Trumpets
Discouragement and Overcoming
In the Church
Rick Railston
09/19/2009
Greetings everybody and Happy Feast of Trumpets to everyone and to those of you who will listen later through CD’s and DVD’s. I want to give a special greeting to Gail Tyndale in Mesa, Arizona. I hope you are feeling well and continue to be well. Hello also to all the brethren scattered around the country, especially our brethren in New Zealand and South Africa and Australia and England. We wish you all were here to celebrate this holy day with us.
As we heard in the sermonette, this day looks forward to the most horrible time in human history, absolutely the worst time that man will face compared to any time in human history. Normally a sermon on the day of Trumpets would talk about this day, but as we all know, since the spring holy days a lot has happened to all of us. We’ve had many trials; health trials, job trials, physical trials and spiritual trials have come upon many.
We had major decisions and commitments made, and frankly I’ve never seen Satan so alive and active in the minds of God’s people since I’ve been in the Church. I think it’s clear that God has removed a level of restraint on Satan. He’s released a band somehow on Satan where he is now more active in the minds of God’s people. There’s more pressure in the minds of God’s people. So my gut told me that all of us, including myself, need to look at a certain subject today and we need to understand, by way of introduction, that Christ made a promise to all of His disciples down through the years, the disciples that heard the words at that time and His disciples which we are to this very day.
In Matthew 28:20 (we won’t turn there), He said, “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” That was a promise and that is a promise we cannot forget as we get closer to the end of the age. We can’t ignore or diminish this in any way because we are going to need that promise as we march down the road toward the culmination of what is represented by this day.
Now with that promise in mind, what I would like to do today is look at the history of the early New Testament Church and see if we can see a pattern develop in the early New Testament Church up until about 100 AD, from the time Christ died until about 100 AD and see if we don’t see a pattern developing. Then we will relate that pattern to what is happening in the Church today and hopefully we can gain a new perspective on the trials that have come upon all of us, trials we have had to deal with as a group and as individuals.
If you want to put a title on the sermon, it’s called “Discouragement and Overcoming in the Church” because one of the prime ways that Satan can get us off track is through discouragement, wanting to give up and quit; as we heard in the sermonette, wanting to not pay your dues, not pay your mortgage, not do what we need to do. Satan would love to see all of God’s people, as we get closer to the end, get discouraged rather than be excited and filled with zeal.
Now as I said, we’re going to look at an example given to us in the New Testament of what the New Testament Church went through. We want to get the big picture and then relate it to today, because we are going to see some startling parallels from the time Christ died, until the close of the Ephesian era, with today.
We’re going to be in the Book of Acts. The sermon that I gave on Acts 15, the conference, some of those scriptures tie into this and I’m not going to quote those. We won’t turn there, but I’ll just mention them in passing.
Acts 1:5, around 30 AD the number of disciples was 120, at the time of Pentecost we’re told. Then in the next chapter in the Book of Acts, Chapter 2, there were added 3,000 brethren in one day. As I mentioned, the Church grew exponentially in those early years and it also says in Acts 2, “The Lord added to the Church daily as should be saved”. Then we read in Acts 4, again in 30 AD that the number of the brethren in Jerusalem was about 5,000. It grew tremendously, very quickly.
Can you imagine if you were called at that time and you come into the Church and see droves of people coming into the Church in Jerusalem, a Church of 5,000. People getting together for holy days with zeal and excitement and then having the apostles there and you could talk to the apostles. You could walk up and talk to an apostle. “What was Christ like and what did He say and what happened here?” Imagine the zeal and enthusiasm that occurred in that early New Testament Church. It was something to behold.
Let’s turn to Acts, Chapter 5 and pick up the story. The Church is growing fast, the apostles are there and there is zeal and enthusiasm. In the first part of Acts, Chapter 5, we won’t go through the account, but the first eleven verses are the account of Ananias and Sapphira. Peter pronounced death on those two and they dropped dead. Can you imagine if you watched that or talked to someone who saw it and see the power of God in the apostles that they could say, “You and your money perish” and they drop dead? Imagine the awe and excitement to be there at that time. It was something to behold. Ananias and Sapphira are now dead. Let’s pick up the story in verse 12.
Acts 5:12. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders …
It says many miracles. If you saw those miracles, what would that do to your faith and zeal and your enthusiasm?
12b) wrought among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.
13) And of the rest durst no man join himself to them; but the people magnified them.
14) And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. (KJV)
Growing, zeal, excitement and enthusiasm; God is with us. Look at the miracles.
15) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid [them] on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
If you saw that, if you saw the shadow of Peter passing by a leper and all of a sudden he got up, his flesh was clean and whole, he stood and was miraculously healed. What would you think as a Church member, as a brother or sister in the Church? You would be just revved to the max. You would be so excited to see that and it happened over and over again. Just think what it would be like to be a Church member then.
16) There came also a multitude [out] of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, (the word is spreading; the rumor mill is working) bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. (KJV)
Everyone, nobody not healed, nothing negative, no failures, they were all healed. Now you can begin to see that the brethren are saying, “Hey, God is with us. We can do anything! God is with us and anything is possible.”
17) Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation. (KJV) (Of course)
18) And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in a common prison.
Notice what happened in verse 19.
