Okay, now we're continuing where
we left off last week. Luke chapter 21. And last time we got down to
verse 9. And today I want to take a look
at verse 10 down through verse 19. Verse 10 down through verse
19. I'm taking the title for the
message from a very, very powerful statement that the Lord makes
in verse 17. You see verse 17, and you shall be hated. It doesn't say might or could
be. You shall be hated of all, and
the word men there is added. You shall be hated of all. You
shall be hated of all. For one reason, for my name,
for my namesake, for the gospel. of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
I'm taking the title from that verse 17, Hated for Believing
the Gospel. Sounds like a strange title,
does it not? Hated for Believing the Gospel. It is not pleasant to be the
object of someone who hates you. Have you ever experienced that?
It's a terrible thing to be hated by someone. And yet we find the
Lord telling us and warning us and telling these apostles and
disciples, you're gonna be hated. You're gonna be hated for one
reason, because of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
what would cause men to have hatred to those who preach the
gospel and believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? What
would What would bring out this hatred? What would cause someone
to just hate you? Well, the problem is the real
fact of our sinful and totally depraved nature. Men by nature
love darkness. And what's the rest of that?
And they hate the light. Now, that light is Christ. All men by nature, now listen
to me, don't tune me out. All men by nature hate the true
and living God. This is true of you, and it's
true of me. by nature, left to themselves.
That's our estimation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we'll
see this as we get into the message here. But we know from Romans
8, verse 7, you remember that verse? The carnal mind is enmity. It doesn't say it's at enmity,
it says it is enmity. What does that word enmity mean?
Well, you can look it up. But it means deep-seated, rooted
hatred. The carnal mind is enmity against
God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Who were the people who hated
the Lord Jesus Christ? It wasn't the harlots And the
sinners, the people who hated the Lord Jesus Christ, were the
most self-righteous Pharisees. Now, men don't hate the God of
their imagination. the God that they've whittled
out in their mind, the idol they've whittled out in their mind. They
don't hate the God of their imagination. But when confronted with the
sovereign Christ of God that rules and reigns over all, sinners,
being left to themselves, hate the Christ of God. Preacher, you're exaggerating.
No, I'm not. No, I'm not. I'll give you a
good example of that. when the Lord Jesus Christ was
brought forth by Pilate that day, and Pilate presented the
Lord Jesus Christ to that religious crowd. Remember, they conspired
to put him to death. And when their plan was being
plotted out and taking place, and Pilate brought him forth
and said, Behold your king! What did they say? away with
him, crucify him. We have no king but Caesar."
When they were confronted with the claims of Christ as the king,
what did they say? What was their first response?
We won't have this man to reign over us. We don't want anything
to do with him. Now many times we read in scripture
the religious Pharisees picked up stones to kill the Lord Jesus
Christ when they were confronted with one issue. Now when he fed
the thousands and when he healed the multitude, man, they were
following him for the loaves and fishes. They had no problem
with him healing people and feeding people. They had no problem with
that. They didn't pick up stones and
stone him Upon those occasions, let me show you in scripture.
I want you to use your Bible today. Turn to the book of John chapter 8. First of all, John
chapter 8. When they were confronted with
his person and the claims of the sovereign Christ, what was
their response? Left to themselves. John 8, 56. Our Lord said, your father, your
father Abraham, rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad. And the Jews said to him, thou
art not yet 50 years old. He's 33 years old. How is it
that Abraham has seen you? Now Abraham had been dead thousands
of years. And the Lord said unto them,
verse 58, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was,
I am. As soon as he declared his deity,
his sovereignty, notice what happened. Then, then, took they up stone to cast at
him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going
through the midst of them, and so passed by." You see, they
weren't upset when he fed the thousand, but when he declared
his deity, his sovereignty, what was their response? Pick up rocks. That's pretty cruel, isn't it?
