Anderson, David: Sheep Among The Wolves ~ Matthew v16

Lord loves us, amen? Praise the Lord for that. I want to welcome you to Littleton Bible Chapel. If you're visiting with us, we're glad to have you with us this morning. I want to just, uh, ask you to take your bulletins out. Have a few announcements I want to highlight, and then you can turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew chapter ten. uh I want to highlight we have something, uh, that we don't have very often, at least it's not terribly usual. We have a couple, uh, candidates for deacons, and, uh, you can see the, uh, evaluation in your, in your bulletin insert, but basically how this works is, uh, we've gone through, we've met with a number of, uh, different folks who are interested in, in the diaconate, and, uh, we've gone through, uh, the Alex's Deacon Workbook with them. We've gone through their qualification. We've met with them as elders. We've interviewed them. Uh, we've met with their, their wife and, uh, talked with them, and, and we're now basically at the stage where we're presenting these two candidates, uh, to you, uh, to look at their qualifications. So you can see this in your, in your, uh, bulletin, and we would ask you to, to participate in this and to fill this out and pray about this. Uh, if you don't know the answer, then, uh, just say you don't know, but we really, we want the whole congregation involved in this and are interested in this. So, so please fill that out and hand it to one of the elders or deacons, or, uh, you can just give it to the office when you are, uh, finished with it. I also want to mention we have our, uh, class that Paul Skrabek is teaching today during the second preaching service, uh, that has to do with talking to your kids about sex. I know it's not necessarily a norm- this is a normal class, but we feel this is very valuable, considering all the confusion, sexual confusion that's going on today. We don't want to remain ignorant in the church, so please, uh, parents of young kids, consider, uh, this class. This is for parents, not for kids, uh, in the next hour. Also, next Sunday, next Sunday night at seven o'clock, seven p.m., uh, we are celebrating fifty years of God's faithfulness to us at Littleton Bible Chapel. This is a very exciting time for us, and we're celebrating our anniversary this next Sunday. Alex is going to be moderating, hosting this, and uh, just to encourage all of you to come to this. This is a, a very important time, just i- i- for our history. So even if you're new to the, to the chapel and you want to get a, a framework for, uh, the history and what's gone on at Littleton Bible Chapel, would really encourage you to come to next Sunday night from seven to eight thirty. Babysitting is provided as we walk through Memory Lane together and thank the Lord. Also, there's a women's Bible, summer Bible study on the miracles of Jesus. You can see your bulletin for more details there. And lastly, youth grade, uh, changes today. The fifth grade through high school classes will be moving up a grade. All other classes will remain the same. And, uh, Kyle mentioned, I should, I should mention this, uh, we are still in the final negotiations with, uh, purchasing, uh, that other church building for our multi-site, so just wanted to keep you, there's not a lot of new information, but just want to keep you in the loop. We are in the final negotiations on that. All things seem to be proceeding, uh, as planned. Please turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew. Chapter ten is where we're at this morning. And we will be looking at verses sixteen through thirty three. If you would, please stand with me for the reading of God's word. Matthew ten sixteen. This is God's word. Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given you to you in that hour. For it is not to you, it is not you who speak, but the spirit of your father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. For truly I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household? So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will be revealed, that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Our Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ, and we thank you for the written word, your revealed word, uh, whereby which we can learn about you and study you. Uh, so we're thankful this morning for the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate word, and for this written word. And Lord, I pray this morning for those who are here who may not be born again. I pray, Lord, that you would cause them to be born again this morning, that you'd save them. And Lord, for us as a church, I pray that in light of this text, in light of this passage, we would learn to expect severe persecution, and at the same time not live in fear. Help us to these ends, Lord, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I have been thoroughly enjoying the Gospel of Matthew. It's been a delight to, to be able to work through a gospel in, in detail and, and, uh, to thoroughly walk through it. And, and, uh, as we started with last week in chapter ten, we're now in the second discourse that Jesus gives, the second message that Jesus gives. And if you weren't with us last week, we saw how Jesus calls the twelve. and he sends them out on really what would be the, the first short-term mission trip. And he gives them instructions and tells them what to expect and what to do as they go. And as we see, starting in verse sixteen of chapter ten, uh, he