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Nov. 13/11
“I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up”
(click on sermon title for
printable version)
2 Cor. 4:7--12; Heb. 11:32--38
A little boy brought his home work to school one day for the
teacher to inspect. The teacher scanned it, then said disgustedly,
“This work is full of mistakes. How can one person make so many
mistakes?” The little boy answered, “It wasn’t just one person! My
dad did half of it.” If you are a Christian, you will find that life
is full of little tests, curve balls and difficulties. They come as
opportunities to reveal the caliber of our faith and let Jesus Christ
be glorified in us. Today is the Day of Prayer For The Persecuted
Church and the Persecuted Church certainly shows us how to be faithful
in suffering, bold in spiritual warfare and courageous in sharing the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us look at four lessons the Persecuted
Church teaches us today.
I/ PERSECUTION IS UNIVERSAL Today, two hundred million
Christians are persecuted for their faith in Christ. Consider some of
the most recent news reports.
1. Nine churches were
recently attacked in Nigeria.
2. In Garissa, Kenya,
a Pentecostal Church compound was attacked. Two were killed and
three wounded. Our mission partners Aaron and Erica Kenney also
minister in Kenya and they recently shared a prayer request for
Erica’s friend Jess who was recently kidnapped by Somalian
terrorists.
3. In Egypt, a Coptic
Christian student was beaten to death by his teacher and fellow
students when he refused to remove a cross he was wearing.
4. In Ethiopia,
Christians are increasingly attacked as Islamic fundamentalists
wield greater influence.
In Iran, the president is committed to ruthlessly eradicating
Christianity. In Saudi Arabia, it is still a crime to convert to
Christianity. In Afghanistan, believers meet together in worship deep
underground. Yemen has expressed its intention of ridding the country
of Christians. Fifty-eight Christians were massacred in Iraq in
October. These are only the worst offenders.
However, persecution is not restricted to examples such as
these. The New Testament tells us all Christians will face
persecution to various degrees. That means whether you live in Iran
or Canada, you will be persecuted. The difference is in degree. The
apostle Paul chronicled some of his own persecution in our passage
today from 2 Corinthians. He shows us that all Christians undergo
pressures, perplexity (confusion), persecutions, opposition and being
struck down. In Ephesians chapter six, he also advised us to put on
the whole armour of God. Here’s why.
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms. Eph. 6:12
Paul is saying that we must look beneath the surface of this
world. We cannot understand what is going on in our lives and
churches today by using microscopes or calculating with computers. He
tells us we are not in conflict with what we can see, but rather with
demonic forces of evil operating in our lives and churches. We need
to understand there is a diabolical mind behind the things we are
confronted with.
People generally respond to pressures, difficulties and
persecutions in various ways.
A. Denial Some
pretend they are fine and try to keep a bubbly front up.
B. Some handle
discouragements with anger and bitterness.
C. Some look for some
one or something to blame.
All of these miss the boat of God’s blessing. We should view the
negative circumstances that come against us as opportunities to say,
“God has allowed this to bring forth my faith as gold and to let Jesus
Christ be glorified in me.” As the song goes, “I get knocked down,
but I get up again.”
II/ LESSON NUMBER ONE FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
PRESSURE WILL NOT DEFEAT US The apostle Paul said, “We are
hard pressed on every side, but not crushed.” Ever been in a crowd
where you are so hemmed in that you can’t move? Maybe you’re feeling
that way right now. He’s also using the image of crushing grapes. In
New Testament times and parts of the world today, people get in a vat
of grapes and crush them down with their feet. It’s also the image of
olives. Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed and was tested, means “Olive
Press.” There was a grove of olive trees there, and a press for
squeezing the oil out of the olives. To paraphrase the apostle’s
words, “We’re going to get hit on every side, but we don’t let it
squeeze the life out of us.”
Through the centuries, attempts have been made to crush the
Church of Jesus Christ, but these attempts have always failed. In
Soviet Russia, an underground church only grew stronger. The same in
Communist China. Despite Irain’s efforts to eradicate Christianity,
churches keep multiplying. When believers are persecuted in one area,
they simply open a church elsewhere. Hebrews chapter eleven is often
called the Hall of Fame of Faith. It shows us that faith is
inexhaustible and unstoppable.
The Atlantic Baptist Convention can certainly relate to this. In
an increasingly secularized culture, it has seen churches shut their
doors, membership drop dramatically over the last ten years, finances
dwindle and programs cut deeply.
III/ LESSON NUMBER TWO FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
CONFUSION WILL NOT DISCOURAGE US Often, when troubles come our way,
they come at breakneck speed. It’s the old saying, “If it doesn’t
rain, it pours.” This often leaves us confused, spinning in circles,
trying to make sense of things. Some times, we do not even know how
to pray. Romans 8:26 indicates therw will be times when a believer
does not know how to pray. In those times, the Holy Spirit helps us
to pray. In our church, we’ve certainly experienced this, e.g.
financial stress, deaths of beloved members, cancer stricken people,
etc.
I have read accounts of believers tortured for their faith in
Christ, imprisoned and persecuted. Whenever I read these, I’m always
struck by their clarity of vision and strength of faith. Feeling
confused? Remember, Jesus is not confused. Feeling like things are
spinning out of control? Remember, God is in control. He always sees
the big picture, the end from the beginning.