To pick up rocks and dash out his brains? Why'd they do that? Turn to John chapter 10. John
chapter 10. The Lord says here, my sheep
hear my voice, I know them, they follow me, I've given them eternal
life. That's verse 27. I give unto them eternal life,
they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. Verse 29, my father which gave
them me is greater than all. And no man can pluck them out
of my father's hand. I and my father are one. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. He declared his sovereignty,
that he gives eternal life to whom he will. Then the Jews took
up stone to stone him. And the Lord said, many good
works have I showed you from my father, from which of these
do you stone me? I have no problem or issue with
soup kitchens and bread. The Jews answered him, saying,
for good work we don't stone you, but for blasphemy, because
thy Thou being a man, you make yourself God." No, he just declared
himself to be God. And they took up rocks to stone
him. Now back in the book of Luke,
go back to Luke chapter 4, remember when he declared his sovereignty
in salvation, where he talks about this is in his hometown
synagogue, Luke chapter 4 in Nazareth. when he read from Isaiah
and said, this day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. And then
he says down in verse 25, 26, 27, he gave examples of God's
sovereign mercy, how Elijah went to a Gentile woman, how Elisha
healed a Gentile leper, He's showing here that he's sovereign
in salvation, verse 28, Luke 4. And all they, all they in
the synagogue, this is the assembly of the Jews, when they heard
these things were filled with wrath. Now rose up, thrust him
out of the city, led him to the brow of the hill, the cliff to
the hill, the edge of the hill whereon the city was built, that
they might cast him down on the rocks below." Now, don't tell
me that men love God. Now they loved the God of their
imagination, but when confronted with the sovereign claims of
God, the first response left to ourselves, I don't like that. I don't like that. It's hatred. Hatred against God. Now, as we
come to read in our study here in Luke 21, we find this is the
Lord's last public sermon in or around the temple area before
he is crucified and dies for our sin, the sin of God's elect,
according to the Scriptures. If you look at Matthew 24 and
25, you have the full account of that sermon given there that
we read a portion of here in Luke 21. We're going to see in
the following weeks in Luke chapter 22 We see the Lord observing the
Passover with his disciples in Luke 22. In Luke 23, we see the
Lord betrayed by Judas and arrested and brought before Pilate, then
crucified before two thieves, crucified for our sins. Now,
this is the last public declaration the Lord gives to his disciples
and his apostles, what would he teach us? What would he tell
us before he goes, observes the Passover, and is sacrificed as
our Passover, and died for our sin? What would he tell us? What
would he have us to know? Well, the first thing he mentions
there, we had last week, verse 8, that you be not deceived,
for many shall come in my name, saying, I have salvation." I
am the Christ, false Christ, false prophets. And when the
time draws near, don't you go after them. In Matthew 24, we
read these words, the Lord said, there shall arise false Christ,
false prophets, and shall show you great signs and wonders,
inasmuch that if it were possible, if it were possible, it's not,
but if it were possible, they deceived the very elect of God. Now, how very important and relevant
that is for us today not to be deceived. I want us to firmly
believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and rest upon that
foundation Rest in Christ with confidence, joy, and hope, knowing
our salvation is complete in Christ. He is that sure foundation
that God has laid, of which there is no other foundation, no other
name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.
In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in
Christ we are complete. Our salvation is complete. Our redemption is complete. Our
righteousness is complete. Our justification is complete. All was accomplished by the Lord
Jesus Christ for us. Don't be deceived. Don't be deceived. Salvation is not by what you
do or do not do. Salvation is based upon what
He has done for us. There's a big difference between
do and done. Our salvation is done. Done. He said it's finished. Rest in
Him. Don't be deceived. Don't go around
about to establish your own righteousness. Now, in these following verses, To the end of the chapter, the
Lord tells us of coming trouble that will follow His church until
He returns, until He comes back in great power and glory. Look
down at verse 27. And then shall they see the Son
of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when
these things begin to come to pass, then look up Lift up your
heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." He's talking about the
second coming of the Lord, His second advent, when He will come
back to receive us unto Himself. But this chapter, as I told you
last week, also warns these people in their day, in Jerusalem at
that day, the coming doom and destruction upon the temple and
Jerusalem by the Roman army that did has already taken place in
70 AD, many thousands of years ago. Notice in verse 24 and verse
32. Luke 21 verse 24, they shall
fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive
into all nations. Jerusalem shall be trodden down
of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Verse 22, ìFor these be the days
of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.î
