This morning, I invite you to turn with me both to John 15 and 1 Peter chapter 4. John 15 and 1 Peter 4 for our scripture reading. We read that in connection as background for our text this morning. As you recall, last Sunday morning we considered the eighth, really the final beatitude in Matthew chapter 5. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And then verses 11 and 12 that we considered together this morning are more of a direct application for Christ's disciples of that day and for believers of our day today. And our Lord says there, Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. John chapter 15, the beginning, you know, is the portion where we read that familiar story of the vine and the branches and how Jesus desires and expects His branches to bear fruit. We pick it up in verse 9. There we begin to read this Word of God. As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this, love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends for everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. This is My command, love each other. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belong to the world, it will love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you, no servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their law. They hated me without reason. When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this so that when the time comes, you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. Then a few verses from 1 Peter 4, beginning at verse 12 through 19. in chapter 3 recall we read that Peter talks about the fact that it is good to suffer for doing good rather than for doing evil and here he says dear friends do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed if you are insulted because of the name of christ you are blessed for the spirit of glory and of god rests on you if you suffer it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal or even as a meddler however if you suffer as a christian do not be ashamed but praise god that you bear that name for it is time for judgment to begin with the family of god and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? So then those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful creator and continue to do good. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, rejoicing for persecution. Who in the world does that? I mean, persecution is suffering. And who in their right mind would rejoice and be glad in it. It doesn't make sense. It's a foreign concept to the world. Because suffering means something simply is not right. We don't rejoice, usually rejoice, when we suffer some sort of loss, loss of life or loss of property. Boys and girls, you don't rejoice when you get picked on, I suspect. You don't rejoice when someone makes fun of you. We don't rejoice when we're going through some sort of hardship of life. We're concentrating on trying to reverse whatever it is to get rid of that suffering. Rejoicing for suffering, especially rejoicing for suffering for persecution, is out of place unless you are a Christian. Unless you are a child of God. Unless you are a kingdom citizen. Then, as Jesus teaches, we have every reason to give a rejoicing response to persecution. And to give that rejoicing response in the face of its intensity. Now here again, as we said last week, maybe we have a little bit of difficulty with this because we don't necessarily feel like we're suffering persecution, at least not very often, and not like some do in this world. But it may come. And Jesus talks about its intensity. He never painted a rosy picture. He never painted a false picture about the Christian life. In fact, He painted quite the opposite picture, didn't He? As He says in John chapter 15, If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belong to the world, it will love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you. No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. And he says a little bit later, for the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. It's not a rosy picture. And in Matthew 10, we read about Jesus sending out His disciples two by two, and there He says to them, I am sending you out, listen to this, as sheep among wolves. Now boys and girls, if someone said that to you, I suspect that the first thing you might think of is, well, wait a minute. Wolves eat sheep. And He's going to send His people out as sheep among the wolves. He says that you're going to be flogged, whipped. You're going to be arrested. that He told them this as they were heading out. He says, you're going to be put to death. Your family members are going to betray you all the way to death. And in verse 22 of that chapter, He says, all men will hate you because of Me. Hardly a rosy picture. And in the text, Jesus points out the character of this persecution which teaches us about its intensity. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. He had talked about persecution, we might say broadly, in verse 10. And now he kind of breaks it apart. What they can expect as a part of this persecution. And he says, when? And the idea there is, we ought to understand, is whenever. And the original language teaches us there that Jesus is not saying, you know, this is a slight possibility. What Jesus is saying is that it will happen. And whenever it happens, it will happen often. And He says it will be persistent. It will be relentless. It will come upon you by words and by actions as He points out the intensity three ways. Insults. That word is also translated, we might be more familiar with, reviling in Scripture or reproaching. Talking about some sort of personal abuse against someone's character. In John 9, verse 34, we read about the man who was born blind, whom Jesus healed. And the Pharisees are questioning that man. And finally, they get so fed up with him that they insult him. You were steeped in sin at birth. How dare you lecture us? You are a wretched sinner from the moment you were born, and we are the spiritually elite. Who do you think you are? And they threw him out of the temple. Insults. We also think in that sense of belittling someone or putting them down, and that's what the world