Deo Gloria
Sermon for Reformation Sunday, November 1, 2020
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Matthew 10:16-23
Theme: Stand Firm to the End!
- The world may oppose you.
- But God will help you.
The year was 1994; the country, Iran. Pastor Mehdi Dibaj was on trial for his life. An upper-class Muslin man, Mehdi and his family had converted to Christianity. He had dared to translate Christian radio programs and books into the Farsi language. He was arrested in 1985 and accused of apostasy, of denying the Muslim faith. For this he faced the death penalty.
In Iran, social and political pressure is often used to force Christians to recant their new-found faith in Jesus Christ. Some are even tortured. Mehdi spent two of his years in prison in a dark, cramped hole with no room to stretch out his legs. While in prison his wife left him and was forced to marry a Muslim man. Still Mehdi stood firm in his faith and now he stood on trial.
These are some of the words he spoke in his own defense:
Men choose a religion, but a Christian is chosen by Jesus Christ. To be a Christian means to belong to Christ. Jesus asked me to renounce even my life to follow him faithfully, not to fear the world even if my body must perish. I prefer to know that God, the Almighty, is with me, even if it means that the whole world is against me.
The God of Daniel, who protected his friends, protected me during my 9 years in prison, and all torments changed to my good, so that I have the fullness of love and gratitude.
Of all the prophets, Jesus alone was resurrected from the dead, and he remains our living Mediator forever. I give my life into his hands. For me, life is an opportunity to serve him, and death is the privilege of getting to be with him.
Because he steadfastly refused to deny his faith, the Iranian court condemned Mehdi to death.
Standing firm in the face of opposition and persecution—that’s what Jesus encourages his disciples to do in our text this morning, what he encourages you and me to do, to stand firm to the end. Though the world may oppose us, we can draw comfort and strength from the fact that we are not alone. Our gracious God is there to help us.
Prior to the start of a game a coach will often give his players a little pep talk. They’ll gather together in the locker room, where he’ll give them some final instructions, some final advice on strategy, some final words of encouragement to help them reach their goal and win the game. Jesus was doing something similar here in Matthew ch. 10. At the end of the previous chapter he had made the observation that “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” He then proceeded to call his 12 disciples to him and commission them as the next group of workers. He commanded them to go to the towns and villages of Israel. He charged them to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven was near. But before they went, he wanted to give them a little pep talk, to encourage them for their work, and to prepare them for the opposition.
Opposition? Yes, as his ambassadors they would encounter opposition.
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. But be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. … Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me.(vv. 16-18,21,22)
We know from the book of Acts how Jesus’ words came true. We know how James, the brother of John, was arrested by King Herod and put to death. We know how Peter and John were arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin and commanded not to preach anymore in Jesus’ name. We know how Paul was arrested and put in prison time and time again, how he stood trial before the magistrates in Philippi and Corinth and Ephesus, how he stood trial before Governor Felix and Governor Festus, how he even stood trial before Caesar himself. As they went out and proclaimed the message of Jesus Christ, the apostles faced much opposition and persecution.
The same was true of Martin Luther, wasn’t it? The more he studied God’s Word, the more he became convinced that the church of his day was on the wrong track. And the more he proclaimed the truth of God’s Word, that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone as taught in Holy Scripture alone, the more opposition and persecution he ran into. First he was summoned to explain himself before Cardinal Cajetan in Augsburg. Then there was the debate with Eck in Leipzig. And finally there was the Diet of Worms, before the emperor himself. Luther wasn’t given the chance to defend his writings, to explain why he felt they agreed with the teachings of the Bible. He was only asked if the writings were his and if he wished to recant. After thinking it over for 24 hours, Luther gave his now famous reply: “Unless you can prove from the Bible that I have made wrong statements, I cannot and I will not take back anything. My conscience is bound by the Word of God. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”
You and I can expect the same. As disciples of Christ, as ambassadors of our Savior, charged with proclaiming the gospel to all creation, you and I can expect to run into opposition and persecution too. Maybe it will come in the form of ridicule from your college professor and classmates as you confess what the Bible says, that the world is not millions and billions of years old, but that God created it in six days. Or maybe you’ll run into opposition and hostility from people at work who can’t believe you still think an unmarried couple living together is wrong or that homosexuality is a sin. Or maybe the opposition you run into will be right in your own home, among your own family and relatives. Your spouse makes fun of you for wasting your time by going to church, maybe even yells at you or curses you. Your daughter won’t speak to you because you spoke out against her moving in with her boyfriend. Your cousin is upset at you because you’re so narrow-minded to believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
How have you responded in situations like that? Have you stood firm in the face of opposition? Have you confessed your faith boldly? Have you given a clear testimony to your Savior and his Word? That’s why you were in that situation. Remember what Jesus said? “On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles”(v. 18). That was your opportunity—whether it was before your college professor and classmates, before your co-workers at the office, or in front of your own family and friends—that was your opportunity to witness to them about your Savior and the truth of God’s Word. So what kind of witness did you give? Did you stand up for your Lord and give a clear and compelling witness? Or did you cave? Did you back down in the face of opposition? Did you schwaffel around and try to worm your way out of the situation? Did you compromise the truth so you wouldn’t look foolish or stupid? Did you hide what you really believed and espoused the popular opinion so others would like you and accept you?
