BACKGROUND:Jesus said that the Jews would not have been guilty of rejecting God if they had not rejected Jesus Christ—who was God in the flesh. But since they did reject Jesus, who came to reveal God the Father to all humanity, they had no excuse for their sin. Their rejection of Jesus caused their sin to be fully exposed because, as Jesus said, “Anyone who hates me hates my Father, too.” They actually hated the Son and the Father—even after seeing the marvelous works Jesus performed.
The entire nation should have recognized and responded to the Messiah. Ironically, their own Scriptures predicted this rejection and hatred. Jesus knew the hatred fulfilled what the Scriptures said (Psalm 69:4). The Jews had no reason to hate Jesus—He came as their Savior, fulfilling their Scriptures, doing miraculous signs, and promising eternal life to those who believed in him. Yet the people thought they were serving God by rejecting Jesus, when in reality, they were serving Satan (John 8:44).
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
How did Jesus treat His persecutors from the cross? “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” He treated them with compassion. Jesus goes on and says, “If I had not come and spoken with then they would not be guilty of sin. Now however they have no excuse for their sin.” Compassion. Why? Because they don’t know the Father. Why? Because they have an excuse for their sin.
The word “excuse” is literally the word for cloak. They have no cloak to hide behind. There is nothing they can throw around them to say, “God, I didn’t know.” Jesus said, you know. In verse 22 He says, “You know because of My words. They’ll treat you this way because of My name. If I had not come and spoken to them they would have no excuse.” Verse 24 He says they have no excuse because of My works. “If I had not done among them which no one else did they would not be guilty of sin.”
So Jesus said respond to rejection from others with compassion. When persecution happens it’s somebody shouting, “I don’t know Jesus!” That’s what’s happening when you and I see persecution. Persecution is someone shouting, I don’t know Jesus. The greatest example of that is right in the pages of scripture. The apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul found out about this new church and he started to persecute it. He chased people out of churches. He stood by while Stephen was stoned to death. What was happening? He was shouting, I don’t know Christ! I need Christ!
Then Jesus met him one day on the Damascus road and said, Paul why are you kicking against the goads? Why are you kicking against My direction in your life? So Jesus says when you realize that you can respond with compassion. Genuine compassion for that persecution.
What do I do when I face persecution? This one may particularly fit for when you or I face people who reject us, people who look us over, people who put us down for our faith in our daily lives. This is the one that really gets me. This is the advice from Jesus that I really need.
Don’t look for the reason. Don’t look for the reason for the persecution. Verse 25 “This is to fulfill what is written in their law. They hated Me without a reason.” They didn’t have any reason but they still hated Me. The thing that will drive you bananas absolutely crazy when you’re facing persecution for your faith is trying to figure out why and explain why and reason with people and work it all out so everybody will be happy. That won’t happen.
It’s interesting to look at the early church at what the church was being charged with. When you talk about not having a reason for persecution, the reasons why the early church was persecuted. These were the reasons that were spread wide and far why we should persecute the early Christians.
It was said that the early Christians were people who wanted to overthrow the government. No they weren’t. But because they wouldn’t worship Caesar they said they wanted to overthrow the government.
They say the early Christians were all cannibals. I’ve never read that. But Jesus one time said, “Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you have no part in Me.” That’s a symbol obviously pointing to the Lord’s Supper but somebody picked out that one verse and said in their book it says they’re cannibals.
They said they were immoral. They believed that Christians at the agape feast that they had, the love feast were actually orgies. This is what was told all over the Roman Empire. And that they greeted each other with a holy kiss. They made it into a very immoral sounding thing. It was just fellowship. It was just Christians getting together who loved each other.
They believed they were arsonists, that they were sent to burn down the world. Why? In 1 Peter the Bible tells us that the world is going to end in fire. We know that God’s going to do that. But somehow they got the idea that the Christians were going to do that for God. That’s by the way why it was so easy for Nero to blame the Christians for the burning of Rome. Everybody believed that’s who was going to do it. They were arsonists.
If you and I went down that list, we could reason with people and say this is why this isn’t true and why this isn’t true… but it doesn’t work to reason. Why? Because it’s not a difference of opinion. It’s a difference in our natures. Those of you who have had friends and maybe tried to reason with them on an issue – abortion for instance – you try to reason with them and say, This is what the Bible says about this is when life begins. They’re coming from a totally different perspective. We say, Why don’t they understand? Why don’t they hear what I’m saying?
