2 Timothy 3:12-13 | Nov. 18, 2018 | Morning Worship

”In fact, all those who want to live a live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.  Evil people and imposters will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

George Duffield wrote this Hymn:

Stand Up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross,

lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss;

from victory unto victory His army shall He lead,

Till every foe in vanquished, And Christ is Lord indeed.

You and I have answered the call to bear the Name of Jesus, we profess Him as our Lord and Savior and we are not going to deny His Name.  Yet there is a price to pay for bearing or carrying His Name.  What do you think of the promises of God?

We are living in the last days and as the body, the church of Christ we are called to make a stand against whether we like it or not.  Heed the warning we have in scripture you will, it is a promise, an oath, put your money on it you will be persecuted.

I believe we need to understand what it means to be persecuted:-to run after or to pursue with the intention of doing harm, thus to persecute.  To put pressure on, or to oppress.  What does the Bible teach us about persecution?  John 15:20 Jesus warned….”If the persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”

How do you respond to persecution?  Do we live in fear, no To live as a Christian as Paul did means we are endure it.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”In other words turn the other cheek, don’t take it personally but we do , we often complain when we come under attack.

The bottom line is Romans 8:35, 39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?….. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 Illustration: what are you starring at; I don’t know the label must have fallen off.

What label do you wear:What bests describe who you are whether standing in the presence of a stranger or a loved one?  I desire for whoever I stand before that I am a child of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  Luke 9:26 “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

I will not be ashamed whether it means persecution, imprisonment or even death, these are the days we live in when we will be tested.  First and foremost Lord teach me not to be ashamed, we are not called to live in fear for God did not give us the Spirit of timidity but that of:

2 Timothy 1:7-8“For God has not given us a spiritof fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.⁸ So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.”

You will come under attack:Let’s not look at this as a negative for this is what Satan would have us to do, bond in fear.  I believe Jesus warned us ”If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”In other words let us look at it in a positive way.  Remember when you come under attack rely on the Comforter to strengthen you, each of you who profess Jesus Christ have the Holy Spirit living in you, what have you to fear, no longer defeat but are empower from on high by the Holy Spirit.  Victory belong to Jesus every time you are persecuted it’s because you bear His Name.

How do you view persecution, stop looking at the negative and focus on the positive.  Embrace your enemy in a manner that Jesus has commanded you and I to do.  Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

Love & Prayer:Yesterday at Lunch, I pondered the thought of what I know little about persecution; but Jesus knows all about persecution and yet His answer is simple but hard to practice.  There is nothing more powerful than the love Jesus bestows on you and I as to show and display unconditional love towards those who slander and attack us.  Our reaction is to retaliate but the Apostle Paul tells us to have the attitude of Christ in all we do.  Therefore instead of hate, put on the garment of love.

Martin Luther King Jr. “Strengthen to Love”….The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

James 1:2-4 “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”

Secondly, Jesus commands us not only to love our enemies but pray for them.  Church we might not be under attack but our brothers and sisters are and we are called to support them with prayer, finances to strengthen them in the work of the Lord.  Prayer is a powerful weapon but I wonder if we truly know the strength of intercession.  There is a need we turn to Jesus and begin to pray and fast and believe that God is more than able.

Jesus is the Key:You have heard God’s word preached claim the promises of God, they are for you and me.  Claim not only the one’s you care for but embrace them all.  In fact, all those who want to live a live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 

Live a godly life you will endure persecution.  In other words we will suffer but let us not be discouraged but be motivated.  We have been told in advance, prepare yourselves, count on such things but live a godly life.  Paul’s words “Press On” live a godly life.  The apostle Paul served the Lord for 32 years of his life demonstrate his life through teaching Christ, living the life and faced much persecution and suffering and Paul’s faithfulness was reflected as the Lord delivered him out all those situations.

Dwight L. Moody speaks of persecution….”I thought when I became a Christian I had nothing to do but just to lay my oars in the bottom of the boat and float along.  But I soon found that I would have to go against the current.

Hebrews 11:25-26 “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter ²⁵ and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin. ²⁶ For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward.”