19) But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth …
When that example was noised abroad and the rumor mill got to working, once again, jails won’t hold the apostles, jails won’t hold any of us. God is with us. We cannot fail. Everybody is going be healed. Everything we set our hands to do is going to come to pass. We would think that way. I would.
So, still the same year, this is just all in the first year. Look in Chapter 6 and verse 7.
Acts 6:7. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. (KJV)
Even the priests were converted to Christianity. So here we see in the very early stages of the New Testament Church, there was tremendous growth, there was no doubt that God was with them. They saw the miracles and their faith was very strong, they had nothing to fear, nothing to fear.
Now, guess what? Reality is going to set in. The very first discouragement and the very first instance of being afraid occurred in Acts, Chapter 7. By being afraid, I’m talking in the perspective of the sheep, the perspective of the average Church member.
Acts 7: 59. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60) And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (He died) (KJV)
Now if you watch that, all of a sudden that’s a game changer in a sense, because one of these apostles, (Stephen was a deacon) but these men whose shadow would fall on someone and they would be healed, now this fellow got stoned. He’s dead. Now all of a sudden, what would you think as a Church member? Maybe things are changing a little bit in your mind.
Look at the next chapter, verse 8. Stephen died at about 32 AD. This chapter 8 is around 33 AD, a year later.
Acts 8:1. And Saul was consenting unto his death (meaning Stephen’s). And at that time there was a great persecution against the Church … (KJV)
There’s a kickback, there’s a backlash now. Everything was going their way, but now persecution starts. Now there is opposition. Now there are people coming after them.
1a) which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (KJV)
It got so bad apparently that the average Church member had to flee Jerusalem. They had to pack up, leave their homes, leave their jobs and go somewhere else in order to exist without persecution. Now this was different than a year before that and a year before that. Now there’s opposition. Now there is trouble and the people undoubtedly, from time to time, experienced fear. They were afraid.
2) And devout men carried Stephen [to his burial), and made great lamentation over him.
3) As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed [them] to prison. (KJV)
So now after all of these miracles, after all of the growth and zeal and enthusiasm, now all of a sudden, not only is Stephen dead but people are being dragged off to prison, men and women. So put yourself into the mindset of the average Church member. What would you begin to think? What would go through your mind? How would it affect your faith? How would it affect your view of this new religion that you had just come into?
But, guess what happens now? God sees that and God starts encouraging again. God brings situations to pass that encourage the brethren. Look at Acts 8:4.
Acts 8:4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. (KJV)
Yes, they had to flee Jerusalem, but they went to other places.
5) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6) And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (KJV)
God allowed disciples and apostles to continue to perform miracles as a witness that He was still with them despite the persecution, despite the death.
7) For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed [with them;] and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. (KJV)
There was miracle after miracle after miracle.
8) And there was great joy in that city.
There was zeal, enthusiasm and encouragement again. Then if that wasn’t enough, guess what God and Christ did? They converted the persecutor, the chief persecutor. I’m sure there were people praying that God would eliminate Paul, get rid of Paul, perhaps that he would fall off his donkey and die or something like that. However, God did something more miraculous. God converted him. Look at chapter 9, the last half of verse 19. This was in 33 AD.
Acts 9:19. … Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. (KJV)
This was after he was struck down on the road to Damascus.
20) And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he (meaning Christ) is the son of God.
21) But all that heard [him] were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? (KJV)
Isn’t this the same guy?
22) But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
So Philip’s miracles, now Paul is being converted and he is one of the chief spokesmen for the gospel of Christ and now the brethren are starting to be encouraged again. Look at Chapter 9. If that wasn’t enough, look at this miracle.
Acts 9:36. Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms deeds (that means to help the poor) which she did. (KJV)
She would help the poor and do good works.
37) And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed (washed her body), they laid [her] in an upper chamber. (KJV)
39) Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showed the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
Apparently she made coats and warm cloaks for the poor for the winter.
40) But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning [him] to the body said, “Tabitha, arise”. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41) And he gave her [his] hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42) And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. (KJV)
This was a resurrection. You can’t get a bigger miracle than a resurrection. This woman was clearly dead. Peter sent everybody out and a few minutes later, he walked out with her and she is alive. Talk about an increase in faith and zeal. We know how the rumor network works in the Church today, well it worked there even more so and word gets around about this resurrection and that Paul was converted and the miracles of Phillip. Clearly the people are encouraged, “God is with us! God is behind us!” People are being called daily into the Church, its coming more and more. “Clearly this is the true Church. Clearly Christ is with us.” They are filled with awe and enthusiasm. The death of Stephen is maybe moved a little bit on the back burner and the people that were in jail. Maybe they’re out of jail by now, we don’t know, but now we have a new wave of enthusiasm and zeal.
Let’s go to chapter 12. This is about 44 AD and we’ll read the first two verses.
Acts 12:1. Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth [his] hands to vex certain of the church. (KJV)
2) And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. (KJV)
Here is a prominent figure in the Church that was cut down brutally by a sword. Undoubtedly people saw it and then the word began to spread around and the word began to pass, “Oh, oh, things aren’t so good anymore. They’re starting to kill the leaders of the Church.” Then in chapter 15, a few years later in about 49 AD, we find that there’s more discouragement. We find for the first time that there is heresy coming into the Church of false teaching and false doctrine. This is the first time this is mentioned. Apparently they had no trouble with heresy before. The apostles were there, they taught the truth, they saw it with their own eyes, they were witnesses and they began preaching. There was no problem with heresy.