Look at verse 32, Luke 21, 32, ìFor I say unto you, this generation
shall not pass away till all be fulfilled.î That has already
been fulfilled for these people and that day. The temple was
destroyed. The city was leveled and destroyed,
and many of them were taken away. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ has
perfect knowledge of all things. Now, how does he have perfect
knowledge of all things? Because He's decreed all things
that come to pass. The Lord decreed this destruction
of the Temple and of Jerusalem. He decreed these things, and
the Lord tells us of trouble, trials, and tribulation, and
great persecution that were coming upon His church in the coming
year because, well, you know, it just happened. No. The Lord
decreed these things to come to pass. That's right. Of him and through him and to
him are all things known unto God are all his works from the
beginning. Now we see Many of those things
that are written here already being fulfilled and have been
fulfilled in the book of Acts when the apostles and the early
church were greatly persecuted for the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, if you'll hold your place
there and turn to the book of Acts, the book of Acts chapter
5, Remember the Lord said, they
will persecute you, they will hate you, and here we see not
many years after that, that it did come to pass in Acts chapter
5, notice verse 40, and to him they agreed, and when they had
called the apostles, the apostles, now I take that to mean all of
them, 12, and beaten them, they commanded them that they should
not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. And they departed
from the council, from the presence of the council, rejoicing that
they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily
in the temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and
preach the Lord Jesus Christ." If you turn to another place
here, over in chapter 9, chapter 9, Acts chapter 9, verse 13,
Acts 9, 13, then Ananias answered, This is the Lord telling Ananias
to go visit Saul of Tarsus. He said, I've heard by many of
this man how much evil he hath done to the saints at Jerusalem,
and here he hath authority from the chief priest to bind all
that call upon thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go
thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before
the Gentiles to preach the gospel. Kings and the children of Israel
for I will show him how great things he must suffer For my
name's sake they shall be hated of all men for my name's sake
now if you turn to another place in the book of Acts Trying to
lay the groundwork here what the Lord said of the persecution
heartaches that would come on them It did come didn't in Acts
chapter 14 acts 14. I Verse 19, and there came thither
certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium who persuaded the people,
having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing that
he'd been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood
around about him, he arose up, came into the city the next day,
and he departed with Barnabas to Derbe, Acts 14, verse 21. And when they had preached the
gospel to that city and taught many, They returned again to
Lystra. Now this is just a city where
they stoned him. And he went right back to this
city, and to Iconium and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples,
exhorting them to continue in the faith, that we, through much
tribulation, must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God. Now just as the Lord said it
would happen, persecution, It happened, did it not? Now, turn back to Luke 21. Luke 21. There is a common trouble that
comes upon all men because of sin entering into this world.
There is a common trouble that all of us have because of sin.
Where there is sin, there is sorrow. Haven't you experienced
that in your life? Sorrow. Sorrow. Well, it goes
all the way back to what the Lord said in Genesis 3 to Adam. Because thou hast hearkened to
the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I
have commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it. Cursed
is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it
all the days of your life. In what? Sorrow. Thorn and thistle
shall it bring forth, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face thou
shalt eat bread, till thou return unto the ground, for out of it
you were taken. Dust thou art, and to dust you will return. Sorrow all the days of your life."
That's the common lot of all men everywhere. We read in Job
Man that's born of woman, Job 14, 1 and 2. Man that's born
of woman is few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth like
a flower and is cut down. He also fleeth also with a shadow
and continuous nought. Now we all know about this common
trouble, don't we? Common to all men. We have trouble,
heartache, sorrow. You know why? S-I-N-G. We didn't
have sin, we're gonna have sorrow. That's just fact, the way it
is. Secondly, there is also that
specific trouble believers must endure because of the gospel. Now, this is not common to all
men. This is common to believers.
There is that specific trouble believers must endure because
of the gospel that is only common to them. Now, here's two scriptures.
Well, three scriptures. Philippians 1.29, let me just
read it to you. For unto you is given on the
behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer
for his name, for his namesake. Now, 2 Timothy 3.12, we read
just a moment ago. Yea, all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Now he's not talking
about having a moral life. No one is going to persecute
you for being a moral person. He's not talking about morality.
