The Ascension of Jesus and What It Means to Us Luke 24:44-53

The Ascension of Jesus

Luke 24.44-53

Video - https://youtu.be/xehlGxdhBH4

Summary Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and promised the Holy Spirit so that He could be closer to us in a new way - through the Spirit and the Word, and so the Gospel could be preached to the end of the earth. 

 

Introduction

 

     Do you ever feel that your faith would be stronger if you could just see Jesus face to face, touch Him, and listen to Him speak? Many have wondered about that. Many more have turned away from God because they don’t think He has given us enough evidence of His existence. Forty days after He rose from the dead, Jesus ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and His physical presence was hidden from this world. As important as His physical entrance into this world was – Jesus physically taught, healed, suffered, died, and rose from the dead – His physical hiddenness and the giving of the Holy Spirit was just as important. Jesus’ physical presence was a good thing, but it severely limited the number of people who could benefit from it. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and particularly the New Testament and those who believe it, the miracle of Jesus and the blessings of His salvation are going out to the ends of the earth. Let’s think about the impact the ascension of Jesus makes upon our lives as Christians. Let me begin by pointing out the three basic views of life.

 

Three Views of Life

 

     The first view of life is that it is all an accident. The world is an accident. We are all accidents. In this way of life, the goal is to be as happy as you can in any way that you can. Some may choose a path of good morality, but others may not. I strongly suspect that this is the view of life of the mass murderers that we see so often in the headlines. In the end it doesn’t matter what we do because there is no eternal justice in their minds. No matter how much happiness you create, no matter how much good or bad that you do, everything is haunted by the inevitability and the utter annihilation of death. There is no eternal life or eternal joy here.

 

     The second view of life is that there is a god or gods who created the world. Some say they don’t talk to us or help us. That puts them in the first category – Just try to find happiness, but death is the final result. Others say they do talk to us and help us, but everything is based on performance. This is the common view of all man-made gods. They are rewardersnot saviors. They are reflections of ourselves. They are the idols we see in our mirrors. Any eternal life or joy they offer is a deception, a self-deception. How can we reward ourselves with or earn eternal life?

 

     The third view is the one taught by the Bible. God created the world and ordered it in perfection. Sin created disorder and destruction. God immediately called for repentance and gave forgiveness. This call for repentance and gift of forgiveness continued through the ages and culminated in His coming into the world and making a sacrifice of love for the forgiveness of all. Jesus made that sacrifice as God’s Son. His resurrection and ascension are the signs that it was a divine sacrifice of salvation. Though we must die because of our sins, through our repentance and forgiveness we will rise, and we will also be taken to heaven. Filled with joy in this divine love, we live by faith doing good that glorifies God and promotes His grace. 

 

     Of these three views of life – The reality of the first is that life is a flickering fumble of nature that quickly falls back to vast expanse of nothing. The reality of the second is that life is a futile effort to climb an imaginary stairway to God. The reality of the third is that life is a gift of God. The flaws of sin that we know so well have been healed in forgiveness of Jesus, and His Spirit testifies to our spirit, “that we are the children of God” (Romans 8.16). 

 

     Let’s take another look at the last words of Jesus just before His ascension to see how they teach this third view of life and assure us that life is a gift, that forgiveness heals sin, and that we will be God’s people forever. 

 

Jesus Explained: Everything Written About Me in the Law of Moses and the Psalms & the Prophets

 

     Jesus went back to the books of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets and showed how they all pointed to Him. After He had healed the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda the Jews wanted to kill Him because it was on the Sabbath Day when no work was to be done. Jesus explained that He was God's Son, and that He was doing the work of God - the work of redemption and salvation. What better day to overcome sin and death than on the Sabbath Day? But it wasn't just the Sabbath Day that concerned the Jews. It was that He claimed to be the Son of God. It was then that Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." All of the Old Testament points to Jesus, the Son of God. Without Him the Old Testament is like a book that is missing its last chapter. But together, the Old and New Testaments are a migthy affirmation of God's salvation. The Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament fulfills. 