But here in Acts 15, I think you know where we’re going. It ultimately wound up with the conference, but it was the first time there was disagreement doctrinally, in the Church. This was 49 AD.
Acts 15:1. And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, [and said], Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved. (KJV)
That was new.
2) When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them,
You can be on the sidelines as a Church member and now you’re seeing these two individuals going at it. They’re arguing about doctrine, they’re fighting about doctrine, they’re disputing about doctrine. Maybe some voices were raised and we have a problem here now. As you remember and know from your own studies, it was decided that Paul and Barnabas would go to Jerusalem with others and they would take it to the apostles. In verse 25, now coming out of this dissention, coming out of this discouragement comes unity and God’s people are once again encouraged. Summing up the conference,
25) It seemed good unto us, (meaning the apostles and elders present) being assembled with one accord (Now we have unity. A few weeks ago, we did not have unity.) to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26) Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
They brought forth the conclusions of the conference and as we covered in the sermon on Acts 15, everybody obeyed. Everybody was happy. The Church was at peace doctrinally. How long did that last? Let’s go to Acts 15:36. Now we see more discouragement and disunity.
Acts 15:36. And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, [and see] how they do. (KJV)
They wanted to check up on the Churches. They didn’t just go and visit the Church once and walk away. They wanted to go back and feed the sheep.
37) And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
But Paul didn’t think it was a good idea to take him with them.
37) But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. (KJV)
Paul had something against this young man; perhaps he felt he wasn’t dedicated enough or loyal enough or faithful enough or had some issues with the man.
39) And the contention was so sharp between them, they departed asunder one from the other.
What if you saw that argument? What if you were there? I’m sure to those who did see it, quickly again through the grapevine spread the news that Paul and Barnabas, who had been like joined at the hip for these years, are now fighting amongst each other. They argued so much and it got so heated that they split apart and Paul went here and Barnabas went there, and we got a problem folks. You can just imagine how that went down in the Churches. Discouragement, and now they see two leaders in the Church arguing and fighting and they see disunity, and that leads to more discouragement.
Then a few years later, we’re jumping now to a little over a decade. Let’s go to Galatians 2. We’re now in the 52 – 53 AD time period. Galatians 2, verses 11 through 14. Here’s another example of disunity and potential discouragement for God’s people.
Galatians 2:11. But when Peter was come to Antioch (Paul is writing to the Church in Galatia. He’s telling them of this event) I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. (KJV)
12) For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision (of the Jews).
That was hypocrisy and he saw it in Peter.
13) And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. (KJV)
They were all one family, then some Jews came down and then the Jews went with the Jews and the Gentiles were over here and Barnabas got caught up in it, and Paul walked in and saw it. He said, “This isn’t right.”
14) But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before [them] all (Oh boy! What if you were there? All of a sudden one apostle is getting on another apostle, publicly in front of everyone), (He said to Peter,) If you, being a Jew, live after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? (KJV)
You’re causing separation. You’re causing division, and he called him out publicly. Now, you’d better believe that went through the Church like wildfire. “Did you hear what happened?” It’s a good thing they didn’t have telephones and e-mail and all of that, but it made the rounds, you can be sure. So, now all of a sudden we have a situation where there is discouragement and disunity, even among the apostles, and that made it through the Church. About that same time (a little before actually); we’re in Galatians 2, let’s go back to Galatians 1. We see an instance of brethren leaving the Church. This is 52 AD. I’m reading it out of the NIV. Paul is saying …
Galatians 1:6. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ … (NIV)
They’re deserting. That means they’re leaving. So apparently in Galatia a group left. A number of people left and walked out. Then in 67 AD, let’s go to II Timothy, Chapter 1. We’re jumping ahead over a decade, fifteen years to be exact. That trend continues. People began leaving the Church. Paul is admonishing young Timothy.
II Timothy 1: 13. Hold fast the form of sound words, which you have heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
14) That good thing which was committed unto you keep by the Holy Spirit which dwells in us.
It ties in with the sermonette. You have to keep after it, you have to do your homework, you have to pay your dues, you have to pay your bills. You can’t just walk away from it. You can’t just let it lie.
15) This you know, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; (Then he named two people) of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
Apparently those were two of the leaders that led people astray and led people out of the Church. So now look what’s happening. People fell away, they began to get discouraged. The Church is in trouble both internally and externally. The Church is in trouble regarding doctrinal issues, people leading people astray, Roman Government persecuting them, the Jews persecuting them. Look at the history. What are we seeing here? We’re seeing a pattern of what? Up and down and up and down. We see encouragement and zeal and enthusiasm and then an event happens and gets everyone discouraged and people leave the Church and they get upset. Then God begins to encourage again and we see miracles and people coming into the Church again and then somebody gets killed or two people start arguing and fighting and word gets around and people become discouraged again, and then God does something else to bring encouragement to the people. It’s this roller coaster for seventy odd years.