He's talking about taking a firm stand, living godly, taking a
firm stand for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They shall
suffer persecution. Peter called the trials, the
trials of faith, he called those precious trials. Now these are
the trials of faith, not common trials now. These are the trials
of faith that God brings into our life, being persecuted for
the gospel. And He calls them precious trials.
Precious trials. And then James says that knowing
the trials of your faith worketh patience. Now, here's the third
thing I want us to notice. Notice carefully. In verse 13,
14, and 15, in times of great trouble and persecution for the
gospel are times of great opportunity to declare the gospel. We see
that many times and read about it in the book of Acts. Notice
what it says there in verse 12. But before all these things,
they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering
you up to the synagogue and into prison, being brought before
kings and rulers for my name's sake, verse 13, and it shall turn to
you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts
not to meditate before what you shall answer. I will give you
mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able
to gainsay, deny, nor resist. Now, remember when Peter and
John were arrested because they'd healed that man in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ. It gave them opportunity and
an open door to declare the gospel. Times of persecution are times
that God gives unto us that we might be a witness for the gospel. Turn to Acts chapter 4. Let me
show you what I'm talking about. Acts chapter 4. When they were
brought before this council, they said, if you want to know
by what means this man is made whole, Acts 4 verse 10, Be it
known unto you and all the people of Israel that by the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you
whole, This is a stone which was set at nought of you builders,
which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation
in any other, for there is no other name under heaven, given
among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the
boldness of Peter and John, and they perceived they were ignorant
and unlearned ignorant men. They marveled, and they took
knowledge of them, that they had been with the Lord Jesus
Christ. And beholding the man who was
in the midst of them, who was healed, they could not say a
word." Do you remember what the Lord said over here? I'll give
you mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be
able to deny nor refute." Just as the Lord said that it would
come to pass, it did come to pass. Great times of trouble and persecution
for the gospel are great opportunities for us to declare the gospel
unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look back at Luke 21. Verse 16, 17, and 18, I'll wind
this up. You shall be betrayed both by
parents and brethren and kinfolks and friends, and some of you
shall they cause to be put to death. Kinfolks, brethren, friends,
cause you to be put to death. And you shall be hated of all
men for my name's sake, but there shall not a hair of your head
perish. In your patience you possess your soul. hated for
the gospel. The last words of our Lord to
his apostles and his disciples in that day, in that temple area,
was about this persecution and hatred over the gospel. Now,
you remember what he said over here? Turn to John 15. John 15. You remember what he said about
this hatred? John 15. John 15, verse 19. Let's begin at verse 18. He said,
if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated
you. If you are of the world, John 15, 19. The world would love his own,
but because you're not of this world, I've chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word
that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord.
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept
my saying, they'll keep yours. But all these things will they
do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that
sent me. If I had not come and spoken
unto them, they had not sinned. But now they have no covering
for their sin. He that hateth me, hateth my
Father also. Now look at John 16.1. These things have I spoken unto
you, that you should not be offended. They shall put you out of the
synagogue, In the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will
think that he doeth God service. These things will they do unto
you, because they have not known the Father nor me." Now across
the page, John 16, verse 32. The Lord said, Do you now believe
me? John 16, 32. Behold, the hour
cometh, yea, now is, that you shall be scattered, every man
to his own And you shall leave me alone, yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me. You shall be scattered, scattered
because of persecution. These things I have spoken unto
you, that in me you might have peace, in the world you shall
have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have
overcome this world. You see, the enmity in the heart
of the sinner is greater than the love of parents, brothers,
and friends. Why did Judas betray the Lord? Because he loved himself and
hated God. I'll remind you a few examples
of that. How the enmity in the heart of
the sinner is greater than love of parents, brothers, and friends.
You remember who committed the first murder that's recorded
in the Word of God? There was two boys, Cain and
Abel, brothers. Abel worshipped God around the
blood sacrifice. Cain bought the labor and work
of his hand. God had respected that offering,
that blood offering, typical of salvation in Christ through
a substitute, and God rejected that offering of works. Cain
got angry. Who was he angry with? He was
angry with God. He was angry with God. If he
could have got God by the throat, he would have killed him too.