 

     But, if someone gives me a check for a large amount of money, it remains nothing more than a worthless piece of paper until I believe what it says and act upon it. God’s word and the message of Jesus is like that also. The sixty-six books of the Bible are a much heavier than a single check. But if we do not believe them and the Author who wrote them, the Bible becomes for us nothing more than a paper weight. But if we will believe in these words, we will receive the gift that money could never buy. All three views of life that I mentioned above involve death. But only in the Christian view of life from the Bible is death a temporary reality. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though He may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11.25-26). I urge you with all my heart to cash that check. 

 

Jesus Said: It Was Necessary that the Christ Should Suffer, Rise, and that Repentance and Forgiveness Be Proclaimed to All Nations. 

 

     If I have an infected wound in my body, I can take two approaches. I can live with it by always covering it up and scraping away the scabs and pus and hoping it will get better eventually, or I can clean it out with peroxide and alcohol. It is amazing how tempting the first way is. But experience teaches that while it may be less painful in the beginning, it will be much worse in the end. Better to take the pain of wound dressing and the good benefit of healing that will result in the long run. Sin is an infection in our souls. It takes the form of bad thoughts, bad desires and bad feelings. These eventually lead to bad decisions and actions that hurt us and others – and worst of all – spreads the disease of sin to others. 

 

     God has given us bandages, slings, and crutches in the form of good morals, education, psychology and medicine. These things can help us in some ways. But the deep infection of sin can only be cured through the medicine of Jesus’ blood. In repentance we open the wounds of our souls and cleanse them with the love of God in Jesus. The cure of our souls begins when we say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Help me.” Into these open wounds of our souls God pours the words of forgiveness: To the paralyzed man Jesus said, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9.2). Regarding the woman who wiped Jesus’ feet with her tears, He said, “I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven” (Luke 7.47). Jesus came to live, to die, and to rise again in order to provide the medicine of forgiveness for the infections of our souls. And this is why, secondly, He told the disciples before His ascension that the most important thing in this world is the preaching of repentance and forgiveness. This is the key to life and to everything. 

 

Jesus said: Stay in the City Until You are Clothed with Power from on High.

 

     Thirdly, when Jesus ascended to heaven, He didn’t leave us. He told us in Matthew, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28.20). Here in Luke we see that the disciples “worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” after His ascension. The ascension does not mean that Jesus left, but that He is still with us in a better way – through the gift of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist referred to this at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He said, “I baptize with water... but one is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3.16). The Holy Spirit works through the word, and even in Jesus’ earthly ministry this was something that He stressed. Once a woman cried out to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts which nursed you” (Luke 11.27). She recognized that Jesus was an amazing man, and that those who were close to Him – and especially His own mother Mary must be truly blessed. But Jesus replied indeed she was, but, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11.27). 

 

     In the 1800s an Arab guide told a story to Russell Conwell about a man who wanted to get rich prospecting for diamonds. He sold all his property and spent the rest of his life unsuccessfully in the search for diamonds. One day the man who bought his property saw an unusual stone in a stream. It turned out that this stone was a huge diamond and that the stream was full of diamonds. Russell Conwell became a Baptist minister. He took this story and turned it into a famous sermon titled "Acres of Diamonds." The sermon emphasized that we are tempted to seek true happiness far and wide, but that the happiness of salvation is right in front of us. He preached that sermon more than 6,000 times, and he used the proceeds from that sermon to build Temple University in Philadelphia. 

 

     Many people do not realize the blessings that are right in front of them in the New Testament that Jesus gave us after His ascension into heaven.  God gave Abraham one of the first promises of a Messiah.  It was just a few verses long, not nearly as much sacred scripture as we have in our hands right now. And Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" (John 8.56).  Moses was given the Law on Mt. Sinai, but he was also looking far ahead to Jesus. Again Jesus said, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me" (John 5.45). Peter talked about this in his first letter. He said that we who have the gospel preached by the Holy Spirit have the things “which angels desire to look into” (1 Peter 1.12). At any time we can open the pages of the New Testament and receive the very power of the Holy Spirit. This book has transformed more lives than any book that has ever been written. It will transform your life and your world as well. 

 

Conclusion

     

     One of my favorite bluegrass songs is titled "Dust on the Bible." The song is about a Christian who visited and friend and noticed all the books and magazines in their living room, but the Bible was covered with dust. It includes these words: "There's dust on the Bible, dust on the holy Word, the words of all the prophets and the sayings of our Lord. Of all the other books you'll find, there's none salvation holds. Get that dust off the Bible and redeem your poor soul." 

