Read Textual Sermon from Robert Jeffress
Persecution: Expect It
Any Christian who seriously takes God’s command to be light and salt in this dark and decaying world needs to understand: you may not and will not always receive justice, but you can always be guaranteed to receive persecution.
Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The Apostle Paul—who, before his conversion, had been an instrument of persecution against Christians—almost overnight became a target of persecution. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, he details some of the suffering he experienced as a Christian. He said in 2 Corinthians 11:24–27, “Five times I received from the Jews forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and nakedness.” That was Paul’s experience.
Or listen to the experience of the first-century Christians who followed Paul. As the writer of Hebrews notes, believers were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection. Others experienced scourgings—yes, chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn. They were tempted. They were put to death with the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated—men of whom the world was not worthy—wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Now, when we read passages like that, let’s be honest—we try to assure ourselves that we won’t have to go through that kind of suffering because, after all, we live in a different time in history. And yet it’s been pointed out that more Christians died as martyrs in the 20th century than in all the other centuries combined. The reason we in the West—and in America specifically—feel immune from this kind of suffering is that we live in a self-made bubble. We’re not aware of what is happening to Christians around the world today.
For example, since 2003, Iraqi Christians have been frequent targets of Islamic extremists. In Iran, authorities arrested 70 Christians over a six-week period of time in an effort to target grassroots Christian groups. In January 2011, a judge in Afghanistan told Shahib Azodullah that if he did not renounce Christ within one week, he would face up to 20 years in prison or even be sentenced to death. Today, more Christians are imprisoned in China than in any other country in the world. Hundreds of thousands of believers are detained in work camps each year without even a court order so that they can participate in a “re-education through labor” program, as the Chinese like to call it. The only legal churches allowed by the Chinese government are those controlled by the government. Those who meet in house churches not sanctioned by the government risk torture, imprisonment, and death.
Philip Yancey describes a visit with Pastor Allan Juan, who helped to found the house-church movement in China during the Japanese occupation. Pastor Juan was 90 years old at the time of his interview. He had spent 22 years in prison. He had been tortured and spent months in solitary confinement in a windowless cell. Listen to what he said to Philip Yancey: “I pulled blankets over my head and prayed for 10 years. No letters from my family got through. I had no Bible, but a few passages and psalms stayed with me.” Juan spent 13 years of his sentence in China’s most northern province. He said, “It was a miracle. I had only a light jacket, and in the freezing winter weather I never caught a cold or the flu—not sick a single day.”
Pastor Juan is convinced that persecution for Christians is not only inevitable but profitable for believers. Listen to what this pastor said: “We live in a time like the apostles. Christians are persecuted, yes, but look at the Hong Kong and Taiwan church. They have prosperity, but they don’t seek God. I tell you, I came out of that prison with faith stronger than I went in. Like Joseph, we don’t know why we go through hard times until later, looking back. Think of it. We in China may soon have the largest Christian community in the world—and in an atheistic state that tried to stamp us out.”
Christians experienced intense suffering in the first century. They are now experiencing suffering around the world. The Bible also predicts that in the final years before Christ’s return, Christians will experience unprecedented hardship. The Apostle John describes a large group of believers who will be slain during the tribulation (Revelation 6:9). Of course, the instigator of this persecution will be the Antichrist (Revelation 13:7). The special target of Antichrist’s persecution will be Christians. One way he will make war with God’s people is by restricting the purchase of necessary goods and services for survival to those who agree to worship him. David Jeremiah envisions the possibility of long lines of Christians waiting in the supermarket to purchase food and praying for a miracle—that the scanner will somehow not notice that they do not possess the required identification. Such a thought is not just fanciful imagination; it is guaranteed reality if you take seriously the revelation from John.
There is coming a time of great, intense persecution. Obviously, there is a spectrum of persecution that people experience. That spectrum can range from not being invited to a dinner party because you’re “too opinionated” all the way to being tortured and even executed because you will not recant your faith.
I want to suggest to you that the degree to which you, as a Christian, will experience persecution is dependent upon two factors. First, the intensity of your conviction will determine the intensity of the persecution you face. Let me say it again: the intensity of your conviction will determine the intensity of the persecution you face. The pastor who never preaches against homosexuality or abortion or talks about the exclusivity of the gospel will never face ridicule from the media. The Christian student who refuses to challenge his non-Christian professor’s erroneous teaching will never have to worry about a lowered grade. A believer who decides not to offend his non-Christian parents by sharing the gospel with them will never risk experiencing their disapproval. The intensity of your conviction will determine the intensity of the persecution you experience.
Secondly, the extent of the persecution you face is determined by the spiritual climate of the culture in which you live. We have become increasingly hostile toward Christianity in our country. A secularist would attribute that change to our nation’s collective open-mindedness and tolerance: “We recognize multiple paths to God; no one religion can claim exclusivity.” A biblicist would say, “No—this is Romans chapter 1 in action. Because our nation has rejected the truth of God, we have fallen into a time of darkening in our understanding.” Regardless of the reason, even the most casual observer realizes that our culture is more hostile toward Christianity than at any other time in our nation’s history. And realizing that this negativity and hostility are more likely to increase than to subside means we ought to get ready for persecution.
How should we respond to the escalating attacks against Christians? How do we get ready for persecution? Hebrews 10:25 says we ought to encourage one another—and all the more as we see the Day drawing near. One way we can encourage one another as Christians is to help prepare one another for this inevitable time of persecution.
Word One: Certain — Suffering Is Certain
The first recorded case of persecution against Christians as a whole occurred under Emperor Nero in A.D. 64. On the night of June 18, a great fire erupted in Rome, destroying 10 of the 14 sections of the city. Many believe that Nero himself set the fires. To deflect blame from himself, he blamed Christians, and he devised the most heinous tortures imaginable for believers. One thing he would do was take Christians while they were alive, immerse them in wax, and then set them on fire to serve as human torches to illuminate his gardens.