does. The psalmist in Psalm 42 found that out. Where is your God? When you're going through suffering, when you're going through sickness, when you're going through troubles, where is your God, the world will say. Because a loving God certainly wouldn't allow you to suffer whatever you're suffering. You're foolish to believe in Him. And also calling names. Jesus freaks. Bible thumpers. I'm sure there are better ones nowadays that they come up with. Hypocrites. Oh yeah, yeah, we see these believers mourn. They're sorry because of their sin, but then they go right back out and commit it again. They're hypocrites. Insults. But also, more directed, Jesus says again, persecute in that more directed way. The idea there to inflict physical injury or hurt, as he outlined in Matthew chapter 10. Flogging, whipping, torturing, physical abuse. All the way to death. Paul suffered all of them. And the third way that Jesus characterizes this punishment, the intensity of it, He says, when they say all kinds of evil against you. When they accuse you of all kinds of evil. But notice what He says, how He qualifies it. Falsely. He says it won't be true when they give false testimony against you. Kind of the idea of making up false stories about someone in order to build sides against that one to create others to come and be along with you against that one, to attack one's moral reputation. For example, the disciples were accused of not paying taxes to Caesar. We might say, what's the big deal? Well, you see, if the other citizens got wind of that, if it was true, of course, if they got wind of that, then they might rise up and they might be angry. Well, if they don't have to pay taxes, why do I have to pay taxes? But it was false. And again, they might say, well, we see these Christians, You know, they are merciful. They do a lot of nice, merciful things for others. But, you know, it's always to get something in return. I'm sure that's what it's all about. It's selfishly motivated, saying all kinds of evil falsely. The Christians in the early church faced all kinds of false accusations. They were falsely called atheists because they did not worship a visible God. They were falsely called unpatriotic or treasonists because they confessed loyalty to Christ and they would not worship the emperor. They were falsely called cannibals because they say they eat and drink the body and the blood of this man Jesus. They were called Christians. When we read that in Acts, when they were first called Christians, no doubt for those who called them that, it was not a compliment on their part. But God's people took it as a compliment. In Acts 17, verse 6, Paul and the apostles are falsely accused of turning the world upside down. Again, today, beloved, this persecution is much more subtle for us. Here it's much less physical, yet it is no less cruel and it has the very same goal and that is to destroy God's people, to destroy the church. We find it, for example, in the liberal news media that promotes an ungodly or an anti-God agenda. We find in our nation's lawmakers who do not see themselves as being accountable to the supreme law giver, but instead make laws to try to force you and me and the church to force compliance upon us with sinful practices. The world loves to highlight the public sins of those who claim to believe in God, who claim to be Christians. And one of the false accusations that is thrown against God's people once in a while is for those who are anti-abortion, for those who are pro-life, well, certainly that must mean that they hate women. And they hate women's rights. Intense persecution against the Christian's personal character and physical person and reputation before others. and beloved, there is no more hatefully motivated and intense persecution than this and it's because of the reason for this persecution and that is Jesus. Because of me. Remember, Peter says it is not honorable to God if you suffer for doing evil. If you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an adulterer, there's no honor in that. That's not the one who is blessed by God, but the one who is blessed by God who is persecuted for righteousness because of Jesus Christ. Because they are devoted to Him and will not be swayed by the world. Jesus who came to divide. In Matthew 10, verse 34, Jesus says, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. There's no contradiction there. Jesus came to bring peace for you and me with God, but He came to do so by way of the sword against Satan, sin, and death. And the effect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a clear-cut division. A clear-cut distinction between Christians and non-Christians. Seen with persecution for Jesus' sake. Because of Jesus who is hated. The world hates Jesus Christ. Because He is completely opposite of all that the world stands for. He is opposite the world's selfishness and sinfulness. He is the one by His very coming who exposed the sinfulness of the world. He is anti-Satan, the prince of this dark world, anti the father of lies who has blinded this world and hatred against Him was seen in His brutal treatment unto death. The wicked world does not want to be told who and what and how to believe because to be told that you need a Savior indicts the world that something is wrong with them. And the hatred of the world against Jesus is passed on to those who are being remade in His image. To those who are loyal and faithful to Jesus Christ. To those who are obedient to His call. To those who refuse to compromise His truth for their own earthly benefit or welfare or safety to those for whom Jesus Christ is the motive that controls their entire Christian life. Beloved, does that describe you? Is He the motive for your life and for your living? Indeed, we know that, especially here again in our circumstances, the world, for the most part, tolerates Christians. The world tolerates Christians as long as Christians tolerate and accept and stay silent about the world's wicked desires and even participate, in a sense, by compromising to the point of not standing in their way, of not speaking up against them, but letting the wicked have their own way. But you see, with any