I’ll be honest. There were times when I blew it, times when God gave me a wonderful opportunity to confess my faith in him and to witness to others about him and about the truth of his Word and I blew it. I didn’t speak up as I should have. I didn’t say what I really believed. I didn’t stand up for him and for the truth of his Word. I wasn’t a very faithful witness.
But I know someone who was, someone who always stood firm in his convictions regardless of the circumstances, someone who never missed an opportunity to witness to others, someone who never failed to speak up for God and for the truth of God’s Word no matter who was listening. His name is Jesus Christ. He was the faithful witness, the perfect ambassador, the supreme spokesman for God. He was for you and me as our Savior.
And for all those times we didn’t speak up, all the times we failed to give a clear testimony, all the times we caved in the face of opposition and compromised the truth, he suffered the penalty. He laid down his life for us on the cross, a perfect payment for all our sins, that we might be forgiven, that we might be his children, that we might be his ambassadors to the world.
His ambassadors to the world? Yes, the one who died for us sends us out just like he sent out his 12 disciples, sends us out as his ambassadors, to proclaim the good news of forgiveness and salvation in his name, to proclaim that the kingdom of God is near, to proclaim the truth of God’s Word. Will we run into opposition as we do that? No doubt we will. But we don’t have to be afraid either, because he is with us. And he will help us.
One of the difficult things about public speaking is that you’re up there all alone. Being up on stage as part of a choir or as part of a play where there are other actors on stage with you can be scary enough. But when you’re giving a speech in front of the class or when you’re making a presentation in front of a large group of people, you’re on your own. So it can be kind of scary. Jesus doesn’t send us out as his ambassadors alone. For one thing he joins us together with other believers, other Christians who have been given the same assignment and who can help us and encourage us as we strive to carry it out.
But even more importantly, he himself is with us. That’s what Daniel discovered in the lion’s den, didn’t he? He wasn’t alone with the lions. God was right there with him and he sent his angel to protect him from harm and danger. That’s what Luther discovered too. Even though he was declared an outlaw by the emperor and anyone who found him had the right to kill him, God was with him and kept him safe from harm. The Lord was his refuge and strength. The Lord is with us as well as we confess his name and proclaim his message to others. That’s his promise: “And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age”(Mt 28:20).
He also promises to help us with what to say. Listen again to Jesus’ words in verses 19+20: “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” That doesn’t mean, of course, that we shouldn’t consider ahead of time what we might say to that friend of ours or that coworker or that relative as we strive to share the gospel with them; or how we might answer certain questions or handle certain subjects that always seem to come up. What it does mean is that when we’re on our way over to visit our friend, or when we’re talking with our coworkers at the office and the subject of religion comes up, or when the topic of discussion in class turns to the origin of the world, we can say a little prayer, “Lord, please help me. Give me the right words to say.” And we don’t have to be afraid. We can speak up and know that he will help us, that he will provide the right words to say.
And yet, is it worth it? We have to ask that question, don’t we? Is it worth it to face ridicule and scorn in the classroom? Is it worth it to face rejection from family members or relatives? Is it worth it to face opposition and outright persecution at times, to end up in prison perhaps or even to face death for speaking up for our Savior and testifying to the truth? Jesus answers that question for us in v. 22: “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Ask any player on the Los Angeles Lakers and they’ll tell you the same thing: It was worth it. All of the hard work, the years and years of practice, the hours and hours of conditioning and training—it was worth it when they won the NBA championship a few weeks ago. And when they’re riding down the streets of LA in their victory parade, surrounded by tens of thousands of cheering fans, with the trophy held high in their hands—yes, it was worth it.
The prize that is waiting for us is far better than a NBA championship trophy. It’s far more precious than a Super Bowl ring. It’s an eternal trophy, one that will bring us eternal glory and eternal joy: salvation, eternal life in heaven. When we meet our Savior face to face as he welcomes us into the Father’s house, it’ll be worth it. When we’re being escorted down the main street of Paradise, surrounded by the saints and angels of heaven, it’ll be worth it. When we’ve had a taste of perfect joy and perfect peace and perfect life and it begins to sink in that this will never, ever end, it’ll be worth it, more than worth it.
So stand firm. Like the apostles whom Jesus sent out, like Peter and James and John, like Martin Luther, like Pastor Mehdi Dibaj, stand firm in your Christian faith and continue to testify to Christ your Savior. Though the world may oppose you, God himself will be with you and help you. Stand firm to the end! Amen.