Endurance During Persecution 
 
Matthew 10:16-25
 
Saturate the Culture (Matt. 10:16-18) The word sending is different than the word sending in Matt. 9:38. The word sent in v.38 is an ejection or being forcefully pushed out of your comfort zone to share Christ. In this context, the word sending is where we find the word apostle, one that is sent. All followers are sent to share Christ.
 
a. Changing the culture for Christ will be dangerous. vv.16, 17-18
 
b. You will need discernment. v.16- The serpent was the emblem of wisdom of that time. In Genesis the serpent was crafty and shrewd. James 1:5 tells us that “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…” We’ve got to be strategic about taking the same salvation message by different methods. We’re living in a go tell “generation,” but the church is stuck in a “come hear” memorial. Part of the strategy we see from Matt. 9:35-38 is to pray for laborers, and to be sent.
 
c. You must be dedicated to holiness. v.16- A white dove represented purity, the purity that comes from salvation in Jesus Christ.
 
We are called to be catalyst, change agents in our culture. The biggest difference a follower of Christ has over a non-follower is that we have a transformed joy! There is a peace about us in the midst of chaos. We’re called to be thermostats. A thermostat changes the climate of the room, where a thermometer just simply reflects the climate. Are you changing the culture for Christ or are you reflecting the current culture?
 
Holy Spirit Guided Conversations (Matt. 10:19-20) That was the case with Peter and John in Acts 4:8-13 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
 
Sacrificing for the Cause (Matt. 10:21-23)
 
a. Endure knowing that following Jesus may cost us our v. 21, 34-39. Thank of the Muslim who has come to Christ, they’ve been disowned by their family! Jesus is worth it!
 
b. Endure treasuring the sweetness of eternal freedom. v.22 I want you to feel the sweetness of the window of Heaven that Stephen saw when he was being killed for his faith in Christ. Acts 7:54-58 “Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.”What if all martyrs in Christ see this before death? Wow, we must treasure Christ above all things.
 
c. Endure knowing when it’s time to flee. v.23 The theologian Kenny Rogers said, “know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, know when to run…”
 
Serving Becomes Costly (Matt. 10:24-25)
 
   a. Follow Christ closely. vv.24 Our goal in Christian discipleship is to grow into maturity
where we minister like Jesus Christ. We rely on Him, pour Him out, live for Him, allow the Holy Spirit to heal others like He did. In doing so, we will be hated by a culture who sees the love and joy of Jesus Christ a threat.
   b. Follow Christ courageously. v.25 The word Beelzebul refers to master, specifically Satan.
The religious leaders saw Jesus as counter-culture to their system; therefore, they believed Him to be Satan. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
 
Satisfaction in Christ Alone
 
  1.  Rejoice in your identity being in Christ. (1 Peter 4:12-14) “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”
  2. Reflect upon the honor of serving Christ. (Acts 5:40-42) “and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”
  3. Reignite the fact that Christ is worthy. (Romans 8:18) “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Matt. 5:10-11