Bibles to the Gospel of John. The Gospel according to John, we continue to work our way through the Upper Room Discourse. We're in John 16. We'll be looking at verses 1 to 4, but I want to begin reading in chapter 15 at verse 18, as that's the larger context for what we find in verses 1 to 4 in chapter 16. So beginning in John 15, 18. 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 keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, they hated Me without a cause. But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God's service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor me. But these things I have told you that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your written word. We thank you it's given by inspiration of God and that it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. And certainly God, we need instruction to be prepared for whatever may come our way. We know that you are sovereign, you govern all your creatures and all their actions. We know that in that providential order, there is suffering, there is persecution, there is opposition to Christ and to his bride. So grant us help and strength and grace and the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to receive with thanksgiving now your word and may you fit us for that combat that we face on a daily basis not in a physical way but certainly spiritually against the principalities and the powers that that are behind the scenes with reference to the evil that we witness in our own present age. Do forgive us now for all of our sins. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We pray for the salvation of sinners, those who are dead in their trespasses and sins. We pray that you would awaken them, call them out of darkness into marvelous light. May you strengthen your saints. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as we have worked our way through this particular portion of scripture, we remember that in verses 9 to 17 in chapter 15, the emphasis is on love, Christ's love for his church, his people, his church or his people's love for Christ, and then their love for one another. And then the direction turns in verses 18 and following, to hatred and specifically the hatred of the world for Jesus and for His church. Jesus gives us that familiar sort of parable in verse 20 of chapter 15. 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. So that is an assurance, that is a promise, that's a reality that we face in this present evil age. They hate the master, they're going to hate the servant. So we've seen that general statement concerning the world's opposition to believers. Then Jesus moves into the testimony concerning Himself by the Spirit and by the apostles. He does that in chapter 15, verses 26 to 27, and how that will be essential for the church going forward to navigate in this present evil age. And then here in 16, 1 to 4, he describes in detail the nature of the persecution that the church is going to face. So the message this morning is the persecution of the apostles and the church. And I want to look at two things. First, The purpose of Jesus' instruction, we notice that in verse one, these things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble. And then secondly, the nature of the apostles' enemies in verses two to four. And by apostles, I mean the apostles and then the church as well, the church that they helped found. So let's look first at the purpose of Jesus' instruction. Notice in verse one, these things I have spoken to you. Now probably everything that he had spoken to them in terms of his earthly ministry, but primarily the upper room discourse. primarily this preparatory class, the seminary class, prior to his ascension on high, when they would be tasked with going into the then known world to make disciples and to plant churches. But more specifically, I think it refers to chapter 15, verses 18 and following, this message concerning opposition, this message concerning persecution, this message that would bring despair and would bring distress and could potentially bring trouble to the disciples. So notice what he goes on to say. These things I have spoken to you that, this is the purpose as to why he spoke these things, wasn't to cause them fear, wasn't to cause them distress, wasn't to cause them to say, well, you know what, in case that these things are true, we're going to just peace out now and not follow you after all. No, he says, that you should not be made to stumble. So specifically, with reference to the opposition that they're going to face, Jesus doesn't want them to stumble. He doesn't want them to be scandalized, and that's precisely the word, to stumble, to go astray, to cause to give up the Christian faith. You go back to John 6, 61, you see a similar usage in that context. John 6, of course, Jesus feeds the multitudes, and then he starts to teach, and he teaches them doctrine. They don't like that doctrine, so many of the professed disciples fell away. They were offended, they were scandalized, they stumbled. Notice in 6.61, when Jesus knew in himself that his disciples complained about this, he said to them, does this offend you? Does this scandalize you? Does this cause you to stumble? Paul uses a similar statement in 1 Corinthians 1 at verse 23 when he's talking about preaching Christ and Him crucified. He says to the Jews, a stumbling block. It is a scandal. It is an offense to them. But to the Greeks, it's foolishness. But to those who are being