Now let’s look at the apostles and the disciples. Let’s see what happened to them. Look at Paul. Let’s go to II Corinthians, Chapter 11. Did Paul have a corporate jet? Did Paul go to four-star hotels or five-star resorts? Did Paul buy thousand dollar suits and live an exalted life? Well, let’s look and see. I think you know the answer to that.
II Corinthians 11: 23. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool
Meaning no, they’re not. He says, “I they are, I am more.”
23b) I [am] more; in labors more abundant (I’ve worked harder than them all), in stripes above measure (I’ve been beaten more than them all), in prisons more frequent (I’ve been in jail more than anyone), in deaths often.
24) Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. (KJV)
Five times! Think about that. We just read over that. How would you like to get five stripes, five whips on the back? Well, he did five times thirty-nine, and there is record and evidence that one of those could kill you if it was administered harshly enough, it could kill you.
25) Thrice was I beaten with rods
Can you image being hit with a rod on your back and on your ribs and buttocks and the back of your legs?
25b) once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep.
He tread water in the sea, hung onto a piece of wood or something, we don’t know.
26) [In] journeying often,
Did Paul have a place to lay his head? Did Paul have a nice home that he could always come back to? Of course not. He just went from place to place to place, preaching the gospel, encouraging the brethren, teaching and training.
26b) [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers (apparently he was robbed at times. How many of us have even experienced one of these, much less all of this?) [in] perils by [mine own] countrymen, (The Jews were after him after he was converted. You better believe it.) [in] perils by the heathen (He travelled in some very remote areas and rough country), [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren.
People were turning on him, as we just read.
27) In weariness and painfulness,
I was thinking last night, it was a cool fall evening. It got down into the 40’s in Yakima, and we have this nice warm comfortable bed, we have the window wide open, we feel this fresh fall air coming in. You’ve got the covers right under your chin. It’s so warm and cozy. Did Paul have that? Did Paul ever sleep on a mattress like we have today? Of course not. If our muscles are sore, we jump into a hot tub. Could he do that? Of course not.
27b) in watchings often,
Watching people die. Hoping God would heal somebody.
27c) in hunger and thirst,
We’re never hungry, except on Atonement and when we fast. We don’t thirst, we don’t hunger, we don’t want for anything, and yet Paul did.
27d) in fastings often. In cold and nakedness.
We’ve never suffered that. I don’t think anyone here has been cold for an extended period. How would you like to be cold all winter like someone in Afghanistan, some little kid living in a tent in the mountains of Afghanistan because there’s destruction and rubble all around. You live all winter with a little sheet over you in a tent. We’ve never experienced that.
28) Beside those things that are without, that which come upon me daily, the care of all the Churches.
He said, “Beside all this, this is just a distraction. My real job is to take care of the Church, and that in itself is a trial because of all the turmoil in the Church. Look what he suffered. Then Eucebius writes that it’s tradition that Paul was beheaded by Nero in 64 AD in Rome. How would you like your head chopped off, to go through that, just waiting on your knees for the sound of the blade and that’s all you’re going to hear.
Look at Simon Peter’s end. He was in prison in Rome for about nine months and then he was crucified. Tradition says he was crucified upside down because he thought it was too much of an honor to be killed as Christ, so he requested to be crucified upside down. That was in 67 AD.
Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist. He was the first apostle chosen by Christ. In Greece there was a governor of a province in Greece. His name was Aegaeas, and he had Andrew brought before a tribunal and he demanded that Andrew renounce Christ. When Andrew refused to renounce Christ, he was beaten and tied to a cross shaped like an “X” and he lasted for three days before he died a horrible death.
Then James, the brother of John, the first cousin of Jesus, was the first apostle to be martyred. We read that in Acts, Chapter 12. He was beheaded by King Agrippa.
Phillip saved the sick wife of a Roman proconsul. He prayed and she was healed. As a result, this Roman proconsul’s wife was converted to Christianity. This was politically embarrassing to her husband. What’s he going to do? What does this do to his political career? So he sentenced Phillip to death by crucifixion and it is reported in several histories that the proconsul said to Phillip, “Denounce Jesus and save your life.” Phillip answered and said, “Accept Jesus and save yours.” How do you think that went over? Phillip was martyred. He was stuck through (This is again history, tradition. We don’t know for sure.) but he was stuck through his thigh with a lance and hung upside down and was allowed to die that way. He was 87 when he died. How would you like to end your life at 87, hanging upside down with a lance through your thigh?
I’m going through this because this was all known to the brethren in the Church in those days. They knew how these men died. They knew the horrible circumstances under which they ended their lives.
Bartholomew died in Armenia in about 68 AD. He was skinned alive and then beheaded. I can think of no worse way to die than to be skinned alive or to be boiled alive, but to be skinned alive and then beheaded. That’s the end of your life. Well, history tells us that’s how Bartholomew died.
Thomas, also known as Didymus; he traveled to Babylon, he traveled to Persia, he traveled to India and while he was praying, someone ran him through with a lance, right through his rib cage, side to side, and killed him as he was praying.
Matthew also known as Levi the tax collector; there are many stories about him and how he died. Most likely he was martyred in Egypt, we don’t know exactly how, but he was martyred because of his beliefs.
James, the younger, or James the less was stoned to death in Jerusalem in 62 AD. Even there, how would you like to be stoned to death, having rock after rock after rock hit you? Then mercifully maybe have one knock you unconscious.
