02/27/18 - Mark 13

Feb 27, 2018 – Mark 13

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Mark 13:13

Don't take personal the actions of others - rise above it and follow Jesus.

If you were to be dropped into America and turn on the TV, it would not take long to gain a perspective on how Christians are viewed.  Shows like L.A. Pastors and G.C.B. would give you an immediate impression.  News covering leadership failures and moral protestors would affect your doubts, and the lack of respect for Jesus’ Name would be prevalent.  Given a little time, you would come to the conclusion that Christians were the central problem, and needed to be removed in order to live free of sin & guilt.

That perception would not be much different than what the First Century Christians faced.  Dying in the arena or on the stake, they knew people hated them and wanted them out of society.  It’s a good thing Jesus warned them that all men would hate them because of what He stood for.  Otherwise, their trust in God may have faltered in the face of persecution.

Jesus was very clear about the challenge of being a Christian.  He was more concerned about losing our faith in the face of persecution than in health, wealth or relationship issues.  So Jesus reminded them often – you will have to carry your cross… you will be hated by men… you will be persecuted … it is a narrow gate and narrow path to follow.  To encourage us, Jesus gave us two keys to overcoming persecution:

1)      Don’t take it Personal (hate you because of me) – Persecuting Christians is about Jesus, not about you.  In spite of feeling under attack, remember their battle is with God, not with you.  Taking it personal would make us angry or bitter, but seeing their fight with Jesus makes us more patient and sad for their souls. 

2)      Focus on the Next Life (firm … will be saved) – Because Eternity is now Open, our perspective is about living there, not being comfortable here.  Don’t discount the power of pursuing Eternity.  Our lives are COMPLETELY different because we believe in Heaven and trust Jesus with eternity.  We would persecute people too, if we thought this life was all there is.

Persecution has nothing to do with fairness, rightness or defensiveness.  Just ask Jesus!  It wasn’t fair that He was given all of our sins.  It wasn’t right that He went to the cross in our place.  It wasn’t logical that Jesus didn’t defend God or Himself when challenged to come down.  Yet by persevering, He overcame, and was raised from the dead to lead our way to Eternity.  Our persecution is far less severe than what Jesus endured, but our reward will be the same.

Choose today not to take these persecutions personal, and use them as triggers to look toward eternity.  We don’t need to defend God, nor do we need to avoid the struggle.  God will save us, just rise above it and follow Jesus.