saved, Christ is both wisdom and power of God. So in essence, what Jesus is indicating here in chapter 16 verse 1 is that because the Jews are going to be scandalized by the message of the cross, don't you in turn be scandalized by their opposition. This is the inevitable flow of things. They reject me, they reject the one who sent me. As a result, they are scandalized. And as a result of that, they're going to turn viciously against you and try to oppose and persecute you. So he says to his disciples, I don't want you to stumble. I don't want you to be scandalized. I don't want you to be fearful. I don't want you to fret. And I think that this is coupled with what Jesus instructs them in a parallel, not the same exact, but in a parallel type passage in Matthew chapter 10. When He dispatches the disciples on a ministry or a missionary endeavor in the nation of Israel, He tells them specifically not to fear men. Do not fear them, Matthew 10, verse 26. We see this all throughout the Old Testament as well. We're going through the book of Numbers in our Wednesday evening services or Wednesday evening Bible study. And right before the reconnaissance mission to go and spy out the land, we have that admonition by God through Moses, be of good courage. When Joshua goes into the Promised Land, when he leads the children of Israel on the conquest, God tells Joshua to be of good courage. Joshua in turn tells the children of Israel to be of good courage. And we see that fear paralyzes Christian advance. We see that fear causes persons to stumble. And I think those things are mixed and mingled in our very passage. Look at John 14, specifically in verse one. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. And then in 14, 27, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Jesus, the Master, knows exactly what is facing these disciples. Jesus knows exactly what they're going to face when they go into the Roman Empire, when they go into synagogues, when they preach Christ and Him crucified. Jesus knows, because it happened to Himself in His earthly ministry, that not everybody's going to say, wow, Messiah's here. The one the prophets spoke of is here. The one that Moses wrote of is here. That was not Christ's experience. And so Jesus, knowing that, wants to calm the fears and alleviate the fears of his disciples such that they would be the courageous men that were Joshua and Caleb in that old covenant setting that the church desperately needed in the first century. They didn't need Nancy-boy, Namby-pamby preachers that would shrink back from the first hint of any persecution. They would need the Apostle Peter standing up on that day of Pentecost to say, this is that which the prophet Joel spoke. These men are not drunk as you suppose. They would need the Apostle Paul to go into hostile circumstances, to go into enemy territory in the Jewish synagogues and to preach Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They didn't need the sorts of men that are represented by the ten faithless spies in that recon mission. They said, there's giants in the land. We can't go into the land. We're afraid of those giants, and after all, it's not a good land at all. It's a land that destroys its inhabitants. Caleb says, let's go at once. God's promise, it's there for the taking. Let's go do this. And so Jesus equips his disciples for that foundational role of church building. The presence of fear mingled with this scandal or offense demonstrates a lack of kingdom priority. We're to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then these things will be added to us. The presence of fear mingled with this offense indicates bad theology. After Jesus says in Matthew 10, 26, do not fear them, he says in Matthew 10, 28, but rather fear him who has the power to kill both body and soul in hell. In other words, don't fear man, but rather fear God. The fear of God displaces the fear of man. The fear of man crowds out the fear of God. The presence of fear mingled with this offense destroys kingdom advance. Again, one whiff of opposition and the church turns tail and says, well, we can't do this. It is so evident when we're going through the wilderness with the children of Israel in that section, Numbers 11 to 14, the faithlessness that's on display. Oftentimes it's imitated by the professing church today. Well, there's giants in the land. The government said this. We have to be paralyzed and restricted from doing what God has commanded us to do. Jesus knows what these men are going to face and he sends them out with this encouragement. I tell you what's going to happen. I tell you they're going to persecute you. I tell you they're going to be scandalized, and in turn, they're going to spit their venom all over you. But you need to stand fast, you need to persevere, you need to man up, and you need to be a Caleb and a Joshua in a faithless and godless generation. As well, the presence of fear mingled with this offense ultimately characterizes those in the lake of fire. Revelation 21, who's in the lake of fire? Oh, murderers, yeah, idolaters, yeah, liars, yeah, sexually immoral, yeah, but so are cowards. And the cowards there, they're not the ones that are afraid of bears and lions. Brethren, there might be some judiciousness in a right fear of a bear. But it's the fear of standing for Jesus. Each of the letters to the churches in Asia Minor, all seven of them, there is that refrain, but to him who overcomes. And then Jesus makes a promise to