1 00:00:00,300 --> 00:00:01,900 Oh, it's good to see you this morning. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:06,000 We are still in the Beatitudes but we're about to leave today 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,100 as our last Sunday, as far as I know. 4 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:12,300 Now you never know when part 2 comes up, but far as I know 5 00:00:12,300 --> 00:00:15,600 where you're going to complete the study, the Beatitudes most 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,900 Scholars agree that these last three verses all have the same 7 00:00:19,900 --> 00:00:23,900 basic theme, all contain the word persecute and they all have 8 00:00:23,900 --> 00:00:26,400 to do with the same blessing. The same beatitude, they're not 9 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,200 three separate ones, even though they're versed out three, Three 10 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,500 different verses in our text. So here, once again, the reading 11 00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:34,700 and then we'll take a look at that. 12 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:38,800 Last one seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain 13 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,300 and when he sat down his disciples came to him and he 14 00:00:42,300 --> 00:00:46,300 opened his mouth and taught them saying, blessed are the poor in 15 00:00:46,300 --> 00:00:48,900 spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 16 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,000 Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be? 17 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,900 Comforted blessed, are the meek for they shall inherit the 18 00:00:55,900 --> 00:00:58,300 earth. Blessed are those who hunger and 19 00:00:58,300 --> 00:01:01,600 thirst for righteousness for? They shall be satisfied. 20 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,200 Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive Mercy. 21 00:01:05,700 --> 00:01:08,200 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see. 22 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:13,200 God blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of 23 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,000 God. Blessed are those, who are 24 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,100 persecuted for righteousness sake? 25 00:01:18,300 --> 00:01:20,200 For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 26 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,700 Blessed? Are you when others, revile you, 27 00:01:22,700 --> 00:01:26,100 and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you 28 00:01:26,100 --> 00:01:29,800 falsely on my account rejoice and be glad for your reward. 29 00:01:29,900 --> 00:01:33,900 Reward is great in heaven for. So they persecuted the prophets 30 00:01:34,100 --> 00:01:39,900 who were before you the word of the Lord, you may be seated. 31 00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:49,300 In this last beatitude the Felicity of this particular 32 00:01:49,300 --> 00:01:54,300 beatitude is quite sobering. The particular reward that's 33 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,800 mentioned here, is that those who are persecuted, theirs is 34 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,800 the Kingdom of Heaven. That's the same thing. 35 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:07,100 That was said, in the very first one, the poor in spirit for 36 00:02:07,100 --> 00:02:10,400 theirs is the kingdom of heaven and then there's inheriting the 37 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,300 Earth and other things that that accrue to the Once again, will 38 00:02:14,300 --> 00:02:16,000 mention that Christ is speaking to Believers. 39 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,400 If you're not born of the spirit of God, if you're not a son of 40 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,800 God a child of God already. Then this is just not just a 41 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:24,400 moral standard for you to try to achieve. 42 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,600 Oh you can try but I promise you, you won't be able to only 43 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:34,100 those that have been graced by the spirit of God, have any hope 44 00:02:34,100 --> 00:02:38,600 of practicing these things. And yet, these are most believe 45 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,900 kind of a setting forth of the ethics the behavioral. 46 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,300 The mindsets, the characteristics of the person 47 00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:52,000 who inhabits the new Heaven and the new Earth, those that are in 48 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,000 the final manifestation of the kingdom of God, we start living 49 00:02:56,700 --> 00:03:00,200 like new creatures, New Creation, new Heaven, and new 50 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:01,300 earth. New people. 51 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,600 Now in fact, that's what the resurrection of Jesus was all 52 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,800 about. He came and brought in the new, 53 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:13,800 the resurrection renews. And when Christ was was given 54 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,500 Life by the spirit of God to his dead body, which lay in the 55 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:20,700 Tomb. He was brought forth of the 56 00:03:20,708 --> 00:03:24,000 spirit of God. Each and every one of God's 57 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,100 people, her brought forth, born of the spirit of God. 58 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,300 And then one day there will be a new Heaven and new earth. 