Introduction
This is the word of the Lord
Matthew 24:9–14 ESV
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.
11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Let us pray!
The Cost of Discipleship
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who opposed the Nazi regime. In June 1939, as the political situation in Germany deteriorated, Bonhoeffer moved to the United States with the help of friends who arranged a position for him at Union Theological Seminary. The intention was to provide him with safety and an opportunity to continue his theological work away from the dangers of the Nazi regime.
Despite the safety and opportunities available to him in the U.S., Bonhoeffer struggled with his decision. He felt a deep sense of responsibility to his fellow Germans and the Confessing Church, which opposed Hitler.
After just a few weeks, Bonhoeffer made the momentous decision to return to Germany, feeling that he could not participate in the reconstruction of German Christian life after the war unless he shared in its trials.
He was engaged, eager to get married. But his decision to resist Nazi Germany could cost him everything, and it did. He was arrested. And from prison he wrote his fiancée. A series of letters that have been collected into a book called ‘Love Letters From Cell 92’.
He would not leave that cell, and before the Allied forces moved in, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging.
He is famously quoted saying, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
Matthew 16:24 ESV
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
We can from our ivory towers of comfort and peace find such cost strange. I know I do. I have to wrestle every comfortable bone in my body to see the cost that has been paid by so many who’ve gone before us.
1 Peter 4:12 ESV
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
According to the Bible, it is not the fiery trial that is strange. What is strange is our strangeness to such trials.
2 Timothy 3:12 ESV
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Philippians 1:29 ESV
29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
1 Thessalonians 3:1–4 ESV
1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone,
2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,
3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.
4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.
John Calvin: “If we consider the ingratitude of the world, there is scarcely one in a hundred who does not recoil from the Gospel, nay, more, who does not loathe it. But Christ promises to reward his followers in this way, that they shall be strengthened by the power of God, so that they may not sink under the burden of persecutions.”
Martin Luther: “They gave our Master a crown of thorns. Why do we hope for a crown of roses?”
John Knox: “Sufferings are not held in high esteem today. We must learn that persecution and adversity are not signs of God’s absence, but of His presence. The more the enemy rages, the more we must be certain that Christ is leading us through it all.”
Jonathan Edwards: “Though we are not to be callous to our own or others’ suffering, there is nothing of greater importance than learning to suffer well. It is central to our sanctification and growth in holiness.”
Charles Spurgeon: “I bear my testimony that there is a full reward for the boldness which comes from faithfulness to Christ. We may lose many things for Christ, but we shall never lose Christ for anything.”
John Owen: “The person who suffers in the right way will have comfort in Christ through the process. Though trials come, the knowledge of Christ’s sufferings will be a sweet support.”
“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
Philippians 1:21 ESV
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
This is a strange invitation for the human mind. Who in their right mind would accept such an invitation? Why would anybody follow a Saviour who bids us to come and lay down our lives?
Matthew 16:25 ESV
25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Because there is no other way.
John 15:18–16:4 ESV
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19 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.
20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
16
1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
• The Christian faith is an infamous faith according to the world’s standards. And the realities of such hostility have been a part and parcel of the church throughout her history.
• We are not to be surprised by these fiery trials. They are to be expected and according to Peter, welcomed. And in the context of many of these verses, the fiery trial or suffering has to directly do with the persecution of Christians.
So, when you hear me say ‘suffering’ today, know that I’m specifically referring to Christian persecution. Although a lot of this applies to any Christian suffering, my focus is on the suffering a Christian goes through because his faith is offensive to the world.
So anti-Christ is the god of this world that when they kill Christians they will think they are offering service to God. But their god is not God.
• And the reason Jesus warns of such suffering is so that at that very hour, we would remember what he told us. He is removing the strangeness of suffering by prophesying about it to us well in advance.
This is what keeps us from falling away.
Persecution & Eschatology
Now, some of you might wonder, what any of this has to do with the subject matter that has preoccupied us for the past few weeks, namely, Eschatology – the study of the last things or the end times.
Let me give you three reasons why turning our attention to the subject of our persecution is not a deviation from our study of Matthew 24.
1. Every theological position has undercurrents of convictions and often the debate on peripheral matters muddies because we are not addressing those foundational convictions.
As we’ve been studying, Christian orthodoxy has always recognised more than one view of the end times. And the predominant dispensational pre-millennial view is not the only recognised way of the church.
In fact, studying these more ancient and long-recognised traditions can throw a lot of light on the subject.
And one of the questions that I get commonly asked has to do with the suffering of this present age. If this is the millennial rule of Christ, how can there be so much persecution and sorrow? How is this the golden age?
I will dedicate an entire sermon sometime in this series to answering that question. But for now, I want you to notice the undercurrents that provoke such a question.
• The world is corrupt
• Sin is rampant
• We should be prepared to face persecution, and so on
Given these underlying realities, for many, postmillennialism has to deny these realities and believe in fantasy in order to justify their position. But this is not true. Because the confession of the postmillennial is not that suffering has ended, but that the Gospel will gradually advance and persecution will increasingly decline over centuries because of the overwhelmingly growing Christian sentiment around the world.
The Puritans were mostly postmillennial and oh how they’ve suffered well for Christ. How? Why would they suffer well if things are getting better and the Great Tribulation is past?