them. What does it mean to overcome? It means to stand fast in your Christian profession, no matter what the world, no matter what the devil, no matter what your peer group says. That's what it means to overcome. And if you recant, if you relent, if you repent, if you say, oh no, the world is filled with giants, it's better just to submit to them and capitulate to them. You're the coward that will end up in the lake of fire. So Jesus, in his grace, in his kindness, in his mercy, is highlighting the reality that there is this coming persecution. But He's also highlighting over and over again the presence of the triune God with His people. Jesus promises in 1418, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. He promises in 1526, but when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me. Again, that's what underscores the faithlessness of the spies in Numbers chapter 13. They go to recon the land. They say that the land is filled with giants and wants to destroy us. But the very opening verses encourage the reader to consider that God's promised this land. He promised it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. He has stated it over and over again to Moses and the children of Israel. But as soon as there's a bit of a danger, as soon as there's a bit of a challenge, as soon as there's a bit of a hardship or an obstacle, oh no, we can't do that. Brethren, the church needs to man up. The church needs to be faithful. The church needs to stand fast in the midst of whatever this godless world throws at us. And Jesus wants it that way. This is what Jesus wants for you. Don't you love that when the God-haters use that against you? Well, Jesus wants open borders. Jesus wants theft. Jesus wants covetousness. Jesus wants deprivation. Wonderful when the leftists use our virtue against us or our doctrine against us. But brethren, I can say on the authority of Jesus' words that He does want this for you. He wants you to not be distressed. He wants you to not be scandalized. He wants you to not be offended because there's actually somebody out there that's offended by your message. Brethren, let him be offended. That's perfectly acceptable with our God. That brings us then to the nature of the apostles' enemies in verses two to four. Three things here. First, the actions of the world. Second, the theology of the world. And then thirdly, the preparation, again, of the disciples. Note the actions of the world according to verse two. They, interestingly, Jesus is speaking of the world, specifically unbelieving Israel. Unbelieving Jews. Remember he starts this section in John 15.1, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Everything that was true of old covenant Israel was basically forfeit by them because of their unfaithfulness. Jesus is the true Israel of God and all the promises of God are yea and amen in him. And so Jesus now says in verse 2, they will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God's service. Now brethren, they were situated at this time in the Roman Empire. And at this particular time, the Roman Empire wasn't heaven on earth, but it wasn't the worst place in the world either. Initially, in terms of Christianity, the Roman Empire didn't mess with Christianity. They saw it as a subset of Judaism and pretty much left it alone. They tolerated the Jews. They tolerated their religion. They didn't actively promote persecution against them. I don't think they were happy with them, but they left them, for the most part, unmolested. By the time Nero takes the throne or becomes the emperor there in the Roman Empire, first five or six years of Nero, great. Fantastic. He did good stuff. Reused taxes. Wanted to give more power to the Senate. There was a lot of good there, but he turns into an absolute wretch. So the initial opposition to the church comes from the unbelieving Jews. It's the religion that resisted and rejected the Lord Jesus. And again, brethren, I'm not trying to be mean or trying to be unkind. It's what Jesus says, notice in 1521. 1521, but all these things they will do to you for my namesake, because they do not know him who sent me. Remember when we covered that? We essentially said that the unbelieving Jews held Yahweh. Yahweh was their God. Well, Yahweh promised to send his Messiah, and he promised this from Genesis to Malachi. The Old Testament is a thoroughly messianic document. It's all about the coming of Jesus. Everything in the Old Testament is about Jesus. You mean it's not about me and my fight against the giants? No, no it isn't. You mean it isn't me and my plight and the difficulties in this present age and Psalm 80? Nope, no it isn't. You can learn from it, there's corollaries, there's benefit, there's application, but Jesus is the sum and substance of the Old Testament. So what does Jesus say? They reject the one sent by Yahweh, they're rejecting Yahweh. Again, brethren, I can't evade the simple teaching of the text there. Notice what he says in verse 23, he who hates me hates my father also. Not loves Him a little less, not has a different approach, just an intramural debate on how we define God. No, He hates the Father. That is clear. So back to verse 2. They will put you out of the synagogues. He is talking about what they will experience in the book of Acts. But prior to this, look at John chapter 9. John chapter 9, specifically at verses 22 and then 35 to 38. Verse 22, it's that man that was born blind that Jesus heals and of course that upsets the religious