59 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:36,000 Wherein righteousness dwells and it's only those that hunger and 60 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,400 thirst for righteousness and are ready for that Kingdom. 61 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,000 When it does come, that will be able to enjoy and to 62 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:44,100 participate. Paid in it. 63 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:52,800 But alas, we're not there yet, we live in a time of reality, a 64 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:57,900 fulfillment, but we also live in a last day, there is a dying 65 00:03:57,900 --> 00:04:02,000 order. There is an age that is passing 66 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,100 away and we just happen to be living in that moment. 67 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,100 In that time when the old is passing away, the new has come 68 00:04:11,100 --> 00:04:15,600 and the Lord is positioning his people and teaching them what 69 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,600 they need to know. This particular passage will 70 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,500 deal it more, particularly just a moment as we look at it is 71 00:04:20,500 --> 00:04:23,000 going to talk to us about persecution. 72 00:04:24,700 --> 00:04:28,500 And I am delighted every time I look out at our little group on 73 00:04:28,500 --> 00:04:33,000 Sunday mornings and see. So many young people, so many 74 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,500 young people, are you a menning? You're not young. 75 00:04:37,900 --> 00:04:42,700 What's wrong with you, Mike? But I know you feel young just 76 00:04:42,700 --> 00:04:46,800 like the rest of us do, but there are young people and I 77 00:04:46,808 --> 00:04:50,800 look at the Horizon, we've not known persecution in this 78 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:56,600 country, really Our basic Christian Heritage. 79 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:01,200 That was given to us by our forbearers in the 1600s and the 80 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:05,100 1700s long before this country was ever founded. 81 00:05:05,300 --> 00:05:10,100 There was a ethos an ethic, a worldview that prevailed in the 82 00:05:10,100 --> 00:05:12,000 society. There was a consensus. 83 00:05:12,300 --> 00:05:17,600 There was a common law that came over from the old countries and 84 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:21,400 came to this country and we've been living under that and 85 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,800 there's been a era Of time in which Christianity was the 86 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,800 accepted. Faith. 87 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:34,500 Even those who weren't Believers were willing to look at things 88 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,600 the way Believers looked at them in terms of the world and how 89 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:39,900 the world was created, and how the world operated and what the 90 00:05:39,900 --> 00:05:43,700 principles were that God had placed into nature. 91 00:05:45,900 --> 00:05:49,400 Most of us that are baby boomers around about that age were 92 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:53,400 raised in a time of indifference when it was a kind of a 93 00:05:53,407 --> 00:05:56,600 take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward the things of God. 94 00:05:57,100 --> 00:06:00,900 The things of God were not expunged from our site and our 95 00:06:00,900 --> 00:06:05,100 memory we were not canceled. We were not thrown out. 96 00:06:05,100 --> 00:06:09,400 We were not boldface rejected but there was a certain 97 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:11,900 indifference, you could take it or leave it. 98 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,000 That's the way our teachers taught us in school. 99 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,600 That's the way we function. Society, we were free to enjoy 100 00:06:18,900 --> 00:06:22,400 the wonderful benefits of the Christian faith, but many 101 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:24,900 others, in fact, probably, a majority of the population is 102 00:06:24,900 --> 00:06:28,300 time. Went by were indifferent but not 103 00:06:28,300 --> 00:06:32,600 overtly hostile. Only a few, really bad Souls. 104 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,800 Really out of sort were dyed-in-the-wool atheist 105 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:41,600 god-hating communist, etc, etc. That everything that God had 106 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:46,900 said they had listened to Freud and marks and other Others to to 107 00:06:48,100 --> 00:06:52,100 Darwin and others to oppose the Christian viewpoint. 108 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:55,700 But now we're in an era, I think. 109 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:02,600 Where the page is turned again. No longer is this a Christian 110 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:04,400 dominant worldview in our culture? 111 00:07:06,300 --> 00:07:10,400 It's even starting to leave our legal system had left the school 112 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:14,000 house a long time ago. The gospel left, the church 113 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:19,000 house. And now Justice is leaving the 114 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:24,500 courthouse because Justice is based upon truth and I want you 115 00:07:24,508 --> 00:07:27,800 to listen as I just progress through these few thoughts about 116 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:32,200 this particular beatitude this morning, how often it is said 117 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:37,200 that it is the persecution that comes as a result of the loss of 118 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:42,000 Truth. The LIE, the deception. 