 

     That's my advice for this Ascension week and the last week of Easter. You have Jesus at your fingertips. God bless you for taking time to be with Him in this service of Word and Sacrament. But don't let it stop there. Take up your Bibles this week and redeem and refresh your soul with the words of life and salvation in Jesus. Amen.

COEXIST or Christ? Acts 17 Paul at Athens

COEXIST or Christ?

Acts 17.16-34

 

Summary

Some people push the COEXIST image/bumper sticker from religious tolerance to religious pluralism. All religions, it is thought, are valid paths to heaven. When Paul came to Athens, he encountered many different religions, even an altar to the "Unknown God." Paul took the opportunity to teach the difference between all the religions of the world and the one religion of the Bible. 

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/Pi44SpCnyP8

Introduction

 

     Many of you have probably seen the "COEXIST" bumper sticker in which each letter represents a religion. The "C" represents the crescent of Islam. The "O" includes the peace sign. The "E" represents the Hindu Om. The "X" represents the Star of David in Judaism. The dot of the "I" is the pentacle of Wicca and old pagan religions. The "S" represents the Yin-Yang of Daoism, a religion from China. The "T" finally represents the cross of Christianity. Originally this was a piece of art submitted by a Polish artist for a museum in Jerusalem, and it simply meant to express the need for religious tolerance. We do need religious tolerance in order to have freedom of religion. No one should be forced to believe any certain religion. 

 

     But many people take the idea of religious tolerance much further. They see all these religions as different paths leading to the same place: Heaven or Nirvana or Valhalla or some good future existence. This is probably what the Apostle Paul encountered when he came to Athens and noticed all the different altars dedicated to different gods and one altar even dedicated to the Unknown God." Why are there so many different religions and gods, and what should we think about these? Are they equal paths leading to salvation? Does it matter what you believe? 

 

     Paul was on his second missionary journey. His preaching of Jesus the Messiah had caused so much controversy that he had nearly been killed. His friends wanted him to take a break and rest. But when he came to Athens and saw the plurality of religions and especially an altar to "The Unknown God," he couldn't resist the opportunity it gave him to preach the one an only true God of the Bible, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and the one and only promise of forgiveness of sins and true salvation. The philosophers of Athens invited him to present his teachings at a special "lecture hall" called "The Aereopagus." Let's listen carefully to what Paul said about this to the philosophers of Athens and to what the rest of the Bible says.

 

The God Who Created the World and Man

 

 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.

 

     The protestant theologian John Calvin said, “The human mind, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols" (Institutes I.11.8). The Bible tells us that God created the world, and the first two believers were Adam and Eve. But their two sons, Cain and Abel, were split. Abel believed God and Cain didn't. By the time of Noah, ten generations from Adam, most of the world had followed the path of Cain. The world was so full of unbelief and evil that God was sorry He had created man (Genesis 6.6). This pattern continues throughout the Bible. God establishes faith, and gradually that faith falls apart. Men decide they want a different God than that of the Bible. Why do men want a different God than that of the Bible? We can answer that question by looking at the differences between the God of the Bible and the gods imagined by men. 

 

     The God of the Bible is all-knowing and all-powerful. He is the Creator and Judge of everything. At the same time He is kind, gracious, and eager to forgive men their sins and disobedience. In the Old Testament the sacrifices given to God were two kinds: sacrifices of repentance and sacrifices of thanksgiving. The sacrifices were never payments given to receive God’s blessings. God is not a paymaster, paying men off for their good works. God is a Savior, delivering men from evil. But men do not want to repent of their sins and turn from their evil whether that evil be great or small. They imagine their own self-righteousness. They rewrite God’s commandments for themselves. For this reason they invent gods and religions that reward them, and reject the God who wants to forgive them. The gods of the COEXIST list and the gods of ancient Athens, apart from Christianity, are and were all gods that reward. This is why Paul says that God is not worshiped “with men’s hands,” as though He needed something from us. He doesn’t need anything from us. He made us and sustains us. The one thing He wants from us is a repentant heart. Therefore Paul says,

The God Who Judges the World in Righteousness

 

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17.30-31)

 

     The God who created this world does not look upon it and say, “Pay me back for all your sins.” He “commands all men everywhere to repent” and judges “the world in righteousness” by Jesus. Some do repent, and their sins are washed away by the sacrifice of Jesus who died and rose to take away our sins. Peter said, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3.18).  Others reject this repentance and gift of forgiveness and new obedience by faith and are therefore rejected by God. You can do all the good works in the world, but none of them take away sin; and God allows no one to be with Him as long as they hold on to their sins. 