leaders. Simple test, if you're upset about blind men being made well, you've got problems. I don't know how better to say it. If you're upset because Jesus heals people in a synagogue on the Saturday, and you're the leader of the synagogue, and you go on to lambast the people, six days you shall labor, come on those days to be healed. You've got big problems, brethren. If you watch somebody who has a withered hand stretch it forth and it becomes whole, and you're upset at the one who does that, Again, you got some big problems. Notice in 922, his parents said these things because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, he is of age, ask him. Drop down to verse 35, Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said to him, Do you believe in the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? And Jesus said to him, You have both seen him, and it is he who is talking with you. Then he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him." Now, the book of Acts is conspicuous with the sort of demonstration of this promise by our Lord to his apostles. They're going to put you out of the synagogue. It's an amazing thing. Christians think we have an intramural debate with reference to unbelieving Jews. Jews see it as a fight to the death. They put you out of the synagogue. They don't say, well, you take that portion of the synagogue and you teach your Trinitarianism. No, they don't play those games, Christians do. And as well, they kill you, and while they're killing you, they're doing, in their minds, service to God. Notice in Acts 4. Acts 4, verse 1, now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. I've never quite understood this assault on free speech. If something is so absurd, if something is so ludicrous, let's say, for instance, you believe there really are leprechauns, and you're looking out your window someday, and you see that rainbow out there, and you get into your car, and you go look for that leprechaun at the bottom of that rainbow to find a pot of gold, who around you thinks that you're on the ball? Nobody. But who around you wants to dispossess you from your house, from your job, from your livelihood, from your life? If Christianity is so absurd, if the concept of the Son of God assuming our humanity and living for us and dying for us and being raised again for us is leprechaunish, then why the rage? Why the enmity? Why the desire to decimate the movement? Free speech is only free insofar as you color within the lines. Remember Acts 17? What caused the ruckus in Thessalonica? They preach another king, even Jesus. See, this was ultimately what alerted and arose the ire of the Roman Caesars. It was a polytheistic society. You worship whatever god you want. But the supreme god was Caesar. Guess what they called Caesar? They called him Lord and Savior. So here comes these Christians, and you know, they got their gods. But they call this Jesus, Lord and Savior. That becomes a threat to the civil authority. That becomes a threat to the powers that be. That becomes a threat to the self-proclaimed Lord and Savior. Well, if they go after Jesus as Lord and Savior, guess who they'll no longer come after as Lord and Savior? We can't have that. We've got to crush these miserable Christians for their sin against the Roman state. So you see how this kind of stuff works. You Christians can have whatever gods you want. You Christians can do whatever you want. But when you preach this Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords, when you preach this Jesus as supreme, as comprehensively sovereign, as the one having all authority in heaven and on earth, then you butt heads with false religion and you butt heads with the civil state. So brethren, when you look at chapter four and you see this deprivation of their freedom for simply speaking the truth as it is in Jesus, this is what's driving it. They brought no competition. Notice in verse three, they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed and the number of the men came to be about 5,000. I always love those howevers. I love Luke's progress reports in the book of Acts. Yes, the Jews tried to stomp out progress. Yes, the Roman state intervened to try to help stomp out the progress. Nevertheless, or however, the word of God progressed. It proceeded and many more believed. So the presence of opposition, the presence of persecution, the presence of obstacle and hardship, Those aren't obstacles and hardships for a sovereign God. We may not like to navigate them, we may not embrace them, we may not welcome them, but they're not obstacles for our sovereign God. Now, it occurs to me that if we go through every passage in Acts, we'll be here till 4. And that's probably not the best idea. But in chapter 5, you see the same sort of thing. They butt heads with the unbelieving Jews. Chapter 6, we'll come back to that a bit later. Chapter 6 is the case of Stephen. They get into a theological debate. They get into a dispute about the identity of Jesus. And what happens? They can't best him. They can't win him. They can't silence him. So what's the next best step? Turn him over to the Sanhedrin so that we can execute him. Again, brethren, if it's so absurd and so outlandish and is so demeaning the way that believing in a leprechaun is, so that you drive your car and look for the end of the rainbow and the leprechaun there with his pot. If it's that odd, just let it go. Seems to be Gamaliel's advice. He's like, you know, this is of