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LAST WEEK
we saw how vital it is in tough times to know that you have a
close and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. But
that relationship itself can bring trouble. What then?
Jesus said,
MT 5:10 Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
MT 5:11 “Blessed
are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say
all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be
glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same
way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
If we are believers
we have to expect that tough times will come. And it isn't always
clear–cut what we should do.
Still, the Bible gives us clear enough guidelines and the Holy
Spirit will bring the rest to our hearts and understandings as
we need to know.
When I asked the Lord for guidance on this subject last week,
when I wanted to know what aspect of troubled times I should
preach about this week, I didn’t know just how appropriate
it might be.
Two important
things have arisen in the past week.
First, an issue
has arisen where an advertising agency has been approached by
an organisation to produce advertisements for the organisation’s
product. The organisation wants to use God as a promotional gimmick.
The advertising agency thinks this is offensive to religious
people of all kinds, and doesn’t want to do the ads. They
have asked our firm whether we have any research on how people
might feel about that kind of thing.
We were discussing it around the office, and I said that it
was offensive how some advertisers think that Christians and
Hindus are fair game.They would never dream of using Muslim or
Jewish symbols and teachings as an advertising gimmick, but you
hear the Hallelujah Chorus when a can of baked beans is opened,
or see a Guru meditating over yoghurt.
There's a fine line between humour and vilification in many
cases. The others in the office agreed. They hadn’t realised
how much it happens until this came up.
Next, as I
mentioned last week, when David and Clive came and preached in
Alex Trevalleyan Plaza on Saturday, someone in the café
called the police, and they told Clive he shouldn't preach, because
it was excessive noise and interfered with the café users'
quite enjoyment of their breakfasts.
Clive and David have consulted a solicitor who says that they
have every right to preach in a public place. But the police
were careful to say that they did not deny Clive’s right
to preach: the problem is with noise levels.
Clive and David are coming back on Saturday 22 March and will
preach again. There may be a showdown with the police. What must
we do?
Tough times
may lie before our fellow Christians. And we need to consider
whether we are with them or not with them.
So, what's the first thing we should keep in mind when we have
to front up and give an answer for our actions?
AM I SUFFERING
FOR CHRIST?
Peter wrote to Christians,
For it is commendable
if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because
he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you
receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer
for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before
God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for
you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
Some people
do all kinds of wrong things and say they are suffering for their
faith even though their sins got them into trouble.
Of course, some people are constantly on the look–out
for anything to accuse a Christian of. But, if you are caught
fair and square, then you are caught. That’s that.
I once worked with a fellow from one of the cults, who loudly
proclaimed his spirituality and his righteousness. But he regularly
ignored instructions. He just went ahead and did as he liked.
And when he got into trouble, he screamed “Religious persecution!”
Make sure you really are suffering for your faith, and not
because you have disobeyed God’s word and broken his plans
for your life.
PUT GOD FIRST
Once you are sure you have done nothing wrong, put God in the
first place.
Some people might charge that I am downplaying God by putting
his after checking whether you really are suffering for your
faith.
I heard a story
once about a young man who wanted to know where God wanted him
tio go as a missionary. He was quite determined to be a missionary,
but he didn’t have a clue where to go to.
So he was at a busstop and he decided he needed an answer right
now. He closed his eyes and prayed, “Lord, I want to be
a missionary, so I am asking you for guidance. When I open my
eyes, the first thing I see will be a sign about where I should
go to. Amen.”
Well, he opened his eyes and saw a man walking past eating
brazil nuts.
“Thank you, Lord!” he prayed. “That’s my
sign! I’m going to Brazil!”
Thank heavens the man wasn’t eating a Mars Bar!
You always
have to start with the facts about where you are before you begin
thinking about where you should go to.
That young fellow almost certainly had no calling to be a missionary,
because God will show you something of the kind of ministry he
is calling you into.
He showed me the need of struggling, city fringe churches so
that I knew what kind of calling I had. He mostly shows us the
needs of a people group and that is the calling: God says, “I
can use you to make a difference in that kind of situation.”
In the same
way, when we suffer, we have to know why we are suffering. If
it is for Christ, then you seek the Lord’s face as to how
to live with that suffering. And, if your suffering is because
you somehow deserved it, then you need to pray for repentance,
and for grace not to fall again.
When Peter
and John were put on trial before the Sanhedrin, we read,
AC 4:18 Then
they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or
teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves
whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than
God. 20 For we cannot help speaking
about what we have seen and heard.”