119 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:48,500 The wrong data, the wrong syllogism, the wrong 120 00:07:48,500 --> 00:07:52,600 presuppositions, the wrong, given facts. 121 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,500 Are pressed in upon us and the consequences of those are 122 00:07:58,500 --> 00:08:01,600 beginning to bear fruit and we're beginning to be pushed in 123 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,900 a particular direction. And right now, it is principally 124 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,800 verbal. And that's really where it 125 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:09,400 starts. In fact, that's the way Jesus 126 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,200 refers to it. He says, in the text here that 127 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:17,500 when men say, all kinds of evil against you, they utter all 128 00:08:17,500 --> 00:08:20,200 kinds of evil. It's, it's language. 129 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:24,200 They utter? It against you, falsely on my 130 00:08:25,700 --> 00:08:31,300 It's when they revile you and they persecute you, that's the 131 00:08:31,300 --> 00:08:34,000 stage. That is the dominant stage of 132 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:39,500 persecution, it may start with just a little ignoring, a little 133 00:08:39,500 --> 00:08:42,600 bit of humor, a little bit of ridicule, a little bit of taking 134 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:48,200 lightly the things of God. And you as a child of God, have 135 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:53,000 to bear that reproach. And it may move fact. 136 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,500 It usually does in extreme cases, it will move toward 137 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:01,800 severe persecution and martyrdom. but for the most 138 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:09,000 part, In most cultures from most of the time, the persecution is 139 00:09:09,300 --> 00:09:17,100 a severe verbal persecution. It is, it is the inter social 140 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,300 and interactive but it's verbal, it's the creating of the 141 00:09:21,300 --> 00:09:26,000 atmosphere of the, of the taunt and the ridicule, the put down 142 00:09:26,100 --> 00:09:32,900 the cancel, The shut up silence. That's where the persecution 143 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,200 rest. Now Jesus didn't leave us 144 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:40,100 without some idea of where we are in this matter and let me 145 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:43,900 read a couple of passages for you right in my Bible it's all 146 00:09:43,900 --> 00:09:48,000 done nothing but red letters. That means it's the words of 147 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,000 Jesus. This is Jesus speaking shortly 148 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:55,900 before the crucifixion to his disciples and I'm right in the 149 00:09:55,900 --> 00:09:58,000 middle of a big passage here, but let me pick up with these 150 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:02,600 Tonight versus, but before all this, they will lay their hands 151 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,200 on you and persecute, you delivering you up to the 152 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:10,900 synagogue and prisons and you will be brought before Kings and 153 00:10:10,900 --> 00:10:15,600 governors for my namesake, this will be your opportunity to Bear 154 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,700 Witness. Settle it. 155 00:10:18,700 --> 00:10:21,800 Therefore in your mind's, not to meditate beforehand. 156 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,800 How to answer for? I will give you a mouth and 157 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,600 wisdom which none of you adversaries will be able to 158 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:35,500 withstand or contradict you will be delivered up even by parents 159 00:10:35,900 --> 00:10:39,700 and brothers and relatives and friends. 160 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,300 And some of you will be put to death. 161 00:10:44,700 --> 00:10:50,600 You will be hated by all for my namesake or as our text says on 162 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:55,400 my account. But not a hair of your head will 163 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:57,600 perish. And listen to this. 164 00:10:57,700 --> 00:11:01,000 This this verse is often taken out of context, you've heard the 165 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:06,900 context, By your endurance. You will gain your lives. 166 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,800 He that endures to the end shall be saved. 167 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:15,300 Not too long. After Jesus said this. in the 168 00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:20,500 upper room discourse the night before he was crucified, he he 169 00:11:20,500 --> 00:11:30,100 had this to say, And I can't remember where I started there 170 00:11:30,100 --> 00:11:36,400 it is right here. If the world hates you, you 171 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,800 know, that it has hated me before it hated you. 172 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:45,800 Let's do that strong language. Of course, you know what the 173 00:11:45,808 --> 00:11:49,100 world in this context of Jesus have done from the very first of 174 00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:52,900 Jesus ministry from the time, he's spoken in the synagogue at 175 00:11:52,900 --> 00:11:56,600 Nazareth and inaugurated his ministry, they sought to kill 176 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:59,700 him. They plotted against him, the 177 00:11:59,700 --> 00:12:03,400 enemies of Christ did everything you can possibly imagine, in 178 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:08,300 order to stop Jesus from doing and saying, whatever it is he 179 00:12:08,300 --> 00:12:12,300 was doing and saying. And so, this is Jesus now saying 180 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:16,600 the world hates, you know, that it Hated me before it hated you, 181 00:12:17,100 --> 00:12:20,600 if you were of the world, the world would not love you. 182 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,700 But love, you has its own but because you're not of the world 183 00:12:24,900 --> 00:12:27,900 but I chose you. Anybody struggling with 184 00:12:27,900 --> 00:12:31,700 elections morning, I chose you out of the world. 