The cost of being sent

Well, good morning. Before we begin this morning, I just really want to thank all of you this week just for your phone calls, your text messages, the meals, the gift cards, and everything. For those who are visiting with us, my mother suddenly and tragically died on Saturday—not yesterday, but about a week ago. She is well-remembered, and it was kind of a surprise.

We saw a lot of God’s grace in it; all my siblings, as well as her grandchildren, happened to be at my daughter’s graduation when it took place. My mom was a believer and she loved the Lord. She survived a bad automobile accident that happened 36 years ago. At the time, the doctors had actually given her only about 20 years, they estimated, but she lived a long time by God's grace. She was always very vocal to her children about the fact that the Lord would call her home one day, and she wanted us to remember where she was going—that it was going to be okay.

So, though that moment was heartbreaking and filled with grief, Derek and the team were great and really provided a great covering for me. I really appreciate them, and even the conversation we had in terms of me being up here today. I wasn't sure if I’d have the mental capacity to do so, but I just wanted to be here. I wanted to worship with you all because you are a body who love one another. You’ve loved my family well, and I appreciate it. We grieve with those who grieve; we rejoice with those who rejoice. That is who we want to be.

There is something about even in moments of trying, moments of hardship, and moments of grief—even for those who feel homeless or say, "You know what, maybe I don’t have it all together, maybe I have grief, maybe I’m carrying a burden, maybe my heart is heavy"—we can still raise our hands. This morning, it was good for my own soul to stand with you today and raise my hand to proclaim His wonderful truths. I needed to be reminded in my own heart these days, as we sing together, to hear your voices proclaiming these same things alongside me about the God that we love and we serve. Hopefully, I’ll still have the mental capacity to preach a decent service at this point. But let’s just pray as we get started.

Lord, we are always desperate for Your grace. I pray this morning, Lord, that it would not be me or my voice that goes forth, but that it would be Your word. I just pray, Lord, that through me and through my words, Your Holy Spirit would start speaking to us. Help me to see what I believe Your word is showing all of us and speaking to us today. Amen.

The Martyrdom of Polycarp

Polycarp stood before the magistrate of Rome, accused of being a Christian. If you don’t know Polycarp, he lived in the early second century; he was the Bishop of Smyrna. At the time—this was about 155 AD—it was illegal to be a Christian. He was accused of being a Christian and brought before the local proconsul.

At the time, the way they handled these accusations was a simple test. They put the Christian right there in testimony before the magistrate and they just asked a few things: "Are you a Christian?" If they denied it, they would live. To prove that you weren't a Christian, you were supposed to curse Christ. Essentially, you would renounce your faith, curse Christ, and then you would prove your innocence as a non-Christian.

Well, Polycarp stood before the magistrate, the proconsul, that day and he refused to recant. These are some of the words that have been recorded by historians. The proconsul said to him, "Have respect for your age. Swear by the fortune of Caesar, repent, and say, 'Away with the atheists!'" (referring to the Christians). Polycarp was about 86 years old at the time. He was actually known as a disciple of the Apostle John—one of the last links to the original followers of Jesus.

Polycarp refused. So the proconsul told him, "Swear the oath and I will release you. Revile Christ." And Polycarp said this famous thing: "Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?" The proconsul said, "I have wild beasts. I will throw you to them unless you change your mind." Polycarp replied, "Call them." The proconsul said, "If you despise the beasts, I will have you consumed by fire unless you repent." To which Polycarp said, "You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season and after a little while is quenched. But you are ignorant of the fire of the judgment to come and the eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. Why do you delay? Bring what you will." And so, Polycarp died as a martyr for Christ.

Sent into Opposition (Matthew 10)

Today we are going to be looking at the idea of being sent into this world and encountering opposition. There is a cost to being sent. In fact, we're doing a four-part mini-series that travels through Matthew. We’re looking right now at Matthew 10. One of the main things that comes to the forefront here is that Jesus is sending out His disciples. A couple of weeks ago, we looked at Jesus’s original message or sermon that He delivered to His disciples as He sent them. This week we see more of that message. There is a peril or a cost involved that Jesus is going to deliver here.