After further
threats they let them go.
Sometimes we
have to stand against the rulers and the authorities. There are
times when the law is wrong and must be resisted.
Christians stood against slavery until it was abolished. Christians
went to prison and were transported to Australia because they
protested against unfair treatment of workers, and would not
accept Government laws prohibiting strikes. Christians constantly
refused to accept laws which required them to sacrifice to Caesar.
When we put
God first, the rest begins to fall into place.
Seek first God’s
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added
to you,
as Jesus also
taught.
So, put God first.
LOOK FOR THE
REDEMPTIVE PURPOSE
Didn’t Jesus himself bring about our redemption through
his suffering? Paul wrote about Christ’s sufferings and
his own,
COL 1:21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds
because of your evil behavior. 22
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body
through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish
and free from accusation— 23
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved
from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that
you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for
you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard
to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which
is the church.
Don't misunderstand
this. Paul isn’t saying that Christ’s death is somehow
inadequate and needs Paul’s suffering to complete our salvation.
He means that each of us is linked so indissolubly to Jesus that
our suffering for Christ becomes part of Christ’s total
suffering.
Look at it like this: there are Christians today who totally
fail to understand this principle. They say, “Jesus died
for me, so that is all finished and done. My role in the world
is to get as much as I can for myself. I am one of the redeemed
and I deserve the best!”
Put like this,
you can see it is heresy. Something has failed at the core of
their faith.
You respond
very differently if someone comes to you and says, “Jesus
died for me; he completed the task of salvation so that my role
in the world is to give as much as I can for him. I am one of
the redeemed, called to live out and continue my Saviour’s
sacrifice!”
That’s true to the Bible.
As the Father
has sent me, so I am sending you,
said Jesus. Jesus
did all that was necessary for salvation, and called out a people
to also do all that is necessary for the salvation of our world,
to do it in his name and by his authority.
TREAT IT AS
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH
James also gives us advice about those hard times that come
because of our faith:
JAS 1:2 Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that
the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so
that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
There is a
disciplining aspect to suffering for Christ. It sharpens our
faith and makes us more like him.
There was a
time when I faced great stress — indirectly because of
my Christian faith. Someone was jealous of the fact that God
had called me into a particular area of ministry and had not
called him in the same way, and he gave way to that jealousy
and gave me quite a hard time.
I was angry, resentful, defensive and withdrawn. For ages I
just couldn’t get out of that situation. Furthermore, there
were other conflicts going on around me, and that made it hard
to focus on any particular one.
When I decided
to stop being controlled by the situation, I began seeing so
much in myself that needed change. I had made it easy for that
person to persecute me, because of who I am. I had to learn not
to take the easy way out, not to surrender my own responsibility.
I had to learn to value my calling. I had to understand how I
handle conflict and not play a game someone else invited me into.
I’m still
not all that skilled in that respect, but I certainly came to
understand myself better through that situation, and came to
a fresh vision of how God could work in me.
God wants us
to mature, and he allows hard times to come so that we will mature.
One painful lesson I learned from that time is that most of
the conflicts throughout my life had been quite similar to that
one.
So what I learned in conflict A, I had to go and practice in
conflicts B and C and D and E and so on! I’m still learning!
LOOK AT THE
BIGGER PLAN
Suffering in Jesus’ name is part of a much greater plan.
When Peter and John reviewed what the Sanhedrin had done to them,
they prayed with the other believers.
AC 4:24 ...“Sovereign
Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth
and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth
of your servant, our father David:
“ `Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth
take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One. ‘
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius
Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel
in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom
you anointed. 28 They did what your power
and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your
servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform
miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant
Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the
place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
The disciples
could see that it was all part of God’s greater plan. They
knew their Bibles. They knew that people in authority would always
fight against the authority of Christ. It was as the prophets
predicted. It was all leading to the end, when human evil would
be stripped fully naked, and Christ’s glory would be fully
revealed.
God has it in hand! He is the absolute ruler, and he knows
what is going on!
CONCLUSION
You can’t always avoid suffering for your faith, but you
can avoid being destroyed by suffering. When you suffer for your
faith, make sure that that is the real reason; put God first,
look for the redemptive purpose, treat it as an opportunity for
growth, and look at the bigger plan. God is in control, and he
will carry you through — to the praise of Jesus our Lord,
AMEN. |