But he did reach out and kill his brother. Why? Over how God
saves sinners. Cain killed Abel. Why? Over how God saves sinners. Esau
despised Jacob. Why? Because God said, I love
Jacob and hated Esau. Ishmael despised Isaac. Why? because of God's sovereign love. When you take a firm, uncompromising
stand for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll soon find
out the hatred for God and His gospel is stronger than the ties
of flesh and blood. Boy, I've experienced this firsthand,
my own family, my own father, my own mother. hated the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and they hated me as well." Say that strong. My brothers and my sisters the
same way. You see, the offense of the cross
has not ceased. Now, if you compromise, you can
get along. But if you take a stand, you're
going to have persecution. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. Those born after the flesh will
always persecute those born after the Spirit. Now we, brethren,
Paul said, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But as then
he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born
after the Spirit, even so it is right now. If you find yourself trying to
get along with this religious God-hating world, you're in trouble. You're in trouble. The last thing I want us to consider
is this. You shall be hated, he says.
You shall be hated. of all men for my name's sake,
he shall be hated for his name's sake, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's Lord of all. He's Jesus
who saves his people from their sin, and he is the Christ, the
anointed of God. Men hate the Christ of God. But let me give you a comforting
word as we go to our homes In just a moment, verse 18 and 19,
there shall not a hair, there shall not a hair of your head
perish. In your patience you possess
your soul. Now, I don't want to end on a
negative note. I'd like to end on an encouraging
and comforting word that the Lord gives here as He does to
His people. Though we may be betrayed and
hated, even put to death over the gospel, the Lord said He'll
never leave us, He'll never forsake us, right? He said, Lo, I'm with
you always, even to the end of the world. He will never leave
us, He will never forsake us. There shall not a hair of your
head Now, in Matthew 10 verse 30,
the Lord said, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Now, what's he saying there?
He says he is so intimately acquainted with all that we are, he even
takes notice of the very hair connected to your head. We read
another place in Matthew 10, the Lord said, not even a sparrow
falls to the ground without the Father's will being done. The Lord cares for us, the Lord
watches over us, no harm can come upon us without the Lord
bringing it to pass for our eternal good. We know all things work
together for good to them who love God, to them who are called
according to His purpose. We're all familiar with that
scripture. But turn to 2 Corinthians 4, and look what it says here. You see, these persecutions don't
work against us, they work for us. Not even a hair of your head
is going to perish. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 15. For all things are for your sakes. You got it? 2 Corinthians 4.50,
that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many
redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not,
though the outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed
day by day. For I light affliction, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding an
eternal weight of glory." Well, we look not at things which are
seen, but at things which are not seen. For the things which
are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are
eternal. Not a hair of your head is going
to perish. He's going to make us a new body.
A resurrected body to enjoy His presence forever. Now, verse
19, Luke 21, 19. In your patience... What does
this mean? In your patience you possess
your soul. What does that mean? Well, I looked at that a long
time. In your patience you possess your soul. He's talking about
here, he's talking about being patient and long-suffering in
trial. He's talking here about persevering
in the trial. You see, saving faith when it's
tried, what does it do? It perseveres. It continues. That's how you know whether faith
is genuine or not. Faith that is not real and genuine,
when the trial comes, you stop, you quit. You see, when that
trial comes, the trial of faith, when it's true faith, you persevere. And in persevering, you are blessed
of God. In your perseverance, you possess
your soul. Listen to this scripture. You
shall be hated of all men for my namesake. Matthew 10, 22.
But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. He that
endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. By the Lord's
sovereign grace, we possess all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies
in Christ. By the Lord's sovereign grace,
we possess Peace, joy with God that passes understanding that
can be never taken away from us in your patience or in your
faith, persevering faith. You possess your soul. That's
what he's saying there. We joy in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. We are blessed and possess all
spiritual blessings in Christ and we stand complete in Him. He says this in closing, Isaiah
41.10, Fear not. I am with thee. Be not dismayed. I am thy God. I will not leave
thee. I will strengthen thee. I'll
help thee. I'll uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness. Now, fear not. Fear not, little
children. Fear not. I will be with thee
and I'll bless thee even in the time of trial and heartache. The Lord will bless us in those
times and give us grace for the trial.