There is a cost to following Christ. All who follow Christ to some degree will face opposition and suffering in this life. It’s something that Paul reminds us of. It’s something that Jesus reminds not just His twelve followers here, but it is a message needed for us today. So, let’s take a look as we dive into this text in Matthew 10:16-25.

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. And when they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver over brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. For truly I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household?"

The Reality of the Christian Life

Right off the bat, Jesus interrupts any kind of notion that the Christian life is just an easy one. He’s telling His disciples as He sends them out—and this is not just a message for them, but for us—that we are to go out, bear witness, and proclaim the Gospel in this world. And yet, at times, we will encounter opposition and it's not always easy.

Now, we live in America, and even as easy as it is and as common as it is that many people claim Christianity—about 66% of Americans check that box, though that could mean all sorts of things—yet even here we know that there are cultural, spiritual, and even physical forces that are against the Gospel and against the Christian life. It was true in Jesus’s day, it was true as the disciples continued on, and it remains true today.

Yet Jesus promised that this message had power. It was better than any other message out there. It healed the human heart and answered the deepest human questions. It addressed the things we so desperately need. He would develop a group of people known as the Church—the gathering of the saints—who would form a body that would bear witness to the world. He promised the gates of hell would not prevail against it. God’s word would go out and continue to go out. There would be opposition, but God’s word would prevail at the end of the day.

So we know that even for us today, God is calling us to proclaim His kingdom. We go into our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our friendships, and our families, and we labor for that. But Jesus wants to remind us of several things regarding that resistance.

1. The Posture: Wise and Innocent

The first thing is the posture we are to have as we face opposition. He tells us He sends us out as sheep in the midst of wolves. It’s important to remember and to beware of "wolves." This world, physically and spiritually, stands against the Gospel. We are the sheep of God’s pasture.

There are spiritual and cultural forces that are the antithesis of what God is calling us to live—to lay our lives down, to serve Him, and to worship Him. There are forces that do not want to see that take place. They will labor to undermine and destroy that. This doesn’t make people the enemy. It doesn’t mean we need to look around like we're in "the trenches" and start fighting people with angry words. Oftentimes, they are simply caught up in spiritual darkness.

As Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:8, the devil is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. So Jesus says: "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." We are not called to be gullible or naive, but wise and gentle. We must hold forth God’s word with the right tone.

This "wisdom" isn't just head-knowledge; it’s a craft or a skill. We need to be mindful of the way we act toward outsiders. Colossians 4:5 says, "Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." We need to be wise about our actions and mindful of how we conduct our lives.

Sometimes the Church or the Gospel is spun in a way that waters it down just to be "relevant." We shouldn't do that. We just need to be thoughtful about holding true and not compromising the message. It doesn't mean we come forcefully. We can easily develop an "us against the world" mentality, trying to force the Gospel through cunning or even violence. But here He reminds us to go with gentleness. There is beauty in knowing grace and truth together. Wisdom and gentleness do not have to be overpowering to be strong. As 1 Corinthians reminds us, the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than strength.

2. The Purpose: Bearing Witness

The second thing is that persecution is not without purpose. These hard moments are opportunities for the Gospel. Verse 18 says you will be dragged before governors and kings for His sake "to bear witness before them and the Gentiles."

God uses the persecution and adversity happening in the lives of His followers to allow them to bear witness. God will use the evil things, the hard things, and the difficult things to ultimately accomplish His purpose. Joseph in Genesis drew this out when he turned to his brothers who had sold him into slavery and said, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." God orchestrated it to bring about His redemptive purposes.