God, you can't stop it. If it's not of God, it will fizzle out. Bad religions typically fizzle out. Remember the Haley-Bach comment? Remember the various attempts by certain religious people? You don't hear a lot about that anymore. Why? Because it's wrong and it's self-defeating. When you look at the book of Acts, you see instances of this all over. Acts 13, the preaching of Paul in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch. Notice in chapter 13, specifically at verse 44. On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. When the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy and contradicting and blaspheming. They opposed the things spoken by Paul. And then notice in verse 49, and the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. Notice in 14.1, now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the multitude of the city was divided, part sided with the Jews and part with the apostles. And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews with their rulers to abuse and stone them, they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, into the surrounding region. And they were preaching the gospel there. Notice in 1419, then Jews from Antioch and Iconium. Brethren, Pisidian Antioch was 80 miles from Iconium. Iconium was 18 miles from Lystra. We don't want to drive 80 miles. Right? It's a long way. 80 miles? Forget it. But you have air conditioning. But you have heat. But you have, you know, rich upholstery. When I was a kid, it was rich Corinthian leather and whatever the good cars were at that time. You've got all these, but it's 80 miles. Why do we do that? Because whatever's at the end of that 80 miles isn't worth our time. What was on the end of this 80 miles was worth their time. Paul was an enemy. And Paul must be silenced. Paul must be stopped. The Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city, and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe." And notice what his text was when he next preached. Verse 22, we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. I guarantee you none of us here have said, well, what do you mean, Paul? He had been stoned and assumed to have been dead. I don't think you're running marathons just after that. I gotta think there's some sort of an effect upon the body when you've been stoned. You've got welts all over you. You possibly are limping to wherever the pulpit is. Nobody said, what do you mean we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God? It's kind of like Paul says in Galatians chapter six, from now on let no one trouble me for I bear in my body the brand marks of Jesus. What does that mean? Well, as Sinclair Ferguson I think helpfully points out, imagine going to the church picnic and the apostle Paul is there and he takes out his outer garment to jump in the lake with the kids. You see Galatians 6.17 all over his back. Let no one trouble me. Why? For I bear in my body the brand marks of Jesus, the Roman whip, the Jewish rod, the fact of being a disciple of Jesus Christ in a hostile world. Again, brethren, we could multiply instances in the book of Acts. That's not preacher talk. We see it always in the book of Acts. But then after Jesus says, they will put you out of the synagogues, He then says, they will kill you to be Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. So not only is it the fact that they will murder believers, but the reason why they will murder believers. Jesus is very good that way. Supplies information. Why would they kill us? Well, he tells us. Why are they going to do this? He tells us. But note the fact that they will murder believers. I already mentioned Stephen. So Stephen bested them in theological debate. He did. Is that clear? Acts chapter 6. So let's drum up some charges so we can get rid of him. He's a blasphemer. He spoke against Moses in this holy place, which incidentally is one of the charges they issued against Jesus before him and Jeremiah before him. So when it comes to Stephen, they turn him over to the Sanhedrin, and what does Stephen do? He bests them as well. They couldn't handle it. They went nuts. Literally, they went nuts. They cover their ears, they gnash at him with their teeth, and they drive him out of the city, and they stone him to death. You ever thought about that? They went to Pilate to get Jesus killed. Why? Because we don't have authority to execute criminal offenders. That all went out the window by the time we get to Stephen. When it comes time for Stephen, drive him out of the city. What's the significance there? You're not supposed to shed that godless blood in our holy city. Stephen was martyred. The apostle Paul, there was an attempt on his life. There was lots of hardships in his life, but Paul occupies a unique place in redemptive history. He was on both sides of John 16 too. He had been the persecutor and had become the persecuted. So at one time, Saul of Tarsus was looked on very favorably by his religious fellows. I mean, Saul of Tarsus studied under Gamaliel, stock of Benjamin, a tribe of Benjamin, circumcised the eighth day, concerning the law, he was a Pharisee. Everything about Saul was impeccable, until, until, He drove his car to the end of the rainbow to find that leprechaun and the pot of gold. Again, if it's that absurd, if it is that crazy, if it is that much of a bit of fiction, then why bother? Could it be that in the heart of hearts, men know, could it be that that sense of deity is such that when you look around