gives sort of a, a really a telescoping, uh, prophecy. He starts by saying, look, uh, expect these things as you go, but he really, he really pans out to all the way through the, the great tribulation. Uh, and so it's, interpreters have had a little bit of a, a problem interpreting this. When will this happen? How will this happen? How can we apply this? Because it is a little bit tricky. Has this happened or will this happened? And I think the, the proper way to, to view this and see this is that this was about to happen, it has happened, and it will happen. It's yet to happen. These words are telescoping. It's a telescoping prophecy. So in this section that we're in this morning, Jesus envisioned a long period of time when his disciples would be persecuted and yet witness to the truth. He starts off speaking with this mi- short-term mission for these twelve uh, as they're about to go on this trip, and then he pans out to include all believers. And so persecution is promised between the first and second coming of Jesus. Oftentimes, a, a biblical writer will, uh, prophesy two events at the same time, and I think that's a little bit of what we see going on here in Matthew chapter ten. So this morning's message really has one point. Expect persecution and don't live in fear. That's really the outline of this morning as well. Expect persecution and don't live in fear. That's what Jesus is telling his disciples, and that's what he's telling us. So, principle number one: expect severe persecution. See it as normative. Now, the main point of this section is fairly simple. We are like sheep among wolves. Look at verse sixteen in your Bibles. Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Now, it's a bit of an interesting metaphor that Jesus picks. Normally, a shepherd protects his sheep from the wolves, but Jesus here is sending his sheep into the wolves. He's sending them to the wolf pack. And in a sense, this is a, a, a call for discipleship or a, a call to count the cost of discipleship. Be prepared, Jesus is saying, to live like sheep in the midst of wolves. Uh, the Apostle Paul promises this in Acts chapter twenty when he's speaking to the Ephesian elders. He says, I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you and not spare the flock. Matthew seven fifteen, Jesus says, beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. So Jesus is, is sending them out as defenseless sheep among evil, wicked, vicious God-haters. That's what Jesus is saying. This is a promise for tribulation and persecution. It's like what Winston Churchill said to Great Britain after a heavy setback for the Allied forces. He said, all I can offer you is blood, sweat, and tears. And that's what Jesus is doing here. This is going to be the life of the disciple. You'll be like a sheep in the midst of wolves. Between the first and second comings of Jesus, things will be bad for you. It will be difficult. And when you think about this promise in verse sixteen, really, this was a promise made long ago. Now, if you were with us as we went through the, the book of Daniel, you'll remember that the prophet Daniel predicted successive governments that would get worse and worse and worse until Christ came back. Jesus actually refers to this time that, that Daniel referred to as the time of the Gentiles. Gentiles, not Jews, would be large and in charge, and that's really what we see in our world today. In the times of the Gentiles, uh, these times would be marked by a tension between the state and God's people. In fact, there's a, a well-known story in the story of, uh, in the book of Daniel, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that illustrates this. Uh, these three guys are commanded to bow down and worship a golden statue which represented the state, but they wouldn't bend their knee, and they were persecuted for it, and they were thrown into a fiery furnace. And really, that story in Daniel chapter three would be an illustration of the times of the Gentiles. It would be exactly what Jesus is referring to in Matthew chapter ten. It's an illustration for what life will be like for those who trust in God. The king is coming back, but in the meantime, things will not go well for followers of Jesus. So the question arises, how do we live in a hostile world? Well, Jesus says in verse seventeen, beware of men, for they will deliver you over to court. I'm sorry, end of verse sixteen. Sheep is in the, sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Wise as serpents. Uh, serpents had the idea of, uh, the connotation of being clever. So Jesus is saying, essentially, be prudent, be sensible, uh, don't be naive as you live in a hostile world, and be innocent as doves. Uh, literally, the word could be translated unmixed. Uh, be different from the world, be holy. Uh, have your character be above reproach. So, so don't be naive, Jesus is telling them, but also let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds. Have your, have your character shine through. Many missionaries need to practice this very statement as they go into countries that are hostile to the gospel. They have to be wise as serpents. They can't go in saying, hey everyone, we're here to be missionaries. We want to share the gospel with you and convert you to Christ. No, they need to be wise as serpents. They need to be sensible and prudent and, and uh, avoid inflammatory language, avoid conflicts, avoid attacks. Have a sense of appropriateness. Uh, don't be an idiot, in other words. Uh, and be innocent as doves. Let your character be above reproach. Bottom line is we want to win people. We want to win people to Christ. Paul says this in First Corinthians nine, for though I'm free from all, I've made myself a servant of all, that I might win more of them. That should be our attitude. That's what Jesus is referring to here. Now, he says in verse, starting in verse seventeen, that this persecution is going to come in four areas, four realms. So get ready for it. First one is this. Persecution from religion. Look at verse seventeen. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues. Jesus experienced all kinds of persecution, but particularly from religious folks. It was the religious people that put Jesus to death. Uh, the early church was largely persecuted, especially in the first few decades, uh, by religious people, including the Jews. Paul was persecuted by idol makers in Acts nineteen in, in Ephesus, as, uh, these, these idol silversmiths were making idols for Diana, seventh wonder of the world. They were actually running out of business because of the proclamation of the gospel, and Paul basically, uh, was caught in a riot because of these guys. We know that the end times, uh, will be full of a, a global religious system that will persecute Christians. We're told this in the scriptures, and we see this happening even today. I could pick any number of things, but, uh, one that's, that's particularly applicable is Islam. Islam is an increasing threat to Christians, not only Christians, uh, but to anyone who won't submit to Muhammad and the Quran. You probably saw this last week in the news. It, it certainly shocked Great Britain, but in London, a British shol- soldier was beheaded in the middle of the day. Two men who did it were Muslim. They were quoting the Quran. They were Muslim street preachers. I just ordered a book and started reading it this week called What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Quran by James White. But make, make no mistake about it, for folks who believe the Quran, they desire to bring you under submission to Muhammad, or else, according to their text, behead you. Maybe we'll see more of this as time goes on, but Jesus certainly prophesied this would happen. Newsweek magazine, uh, February thirteenth, two thousand twelve, had as its cover The War on Christians. The title of the article was The Rise of Christophobia. From the one end of the Muslim world to the other, Christians are being murdered for their faith, and here's what it said. We hear so often about Muslims as victims of abuse in the West and combatants in Arab Spring, Arab Springs fight against tyranny, but in fact, a wholly different kind of war is underway. An unrecognized battle costing thousands of lives. Christians are being killed in the Islamic world because of their religion. It's a rising genocide that ought to provoke global alarm. From blasphemy laws to brutal murders to bombings to mutila- mut- mutilations and the burning of holy sites. Christians in many nations live in fear. The world is a dangerous place. Now hear me, we want to win them with the gospel. We want to win them. But the world is a dangerous place. Number two, the second form of persecution won't just be from religion, but it will be from the government itself. Verse eighteen, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my name's sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. You will be dragged before governors and kings. You know, again, in the, in the past two thousand years, much of the persecution that's come against the church, that's come against Christians, has been through the state. The state has been responsible for millions of deaths. Communism and socialism hate Christianity. As one preacher said, government is is ordained by God, but manipulated by Satan. That's exactly right. It's ordained by God, it's instituted by God for our good, but it is manipulated by Satan. The well-known book Fox's Book of Martyrs chronicles the history of martyrdom in, in the Christian church, uh, starting with the apostles, going through the, the Middle Ages, when the Catholic Church put to death folks like John Wycliffe, John Huss, William Tyndale. Uh, but this persecution was promised by God. We will be persecuted. And Jesus says this, the world will hate Christians because it hated me. If you claim Christ, you've made yourself a target. John fifteen eighteen, Jesus says this, if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. So what about today? How do we see persecution from the state? Well, first of all, I should mention this. Paul tells us not to just roll over, but to pray for peace, pray for freedom. But if the Lord chooses to judge our nation, which is what we see happening in some ways, I think we can expect persecution from the state in a number of ways. Let me just throw out some ideas. I think we'll see a persecution through the courts. Reckless laws will be passed. Possibly in the future, tax-exempt status for churches and charitable giving will be denied. Uh, hate crimes will be applied to preachers who condemn, uh, the sin of homosexuality, for instance. We see this happening in Canada and other parts of the world. Uh, churches will lose tax-exempt status for taking a stand on biblical principles. Maybe jail time for preachers. Could easily happen. But the Holy Spirit will direct us and give us the words to say. But for us as Americans, you know, we enjoy a great deal of freedom, and and it's freedom that much, most of the rest of the world