185 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:36,700 Therefore, the world hates. You remember the world that I 186 00:12:36,700 --> 00:12:41,300 said to you the word that I said to you a servant is not greater 187 00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:47,200 than his master. If they persecuted me, they will 188 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:51,000 also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will 189 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:56,700 also keep yours. But all these Things they will 190 00:12:56,700 --> 00:13:01,600 do to you on the account of my name, remember our passage said, 191 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:06,000 it's suffering a on the behalf of the name of Christ on his 192 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:10,700 account because they do not know him who sent me if I had not 193 00:13:10,700 --> 00:13:13,700 come and spoken to them. They would not have been guilty 194 00:13:13,700 --> 00:13:16,800 of sin. Oh, there might be the problem 195 00:13:17,700 --> 00:13:22,400 with the world that might be the point of contention, that might 196 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:28,400 be the The difference between the believer and the unbeliever 197 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:31,300 between the disciples in the world between the kingdom of God 198 00:13:31,300 --> 00:13:36,300 in the Kingdom of, man, it may be this matter of sin. one 199 00:13:36,900 --> 00:13:40,900 kingdom is in a rebellious state in a hostile State toward God, 200 00:13:43,100 --> 00:13:46,700 One kingdom is made up of people who bowed their knee. 201 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,200 To the King of Kings and the lord of the Lord's. 202 00:13:51,500 --> 00:13:55,400 But now they have not accept for their sin. 203 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,600 Whoever hates me hates my father. 204 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:05,300 Also If I had not done among them, the works, that no one 205 00:14:05,300 --> 00:14:08,100 else did. They would not be guilty of sin, 206 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:14,500 but now they have seen and hated both me and my father It's 207 00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:17,600 interesting that every time a portal gospel, preacher stands 208 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:19,900 to preach and talks about the importance of sin. 209 00:14:21,500 --> 00:14:23,500 Most people don't take him seriously as they ought to. 210 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:26,800 That's really the whole issue with the whole thing. 211 00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:30,300 Whole creation was good. It was wonderful. 212 00:14:30,300 --> 00:14:34,700 And then came sin. And that's made all the 213 00:14:34,700 --> 00:14:37,800 difference. Why are there Wars, why is it so 214 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:40,600 to God's Not a good God, he lets all this terrible stuff 215 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,300 happened. Look at all the atrocity. 216 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,400 Look at all the famine. Look at the wars. 217 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:46,900 Look at all the rape and robbing and stealing and murder and 218 00:14:46,900 --> 00:14:50,300 everything. You think of God didn't do that 219 00:14:51,100 --> 00:14:54,700 sinful man did it. And the record is in the 220 00:14:54,700 --> 00:14:58,400 scriptures from the very first from chapter 4 of Genesis 221 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:01,600 forward we hear about Cain and Abel. 222 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:07,100 We hear about a citizen of the world cane and a citizen of 223 00:15:07,100 --> 00:15:10,300 God's kingdom. Bringing the proper sacrifice 224 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:15,700 getting right with God living, according to God's standard able 225 00:15:16,900 --> 00:15:19,200 and then the story just continues its enlarged. 226 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,900 It goes through a massive amount of time in a massive amount of 227 00:15:22,900 --> 00:15:26,900 humanity, but it's the same old problem, it's sin. 228 00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:30,600 And that's the struggle that is in the world. 229 00:15:31,100 --> 00:15:33,100 That's the struggle that's in our hearts, isn't it? 230 00:15:34,300 --> 00:15:37,500 What do you do with seeing? Do you confess your sin? 231 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,200 Do you abandon your sin? Do you hate your sin, or do you 232 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:45,400 just try to manage your sin? See if you can manage it. 233 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,400 So that it doesn't cause you so much trouble. 234 00:15:47,900 --> 00:15:50,700 Something you can live with something, you can sort of get 235 00:15:50,700 --> 00:15:54,100 by with. Sin. 236 00:15:57,900 --> 00:16:01,000 But the word that is written in the law must be fulfilled. 