     The Athenians had never heard anything like this. They believed in many gods and many ways to gain the favor of these gods and to achieve some hope of a better after life. It is no different today. A man named Ray went to a family Mother’s Day celebration. A discussion arose regarding salvation. He objected to the idea that Jesus was the only way of salvation. He didn’t think it was important whether one followed Christ or Krishna or Mother Earth. He thought his family was narrow-minded and bigoted to think that Jesus was the only way of salvation. He would have been correct if Jesus were another god like all the others – a god who simply asks for works in return for favors. Kathy, the matriarch of the family, the one who gave physical birth this family, stepped in like every good mother should for the sake of her children, and for the hope that they would all be born again! “Christians are not narrow-minded,” she quietly said. “The question isn’t who is good enough to be saved? Of course there are many good people in many different religions. The question is, ‘Who will save us from our sins?’ No other god or religion imagined by men does this. They all imagine self-righteousness and rewards.” But, Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10.45). If anyone paid a work for salvation, it was Jesus, who paid the ransom for our sins on the cross. I hope all of you children will think carefully about that.

 

Three Responses

 

     Luke went on to report the outcome of Paul’s sermon: 

 

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them (Acts 17.32-33).

 

          A missionary to India once went to several villages explaining the way of salvation in Jesus.  In sermon after sermon he noticed that the people all were nodding their heads approvingly.  Gradually it occurred to the missionary that these people believed there were many paths to salvation.  It was easy for them to accept Jesus as another way. They weren’t grasping the truth that good works are only good works when our sins have been washed away by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So, the missionary changed the emphasis of his presentation.  He spoke directly of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  Instantly the approving nods gave way to intense expressions of thought and consideration.  Every religion has a grave.  Only one is empty.  Every religion has works. Only one has forgiveness. 

 

     There were three responses to Paul’s message.  You can remember them as the three “L’s.”  Some laughed.  They mocked Paul and his talk about the resurrection.  Others said they would hear Paul about this later.  The last group loved the message.  Luke tells us they “joined them and believed.”  Of the group that believed two are mentioned by name: Dionysius the Areopagite and a lady named Damaris.  Many people today are still laughing when they hear this message or when they see people taking it so seriously.  They doubt the resurrection of Jesus, but they do not doubt their own self-righteousness. Many others are still putting their response off till later. They recognize that it might be true, but they aren’t ready to give up their sins just yet. You and I are among the group that loves this message.  We know that we must give an account of life before the almighty God, who made heaven and earth, and we are glad to know that He has accounted to us the life of His dear Son for our salvation.  

 

     The tomb is empty.  Christ’s righteousness is my righteousness.  Now I want to live with Him and for Him.  Now I want to put away all the words and works of darkness.  As Jesus Himself said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14.23).  As God makes His home with us now by faith, I promise that you will not be estranged from Him in the judgment.  Many will weep and cry for having laughed or for having waited until it was too late.  But many will shout for joy.

 

Conclusion

 

     Should we COEXIST? Yes, let there always be the freedom of religion. But I pray that all people will see the difference in the “T,” in the cross of Christ. All religions may have some good in them. But only one has grace. Only one has salvation. Only one gives true hope that rests in God, not in ourselves. Therefore, only one religion brings eternal joy. Before the sermon we sang part of the hymn, “Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice.”  As I finish this message, we will sing the rest of it. This was one of Martin Luther’s earliest hymns.  He heard the happy tune from a traveling artisan.  He wedded to it the happiest thoughts of his life—the Gospel story of Jesus and our salvation by His righteousness.  Dear Christians, the Holy Spirit wants all of us to be lifted out of the mire of a sin-controlled life to the life of hope and assurance of salvation in Jesus.  

