coming to take us
back, either through the rapture or by His second coming in glory. This means
that our mission work will continue to the end of the ages.
Our next question
might be: to what extent will persecution continue?
"A student is not above his teacher, nor
a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his
teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been
called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:
24-25).
Our teacher is Jesus; we
can learn from him. Israel’s leaders hated Jesus and called him the head of
Beelzebub. This was an utter defamation of God and His Son, Jesus. If they
treated Jesus our King in such a way, they will not treat us any better; so we
shouldn’t be surprised, even if we are treated badly and forced to undergo
intense persecutions.
How far do we have to
put up with such persecutions? As Jesus’ students, if we do as much as he did,
we are doing well. How much persecution did Jesus bear?
As we know, the moment
people came to know that Jesus would not establish the kingdom with his mighty
power, was when all of them turned away from him and crucified him on the
cross. During such persecutions, what did Jesus do? Throughout the intense pain
and agony of crucifixion, Jesus held his identity as the Son of God, in full
trust in the Lord’s righteousness, and gave back everything else. This is what
we believers are to do: uphold Jesus as our Lord, not react to ungodly
persecution with our own justice or anger, and pray and love our enemies out of
our obedience and trust in God’s justice. This is what it means to be like our
teacher, Jesus. One final question we must uphold high—Is Jesus our Lord? Yes, this
Jesus is my King! This shall be the final answer from our lips to all the
persecutions!
What is the
significance of our confession of Jesus as our Lord?
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I
will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me
before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33).
When we uttered with
our lips, “Jesus is my Lord and my King”, we honor him;; we also honor God, who
gave us His Son Jesus, in this way. This is how we glorify Him as the God of
all creation.
Yet there is one thing
that bothers our minds during such intense persecution - will justice be served? In other words, will
God accomplish His justice? Or, does He even see all the evil things that men
do? ‘
What does Jesus say
about this?
"So do not be afraid of them. There is
nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made
known.” (Matthew 10:26).
When evil comes into
our lives and causes us to suffer greatly, we may wonder if we will be
vindicated and if they will pay their dues for their wickedness. God’s answer
is clear; nothing escapes t His notice. Every single work will be scrutinized
by Him and He will bring them to justice. In His eyes, nothing can be hidden
and He will surely bring justice to those who do evil. In time, He will certainly
vindicate all of the sufferings faced by His servants. No matter what happens
in this world, He will accomplish His justice. This gives us comfort in all
hardships. Therefore, we must trust God’s justice for handling all evil; we
should not try to bring about our own justice, but rather serve Him faithfully with
the loud voice of the Gospel. Also, such understanding results in ultimate
victory in God. When this victory is in sight, no matter how deadly forces may
come, believers can dare to act out of grace.
So what should we do?
Should we fear and avoid those people?
“What I tell you in the dark, speak in the
daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.” (Matthew 10:27).
God’s message must be boldly
declared to the people. It is no longer a secret for only a few; it must be
declared openly and publicly. We often live in fear of those who persecute us
and try to limit God’s message for those who would have a favorable disposition
on the Gospel. This should not be the case; we must declare His word with uncompromising
clarity. It is not for only a few; we must tell everyone. Fear plays a negative
role in our mission; when we fear rejection, we naturally shy away from any
situations or circumstances where we might be rejected or suffer persecution.. However,
we must not fear anyone; instead, we must see with clear victory and challenge
all that is ungodly.
While we dare to
challenge everyone, even those who threaten our lives, we must discern whom we
should fear.
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both
soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28).
The world can kill our
body, but they cannot do anything to our spirit. Therefore, we should not fear
them. Contrarily, God has love and truth and is willing to accept all who
repent and believe. At the same time, He is the only One who can sentence anyone
to eternal damnation. He is the one we should fear. Here, fear does not mean
being afraid, but rather respect and honor. His love for those who obey His
commands is clear.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet
not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And
even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are
worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29:31).
Sparrows are the least
important of God’s creatures. They were sold in the market for only a few
pennies; however, even meager sparrows never fall to the ground without God’s
permission. Even if we are going through the worst hardships, this does not
mean that God is turning a blind eye to us. He knows exactly what He is doing
and, despite all these trials, He has secured our lives in His kingdom.
Hardships never come because God has overlooked something in our lives. Even a
very trivial event is never missed by His eyes. We must trust His love, purpose,
and will to bring us to His kingdom.
What are the
implications of these things for our current situation?
- We must understand why they reject and persecute those who follow Christ. It is not because they hate us, but they hate Jesus and love their own righteousness.
- We are in the best situation as far as carrying out the mission he has given us, with the least opposition and little or no persecution, compared to other periods in history or other parts of the world.
- We must accept that opposition and persecution are the rules, rather than the exception; we must not fret too much about ill treatments we may face.
- We must depend on the Holy Spirit, and build a character of perseverance, and a spirit that dares to believe in God’s power and guidance, instead of a spirit of fear.
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