237 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:08,100 They hated me without a, cause that's the gist of what's going 238 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:11,500 on here. With this sinful World hating 239 00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:17,400 Christ, persecuting him, and his people and persecuting them. 240 00:16:18,100 --> 00:16:22,200 It's derivative. We are persecuted because we're 241 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,400 Christ's We belong to him. We're christ-like. 242 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,800 We want to be his, we surrender to him. 243 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:31,500 We love him. We worship Him. 244 00:16:32,100 --> 00:16:36,900 We've staked everything on him. We've identified with him and we 245 00:16:36,900 --> 00:16:44,900 have been born of his spirit. And there's an enmity and that 246 00:16:44,900 --> 00:16:47,500 persecution goes through. Now noticed this is a quotation 247 00:16:47,500 --> 00:16:49,400 by the way. It's interesting says, as it was 248 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:53,500 written in their law, which of course it was, but it is most 249 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:56,800 beautifully set forth in the Psalms. 250 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,300 And this Psalm there's this song is quoted. 251 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,000 In this passage, there's two Psalms that has this direct 252 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,500 quotation and there's a little context to it that you need to 253 00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:11,000 see first when Psalm 37 Fret. Not yourselves because of 254 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:16,400 evildoers. Do not be envious of wrong 255 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:22,099 doers, trust in the Lord. And do good and dwell in the 256 00:17:22,099 --> 00:17:25,099 land. And befriend, the faithful 257 00:17:25,099 --> 00:17:29,300 people. And then the psalm that says do 258 00:17:29,300 --> 00:17:35,100 not let those Rejoice over me, who are wrongfully my foes, let 259 00:17:35,100 --> 00:17:40,900 not those who wink the eye. Can you see the surreptitious 260 00:17:41,500 --> 00:17:47,600 ignominious actions of the betraying Judas? 261 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:55,100 The week of the eye. Let not those wink. 262 00:17:55,100 --> 00:18:01,300 The, I who hate me without a cause for they do not speak 263 00:18:01,300 --> 00:18:03,800 peace. But against those who are quiet 264 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:10,600 in the land, they devise words of Deceit, It is lying. 265 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:15,200 It is the truth. That they can't face. 266 00:18:16,500 --> 00:18:19,600 That's where it comes from. Then there's another Psalm Psalm 267 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,400 69, just a few chapter of Q chapters over. 268 00:18:26,300 --> 00:18:29,400 This is talking about those that are, that are persecuting as 269 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:33,800 well, more in number than the hairs of my head. 270 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:39,000 Are those who hate me Without a Cause Mighty? 271 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:46,200 Are those who would destroy me? Those who attacked me with lies 272 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:54,800 There is the harm. There's the difficulty. 273 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,100 It's a matter of Truth, Christian seek above all else to 274 00:18:59,100 --> 00:19:03,700 speak the truth. and when the truth is not countenanced with 275 00:19:03,700 --> 00:19:06,500 the truth is not heard when the truth is not understood when the 276 00:19:06,500 --> 00:19:10,000 truth is not championed in all areas, whether it's education, 277 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:17,100 or law or in family life are in business life, Then you have the 278 00:19:17,100 --> 00:19:22,500 complete breakdown in enmity. That comes from that sinful 279 00:19:23,300 --> 00:19:28,200 sinful act and it works its way into all the conversation works 280 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,600 at way and all the lifestyle Works its way into the heart 281 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,000 forms. The character people become 282 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:39,600 perverse Lying. The summation statement in the 283 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,100 scriptures, one place is all men, are liars. 284 00:19:45,500 --> 00:19:48,400 This is what brings about the persecution. 285 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,100 It's a cliche to say it but we're just not on the same page. 286 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:58,100 With the unbelievers. We just don't have the same 287 00:19:58,100 --> 00:20:01,000 worldview. We don't have the same Outlook. 288 00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:06,400 And while it might be a mild disagreement in some areas, it 289 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:10,900 becomes dreadfully serious. At others. 290 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:18,600 The world does not want to hear the word of the Lord and was the 291 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:23,100 Cry of one of the persecuted prophets, scripture mentions the 292 00:20:23,100 --> 00:20:26,800 prophets who were persecuted. One of them is Jeremiah Jeremiah 293 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:28,600 Was persecuted throughout his whole life. 294 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,800 He was made fun of, they tried to shut him up. 295 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:35,000 They put him in a dungeon. They tried to make him sign a 296 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,000 nondisclosure agreement to where he wouldn't tell anything that 297 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,600 the Lord had said to him, thus said the Lord to Jerusalem. 