However, as in our culture, this awful persecution against Christians didn’t happen suddenly—it happened progressively. Nero was allowed by the population to commit these atrocities because, as the historian Tacitus notes, Christians were already “a class hated for their abominations” by the populace.
And in our culture, you see a growing hatred toward Christians that is festering and being fueled by the media through stereotypes of what Christians are. Just watch the media; notice how any evangelical Christian in a sitcom or a movie is portrayed. This growing animosity is going to pave the way for a general acceptance in our culture of persecution against Christians.
Most scholars agree that the Apostle Peter wrote his letter one year before Nero began his empire-wide persecution of believers. Listen to what Peter said:
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12–13, NKJV)
Do not be surprised. When hit with hardships, many Christians appear dazed and confused. They walk around in a spiritual stupor wondering, “What’s wrong? Why is this happening to me?” They are shocked that obeying Christ has resulted in alienation from friends, a loss of a job, or even the breakup of a marriage. The truth is we ought to be more surprised if we’re not suffering for our faith. Peter says persecution is the rule rather than the exception for those who have chosen to follow Christ.
Beyond being surprised, many Christians get disillusioned with a God who would allow them to suffer—not for doing the wrong thing, but for doing the right thing. Yet all you have to do is look at how God dealt with His own Son, His beloved Son, to get a different perspective on persecution. Suffering is not an unexpected detour in God’s plan for your life; it is actually part of God’s calling for your life.
Word Two: Profitable — Suffering Is Profitable
While suffering results in some temporary discomfort, the long-term gain far exceeds the short-term losses. On a personal level, it is the heat of persecution that fortifies our faith. Remember James 1:2–4. He was talking to Hebrew Christians who were suffering—dispersed throughout the Roman Empire because of their faith:
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (NKJV)
That word “testing”—the testing of your faith—speaks of being approved. It described the process by which a potter would take a clay pot and place it in a firing oven to fortify that piece of pottery. The potter’s purpose in putting his work of art into the firing oven was not to destroy it but to strengthen it. If it survived the fire without cracking, it was marked as approved. That is the same idea James uses to describe God’s reason for putting you through the oven of testing—so that your faith can be strengthened. God’s purpose is not to destroy you but to strengthen your faith.
Testing is not only profitable for us personally but also for the church as a whole. Even the most cursory study of history reveals that persecution causes the church to flourish and expand, while prosperity causes the church to wither and retreat. Later in his life, Peter looked back and saw the connection between persecution and the growth of the church. He said in 1 Peter 3:14–15:
“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.’ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (NKJV)
We often take this verse out of context as a general apologetics proof-text. But Peter is saying that what causes people to ask you for the hope within you is when they see you responding positively to suffering. When people see you responding that way, be ready to give an answer—because they’re going to ask, “How do you do that? How do you react that way when the world around you is collapsing?” It’s always been that way. The suffering of Christians is the seed of Christianity.
Word Three: Temporary — Suffering Is Temporary
This may be the most encouraging word about suffering: it’s temporary. Sometimes that’s the only comfort we can find—that as bad as it is, it will not last forever. Peter wrote to Christians who were imprisoned. Others had lost their jobs, homes, and livelihoods. Some were having to choose between their faith and their families. Some were beginning to be executed for their faith. He never tried to diminish the reality of their pain, but he encouraged them with one small phrase:
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.” (1 Peter 1:6, NKJV)
For a little while. Those are perhaps the most encouraging words to anyone who is suffering—especially suffering because of a commitment to Christ. It’s as if Peter is saying, “I know this is hurtful. I know this is hard. But the pain you feel will not last forever.”
Of course, the question is, “How little is little?” Time is a matter of perspective, and suffering is a matter of perspective. A few moments ago, we looked at 2 Corinthians 11—the catalog of Paul’s sufferings: beaten five times within an inch of his life, shipwrecked, tortured, and so forth. Yet listen to how he describes those sufferings:
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17–18, NKJV)
Paul is not diminishing the pain he felt—or the pain you feel. But compared to the eternal weight of God’s unending rewards, what we suffer in this life is both momentary and light. It’s nothing when compared to the weight of God’s blessings that will be ours forever and ever. As St. Teresa famously said, in light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth—a life full of the most atrocious tortures—will be seen to be no more serious than a one-night stay in an inconvenient hotel.
Preparing Our Hearts
We hope we never have to make the choice between faithfulness to Christ and painful persecution. But the stories of Christians around the world and in history tell us that we are not going to be exempt from making those kinds of choices. I’ll confess: when I read the stories of Christians in past ages—the great martyrs of the faith—I fear I won’t have the same response they did. Sometimes I wonder, “Do they simply have a greater threshold for pain than I have?” But as I read their stories more carefully, I discover that is not the difference. It’s not that they had a greater threshold for pain; it’s that they had a different perspective. They thoughtfully weighed the temporary, real pain of persecution against the eternal, unending rewards of God. Using that scale, the choice was not difficult to make at all—and neither will it be for most of you.
When persecution comes, we do a disservice to our church members and to all who claim Jesus as Lord to present anything other than the truth. The Bible has made it very clear that persecution is coming, and Christian believers need to be prepared.
Questions This Sermon Answers
- Why should Christians expect persecution rather than be surprised by it?
- How do conviction and culture shape the degree of persecution we face?
- In what ways does God use persecution to strengthen individual faith?
- How can suffering advance the growth and witness of the church?
- Why is a heavenly perspective essential for enduring temporary trials?
- What biblical assurances help us prepare our hearts for coming persecution?