Judas, son of James was killed by a lance around Mount Ararat somewhere between 50 and 60 AD, not known.
Simon the Zealot was cut in half with a saw in Persia. How would you like that, to be strapped down and someone just take a saw and start sawing on you?
Matthias was the one who replaced Judas. In 80 AD he was stoned in Jerusalem.
The reason why I mention this is that the brethren in the early New Testament knew all of this. This wasn’t a secret. They knew it. Word got around, letters went back and forth, people traveled and all of a sudden you’re getting close to the turn of the century, and look at the situation because we’re going to tie it in with today.
If you were a Church member in 70, 80, 90 or 100 AD, this is now 65 to 70 years after Christ’s crucifixion, all the leaders are gone and they didn’t have a happy life. They didn’t end in a warm bed breathing their last breath. They died horrible, violent deaths and the brethren knew it. They were aware of it. Say 100 or 110 AD, the Apostle John and Polycarp were the only two leaders left. John was the only one who was a witness to what happened. Polycarp was a leader, but every one of the others was dead. Every one of the others was martyred and the brethren knew about it. Many fell away. Many suffered much persecution … jail, death, lost jobs, fleeing homes. In 70 AD, the whole Church in Jerusalem had to leave. So, if you were a Church member in 80, 90, or 100 AD, what would you be thinking if we were kind of plunked into that environment then? Would you be discouraged? Could be, shouldn’t be, but could be. Given what they went through, could we understand that maybe people could be a little discouraged then and say, “Where’s God in all this? How can He allow this to happen? How can this be God’s Church? All these guys are dying and we fled Jerusalem and the miracles have stopped and we’re going underground and we’re being persecuted. That’s what the attitude would be at the turn of that century.
Now, let’s come to our age today and maybe draw some parallels. Mr. Armstrong, of course is dead. Since that time, since February of 1986, many have fallen away. I assume that many were never converted, but many who were converted have fallen away by the tens of thousands, just like in the first century Church. Many groups are fighting each other today. They’re throwing rocks at each other, even more so, they’re throwing ICBM’s at each other! Brethren are fighting each other who used to be friends, who used to break bread together and now sometimes they won’t even talk to each other, won’t even invite people over to their homes. Many brethren, to use the filing cabinet analogy that I’ve used before, many brethren are filing themselves in very dangerous file folders, very scary and very dangerous file folders. The Bible says this is going to continue.
Let’s go to John 16:2. It’s going to continue and it’s my guess is it’s probably going to get worse. This was a comment of Christ about His day, but it is also carried down through two thousand years and is applicable today.
John 16:2. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yes, the time comes that whosoever kills you will think that he does God service. (KJV)
We have seen people turn on other people, thinking they’re doing God a service. We’ve seen people slander and fight each other thinking they are doing God a service. That’s what the Bible says. Then many people today can say as they did in the early New Testament Church, “How can this be God’s Church? How can this happen?” They said it back then, two thousand years ago and some people are saying it today. “How can this be God’s Church?”
Okay, with this in mind, let’s look into the Bible and see how God tells us we need to overcome this. We’ll see some examples, both good and bad, on how we can overcome this, how they overcame it then (those who made it back in 100 AD or so) and how we can overcome it now.
Let’s look at Elijah. Let’s set the stage about Elijah. As you know, Jezebel the wife of Ahab the King, imported 850 priests, 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. You know the story, how they came to Mount Carmel and Elijah said, “We’re going to show where God is one way or another. So they brought two bulls. No fire was allowed, and the priests did their thing and put the bull on their alter. They cut themselves and danced around and pleaded and cried, and all of that went on for hours and hours and nothing happened. Then Elijah made a stone alter and put a big trench around it and poured all the water they could find, three times over this thing. He called down fire from heaven and it just consumed the offering and the rocks and everything, just blasted it into smithereens. The fire consumed the offering and then he turned around and executed all 850 priests, if you remember that. I’m paraphrasing for time. He had the faith to call down fire from heaven and he also had the faith to tell Ahab (because there was a long drought in the country, remember what he said.) he said, “Rain is going to come. It is coming.” He had the faith to do that and make that statement, and sure enough, rain came.
Now that is the background. Let’s turn to I Kings 19 and we’re going to see what happened to Elijah, because Elijah allowed himself to become discouraged after all of that!
I Kings 19:1. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. (KJV)
Oh, Jezebel didn’t like that!
2) Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do [to me], and more also if I make not your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
You would think Elijah, after calling fire down and after prophesying rain and it came, he would say, “Well she’s calling on names of gods that aren’t gods and what big deal is it to me?”
3) And when he saw [that], he arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba, which [belongs] to Judah and left his servant there.
4) But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness (He was getting as far away from this woman as he could) and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die;
Discouragement, “After all I’ve done. After everything that has happened, I’m on the run now and I’m the only one left. I’m out here in the wilderness.”
4b) and said, It is enough; now, Oh Lord, take away my life; for I [am] not better than my fathers. (KJV)
His fathers were all dead, so “I’m not any better. I’m going to die too, so just get it over with.”
9) And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord [came] to him and he said unto him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10) And he said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword; and I, [even] I only am left; and they seek my life to take it away.”