hint, with even the least hint of opposition, That hatred for Jesus Christ is poured out intensely upon His believers in all kinds of religious discrimination against Christians. And what then is to be the response to this persecution? Jesus says, Rejoice and be glad. Really? Rejoice and be glad. And the idea there is to leap much, not with a giddy sort of joy, but to leap much with a gladness that cannot be kept hidden, with a gladness that cannot be kept silent. We are not to rejoice quietly, but to give thanks to God openly so that those who persecute us might see our confidence in Christ. Rejoice and be glad. You see, what a contrast, really. Because intense persecution, the purpose is to make one sad. to make one angry, to make one miserable. We're the goal of causing a divide between the believer and Christ. The world's goal of persecution is to make us think that persecution is proof that God does not care, that He is not real. Proof that He doesn't want anything to do with us. But that's not the believer's response. Jesus says, rejoice and be glad. Do not respond by actions of retaliating, by striking back. That's our first instinct, isn't it? Self-preservation. Boys and girls, if someone hits you, your first inclination is to hit them right back. But Jesus says, no. The kingdom citizen will not return evil for evil or insult for insult. Will not return actions of retaliation. And also, he will not respond with an attitude of resentment and hatred. And anger. But instead, love. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. And the kingdom citizen will also not respond by getting depressed and unhappy and worrying. But the content of the kingdom citizen's response is a content of visible joy and gladness. You see, beloved, this beatitude shows us just how new and how different this new life is. the whole of the believer's attitude and actions and feelings are the complete opposite of what the world expects and of what the world exercises. We see that in Acts chapter 5, the apostles, Peter and John, had been imprisoned because of their preaching. They were whipped and they were let go, and we read that they were rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name, the name of Jesus. We think of Paul and Silas in prison in Philippi. At midnight, we're told, even as they were chained up to the guards, they were singing hymns, songs of praise. We think of what we know about some of the martyrs years and years ago who read their Bible with their hand in the flame of the candle fire. And when they were being ushered to the stake, they ran there joyfully and they sang as the flames were starting to take their life. Dear people of God, those who share in Christ's suffering are called to suffer as Christ. As Hebrews 12 says, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame. This rejoicing response is a demonstration of a lack of fear for that wicked world. It's a demonstration of the greatness of the believer's confidence. It's a demonstration of the truth that Jesus is being seen and that my light is not hidden and all of this by the enabling work of the Holy Spirit. The believers to respond to intense persecution for Jesus' sake with rejoicing in the second place for its comforting proof. You see, it's still hard to comprehend. We still have a hard time, I do, Wrapping my mind around persecuting, being hurt, suffering, even for Jesus' sake, and being called upon to rejoice and to be glad about it. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time with that. And I think it's because we are so weak. Yet there is something more that we are to understand here. It's comforting proof. Peter says in chapter 4, if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed. Did you hear that? You are blessed. How? For the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. That persecution for Jesus' sake gives proof. Proof to others to be sure. But even more so here, I think we are to understand proof for you and me, for our assurance too. Proof of identity with Christ. You see, we are often proud to be identified with our school or with our team or we are proud to represent the college that we attend or other organizations or clubs that we belong to. We want others to know that we belong to these. We are identified with them. How much more are we delight to be identified with Christ? And this identity with Jesus Christ is to make us humbly proud. And Peter says, praise God that you bear that name. It means that Jesus is seen in me. It means that He is seen through me. It means that my life has become, even if only in part, like His. It is proof for me. For my comfort of the Holy Spirit's work in me. It identifies one as a child of God, as one who is saved by Jesus Christ, as a true believer. It is proof of the genuineness of one's faith. Paul says in Philippians 1.29, For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him. They go together, believing on Him, suffering for Him. And that's comforting proof for you and me identity with Christ, but also identity with Christ's. With His entire company. He says in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. We know this from our knowledge of Scripture. It's true of Moses and Elijah and Samuel and Nehemiah, to mention a few. It was true of Isaiah. Tradition says he was sawn in two. These and many more were persecuted because of their faith in the Christ to come. We know it's also true in the Apostles after the time when Jesus spoke these words, Peter was crucified upside down, James was beheaded, Paul we know was martyred. And we have the testimony of Scripture that these all belong to Jesus Christ. And therefore, beloved, our persecution for Jesus' sake gives us the assurance that we too belong to the company of the family of God. the world would make us think, no, you don't. Yet their hatred for you and me is proof that we do. As it is also proof of our true citizenship. Jesus says in John 15 again, if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it will love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. The world's persecution and discrimination of Christians. I say Christians purposefully because it's not all religious groups we