Sermon for Sunday, Oct 26th, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Psalm 2:1-6 ESV] 1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
New Testament Reading:
[Acts 23:23-30 ESV] 23 Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” 25 And he wrote a letter to this effect: 26 “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30 And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”
Gospel Reading:
[John 16:1-4a ESV] 1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
Sermon Text:
[Matthew 10:16-25 ESV] 16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 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. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 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. 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 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.
Introduction
Today we have a call to endurance, in all things, for the sake of Christ, and by his power. Endure even through persecution for the sake of the Gospel and for the glory of God.
I. Hated for Christ
A great testimony to the TRUTH of Christianity is how UNIVERSALLY it is opposed. The power of Satan is at work in the world through all the anti-Christian false religions. And these religions have one thing in common; hatred of Christ, Christianity, and Christians.
Jesus warns his Apostles that they “will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” Yet this is a badge of honor, for if we are hated for Christ’s SAKE, then we are found to indeed be Christ-LIKE, for was hated too. Hated though he had done no evil; hated though he had never sinned. So iff we are hated for righteousness sake or for our love of Christ, then it is seen as a great testimony of the fact that we are united to Christ. So Jesus says “A disciple is not above his teacher.” If they hate the teacher, they’ll hate the disciple too.
Jesus gives this example: “If they called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” And they did call Christ evil. They said “he cast out demons by the power of Satan.” To which Jesus so brilliantly said that such is an impossibility for a house divided cannot stand. Evil doesn’t cast out evil, but welcomes it in. Only good, only a man sent by God, could cast out demons.
His Apostles then are warned to expect the same, or worse. Indeed Christians in the early days were called many names. Foolish, cultish, cannibals. Christians were even called atheists (!) for their refusal to worship the many gods of Rome.
II. Prophecy of the Apostles’ Fate
As for the Apostles themselves, Jesus warns then in a prophecy that trouble is ahead as they proclaim the truth of the Gospel.
This is a prophecy of the Apostle’s Fate; that they will have many hardships and even martyrdom for the sake of Christ.
It is notable that there are two places mentioned in the warning, “beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues.” The Apostles – and the early Christians in general – could find great opposite from both the Jews and the Romans. Both in the synagogues and in the courts. And if that is Jewish courts and not Roman ones, we still have the next part of the prophecy, “you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.”
So it is TWO groups of people who oppose the Apostles; both the established religious community of Jews and the established political realm of the Romans.
And these prophecies would quickly be fulfilled, even in the New Testament.
Consider the persecutions we have of Christians in the New Testament. Mostly from the book of Acts, but from the Epistles as well. (If the Four Gospels are about the persecution of Jesus, then the remainder of the New Testament is about the persecution of his followers)
– Paul alone was persecuted numerous times. He seems to have had it worst. Maybe that is because the book of Acts focuses most on him. Or maybe because of how powerful Paul was for the Gospel, Satan most came after him. Paul was imprisoned, stoned, dragged before governors and kings (Herod Agrippa and even Caesar Nero himself), and finally history tells us he was martyred for the faith.
– The Apostle James, the son of Zebedee, was executed by King Herod in Acts 12.
– Peter was arrested, imprisoned, beaten, and history against tells us he was martyred for the faith.
So Jesus was not messing around when he warned of persecutions ahead for the Apostles.
III. Enduring to the End
Such persecution will happen, Jesus says to his apostles.
But they are NOT to SEEK martyrdom! That is a great difference between Christianity and Islam.
We preach the Gospel, and are to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves”, having this warning from Christ to “Beware of men” who seek to do you harm. And IF death comes, so be it. It is for the cause of Christ.
Islam is more like the philosophy of Japanese Kamikaze. They are SEEKING death. Their martyrs die on the attack. A Christian martyr dies despite doing GOOD deeds.
Christian martyrs are not seeking the DEATH of others, but—through the proclamation of the Gospel—hope that others will known ETERNAL LIFE.
Christians are called to ENDURANCE. Such is the title of the sermon today, from the King James Version of this passage: “He that endureth.”
We have a call to endure.
And I want to break this down into three parts.
Endure for the Sake of Others
Endure for your own sake.
Endure as Christ endured.
1. Endure For the Sake of Others
We are to endure for the sake of others. Or, to put it another way, we are to endure for the sake of the Gospel.
This can be post negatively and positively.
Negative endurance would be “putting up with things.” Letting offenses slide past.
[Proverbs 19:11 ESV] 11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
That is a difficult type of endurance.
Then there is a positive endurance that we are called to. An action; being as wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove, while doing the work of the Lord.
What is “to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves?”