They’re thinking the same thing about you, by the way. The reason is you have totally different natures. Totally different authorities in your life. You’re following different leaders. Because of that we think differently. So if you and I say, I’m going to try to reason with people, we’ll set down and work it all out and then the persecution won’t be here any more. You can’t do it. Why? Because persecution is so deep rooted. It’s a matter of soul. It’s a matter of the values at our core. It’s a matter of the fact that your life is saying to my life that unless I change I’m lost. I’ve got to let go of some things in my life that have become my best friends – some bad habits, some bad relationships. I don’t like anybody saying that to me. So people push against that.
Persecution is something we can’t reason out of existence. Jesus tells us a lot about what not to do when it comes to persecution. It’s easy to make a lot of these mistakes. But then He tells us here’s what you should do.
1. When you face persecution you better trust the Holy Spirit. “When the counselor comes whom I will send from the Father the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.” The Holy Spirit is going to go to the world and convict them about sin and righteousness and judgment. You’re not alone. The Holy Spirit is speaking to people’s hearts. It’s an incredible thing that we need to depend on.
So many times, I have people say to me - You seem like you gave that message just to me. You’ve been reading my mail this week. What’s happening? It’s the Holy Spirit. It’s God’s Spirit speaking to our hearts. Yes, we get to be a part of that as we speak but you’re apart of that too as you listen. It’s a partnership thing that’s going on. God’s Spirit is speaking to hearts not just the hearts of believers but also the hearts of those who don’t know Christ. You don’t set up here and look at people who come in for the first time and tears just begin to stream down their face because somehow the Spirit touches their heart. You don’t see the people who come in and setting there so hard like You’re not going to get through to me! Then all of a sudden something in God’s word softens them. You see their face saying, That’s what I need. No human being can do that. It’s the Holy Spirit speaking to peoples hearts.
When you or I face persecutions more than any other time we need to depend on the fact that God’s Spirit is speaking. They may be resisting. And that may be what I’m facing as the Holy Spirit speaks, they resist and I get the benefit of that. But He is speaking. I trust that.
One last thing about rejection and persecution - Times of persecution are also times of proclamation. Throughout church history the times of the greatest persecution always result in the times of greatest proclamation, the gospel going out into the world. It started in the church of Jerusalem. When they persecuted the church it spread the church abroad and the world heard about Jesus Christ. In fact, and this is true for a little persecution or a big one, persecution without a clear witness given is a wasted persecution. When you and I face persecution for our faith, rejection for our faith, loss of job for our faith, whatever, give a witness. It’s the opportunity. In fact, if you don’t you’ve wasted that great opportunity. Why should you give a witness in that situation? Because it says to them who you really are. It says to them who Jesus really is.
In a world where everybody is pushed to conform, in a world where nobody wants to be rejected, when you and I stand up in that world and say in a loving, Christlike way with grace, not with anger, “I want you to know that I forgive you for this because Christ loves me and He loves you too.” That’s different. That’s desired. That’s something I need in my life. It’s one of the prime opportunities in our lives to give a witness. We still look at the witness of the Christians in the first century who sang hymns on the way to being killed for their faith. It still speaks to us today.
God tells us there’s a partnership between the Holy Spirit’s testimony and our testimony. It takes both. He’s speaking to people’s hearts. We’re showing people a living, breathing example of what Christ can do in a real life and that’s witnessing.
One of the greatest opportunities we have for witnessing sometimes is rejection, persecution. Brother Andrew, called God’s Smuggler. He’s made a career out of smuggling Bibles into countries where Bibles aren’t supposed to be. He is fond of quoting a verse from the book of
Psalms “With Your help, God, I can attack an army. With God’s help I can jump over a wall.” He quotes that verse to people and then he says, What does it take to accomplish that? He gets answers like faith or prayer or whatever. He says, No. It takes an army and a wall. Sometimes the greatest faith happens when we face the greatest opposition. Sometimes the greatest growth happens when the persecution comes.
I think somewhere back in our minds especially since we live in a world where things are almost good, almost right, we have this dream in this world, Maybe sometime as believers in this world we can sort of settle down and be loved and liked by everybody, no resistance. A sort of perfect little world until we get to heaven.
Jesus is saying to us very clearly, Get rid of that dream. It’s not real! It’s not the real world. Replace it with a different dream. That’s a good dream for heaven. That’s going to happen someday. But in this world replace it with a dream of a testimony amidst persecution. Replace it with a dream of someone who’s living a different life in a world that’s going an entirely different way. Replace it with a dream of telling the world.
I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.
No comments:
Post a Comment