does not know or taste. It's an incredible freedom. But hear me, are we prepared to not bend the knee to the state? If the state ever asks us to go against our conscience in the word of God. I hope that day doesn't come, but that day may come, and if history repeats itself, that day will come. Number three, persecution from family. Look at verse twenty one. Brother will deliver brother over to death, Jesus says, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. Brother will deliver brother. Now this, this has to be the most difficult form of persecution. To be ostracized from your family because of Christ must be no easy thing. I'm sure you know this, but in many places in the world, people will hold a f- a funeral for a family member who has converted to Christianity. They are dead to them. Even worse, they'll deliver them over to death. Brothers and fathers and mothers will do this, Jesus says. He says, and we'll see this next week, a person's enemies will be those of his own household. So there's a sense in which Jesus brings peace to the gospel, but there's another sense in which Jesus brings a sword. He brings conflict, and he says that. We'll look at that hard saying next week. But there will be a persecution from family members. And the fourth realm of persecution is from society. He says in verse twenty two, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. You will be hated by all. Now, he isn't implying all people literally, even Christians, but he's saying all people generally. Society as a whole will hate you. The Bible makes it very clear that true Christians will not be cool in the world's eyes. This is a tough pill to swallow, but the sooner you do it, the better. Christians will never be the cool kids on the block. Paul says in First Corinthians nine, we've become a spectacle to the world. We're a spectacle. We're, we're fools for Christ's sake. The world looks at us as we are, as if we are fools. He says, we labor, we are reviled, we bless when persecuted, we endure when slandered, we entreat. We have become and are still like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. That's what he's saying. Expect that. Expect to be the scum of the earth, the refuse of all things. Al Mohler had an article this last week, and he said, uh, the church's engagement with the culture involves a host of issues, controversies, and decisions, but no issue defines our current cultural crisis as clearly as homosexuality. The Atlantic, uh, this last week made headlines with this statement: Support for same-sex marriage has doubled since nineteen ninety six. Also in the news this last week, after a hundred and three years, the Boy Scouts of America lifted their previous ban on homosexuals and now allow gay boys to be members, although they did not lift the ban on gay leaders, which in my mind shows the hypocrisy of the decision. This is the world we live in. Hollywood and the media will not por- portray Christians in a positive light, will be seen as haters, uh, bigots, intellectually inferior. Colleges and universities will continue to d- to disparage people who believe in biblical principles. And the hatred and hostility will come from all, Jesus says, all society as it goes from bad to worse. But let's not play the victim, my brothers and sisters. Let's not cry foul and pout our way all the way to the promised land. Let's proudly bear the name of Christ. Let's thank God that we're considered worthy to suffer for his name. And honestly, our suffering, let's think about this and be honest, it's nothing compared to those who are suffering in other parts of the world, who are losing limbs and lives for the sake of the cross. Let's consider that and think about that. Is, is America headed down a moral sewage pipe? Yes, but why should that alarm us? This is never meant to be a utopia. We're not home yet. I love America. I'm a patriot, but I love heaven more. Maranatha, may the Lord come quickly. Jesus goes on to say in verse twenty three, the one who endures to the end will be saved. Only those who last, through the persecution, mind you, will persevere and be saved. First Corinthians fifteen, Paul says, uh, if you hold fast to the word, you'll be saved. If you hold fast. So don't have a false sense of security. Don't buckle under the pressure. If you hold fast of the word, only those who last will be saved. For those who don't last, they prove themselves to be unbelievers. Hebrews two one. therefore, we must pay closer attention to what we've heard, lest we drift away from it. In verse twenty four, I'll close this point. When they persecute you in one town, Jesus says, flee to the next. Don't take it like a man and, and stay there if you don't have to. Run away, go to the next town. You're not obligated to be arrested or imprisoned if you don't have to. That's what he's saying. Paul did this. When persecution became too intense, he, he left for another region. He says, I, I, I say to you, you will have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Now, here again, I, I think he's referring to the Great Tribulation, and you see the telescoping nature of this prophecy. He starts with these twelve on a little short-term mission trip in Jerusalem, and then he ends with the Great Tribulation. Uh, this is eschatological. He's talking about the end here in verse Twenty three. But he's saying to expect persecution because Jesus was persecuted. Look at verse twenty four. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. And he- he's saying, look, if they called, if they called the Lord Jesus Christ Beelzebul, why wouldn't they call you the same? Why wouldn't they persecute you? If they persecuted Jesus, your teacher, your master, why wouldn't they persecute you? That's only natural. Jesus says the servant isn't- isn't above his master. Expect the same. There's a great story I read in, in high school, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, required reading in many places, but i- in this story, uh, these British schoolboys are stranded on a tropical island, and in an, in a, in an attempt to recreate the culture they left behind, their British culture, they elect, they elect Ralph to lead with, uh, the intellectual Piggy as his counselor. Uh, but Jack, the nemesis, wants to lead too, and one by one he lures the boys away from civility and reason to this savage survivalism of primitive hunters, and they make spears, and they want to run around and, and uh, attack javelinas, and Golding sort of gives us a glimpse of the savagery that underlies even the most civilized human beings. It's really a fascinating read. These English schoolboys, these proper English schoolboys, turn into a pack of wolves by the end of the story, and the novel concludes with British naval officers arriving to discover the depth of their depravity. They're shocked at how far gone these boys went. Factions, gangs, jealousy, murder, hatred. And the moral of the story is that they couldn't fix themselves. They needed salvation from without. And it finally came. That's a bit of a, a picture of the world we live in. It's, it's a world that's hostile to God. It's anti-Christ. It hates God. It would gladly put him to death, and it did. So in verse twenty five, Jesus is telling his disciples not to expect anything less. This is normative. If the world hated Jesus, it will hate you as well. Expect persecution from religious folks. Expect persecution from the government, expect persecution from your family, and expect persecution from society. You will be like a sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves. That's point one. Point number two, don't live in fear. You see, statements like persecution and being dragged before governors would have freaked these disciples out, I imagine. It would have given them some cause to, to fear. Oh no, what has befallen us? But starting in verse twenty six, Jesus tells them they don't need to fear. He's telling his disciples to be fearless, not foolish. And these disciples shouldn't seek out persecution. They shouldn't be provocative. They, they should be prudent, wise as a serpent, but there may be circumstances when they need to pick up and move town. Maybe they thought they they needed to stockpile weapons. Believe it or not, Jesus seems to imply, actually, both of those may be legitimate options. Uh, in Luke twenty two, we see this. It's a very interesting statement and a hard statement, but Jesus tells his disciples to be be prepared to defend themselves, and let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one, he says, but they should not do any of this out of fear, purchase a weapon out of fear. And Jesus over and over again said, we bless those who curse us. We bless those who persecute us. We love our enemies. We're not to live in fear, even if we are to protect ourselves. So Jesus gives three statements on not fearing, starting in verse twenty six. First one is this. Don't fear people because the truth will prevail. Don't fear people because the truth will prevail. You will ultimately be vindicated. Have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed i- in the judgment. And by the way, believers will judge unbelievers, First Corinthians chapter six. So, so the truth will come out. Don't fear. That's the first point. The second point is don't fear because God is more powerful than man. Verse twenty eight, look at it in your Bibles. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Jesus is saying physical death is nothing compared to spiritual death. They can take your body, but they can't take your soul. Amen? This is good news. And I, I couldn't resist quoting here from William Wallace. When he saw a whole army of countrymen in defiance, he says, you've come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? The veteran says, fight against that? No, we'll run, we'll live. And Wallace says, I fight and you may die, run and you'll live, at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom. That's right. Where's Drew Miller when you need him? Well, listen, uh, we don't fight against our enemies. We love our enemies, we bless our enemies, but here's the good news. Even if our enemies take our bodies, they can't take our souls. That's good news. It's good news. We love our enemies, we bless those who persecute us, but no matter what happens, they can't take our souls away, and that's good. That's good. Our, our eternal destiny is secure in Christ. That's awesome. It's a wonderful hope. Proverbs nine ten says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. So Jesus is saying, fear God, not man. Fear God, not governments. Fear God, not legislation that persecutes Christians. Fear God, not family members who may hate you or turn you over to the authorities. Fear God, not society. Fear God, that's wisdom. That's wisdom. Third reason not to give way to fear Jesus gives is don't fear because God is sovereign. This gets really good. Verse twenty nine. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father. But even the hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not, therefore you are of more value than many sparrows. Now this, this statement, not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your, apart from your father, this is staggering. It is. The dust part, just think about this with me, the dust particles in the air, the flight of the sparrow, the cough of the baby in the back room, the division of cells, the rest, the rotation of the sun and moon, the growth of cancer cells, the election of a president, the loss of a job, the path of a tornado, the flight of an asteroid, all do not take place without the knowledge and decision of the Lord. Proverbs sixteen thirty three, the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. The king's heart, Proverbs twenty one, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. Exodus four eleven. I knew a family in, in Michigan. Their son was born with spina bifida. He's about eleven years old. They had to carry him everywhere, completely take care of him. They said that we were in despair until we read this verse, Exodus four eleven. Then the Lord said to Moses, who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, deaf, seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Ephesians one eleven, he works all things according to the counsel of his will. You are of more values than many sparrows. God cares about the birds. That thought alone should encourage us, but you are of more value than the birds. He knows everything about you. He cares for you, and he's sovereign. He's competent. He's able. He's over all things. This ought to give us an enormous amount of comfort in the midst of persecution, or in any circumstance, for that matter. Martin Luther was no stranger to controversy. He really was like a sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves. He lived much of his life on the run. His friends smuggled him from home to home, here to there. He was, you know, living in hiding, but he wasn't living in fear. He translated the Bible into German on the run. True. And many of these reformers were like sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves. Many of them were burned at the stake for such crimes as translating the Bible into English and other horrifying sins like that. But they clung to the providence of God, and Luther rested on the promise that God, quote, God created the sparrows. This is why not one of them will fall to the ground without his will. God not only created human beings, but also let his dear son suffer for them. Therefore, he w- he will and must care for them far more than he does for the worthless sparrows. There's no reason to fear, is there? No reason to fear. God is providentially over all things. When Phil Johnson was here, uh, last month, exactly a month ago, he was, we asked him what his favorite theologian was, and, uh, he said it was, it was R. L. Dabney. Now, I- I'd heard of Dabney and knew that Phil liked him, but I didn't know really much about Dabney. I was surprised when Phil mentioned that Dabney was a close personal friend of Stonewall Jackson and was his chaplain during the Civil War. Actually wrote Jackson's biography, which you can get for ninety nine cents on Kindle. Jackson, uh, has sort of been labeled a religious fanatic, and he was eccentric. He, uh, almost constantly sucked on lemons, even in battle, and, uh, uh, was a very interesting, in fact, he never had pepper because he thought it made his left leg swell. Definitely eccentric and quirky, but the reality of Stonewall Jackson is that he was a very committed biblical Christian with a high view of God and his word. His favorite pastime was to discuss theology. He lamented fighting on Sundays, although he did do it reluctantly. I dug up an article by the New York Times that, uh, spoke of Stonewall Jackson, who got his name by someone's soldier saying, hey, there's Thomas Jackson standing like a stone wall. He was fearless. The article said, theology was the only subject he genuinely enjoyed discussing. His dispatches invariably credited with an ever kind providence. Assigning his fate into God's hands, he acted utterly fearlessly on the battlefield and expected the same of everyone else in Confederate gray. It was said he preferred good Presbyterians to good soldiers. Jackson is legendary, literally legendary for his fearlessness. His name is synonymous with bravery and courage. Both the South and the North shortly acknowledged that. Little kids grew up wanting to be called Stonewall Jackson. He was a household name. But I appreciate these words from Stonewall Jackson, even though he's not known for his theology. This is really well said. He says, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then all men would be equally brave. He trusted in the providence and sovereignty of God, and what a blessed truth that was for him. Two points, expect persecution, don't live in fear. We live in a, in a day and age when we seriously need to think about what it means to be a Christian in the twenty first century. We are like sheeps, sheep among wolves, and the wolves are getting hungrier. So what does it mean to not live in fear? Does it mean stockpiling and self-defense classes? Maybe, but much more, I think it means we pray for boldness and clarity, conviction, and compassion. While the wolves of religion and government, family and society howl and attack and persecute, may we be among the few faithful who trust in a s- trust in a sovereign God who cares more about us than he does the sparrows. He is competent and able, and