298 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:43,600 Maya below. Tell us, just keep it to 299 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,900 yourself. They exiled him, they did 300 00:20:47,900 --> 00:20:49,600 everything. You could possibly imagine. 301 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:55,700 Do you remember what was in Jeremiah's psychological makeup? 302 00:20:56,500 --> 00:21:02,200 He wanted to quit the ministry, quit preaching, quit telling the 303 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,100 words of the Lord to a population that didn't want to 304 00:21:05,100 --> 00:21:07,700 hear it. He said, I'm just going to buy 305 00:21:07,700 --> 00:21:11,700 me a piece of property and set up a bed and breakfast and run 306 00:21:11,700 --> 00:21:14,600 it. Believe me, I've been there 307 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,900 there's a lot more peace in running a small business in 308 00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:21,200 areas than preaching the gospel. Preaching the gospel Faithfully 309 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,700 in boldly, for sure. But he said, I could not be 310 00:21:25,700 --> 00:21:28,200 still. There was within me fire in my 311 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:34,300 bones and I had to speak. And how did he speak? 312 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:41,100 He spoke like this Earth Earth Earth hear the word of the Lord. 313 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:47,000 He preached to the whole planet. Especially to the land, which is 314 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,400 literally what that word means, Earth is the word land. 315 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:51,600 The land is the land of God's people. 316 00:21:53,700 --> 00:21:58,200 Faithful preachers cannot let God's real estate. 317 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:03,900 God's people God's Property. the household of faith, the temple 318 00:22:03,900 --> 00:22:09,500 of God, the body of Christ, The Vineyard of Jehovah, We cannot 319 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:15,100 let it go untended and unpruned and unplowed. 320 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:22,700 And unloved and cared for. There's just a whole different 321 00:22:22,700 --> 00:22:24,300 world. We live in a different world, 322 00:22:24,300 --> 00:22:28,400 Believers. And if we don't hear the word of 323 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:32,800 the Lord, And speak the word of the Lord live. 324 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:36,200 The word of the Lord, loved it. And promote it, and Proclaim it 325 00:22:36,300 --> 00:22:41,900 Earth hear the word of the Lord. Did wear. 326 00:22:43,300 --> 00:22:48,200 Not being faithful. And the persecution comes when 327 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,900 we open our mouth when we try to explain to them just a few 328 00:22:51,900 --> 00:22:57,200 verses out of Genesis in the beginning, God. 329 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,000 Created. The heavens and the Earth. 330 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:07,900 There's four controversial statement right here are our 331 00:23:07,900 --> 00:23:10,300 culture doesn't believe in a bellini beginning. 332 00:23:12,300 --> 00:23:14,000 Because they don't want to believe in the end. 333 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,100 They don't believe in a hooked on because they don't want to 334 00:23:18,100 --> 00:23:21,800 believe in an eschaton the first day because they know there's a 335 00:23:21,808 --> 00:23:26,200 last day. If there's something outside and 336 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:31,500 beyond our created time Space Universe, they got some 337 00:23:31,500 --> 00:23:36,300 rethinking to do. Best way to do, ignore the last 338 00:23:36,300 --> 00:23:41,000 day is to deny the first day. So they deny Creation in the 339 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:42,300 beginning. God. 340 00:23:43,300 --> 00:23:46,900 There's no God. Atheism is the rampant thought 341 00:23:47,100 --> 00:23:50,200 in our land today, not just actually theism and agnosticism, 342 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,400 but practical atheism, even people that claim there might be 343 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,000 might be a god completely, ignore everything he is all 344 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,700 about everything he says, but the Practical atheism and that's 345 00:23:59,700 --> 00:24:04,300 where most of us live. God created. 346 00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:07,400 Heavens and the Earth and everything that is in it. 347 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:09,600 The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. 348 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:13,000 They don't want to believe that. They think they're the ones 349 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,900 that's in, Kroll control of the fullness of the Earth. 350 00:24:17,300 --> 00:24:20,400 We have some environmental scientist that are telling us. 351 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:24,400 They're the ones that are in control of the earth, God 352 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:25,800 created the Earth for his purposes. 353 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,100 The Earth will be here just as long as God wants it to be here. 354 00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:30,000 You don't worry about saving the planet. 