know that are being persecuted. But Christians, Christ followers. And the world's persecution and discrimination of Christians is proof that we are not of this world over which Satan is the prince. And that's great news. The world's hatred is a loud and clear message to you and me. You don't belong here. And may we never want to try to look like we do belong here. Instead, the believer's citizenship, as Paul says, is in heavenly glory, where Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. And that, dear people, is a powerful reason to rejoice for persecution for Jesus' sake. Finally, in view of its glorious reward. Jesus says, because great is your reward in heaven. Along with that cloud of witnesses who are already there, our reward is Jesus Christ himself and all that he has accomplished for you and me. Our reward, as Peter says, is that inheritance which is kept safe in heaven for you who believe. What a glorious reward. Again, opposite of persecution's goal, The goal of the wicked world through their persecution is to cause again so much misery and suffering to destroy us, to make us think it's not worth it. Their goal certainly is not for something better for those who are being persecuted. Sometimes in this life, and boys and girls, you know this, sometimes in this life, if someone is not wanted on a team, or in a club, or in the game, Others make it so miserable for that one that they get sick and tired of it and they quit. It's just not worth it. And that's what the world would have you and I think about our Savior. It's just not worth it. It's too much of a hassle. But for the kingdom's citizen, the effect of persecution is just the opposite. The Holy Spirit uses it to prove the genuineness of one's faith, to make that one stronger and more mature, to give that one greater confidence into the Lord Jesus Christ. who suffered that persecution all the way to death for you and me. And to give us greater confidence to let our light shine for Jesus. And that glorious reward, beloved, is beyond earthly comprehension. Paul says in Romans 8, verse 18, our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. And he says in 2 Corinthians 4, For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. But wait a minute. Jesus spoke of the intensity of this persecution on body, soul, mind. Maybe even to death. But Paul calls it light. It's nothing. It's fleeting. It's momentary. And no matter how bad it is, that's what it is compared to what Christ has earned and has waiting for you and me. Indeed, that glorious reward is not earned by us, but it's earned by Jesus Christ for us. It is preserved for those whom He preserves through persecution for His sake. And we cannot even begin to fathom that heavenly glory. It is beyond anything human words can describe or explain, though our God has given us a glimpse in His Word. The Bible teaches us that we shall see Him as He is. Every bit of fuzziness and cloudiness will be removed. The Bible says that there will be never-ending worship in His presence. It teaches us that our bodies will be changed and glorified with no sickness, no disease, no discomforts, no sorrows, no tears, no wars, no rumors of wars, no separation, no unhappiness, or anything that makes one unhappy. Nothing that defiles will enter the glory of heaven. And therefore, there will be no sin, no Satan, no death. Also, no lack. No lack of what we need to serve God in perfect righteousness. No economic woes. Even today, beloved, in the midst of economic difficulties, we don't have to be afraid. Our God is sovereign. He is in control. And there, there will be that crown of righteousness that Paul speaks of. And that is to be our focus. Satan would have us focus on the here and now. He doesn't want us to think about that glorious reward. He would rather distract us with all of the entertainment of the world to think that this is what's worthwhile. But this life, complete with persecution for Jesus' sake, is preparation for the life to come. Beloved, when we suffer for Jesus' sake, we are called to rejoice because it is proof that He is our God and we are the sheep of His pasture, that we belong to Him. That all those who forsake themselves and look to Him in faith are safe and secure in the palm of His hands. As Isaiah says, He has etched us, our names, on the palm of His hand. When we suffer for Jesus' sake, we are to be comforted that it will not destroy us. It will not separate us from Him. Instead, it assures us that we will be with Him forever. It means that Jesus Christ is being seen, that He is being promoted in this world through you and me, and that is to be our hope and our desire in the face of that persecution, that others may see Him in us, that others may see our confidence in Him, that they may see that our strength is from Him, and if it be God's will, that they too would be drawn to Him in faith. Beloved, may the Holy Spirit make us more Christ-like every day. Christ-like. That we might consciously think about how to show Him in our lives through greater charity and humility. And may we see His work in our own lives, and may that very work be clearly visible into this world, and may God increase our courage to live openly for Him in this world, no matter what may come against us, even as we look forward to living eternally with Him in the life to come. Amen. Let's pray together. Our great God and Heavenly Father, we pray that indeed You would strengthen our faith. Increase our courage, Lord. That we might bear the toil and endure the shame if it should come upon us. As we look at our lives, Father, and we notice that there is really a lack of trouble, a lack of persecution, may it not be, because Jesus Christ is not seen. We do thank You for Your preserving hand, for your protecting hand over us. But we pray that even in this season of our lives, that you would prepare us for the abuse of this world. That even then we would be able to rejoice and be glad to praise your most holy name. To rejoice and give praise to you. To wear the name of Christ upon us. Oh, Father, we thank you indeed for your love and care and your preserving hand forever and ever. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.