he's coming back with a rod of iron. The Son of Man will come, but will we be ready, and will he find faith on the earth? This statement closes Matthew chapter ten— or I'm sorry, our section this morning, Matthew ten thirty three. Jesus says, whoever denies me before men, I will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Who will last? Who's gonna last through the persecution? Apparently, many won't. Who- who will last? Will he find faith on the earth? Whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father, who's in heaven. Many of you have probably heard the name Charles Templeton, one of the founders for Youth for Christ. He first professed faith in nineteen thirty six, became an evangelist the same year, and in nineteen forty five he met Billy Graham. The two became good friends, and, and they began their preaching ministry together. Many people believe Templeton was really the stronger of the two preachers. But by nineteen forty eight, Templeton's life and worldview did a bit of a U-turn, started going in a different direction from Graham's. Doubts about the Christian faith were solidifying, and he planned to enter Princeton Theological Seminary, which was once a great seminary, and less than a decade later, in nineteen fifty seven, he would publicly declare that he had become an agnostic. Fifty years later, Lee Strobel had an opportunity to interview Templeton, who had just a few more years to live. He was in his eighties suffering from Alzheimer's, and, and uh, although he was still a clear conversational partner at that time. In A Case for Faith, Strobel recounts this conversation, which was fascinating. Strobel says, and how do you assess this Jesus? It seemed like the next logical question, but I wasn't ready for the response it would evoke, Strobel said. Templeton's body language softened. It was as if he suddenly felt relaxed and comfortable and talking about it, talking about an old dear friend. His voice, which at times had displayed s- such sharp and insistent edge, now took on a melancholy and reflective tone. His guard seemingly down, he spoke in an unhurried pace, almost nostalgically, carefully choosing his words as he talked about Jesus. He was, Templeton began, the greatest human being who's ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was intrinsically the wisest person that I've ever encountered in my life or in my readings. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world. What could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness? I was taken aback, Strobel says. You sound like you really care about him. Well, yes. He's the most import- part- most important person in my life, came in. I, I, I, he stuttered, searching for the right word. I know it may sound strange, but I have to say, I adore him. Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. Yes. Yes. A- and tough. Just look at Jesus. He castigated people, he was angry. People don't think of him that way, but they don't read the Bible. He had a righteous anger. He cared for the oppressed and exploited. There's no question that he had the slight- highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest compassion of any human being in history. There have been many other wonderful people, but Jesus is... Jesus. Ah. But no, he said slowly. He's the most... He stopped and started again. In my view, he declared, he's the most important human being who's ever existed. That's when Templeton uttered the words I never expected to hear from him. And if I may put it this way, he said as his voice began to crack, and if I may put it this way, I miss him. With that, tears flooded his eyes. He turned his head and looked downward, raising his left hand to shield his face from me. His shoulders bobbed as he wept. Templeton fought to compose himself, and I couldn't tell if it, I could, I could tell it wasn't like him to lose control in front of a stranger. He sighed deeply and wiped away a tear, and after a few more awkward moments, he waved his hand dismissively. Finally, quietly but adamantly, he insisted, enough of that. Templeton had rejected Christ. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. You know, the good news of Christianity, the good news of the gospel is that those who have been rejected, those who've been denied by the world, can be accepted by Christ. Whosoever wills can be saved. Gay, straight, literate, illiterate, poor, rich, Muslim, Hindu, whosoever wills can be saved. Great is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Please stand with me. I just want to encourage you, if you're here this morning and you've not known that grace and that acceptance from Jesus, you can have that and much more today, eternal life, forgiveness of sins, but Jesus makes it very clear that you're called to repent, turn from sin, turn from your lifestyle, and trust in Christ, and start a new lifestyle, the Christian faith. You can receive free grace, free forgiveness, eternal life today in Christ. I just encourage you to trust in him. Lord, we thank you so much for this time to gather together and study your word, to be re- recalibrated by your word. This culture, Lord, this day in which we live, it so rubs against our sensibilities and against your word, but Lord, it's good for us to be calibrated by what you say, not by what the world says. Help us, Lord, to be prepared for violent persecution. And at the same time, Lord, help us not to give way to fear, but rather to fear you. Oh, I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.