“That’s the end of my life. There just going to run me off into the wilderness and they’re going to find me and kill me.”
11) And he said, “Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord;
We’ve all been in strong winds, probably nothing quite like this. It tears rocks apart and rips rocks. That has to be a pretty strong wind.
11b) [but] the Lord [was] not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake (That’s an awesome thing; the shaking and noise of an earthquake); [but] the Lord [was] not in the earthquake.
12) And after the earthquake a fire (Was it in the atmosphere, did the ground start burning; what was going on?) [but] the Lord [was] not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
It was a quiet, not shouting, not booming; just a quiet voice.
13) And it was [so] when Elijah heard [it], that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, [there came] a voice unto him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14) And he said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars and slain your prophets with the sword (thinking he was going to be the next one); and I, [even] I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away.”
Then this voice said,
18) Yet I have left [me] seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.
What God was saying to Elijah is, “You think you’re alone, but I’m here to tell you that you are not alone. You have seven thousand brothers and sisters that are here with you and believe the way you believe. So, take heart, be encouraged. Now Elijah was the only man in the Bible to ever call down fire from heaven, yet he got discouraged. He got depressed. You know why? Because he used his physical eyes to see. He looked around and he couldn’t see seven thousand people that felt like he did. He couldn’t see them. They were there, but he couldn’t see them. He thought he was alone and yet he had seven thousand like minded brethren in the area. God intervened at just the right time and God encouraged him at just the right time, and the same holds true for us. Because if Elijah, after doing what he did, could get discouraged, we can get discouraged and we’ve all been there. We’ve all been discouraged, and yet God at the right time with the right antidote, let’s say, brings us out of our discouragement and encourages us. Now the reason he got discouraged is, as I said, he used his physical eyes to see. However, God doesn’t see the way we see. Christ doesn’t see the way we see. We keep praying for the mind of Christ, (Philippians 2:5) we want the mind of Christ because we want to see how Christ sees.
Let’s go to I Samuel 16 and see how God sees, and then if we can have the mind of Christ, we can see how God and Christ see and it might mean that we are not discouraged, even when circumstances around us are falling apart. Our circumstances, as we’ve seen, are nothing compared to what the first century Church went through, absolutely nothing. This is the account where Samuel is going to anoint a successor to Saul.
I Samuel 16:4. And Samuel did that which the Lord spoke, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Are you coming peaceably?” (KJV)
Thinking he might call fire down from heaven or pronounce some curse on the people.
5) And he said, “Peaceable: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves (set yourselves apart), and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6) And it came to pass, when they were come that he looked on Eliab (the first born; must have been a handsome guy, a big guy) and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed [is] before me.
Surely this is the one.
7) But the Lord said unto Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the] Lord sees not as man sees (That is what we need to remember. We cannot see the way God sees.); for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
So we need to keep in the forefront of our mind that we only see a certain limited way and we’ve got to be able to have the mind of Christ to see how God and Christ see.
Now Elisha, who took the mantle from Elijah, saw the way God saw. Let’s go to
II Kings, Chapter 6 and we’ll read verses 15 through 18. The king of Syria is making a move and the king of Syria surrounded this town, Dothan. We’re just going to hit the important part here and not go through the whole story.
II Kings 6:15. And when the servant of the man of God (Elisha’s servant) was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host (an army) compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, “Alas, my master! How shall we do?”
What would you do? You look around on the walls of the city and there is just a sea of armored people out there.
16) And he (Elisha) answered, “Fear not; for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them.”
How did he know that? He couldn’t see it, but he knew it.
17) And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw, and behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
This young man was allowed to see as God saw, and Elisha already saw that way. He had the mind of Christ, the mind of God, Christ being the God of the Old Testament.
18) And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, “Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness.” And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
What we need to do is to be able to see the way God sees. If we could see spirit beings right now, I’m absolutely certain there are spirit beings right here, right now. We just can’t see them. Look at Matthew 18:10. This is a proof that there are spirit beings that work with us, that take care of us and help us along the way. They do God’s will and God’s bidding. Matthew 18, of course, is famous in many ways, but this is the account where God says, “You’d better not offend one of these little ones. It would be better if you were never born; (millstone around the neck, tossed into the sea), if you offend one of these little ones.”
Matthew 18:10. Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones (Why?); for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels (plural) do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
Now a little one, the littlest of those in God’s Church, a babe, a new convert, somebody who is not yet baptized but God is working with them; they have angels (more than one) who can see God’s face and then look down. It says, their angels, which means they take care of them and look after them and yet they behold the face of God, they’re in that contact with God. If even these little ones have that, we must also. Elisha did; Elijah did; David did, but we can’t see them. We need to see as God sees. We need to get beyond the physical five senses and we need to be able to see our way through these trials as many in the first century did despite people being sawn asunder and skinned alive.
So what is the solution for discouragement? The Bible is very simple. The Bible talks about the simplicity of Jesus Christ. The solution for discouragement is very simple.
II Corinthians 5:7. In light of what we just read with Elisha in II Kings 8, and Matthew 18, one simple sentence gives us one of the tools we can and must use to be able to get through the time between now and this day that we are celebrating, this day that we are looking forward to.