 

Gazing Into Heaven Acts 6-7

 Gazing Into Heaven

 

“Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7.54-60 ESV)

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/CLLSxb0SnqU

 

Summary

The persecution of Stephen for preaching the Gospel reminds us to pray for those who are being persecuted right now. It also shows us how we should prepare to endure persecution if we are called to suffer for the sake of Jesus. 

 

Introduction 

     When Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you..." (John 14.2) He was preparing His disciples for His own persecution and theirs. His would be the crucifixion. There's would be stoning, crucifixion and many other ways that those who hate God torture and murder God's servants. 

     

    The hymn we just sang, "The Son of God Goes Forth to War" was written in honor of a Christian missionary named Henry Martyn. Martyn became a missionary to India and Persia (modern Iran) in 1806. He worked very hard to translate the New Testament into Urdu and Farsi, the languages of Pakistan and Iran. Weakened by disease, he tried to return to England in 1812. But he died along the way in Turkey. This was his last journal entry ten days before he died: "Oh! when shall time give place to eternity? When shall appear that new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness?" In his suffering he was looking to heaven.

 

     When Stephen was dying for his efforts to preach the Gospel, he also looked to heaven. When we suffer for living and proclaiming the Gospel, we can remember him and also sing with Psalm 123 "Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens... Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt... (and) with (the) scorn... of the proud" (1, 3-4). 

 

What Happened to Stephen?

 

     When Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples, they began to preach Gospel message of repentance and forgiveness. Many people were converted to this true and only saving faith. They left behind the pride of self-righteousness and the doubt of self-reliance. And, along with this growing faith came growing love. They didn't look down on other people and think, "If they obeyed God they way I have, they wouldn't be so poor or sick." They used their earthly blessings to help those in need. This formed the first church budget with only two line items. One was support for the pastors who were faithfully preaching the Gospel and ministering to men's souls. The other was for the deacons (Greek for "servant") who were ministering the love of Christ by providing food and physical needs to all who wanted to follow Jesus. 

 

     This aid was never just a matter of handing out meals. That often causes toxic charity which only enables people to continue in sinful living. Christian charity was and is always accompanied by the teaching of the Christian faith: repentance for our sins, forgiveness for the sake of Jesus, and new obedience in the Holy Spirit. This angered the Jews from one of the synogogues, and they argued with Stephen that Jesus was not the Messiah. Luke tells us, "they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke" (Acts 6.10). They accused him of blasphemy just as they had accused Jesus. He was put on trial before the high priest, wherein he gave his famous testimony - the longest sermon in the Book of Acts. 

 

     Stephen went through the history of Israel showing how God called Abraham and Moses to establish the people of Israel. But he also reminded them of the Greater Prophet that Moses had prophesied (Deuteronomy 18.18). God sent a number of important prophets, but the most important of all would be the Messiah, the only prophet truly greated than Moses. This is the prophet to whom all the other prophets pointed who would bring salvation through His suffering for us. Yet Israel had rejected these prophets and especially the Messiah, Jesus. At that point Stephen said he could see the Son of Man standing at God's right hand" (Acts 7.56). At this they "cried with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran at him" (Acts 7.57). They took him outside the city and stoned him to death. While he was dying he prayed for the forgiveness of his murderers. 

 

Praying for the Persecuted

 

     Religious persecution is an old problem. But there is a difference between unjust persecution and just judgment upon nations. God punished Egypt for its unjust enslavement of Israel. He punished the Canaanites for their great wickedness and depravity. He even punished Israel in the same way when they later joined in the same evils. Throughout history human evil has been overthrown by God. At the same time this world has attacked God's people not because they have done anything evil, but for exactly the opposite reason: Because they have pursued righteousness. This is persecution: When people attack those who are just and upright because they are just and upright. This is why Cain murdered his brother Abel, why Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, why Absolom revolted against David, why Jezebel tried to murder Elijah, why Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern, why Herod tried to kill Jesus in Bethlehem, why Jesus was harrassed by the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, why He was finally crucified, why Peter and John were imprisoned, why Stephen was stoned, why Saul persecuted the church before he was converted, why Herod killed James, the brother of John, why Paul was stoned, and why John was exiled to the Island of Patmos. 