at the created order, you know there's a God? and you know that there is a judgment to come, and then if you come under special revelation, I just got to think at some point, somewhere, has there been an unbelieving Jew that said, wait a minute, Isaiah 53 really does sound like Jesus. Isn't that what happened with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch? The eunuch says, I don't know what he's talking about here. I just don't know. So it says, from that text, Philip preached Jesus to him. Now the answer is, obviously, because there are Jews that are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But with reference to our text, Paul the Apostle assumes that position. He is both the persecutor and the persecuted. And again, lots of texts here, but I don't want to go until 4. The reason, though, is why they will murder believers. Notice in verse 2 again, they will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. So we see here that his murder of Christians is religiously motivated. Verse 3 will explain the theological-ness of that, or the theological motivation. So there's a religious motivation, the idea being that if I can writ the world of this man who is antagonizing my religion, This man who is trying to upbraid my religion, this man who's offering another religious viewpoint that is absolutely contrary to my own, if I can just shut him up, if I can just rid the world of him, if I can just extinguish him or exterminate him, then I win and my God is pleased. Cyril of Alexandria said, their audacity will sink to such a level of wickedness that they will consider your death to be God-pleasing worship. Not a historian of the son of a historian, but I would bet that much of the heinous crimes we see throughout history were religiously motivated. It's the question of ultimacy. It's the question of authority. It's the question of who has a right to dictate how we're supposed to live. And interestingly, look at the text again. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God's service. Edward Klink made a very interesting observation on the text. He says, for both Jesus and the Jews, death and service are involved, though with very different intentions. While the Jews think that their service to God involves taking life from others, Jesus knows that his service to God the Father requires that he gives his life for others. It's a big difference, brethren. There is a death that is pleasing to God and that death is the Son of God who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. So notice the theology of the world in verse 3. They've got their religious motivation. They're going to put you out of the synagogues. They're going to kill you. And while they kill you, they're going to think that this is an act of worship in the service of their God. But the theology behind this sort of brings to bear the stuff that Jesus has been speaking of concerning the Trinity. Notice in verse 3, Again, this is not an intramural debate. This is not just a different way of looking at the same God. This isn't just appreciating that, you know, we're of the Abrahamic religion, so everything's great and everything's cool. That's not it. Jesus speaks concerning the emphases that he has given, say, for instance, in verses 21, 23, and 26 in chapter 15. You reject the son, you reject the father who sent the son. You hate the son, you hate the father who sent the son. If you hate the Father and you hate the Son, then you're going to hate and reject the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that proceeds from the Father that Jesus sends. So Jesus says that behind their religious motivations is just really bad theology. It's really horrible theology. Their doctrine of God is off. Their doctrine of God is wrong. Their doctrine of God is such that they cannot conceive the glory of John 1.1 and John 1.14. In their minds, it is absurd. In their minds, it is looking for a leprechaun at the bottom of the rainbow. It is, in their minds, a challenge to their ultimate authority, their false God. Remember, Jesus says, if you were of your father Abraham, you wouldn't want to kill me. Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and he was glad. So the idea here is very simple. Again, Cyril says, there is therefore no question that if any choose to make a bitter attack against those who bring the divine message, they will be completely ignorant of the holy and consubstantial Trinity. This is what they'll do, exclude you from the synagogues and kill you. While they're killing you, they will think they're doing service to God. That's their religious motivation. They are driven, though, by terrible theology. They are driven by a view that Jesus was not sent by the Father, that the Father did not send Jesus, that the Spirit doesn't proceed from the Father and the Son. In other words, they deny the Trinity. They deny the glory of the living and true God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is why sometimes we say, you know, theology does matter. When it comes to worshipping God, we really ought to know the God that we're worshipping, right? It's easy to go astray. Well, I'm in service of God. Really? You're killing people. What God tells you to do that? Again, I know, Old Covenant, theocratic Israel, acting on the promise of God to give them the land. But guess what? This ain't old covenant, theocratic Israel, where God has told us to go out and physically eliminate our opponents. That is simply