II Corinthians 5:7. For we walk by faith, not by sight.
We must have faith in God’s word. We have to have faith in all of the histories and examples that have gone before us. We must have faith that what we see with our physical senses is not it, not the true reality. It is not all there is to the story. God works behind the scenes in ways we cannot comprehend and we have to keep that in mind.
The situation with Howard Johnson, we don’t know what God is working behind the scenes. We just pray that His will be done and that God takes care of all concerned and does it according to His will. We walk by faith knowing that God is concerned and will take care. So, we see that faith is very important to overcoming discouragement. Faith is very important when things don’t go our way.
Look at James 5. We will read verses 7 through 11. Here’s another characteristic we need to develop as we go forward. I’m going to read this from the NIV because it’s clearer.
James 5:7. Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
The Roecks are here. They’re farmers and they’re being patient, waiting for the crop to mature. We have farmers all through the Church waiting for the crop to mature. They are patient from spring to fall and they wait patiently for things to develop. They wait patiently for the rains. They plow and fertilize and do all they need to do and they wait patiently.
8) You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. (NIV)
They thought it was near then, but it’s a lot closer now. As I said, I’ve never seen Satan’s activity to this extent in the Church and that tells me that we’re closer. No way am I going to prophecy about setting any dates. I think we’ve all learned to our own folly not to do that. The fact is, when you see this pressure on God’s people, you know we are getting closer to the end. It could be a few years off yet, but we’re getting closer. We’re being tested.
9) Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged (What an admonition.). The Judge is standing at the door! (Another admonition)
10) Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering (that’s a key), take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (NIV)
Most of those prophets died horrible deaths too.
11) As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered (patience, standing firm, persevering). You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. (NIV)
After all of his suffering, his end was better than his beginning. But Boy, there was a lot of misery in between.
11b) The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (NIV)
Yes, He tries us. Yes, He brings trials upon us, but those are there for a reason and they see the end result. Just like the Hall’s have made decisions regarding little Allisa. They see the end result. They see a normal, healthy life for her. Now, in between, there’s going to be some pain and suffering and they have to sit and watch that, but it’s for a good result at the end. Any loving parent would do the same thing. God does the same with us. He knows that to get us out here where we need to be, there’s going to have to be some pain and suffering in between. Because I am convinced that most of us only learn through pain. We only learn when the heat is on and the arm is back up against … you know, and God is saying, “Do you get it yet?” We only learn through suffering. God is a loving Father and takes care of us in that regard. He is full of compassion and mercy, but He leads us through trials in order to benefit us so that we will be where we need to be.
Let’s go to Galatians, Chapter 6. We’ve seen walking by faith; we’ve seen patience; we’ve seen perseverance and patience in the place of suffering. We’re going to read verses 7 through 9. This is something we need to take heed about. Mike talked about it in the sermonette,
Galatians 6:7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked (We can’t play games with God): for whatsoever a man (or woman) sows, that shall he (or she) also reap. (KJV)
We reap what we sow. God doesn’t give a pass to one person and then hold another person to the same scripture. Scripture has to be applied to everyone.
8) For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (KJV)
Once again, we see only the flesh. We see with our eyes and hear with our ears and we miss, many times, the spiritual components in our lives. We sometimes miss seeing what God is doing behind the scenes to bring it to pass the way that He wants. Verse 9 is another key for us today.
9) And let us not be weary in well doing …
Don’t neglect what we know we need to do. Love your brother as yourself. Keep the Sabbath. Keep the holy days. Don’t covet. Don’t steal. Don’t worship false things. We know all of that. We can’t be weary in well doing. When we get discouraged, Satan wants us to get discouraged, get tired and we don’t serve. We get our mind on ourselves about how tired we are or how discouraged we are or how miserable we are and we don’t get our minds off of ourselves and onto others.
When you read the Sabbath Update List, we think we have problems? Read that list. Then consider what we’ve been going through today, and those people have no problems, compared to someone who’s being sawn in half. We’ve got no problems.
9b) for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (KJV)
If we don’t give up or get discouraged or blow it all away. Let’s go to Matthew, Chapter 10 and see another characteristic we need to avoid the calamities of this day, but to more importantly, be in God’s Kingdom. This is a prophecy. It has happened before and undoubtedly it will happen again.
Matthew 10:21. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against [their] parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Conditions have to be pretty bad for that to happen, but it’s happened before and it will happen again.
22) And you shall be hated of all for my name’s sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved. (KJV)
Endurance, a necessary characteristic. So, in putting these scriptures together, we see that …
Faith is necessary
Patience is necessary
Perseverance is necessary
Endurance is necessary
Peter tells us (we won’t turn there) I Peter 4:17, it says, Judgment is now upon the house of God.
This is our time. We don’t get another time. God is watching us to see; are we going to get discouraged? Are we going to let down? Are we going to give up just because things don’t go our way, or God doesn’t meet our expectations so we’re going to get into a “funk” about it? Well, when you look at what happened in the New Testament Church, we don’t have anything to complain about. There were ups and downs then and there are ups and downs now. So far we haven’t had to endure anything like what they had to endure. Maybe we will, but if we use faith, patience, perseverance and endurance we will be there. We will make it.
