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Plymouth-Sorrento SDA Church

Ralph Henderson

When Persecution Comes

Well, how many of you are here this morning because of the sign out front?

I was just wondering because 1 of my good pastor friends told me that he drives by here most mornings and he said, Ralph, what is this?

And so now the 1 thing that I want to say to that is that several years ago when we got our new sign, I was trying to convince the board to go with a bigger sign with 1 more line and a little bit more space so there'd be a little space between that join us Saturday morning at 11 so I thought maybe that some of you were here because you saw when to come for the persecution but also Debbie I want to let you know that when you talked about paper routes you you brought back a lot of memories, and some of them painful, because I think when I had my paper route, that was probably the first time that I experienced persecution.

But it was more from dogs chasing me off of the porches than it was from people.

This morning we are going to talk about persecution.

We're going to look at several different aspects of persecution.

And I want to begin by sharing a story with you that I recently read about a young man named Valadia.

Valadia was a medical student, and he was attending a university in a communist country.

He was in his fourth year of medical school, only a few months away from graduating, earning his degree and beginning his career in medicine.

But you know, the government didn't like Christians, and Voladia had recently just accepted Christ as his Savior, along with some of the other students in the college.

And so the government decided that something had to change.

And so they came into the school and they began what they called instructive classes They wanted the students to learn and understand the damage that Christianity could do they wanted to teach them the correct way of living and the way life should be.

As the class continued on, they began to realize that Valadia was not going to change his convictions.

And so 1 day, only a few weeks away from graduation, as Valadia sat in his class, suddenly some of the officials from the local government came into that classroom.

And they stood before the class and they said, we have heard rumors that there are some students here who are wanting to become Christians.

And so we thought we would invite Volodia to come to the front of the class and dispel those rumors for us.

He knew that this was the moment, this was his last opportunity to make his public stand for Jesus and also to have the opportunity to influence the young people in his classroom.

Volatius knew the results of what would happen as he stood up before that class that day.

But yet he had made his decision in his heart.

He told the class about what Jesus had done for him and that he would serve Jesus for the rest of his life wherever he might be.

Velladio left that school and moved on in life knowing that he would never become a medical doctor there.

The story is told that as he looks at the trade-off that he made that day, he said, it was the best decision I ever made in my life.

Last week we talked about being anxious for nothing.

Remember, we talked about how sometimes we are anxious, we are filled with distress and worry and fear, and we talked about the way that we gain victory over those areas of life is through complete and total trust in Jesus Christ.

And you see, as we look into the possibilities of persecution in the future, we have to know this morning also that the only way we will make it through any time of trouble, any time of persecution, any time of trial, is with that complete trust in God.

Persecution has been with us ever since the beginning of time, for centuries.

In fact, we know that persecution really began just after the fall of man.

And so, in order for us to have a clear understanding of the big picture, we need to know where persecution originated and why it came about.

That will aid us as we come to a trial or as we face persecution in our own life.

So if you have a Bible with you this morning I invite you to turn with me to the book of Revelation.

Revelation chapter 12, Revelation chapter 12 and I want to go to verse 7.

We always go to verse 7 when we talk about how things really began when sin came into the world.

Revelation chapter 12 and verse 7 we know the Bible talks about the war that took place in heaven.

Revelation chapter 12 and verse 7, the Bible says, and there was war in heaven, and Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels.

And prevailed not, neither was there place found anymore in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Now go down to verse 12 as we get a little picture of where persecution really began and why.

Verse 12 says, Therefore rejoice ye, heavens, and all ye that dwell in them.

But woe unto the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast out into the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child." Persecution began as soon as the devil realized he was tossed out of heaven and he had a world to try to win.

Persecution began with the very first family.

We never think about persecution happening between family members.

Family is supposed to be that place where we can all come away from the world, that place we can find security and peace and safety.

But imagine what it must have been like in the home of Adam and Eve with all of the dissension going on between Cain and Abel.

Sadly we are told that Cain killed his brother Abel.

He had harassed and persecuted Abel to a point and finally he could take it no more and killed his own brother I want you to go with me to Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 4 and let's read why he killed Abel Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 4 Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 4 Hebrews 11 and verse 4.

The Bible says, "...by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was what?

That he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

You See, Cain did not kill Abel because he didn't like him.

He didn't kill Abel for any normal reason that you might think.

He killed Abel because Abel was righteous.

And wickedness doesn't like to be in the presence of righteousness.

The book Patriarchs and Prophets, page 74, puts it this way, Cain hated and killed his brother not for any wrong that Abel had done, but because his own works were evil and his brothers were righteous.

So in all ages the wicked have hated those who were better than themselves.

Abel's life of obedience and unswerving faith was to Cain a perpetual reproof.

Every 1 that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

The brighter the heavenly light that is reflected from the character of God's faithful servants, the more clearly the sins of the ungodly are revealed, and the more determined will be their efforts to destroy those who disturb their peace.

You see my brothers and sisters, in the final hours there is only going to be 2 classes of people, the righteous and the wicked.

Those with the Spirit of God and those with the Spirit of the devil.

Only 2, and we each will be in 1 group or the other.

Today we have the privilege to choose which group we will be in.

You see, that's the good news about salvation, is that salvation really comes down to you making a final choice.

You're the 1 that determines your eternal destiny.

This morning, what kind of decisions are you making?

Are you thinking in lines that I want to spend eternity with Jesus?

Are you saying this morning that I want to continue living life the way I want to, and if God can work His way into my plan, great.

I want you to look at a beautiful sermon that Jesus gave in Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew chapter 5 where our verse is for today.

But I want to go a little further back in our verse today and in Scripture.

And I want to begin at the very beginning of the chapter.

Matthew chapter 5 and beginning in verse 1.

Jesus gave perhaps the most powerful, the most encouraging, the most challenging sermon ever on the mount that day.

And he began, it says in verse 5, and seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set, his disciples came unto him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

Now when you listen to all of those characteristics, I'm hoping that your mind is going to Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 and 23 where we see the fruits of the Spirit.

Because you see what Jesus is actually sharing with people that day is he's sharing the journey of a Christian as they accept Christ into their life.

Notice in verse 3 he said, blessed are the poor in spirit.

He's not talking about somebody who is poor and unable financially to make their way in life, he's talking about somebody who recognizes their spiritual poverty.

He's talking about a person that realizes their wretchedness without Christ.

They come to a realization that without Christ, I am nothing, I am worthy of death, I'm a sinner in need of a Savior.

And then he goes to that next point, blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.

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When Persecution Comes

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