 

     I call this the Rage of Unbelief. It's not just hurting people because you are angry or want to take something from them. It is a hatred driven by the faith and righteousness of their victims. The Bible speaks of this rage in several places. In Psalm 69.7 (ESV) David said, "The insults of those who insult You have fallen upon me." In Psalm 44.22 he said, "Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." In John 15.18 Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you."

 

     Open Doors is a ministry is dedicated to helping persecuted Christians. It was founded by Brother Andrew, who smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. You can read about his work in the book God's Smuggler. Open Doors maintains a watchlist of the the most extreme levels of persecution today. On that list are countries such as North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea and Nigeria. We need to pray for and help Christians who are suffering for the name of Jesus!

 

Preparing for Persecution

 

     What about you and me? When we remember what happened to Stephen and to so many other Christians before us, are we prepared to suffer persecution for the name of Jesus. Jesus said that as the world comes closer to its end there will be wars, and famines, and pestilences. He also said that these are just the beginning. In Matthew 24.9 He said, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake." In our own country we are seeing softer forms of persecution.*  Students have been denied admission to college because they said their faith in God was important to them. Bakers and florists have been sued for not celebrating same-sex marriage. Employees have been fired from companies for expressing their beliefs about the Bible outside of the workplace. Younger Christians find it challenging fit in to a culture that is increasingly hostile to the Bible. You're weird if you believe in creation or that Jesus is the only way to salvation. There was a time when these issues could be debated, and both sides could still be friendly to one another. Now Christians are just shouted down and ostrasized. Parents and grandparents walk a thin line trying to maintain friendship with their children while not opproving of all the behaviors in which they may engage. How do we respond to all of this?

 

(*Note: I haven't provided references. Search on all these statements, and you will find the sources.)

 

     Here are three things we can do. First, trust God's word. In the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," there is this verse: "Take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife. Though these all be done. Our victory has been won. The kingdom ours remaineth." If we want God to help us face persecution, we have to be able to let go of everything except Him. The world has criticized and rebelled against God's word since its beginning. But year after year, century after century, that word still stands true, and it always will. Even if your own children turn from God, you will never help them by turning from God yourself. Their salvation depends on you trusting in your salvation. I have seen people who walked away from God to the great sorrow of their parents. The parents died believing they would probably never see their children again. And yet, some of those same children did come to Christ when they grew old and remembered the steadfast faith of their parents. We can trust God's word that "All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8.28). 

 

     Second, pray for spiritual wisdom. Stephen confounded the enemies of Christ with his spiritual wisdom. Jesus said that the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11.13). The Spirit always comes to us through God's word, so always remember that prayer is two-way: God's speaks to us in His word, and we respond. When the world starts showing its hostility to Christ, we need the Spirit coming through the word of God in worship, Bible study, and prayer. I am now old enough to see this pattern: Someone says something threatening about Christians or the Christian faith. At first I feel a little weak and unable to push back. But when I go to God's word, I always find the "five smooth stones" of David, simple Bible verses, to sling back at any Goliath who arrogantly condemns God and God's people. 

 

     Third, love your enemies. When Stephen died, he prayed for the forgiveness of his persecutors. Satan would love more than anything for you to hate the world that hates you because of your faith in Christ. When you see a person persecuting a Christian, do not let sinful feelings of revenge fill your heart. Do not wish for their destruction. Remember that God loves them as much as He loves you. Jesus said, "God so loved the world..." even the world that hates Him. It is from that love that we are able to love our enemies. They may need to be subdued. They may need to be destroyed. But let that be God's decision, for He has said, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay" Romans 12.19. For our part, we love as much as we can, even those who hate us and revile us. This drives the devil crazy! 

 

Conclusion

 

     In the heat of his debate with the Christ-haters, Stephen's mind was on God's word and on God Himself. Luke tells us that He gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Jesus standing at the right hand of God was the assurance Stephen needed that Jesus had indeed conquered sin, death and the devil in His death and resurrection. No anger or violence of men sold out to sin could take that from him or from us. Amen.  

Hymns

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuQqGkzpAzJ8jbYFc9eFff6R_Ckc3li2w&si=bEFdaO3DOYxY7KIB