It is interesting that here we have POSITIVE reference to serpents. Serpents are so often associated with Satan, for he appeared as a serpent in the garden to deceive man. But we have to remember that serpents are part of God’s creation; a creation that was called “good” and every “very good.” So serpents are not necessarily bad; though we might JUMP when we see one. Incidentally, I once jumped over a snake thinking it was a broken bicycle tire, and then it moved! And so did I keep moving! But serpents are not always bad. Even in the Old Testament the people looked to the serpent on the pole for healing. And in the garden, the serpent was said to be “more crafty than any other beast of the field.” So we are to be wise — the Apostles and Christians for all ages — not for evil (tricking people like Satan in the Garden) but for good, preaching the Truth of Christ. We are to be shrewd, cautious, and discerning, using cleverness to navigate difficult situations while avoiding unnecessary conflict
Then “innocent as doves.” The most innocent. White color, no spots. So doves have long been a symbol of peace. So the Apostles are called to not start any fights. They preach the Gospel, and if others are offended of the Gospel that is their own fault. But the Apostles themselves do not cause any trouble.
I want to note briefly verse 23:
[Matthew 10:23 ESV] 23 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.
We saw this idea last week of “shaking off the dust.” Moving on when not welcomed.
Now, the need for the Gospel to come to the Jews is so pressing because there are so many towns to reach. Indeed, Jesus says to the Apostles, “you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
I take it that is this is NOT referring to the 2nd coming at the end of time, but rather referring to the coming destruction that the Lord is bringing upon Israel. The judgment for not believing in Christ. A judgment that comes by way of the Romans in destroying Jerusalem in 70 AD. So much haste is called for in bringing the gospel to the towns before the destruction arrives.
2. Endure For you own Sake.
So we are to endure for the sake of others.
Then we are to endure for our own sake.
“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
This is not to say that we are saved by endurance. No work of man saves himself.
But there is a correlation. Those who are saved will endure to the end. The perseverance of the saints is by the power of God.
And in the Psalms:
[Psalm 2:1-6 ESV] 1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
So Christ is reminding the Apostles of that fact. Endure to the end. You will be saved. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if persecutions dot your path.
Peter says this in his 1st Epistle:
[1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV] 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The pains, the persecutions, are only for a little while.
Heaven awaits. And there, in heaven, is the glory of God.
Revelation 2:10 says likewise:
[Revelation 2:10 ESV] 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
3. Endure as Christ endured.
There is the endurance for others, the endurance for self. And then, there is the endurance in connection with Christ.
We are to endure as Christ endured. He is the great example. He took punishment on the cross, and did not respond even verbally.
It is sometimes said, using an old phrase, “the blood of the martyr’s is the seed of the church.” That is, the testimony they provide plants a seed that grows, so that the death of 1 martyr leads to the conversion of thousands of Christians. It is a powerful message that a martyr is willing die for the faith. This testifies to the truth. No one would be willing to bear such punishment for something they believed was a lie.
But if the blood of martyrs it so great, consider this:
The blood of Christ is better.
It is be HIS endurance that we are saved.
By HIS blood that we are redeemed.
In all this we endure because HE ENDURED.
We must always remember that.
I can have patience with others, because Christ had patience for me.
I can forgive others because Christ has forgiven me.
I can endure all things because Christ endured the punishment of my sin for me on the cross.
Conclusion
And we must remember that in our endurance we are not alone. The Lord supports us, and carries us through.
Like God did for Moses in the Old Testament, here again in our passage the Lord promises that he will give the Apostles the words to say. That is a great promise. And I know it is true even for us in our day. Often, in speaking with others about the Lord, or in preaching from this pulpit, I cannot explain it – how some words will come to me – but to say that it is by the work of God. He reminds me of the Scriptures I have read. He enlightens me. He gives me the words to say. The Lord is with us, helping us even through persecution.
So don’t think of persecution as a punishment for something you’ve done wrong. Even the Apostles were persecuted. And it was a sign of the genuine faith. The world and Satan himself, won’t persecute you if you are on their side.
Now, remember, I said “If the Four Gospels are about the persecution of Jesus, then the remainder of the New Testament is about the persecution of his followers.” Well, we should add, if the Four Gospels are about the Resurrection of Christ, then the rest of the New Testament is about the promised Resurrection of Christians. He Is Risen, we shall be risen. He endured, we (by power of the Holy Spirit working in us) shall also endure.
And through to the end of that endurance we see blessings.
But are we to do? How are we to think of this passage? We’re not apostles. Not all are called to work full time in evangelism.
We are to be waned that more persecution awaits. Persecution is not a one-time thing, but occurs wave after wave.
Yet we are to be encouraged that God is with us even through the difficulties of persecution. And I think Christians were really and truly persecuted during the Pandemic especially. We went through a period of persecution broadly. Not just as individuals, but nationwide and internationally.
There will be more persecution, but we are to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves in evangelism. Speaking truth in love. Sometimes no doubt that Gospel itself scares people away. But let it be that which causes offense, and nothing that you do or say.
We are persecuted for the sake of the Gospel of Christ.
But we endure because of that same Gospel.
Praise the Lord.