355 00:24:30,900 --> 00:24:33,500 If you're saved the planet in one century, I've got a Bible 356 00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:36,700 here that tells me something's going to happen to it and in a 357 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:41,300 Time beyond that. Can't save the planet. 358 00:24:41,300 --> 00:24:45,300 If you want to God's got a definite thing in mind that he's 359 00:24:45,300 --> 00:24:48,500 doing, he's Sovereign over every bit of that and he's doing it. 360 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,200 So let's get involved with God's purposes. 361 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,000 Not with those that. Don't believe in God. 362 00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:59,700 Said, let us make man in our own image, male and female. 363 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,800 Created, he them. Do you believe that's debatable? 364 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:08,900 It's not debatable. They've already decided it in in 365 00:25:08,900 --> 00:25:11,700 favor of something else. And those of us that believe 366 00:25:11,700 --> 00:25:16,000 that simple verse of scripture, as reality, of humanity and 367 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:20,100 existence upon this planet of the population, all of us, we, 368 00:25:20,100 --> 00:25:22,600 we believe that simple proposition male and female 369 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,400 created. He them, we're the ones that are 370 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:27,300 being hushed, shut up ruled out of court. 371 00:25:29,100 --> 00:25:32,500 Losing jobs, persecution is coming, and it's going to come 372 00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:35,500 because of the simple words of scripture that we espouse. 373 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:40,100 And that are, that are World in which we live does not believe 374 00:25:40,100 --> 00:25:45,100 in and are hostile to And they may not be able to shut the 375 00:25:45,108 --> 00:25:50,700 voice of God up taking shut, your voice up all the way now. 376 00:25:50,708 --> 00:25:53,400 Just one word as a practical matter here before I give it to 377 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:57,900 Tommy for our communion, And I meant to mention this earlier, 378 00:25:57,900 --> 00:26:03,400 but I just forgot too. I'm just going to read passage 379 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:07,700 out of Peter as I conclude out of first First, Peter, chapter 4 380 00:26:09,300 --> 00:26:11,800 and it sort of summarizes. I think what the Lord is saying. 381 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:15,700 But one of the interesting thing is here, it talks about make 382 00:26:15,700 --> 00:26:20,100 sure when you suffer, and when you're persecuted, That it's for 383 00:26:20,100 --> 00:26:24,500 righteousness sake. Not because you're obnoxious. 384 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:31,300 not because you got a political cause not because you've got 385 00:26:31,300 --> 00:26:36,700 some weird theological idea. Not because of any other reason. 386 00:26:36,700 --> 00:26:41,300 And when you do suffer, when people revile and rebuke you and 387 00:26:42,100 --> 00:26:46,300 say things about you, make sure it's because it's something that 388 00:26:46,300 --> 00:26:49,900 you've said or done that reflects brilliantly, like a 389 00:26:49,900 --> 00:26:55,900 mirror in the bright Sunshine, the likeness of Christ, And then 390 00:26:55,900 --> 00:26:57,600 you're persecuted there, but even suffer for that. 391 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,300 Listen to what how Peter says is I close. 392 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,900 Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes 393 00:27:03,900 --> 00:27:07,200 upon you to test you as though, something strange were happening 394 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,300 to you. But Rejoice remember, our text 395 00:27:10,300 --> 00:27:13,200 says rejoice and be glad for your reward is in heaven, by the 396 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,800 way, that's the greatest promises, you, it's got a reward 397 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:16,900 in heaven. You know what the greatest thing 398 00:27:16,900 --> 00:27:19,400 about that is think about the implications means, you're going 399 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,000 to happen, you're going to go to heaven to get it. 400 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:24,500 That's your hope. That's the best news I've heard 401 00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:26,500 in the whole thing. And that's Peter here tells the 402 00:27:26,500 --> 00:27:29,500 whole thing's rejoice, insofar, as you share in Christ's 403 00:27:29,500 --> 00:27:33,000 suffering that you may also rejoice and be glad when his 404 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:37,100 glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name 405 00:27:37,100 --> 00:27:41,000 of Christ, you are blessed, let's Peters paraphrasing that 406 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:45,000 be attitude by the way because the spirit of glory and of God 407 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,000 rests upon you but lay here it is. 408 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,600 Let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or an evil 409 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,000 doer or as a meddler as a busybody. 410 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:57,900 He that hath ears to hear, Let Him hear. 411 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,800 Yet if anyone suffers us a Christian, let him not be 412 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:08,000 ashamed. But him glorify God in that 413 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:11,800 name. Tommy.