IV/ LESSON NUMBER THREE FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
OPPOSITION ISN’T GOING TO STOP US Paul wrote, “We are persecuted,
but not abandoned.” Over and over again, the story of the Persecuted
Church through the centuries has been that opposition failed to shut
it down. In the fires of persecution, God nurtured His Church and
made it stronger. As Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is
the seed of the Church.”
The root word of the word “persecution” is the Greek word “to
pursue.” It is the image of the hunter pursuing his prey. Psalm
ninety-one makes reference to the snares of the fowler or the traps of
the hunter being set for us. Satan is the hunter coming to steal and
kill sheep. The apostle Paul knew what it was to be persecuted.
Wherever he went, his integrity was challenged, his message ridiculed
and his ministry opposed. He told the Church in Corinth of an
opportunity with opposition. “A great door for effective work has
opened to me (Ephesus) and there are many who oppose me.” 1 Cor.
16:9
If your life is always smooth sailing and trouble free, chances
are you are not making your mark as a Christian. You’ve likely earned
yourself a spot in Satan’s file, “Low risk, non-effective, weak
witness, unproductive, low threat.” Some one has suggested that
persecution, pressures, difficulties and problems are a compliment
from Satan, evidence of the threat he sees and an indicator you‘re
headed for greater things. .
The Persecuted Church has certainly taken seriously the Great
Commission found in Matt. 28:18--20 The more it has been opposed, the
more boldly it witnessed for Jesus Christ. Often, when we think of
witnessing for Jesus, we feel scared and intimidated. This is because
we sort of feel like we will be going out to the playground where the
school yard bully waits. The bully may have different names, e.g.
Intimidation (What Will People Say?), Rejection (What If I Am
Rejected?), Failure (What If I Fail?). We need to stop looking at
the bullies, and start looking at Jesus Christ who is greater and
mightier than bullies. See 1 Jn. 4:4 We forget that the Great
Commission carries not only the threat of opposition, but an
opportunity to watch Jesus go to work for us. We forget that not only
did He give us a commission, but He gave us two powerful promises.
A. All authority on
heaven and on earth has been given unto Me. In Luke chapter ten, He
told us He was bestowing that authority on us.
B. I will never fail
or forsake you. I am with you always.
Someone has said, “The door of opportunity swings on the hinge of
opposition.”
V/ LESSON NUMBER FOUR FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
HARD HITS HURT, BUT THEY DON’T DESTROY US Hockey players know
that. They regularly get checked into the boards, get bowled over,
but keep getting up to play again. When its time to play for the
Stanley Cup, every player commits to “playing through your setbacks.”
Paul said, “We are struck down, but we are not destroyed.” I have
read Richard Wurmbrand’s Tortured For Christ. He took a lot of hits,
but came out with a faith stronger than ever.
Understand this. There is a strategy in the hits we take in
life. Satan is always looking for the knock out punch that will knock
us out of our witness for Christ. He is always hoping that just one
more hit will be all it takes to drop us to our knees in
discouragement so that we give up. That’s the key to understanding
the book of Job. Satan got permission from God to take a crack of Job
and put his faith to the test. He tried and tried to deliver a
knockout punch. Didn’t work. In the end, Job said, “He (God) has
brought me forth as gold.“ We always try to have a plan for troubles,
e.g. if we get sick, we will go to the doctor and get a prescription,
if we need advice we will find some one to talk to, we try to save
money to fend off financial difficulties in the future. But as the
boxer Mike Tyson famously said, “Every body has a plan until they get
punched in the mouth.” Some times the hits we take leave us stupefied
and speechless.
I know what it is to get knocked down. When I was a teenager, I
once saw a horse grazing in a field. I noticed he was near a fence.
I reasoned, “I can climb the fence, jump on his back and ride him.” I
did, but he reared up and I slid off, landing on my back in the dirt.
Did I let that stop me? Nope. Another time, we went somewhere they
had horses. They saddled them up for us, and told me, “If you want
him to stop, just pull the reins.” Didn’t work. This one started
galloping. I held the pommel for dear life so I wouldn’t fall off.
He headed straight for a fence, then suddenly planted his feet and
stopped, hoping I would sail off over the fence. Didn’t work. I had
a death grip on that pommel. I got down, but I was proud he hadn’t
been able to get me off his way. Another time, I was on a horse ride
in the Rockies. You’re in a line of riders, all following the lead
horse. We stopped for a break. They neglected to tell me that when
you stop and get off a horse, you are supposed to drop the reins over
his head so he can move his head freely and feed as he wants to. He
was mad cause I didn’t do it and he backed into me, knocking me down.
They told me what to do. The point is that I got back on and rode him
to the end of the trail.
Dark times will come. But think of it this way. Where is light
most clearly seen? On a sunny day or in the darkness of the night?
Jesus said we are the light of the world. It is easy to sing on a
sunny day, but tougher to sing in the midnight hour as Paul and Silas
did in prison after having been flogged and locked in stocks. Life is
not a cafeteria. We don’t get to choose our troubles. Persecution
will surely come. Regard it as an opportunity to smell beautiful,
emanating the fragrance of /Christ. Whatever the situation you are
in, say, “This is my opportunity to let my faith be brought forth as
gold, to let Jesus Christ be glorified in me. I get knocked down, but
I get up again.”
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