God will use persecution to bring us to bear witness before the world. We shouldn't see it only as a bad thing. He wants to remind His followers: you might stand before Caesar or a proconsul, risking your life, but you are there to bear witness. Your testimony is found in your words, but also in your posture—standing firm like Polycarp, refusing to deny Him. Are we ready to live with that same conviction? Are we ready to let our light shine in the darkness?

The early church actually saw it as a good thing when they were insulted or persecuted. In 1 Peter 4:14, it says, "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." In the book of Acts, they were imprisoned and beaten, yet they glorified God because He used them and honored them in such a way. It seems so opposite to how we think, but there is great purpose and glory in hardship. We don't go running after persecution, but if God leads us to that place, there is glory in it.

3. The Proximity: The Spirit’s Help

The third thing is that God’s Spirit equips you for these moments. Verse 19 says, "When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say... for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

Number one: Don't be anxious. Don't wonder, "What am I going to do? What will I say? How will this play out?" God will supply what you need in that hour. He will be with you. God is so near in the moments of trial and suffering. The early church believed that in the moment of trial—whether they faced the fire or the beasts—that God would give them the strength to bear it. Some even spoke of God "numbing" their suffering through His power and grace.

There is such nearness when we face trial. When the forces of darkness come against the church and the church suffers, God is there. We ought to pray for the persecuted church around the world today—Christians who face the depth of devotion that requires risking their lives. Our prayer should be that God's presence would be so tangible to them that they would not be anxious, but would look to the one who guards and protects them.

I think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who opposed the Nazi takeover of the church. He was imprisoned and eventually executed, but in his letters, he talked about how close God was to him in his moments of loneliness and isolation. Jesus wants to remind His disciples: "I will give you what you need. My Father’s Spirit will speak through you."

If you feel the prompting of God to share the message and you instantly become anxious, remember these words: "Don't be anxious. I will give you the words." God’s love and Gospel are moving through us. We are with Jesus, and He has not left us without His Spirit.

4. The Perseverance: Running to the End

The final thing is perseverance. Verse 22: "The one who endures to the end will be saved." Jesus reminds us that the goal of our suffering is to finish well—to run the race set for us.

It is a race and a journey. It is so easy as life gets difficult, as we face betrayal or resistance, even within our own families, to want to give up. We can forget to run the race. Paul tells us, "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ... forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal."

We are called to persevere because one day we will all stand before God. Whether our end comes through persecution or simply a long life of shining His light, we want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

As a side note, we need to be careful of "isolation." The wolves like to isolate the sheep. They want to isolate you so they can attack. There is danger in those moments of life when we try to carry the burden alone. It is good to talk to your sisters and brothers in the church, to be honest with them so they can pray for you and help encourage you.

We are called to press through. 2 Corinthians 4:17 reminds us, "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Do not stop running the race. Do not get distracted by the obstacles, the resistance, the wolves, or the anxieties. Set your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.

Conclusion

We are called to endure—in our culture and in our homes. And on this Mother's Day, I know being a mom can sometimes feel like a thankless job. But you are stewarding a race. You are discipling your kids, passing on the faith from one generation to the next. That reflects godliness.

When we are willing to go and persevere, the world looks on and wonders. Tertullian wrote of the early church, "The more often we are mown down, the more in number we rise; the blood of Christians is the seed of the church." Another early writing said of Christians: "They are put to death and yet they are quickened to life. They are in want of all things and yet they abound in all things."

What do you have that the world does not? You have the Gospel. It is the answer to every problem, whether they know it or not. We don't use the weapons of this world. We use prayer, perseverance, and witness. We do this because Jesus did it for us. He was the lamb to the slaughter, yet He endured for us. It is our privilege to bear His name.

Lord, what a reminder this is to us today. I pray for my brothers and sisters across the world facing hostility. May their faith encourage us today—not with guilt, but with conviction and love. May we go into our walks of life and bear witness, seeing the purpose, feeling Your proximity, and persevering to the glory of Your name. Amen.