Because this is how the world gets Christianised – through their suffering. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church!
Matthew 13:31–32 ESV
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
I believe that the advancement of the Christian faith, of the Christian Kingdom in the millennial rule of Christ, is a gradual advancement akin to a mustard seed (smallest seed) growing into the biggest tree in the garden.
Postmillennialism is not the view that Christian suffering and persecution ended in AD 70. The confusion here often arises from looking at the wrongs signs or looking at the signs the wrong way.
I was explaining this to my uncle just the other day as we were driving to the airport. I said – If I had the gift of prophecy and told you that the plane was soon to land, and you asked me, ‘What will be the signs of the coming of the plane?’, and I said, “The rain will intensify and the wind will get stronger than you expect and you should be careful as you drive on the road since there’ll be a lot of water, there will also be a lot of dust in the air and then the plan will land”, notice how that does not imply in any shape or form that tomorrow, after the plane has landed and we’re well settled back at home; that tomorrow it won’t rain heavily with bad winds and more dust in the air.
2. There is no hope in Christian persecution without Eschatology
Matthew 5:10–12 ESV
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Romans 8:18 ESV
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Philippians 3:10–11 ESV
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
1 Peter 5:10 ESV
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Without an eschatological eye that looks keenly and lovingly at the appearing of Christ, you have no hope to suffer well.
1 Corinthians 15:19–20 ESV
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
3. The nature of persecution in a sinful world
It was the second century theologian and apologist Tertullian who said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
According to him, killing Christians was birthing something new.
We’re studying about eschatology – the doctrine of the last things. How will Jesus bring to full closure the times of this perilous world that is soaked in the deadly stain of sin?
2 Timothy 4:8 ESV
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
There is laid up the crown of righteousness, which the righteous judge will award to those who have loved his appearing.
• The Crown of Righteousness:
The crown is a metaphor that represents the blessings or rewards that one receives. In Scripture, there are many references to crowns:
• Crown of Life: James 1:2 and Revelation 2:10
• Crown of Glory: 1 Peter 5:4
• Incorruptible Crown: 1 Corinthians 9:25
The Crown then is a metaphor of that blessing which is bestowed on the Christian.
• And righteousness, is moral good in the eyes of God. To be righteous is to do the will of God.
• But here in verse 8, in Paul’s concluding charge to Timothy, the righteousness that gains men the crown of righteousness, is the love of his appearing.
It is righteousness to love the appearing of Christ, and it is God’s will for you to love the appearing of Christ.
However Jesus chooses to close the last things, one thing is certain, the righteous will always love his appearing.
This is one of the reasons why it is important for Christians to have an eschatological position. “What is the point of studying a subject that Christians have disagreed over for centuries?”
The answer to that question is simple – If you love His appearing, you have no choice but to look at this subject.
Historical disagreement does not mean that you cannot study and hold to a position with clear conscience.
You will not be held accountable for the ignorance of others, but your own.
Christian suffering is filling up the afflictions of Christ, and the afflictions that Christ endured brought salvation to this world. Sin is still sin, and sin still corrupts.
So, I do not believe it is a digression from the theme of Matthew 24 for us to read about the Great Tribulation and then ponder on the realities of tribulations today. Look how Jesus prepared his people to suffer such a great turmoil and we are to learn many things from that.
Exegesis
Matthew 24:9 ESV
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
• Christian persecution is not merely hatred against Christians, it is hatred against Christians for His Name’s sake. Many sufferings in our lives are brought upon us of our own foolish doings.
• And it must feel strange to us if we’re accepted by everyone everywhere. And it must not surprise us when we suffer cost when contending for our faith.
• The general sentiment of tolerance that gives us the comforts we enjoy today is not a result of sin but a result of the Gospel.
Matthew 24:10 ESV
10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.
• Sin and turmoil of this sort are not tied exclusively to the Great Tribulation. It is the inheritance of corruption for every generation all throughout history.
• The last thing one expects in the midst of external hatred in light of the Gospel, is to face hatred internally.
Matthew 24:11 ESV
11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
• There will arise in the face of this hatred, others like you, who in the name of Christ will amass fame and widespread acceptance.
Philippians 1:17–18 ESV
17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
This is affliction nevertheless, and Paul dealt with it by setting his eyes on the Gospel.
Matthew 24:12 ESV
12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
• Lawlessness increasing in the Great Tribulation does not keep lawlessness from increasing in our years. And where lawlessness grows, the love of many will grow cold
Matthew 24:13 ESV
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
• The Christian yet endures steadily through this storm. Every Christian persecution sanctifies the world and every Christian victory sanctifies the world.
Matthew 24:14 ESV
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
• If the Gospel of the kingdom was faithfully proclaimed through such turmoil and conflict, how confident must we be in facing the challenges of today?
Conclusion
Genesis 4:10 ESV
10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
The word for crying in this case is used elsewhere in Scripture to refer to the please of those who have suffered injustice.
Yet, at the greatest injustice the world has ever known – the death of Christ the innocent – the blood of Christ cried, Luke 23:34
Luke 23:34 ESV
34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
2 Timothy 3:12 ESV
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Romans 12:14 ESV
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Isaiah 53:1–12 ESV
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