unacceptable. And it is unacceptable for others to do that to us as well. We don't always think about, oh, that's not right. Of course it's not right. And then that brings us finally to verse four. Again, he wants to prepare them. Verse four, but these things I have told you that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. This is reiteration of chapter 15, verses 18 to 20. Verse 20, remember the word that I said to you. This is repeated by the apostles. Acts 20, Paul to the Ephesian elders, remember, I didn't cease to warn you. As well, 2 Peter 3, verses 1 and 2, Jude 17, remember the words spoken by our Lord and the holy apostles. Why should we remember? Well, you're commanded to, which should settle it, but I'll give you some incentives. Remembrance is necessary for preparation. We've got to remember so that we're prepared, right? I didn't play high school football, but I bet if I did, we would have watched films on other teams, how they played football, because knowing your opponent is half the battle. Well, when we understand that not everybody we evangelize is going to welcome us with open arms and say, well, of course, I want to be a Christian. Of course, I want to follow Jesus. Of course, I want to go to your church. when we know the nature of the opponent, we're better equipped and better prepared to meet that opponent. I would suggest as well the remembrance is necessary for encouragement. Well, why should we be encouraged? Well, Peter tells us we're to be encouraged. Peter as well reminds us, this is 1 Peter 4, about 12 to 19, that suffering is according to the will of God. So nothing that happens is outside of God's governance of all His creatures and all their actions. So that means we can be encouraged even in the midst of it. As well, the remembrance is necessary for perseverance. We have hope in the power of the gospel. We have hope in the power of the spirit. We believe in the advancement of Christ's kingdom on earth. We believe that there will be men, women, boys, girls, every tribe, every tongue, every people, every nation. We believe with Revelation 7, there's a great multitude that no man can number. But we also believe in total depravity. We also believe in the existence of wickedness in this present evil age. We also believe in the reality that there are difficult seasons in the lives of God's people, and it requires perseverance. Well, guess what? Jesus has given us some things to remember to help that perseverance along. And then I would suggest, finally here, I said that this was almost it. It's almost it. The remembrance is necessary for pity. For pity. This is sad. They're going to exclude you from synagogues? They're going to kill you and think they're doing service to God? That should evoke from the disciple of Christ a degree of pity, compassion, and earnestness to want to see them repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It was this way with Stephen. When Stephen was being stoned to death, brethren, the scene there, I mean, if you had to imagine something, this mob, this vicious attack, This driving him out of the city, and Saul of Tarsus is standing there. Saul of Tarsus is the one holding their coats. Why do you think they took off their coats? Well, it's probably sweaty work throwing rocks at somebody to kill them. Plus, it gets in the way. You're gonna go out and throw a ball around with your kid, you take your jacket off. If you wore a robe, you'd take the top part of the robe off, so you've got some mobility. This is a mob engaged in mob violence. No regard for Roman law at all. It's it. Stephen, you're done. It's over. You're out. It's gone. What does Stephen pray? Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And just so we know, Saul of Tarsus, who is standing there guarding the cloaks, according to chapter 8, verses 1 to 3, persecutes the church. filled with rage and venom. You can read what he says in other portions of his epistles. Galatians 1 at verse 13, then again I think at verse 23. You see him allude to it oftentimes in the book of Acts when he's standing before the civil magistrate, when he's standing before Jewish audiences. I thought these were enemies. I thought I should go out and decimate them. I thought I should go out and destroy them. I thought that I should go out, out of zeal for my religious ancestral traditions, to go out and silence the people of this Jesus Christ. So you get Stephen's prayer, Lord do not charge them with this sin. You get a further snapshot of how sinful Saul of Tarsus is in Acts chapter 8. And then what happens in Acts chapter 9? Saul has a road to Damascus experience. Jesus heard. Jesus answered the prayer of Stephen. Jesus does not charge Saul of Tarsus with that sin. Jesus not only forgives him of that sin, but then Jesus gives him a righteousness by which Saul can now enter into the presence of God. One man has rightly said the entirety of Paul's theology is only the explanation of his own experience. He was a man driven by zeal for his God. He thought that works, up to and including the persecution and extinction of the church of Jesus Christ. Was that work? Until that road to Damascus, what things were gained to me, these are loss. What things were a blessing to me, these are a liability. I count everything loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. So for Paul, he was the object of Stephen's pity. And so Stephen prays, based on that pity, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. Yes, be ready. Yes, be prepared. Yes, be encouraged. Yes, be persevering. But brethren, be full of pity and full of compassion and understanding that the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord is powerful to save to the uttermost everyone who draws nigh to God through faith in Jesus. In fact, you can turn there. We'll end the sermon with that emphasis this morning. 