Now, let’s wrap things up. In the infancy of the New Testament Church, we found in Acts that Satan wanted to divide the Church. He wanted to focus on the Jews and Gentiles, to divide them and get them at each other’s throat, and almost succeeded a couple of times. Then there were disagreements between Paul and Barnabas, again, getting people at each other and causing division and upset. Satan was behind the fact that all the people in Asia left Paul. It must have been very discouraging for Paul, given the hours he had put in for these people, helping and serving them and then they all just left. Satan was behind that. There was the martyrdom of every disciple and apostle except John. These were horrible deaths. Many people must have thought, “How can this be? How can God allow this to happen? How can this be God’s Church?” Satan wanted to discourage the brethren in every way possible and yet those who will have a crown put on their heads did not allow that discouragement to take hold and to ruin their lives and to take them out of the Church.
Satan also wants us to rely on our physical senses. He wants us to focus on what we see and hear and get our minds on the physical and not on the spiritual. He wants us to focus on disagreements, even petty little disagreements and turn mole hills into mountains and just blow them to all extremes and get people at each other’s throats. That’s what Satan wants to do. He wants people to focus instead on the spiritual, on the alleged sins of other people. They get their mind off their own problems and sins and focus on the perceived sins of someone else. Matthew 7 … Get the beam or plank out of your own eye, the rafter as it is in the Greek. Get the rafter out of your own eye and then you can see clearly to get this piece of dust out of your brother’s eye. People focus on what they perceive as the rafter in their brother’s eye and ignore their own. Satan wants us to do that.
Satan wants us to not focus on preparing ourselves to be the bride of Christ, to clean up ourselves. What he wants us to do is, “Well, this person needs cleaning up over here and this person needs to be cleaned up over there,” and not look at ourselves to make sure we are cleaning ourselves to be the bride of Christ.
Now, the fact is, all of us have been blessed with the gift of God’s Spirit. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have God’s Spirit. We have been blessed with the gift of faith. Faith is a gift. We have that blessing. We do not have to rely on our physical senses. We have a Spirit in us that no one else has on this earth, that links us to God and allows us to think spiritually, to perceive spiritually and have spiritual insight that no one else has. We need to use that and not rely on our physical senses.
We have angelic help, angelic protection. We are going to be amazed when those eyes are open and see all the protection we have had for all these years. We don’t appreciate it now and we don’t see it now, but it’s real and it’s there.
Having been blessed with God’s spirit, we have another mission and that’s to help each other walk down the path to the Kingdom of God. When somebody slips, everybody gathers around and picks the other person up and helps them, carries them if they have to, in order to walk down the path toward the Kingdom of God. We have each other to serve one another.
We need to continue to rely on faith in God and His Holy Spirit. We can’t look on things on the surface. We can’t look on the physical. We can be encouraged that God is on His throne. God is on His throne; He is there. He has a plan and a purpose for every one of us. Christ is at His right hand as our Advocate; that means He speaks on behalf of us, having been a physical human being. Christ is our High Priest.
Let’s be encouraged by these facts and let’s endure and press on until we, too, are born into the Kingdom of God.
Patience
Endurance
Perseverance
Having the mind and the vision of God to see things as Christ and God do
Let’s close with a couple of scriptures. Let’s go to Philippians 4 and we’re going to read verses 11 through 13. We have to remember these scriptures. Here Paul is talking. We read about everything that he went through, the beatings, the ship wrecks, the cold, the nakedness and the pain.
Philippians 4:11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content.
12) I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
This is what we have to remember:
13) I can do all things through Christ which strengths me.
It is not our strength. It’s Christ’s strength. We have to call on that strength.
Let’s turn to Romans, Chapter 8 and we’ll read verses 16 through 18. We have seen a parallel with the early New Testament Church and we have seen that they had ups and downs. They had joy and discouragement. They had zeal and they had depression. The same thing is happening to us today. There is a pattern there, but in comparison, we have it pretty good and we need to be thankful for that.
Romans 8:16. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (KJV)
We are God’s little kids and He is our loving Father, and no loving father is going to torture a child. No loving father is going to do anything but to take steps to benefit the child and God is that way with us.
17) and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with [Him], (We have and we will. We are.) that we may be also glorified together. (KJV)
18) For I reckon (I understand, I know) that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
You look at Paul’s sufferings and he says, “All I’ve been through is nothing compared to the glory.” We haven’t even come close to suffering like Paul, so we can say, “Look at the glory. We haven’t had to suffer as much as he had.” Maybe we will or maybe we won’t, but look at the glory and focus on the glory.
Then when Christ says, “Lo, I am with you always,” you can take that to the bank. You can count on that no matter what the trial, no matter what the persecution, no matter what the trouble that people are going through now or that lies ahead.
So I hope in this sermon we all have gained a different perspective about the New Testament Church and about us, what they went through and what we are going through; the ups and downs, the excitement, enthusiasm and zeal and then the depression and sometimes even in their case, the fear and despondency about seeing people die and suffer. We are going through many of the same things. I hope we have a new perspective on that and see that this is part of the process. It is part of the process of being a Christian. It’s part of the process of making ourselves over with the power of God’s Spirit to be the bride of Christ.
So let’s look forward to the culmination of this day and let’s determine that we are going to be there.
Transcribed by RV
11/29/12