1 Timothy 1. 1 Timothy 1. While you're turning there, I don't want to end without the last part of verse four, kind of fastidious about not skipping out portions of scripture. When Jesus says, and these things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you, because he protected them, John 17, 12, he mentions that in his high priestly prayer to his father. I didn't mention this initially to you because I protected you. He also didn't mention this to them initially because he ran interference for them. In other words, the unbelieving Jews hated Jesus. He was the target of their enmity. He was the subject of their hostility. So, you know, the disciples certainly were a byproduct, but they weren't the focal point of the enmity in that first century situation. But let's end with 1 Timothy chapter 1, beginning in verse 12. but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly and unbelief." Brethren, I don't think we're supposed to interpret the latter part of verse 13 as if this ignorance was not sinful. That this ignorance was just haphazard. This ignorance, you know, is just an accident. No, it was ignorance of theology. It was ignorance of the doctrine of God. It was ignorance of the nature of the Redeemer. It was an ignorance of the one sent by the one who sent him. It was an ignorance of what God teaches clearly in scripture concerning the true and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So he says, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Now for the Christian, I want us to be reminded by verse 15 and encouraged. For the non-Christian, I want you to hear this and I want you to consider how wonderful Jesus is to save needy sinners. This is a faithful saying. It's worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. That's the purpose for the coming of the Son of Man into this world. Yes, he founds a new religion. Yes, he's a wonderful ethical teacher. Yes, he does all these good deeds while he moves about in his earthly ministry. The primary focus, the primary emphasis, the overarching theme of the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus is to save sinners from their sins. And then Paul says, of whom I am chief. So let's just think about his ignorance. Well, he was just ignorant. He says, I was the chief of sinners. My theological ignorance, my lack of understanding of the doctrine of God led me to the point where I was excluding from synagogues. I was nodding approvingly when Holy Stephen was stoned to death. I got papers signed by the priests in Jerusalem to go to Syria. and to lay hands on men and women, and to extradite them, to take them back to Jerusalem so that they can stand trial and be punished accordingly. He says, I'm the chief of sinners. I find this very encouraging. He says this under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So if you're a believer here today, you can never say, well, I'm too sinful to be saved. I'm too wretched to be saved. I'm too gone to be saved. If God saved the chief of sinners, there's hope for you. There is hope for you. In fact, Peter, preaching on the day of Pentecost, is addressing Jerusalem's sinners, the sinners that killed Jesus. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. What happened then? They were cut to the heart. They cry out, what must we do? And what does Peter say? Well, there's no hope for you. You're too far gone. You're too bad. You're too evil. You're too polluted. No, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. So the apostle says that this is the purpose. This is the reason. And these are the subjects of his redeeming work. He goes on, however, for this reason, I obtained mercy that in me first, Jesus Christ might show all long suffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting life. And then he ends this subsection, the only way a man can, when he's conquered by the sovereign grace of God, now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever, amen. You come to Jesus to understand the glory, the magnificence, the power, and the mercy and goodness of God. So don't wait, don't tarry, don't stay, don't say, well, you know, some other time Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Come to Him and He will save you by His grace and for His glory. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the teaching of our Lord Jesus and the way that he prepares the apostles in the upper room and the church in that first century context and the church since. I pray that you'd help us to receive these things, to be encouraged by them, to understand the nature of the opposition that does exist. May there be a pity and a compassion in our hearts such that we are moved to proclaim Christ and Him crucified to a lost and dying world. We pray that you would be glorified now and we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Well, let's stand and we'll sing the 572 in praise to our triune God, 572. through the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world Oh Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is abundant redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from