Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey, podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress.

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Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's word with every day on this Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

First of all, persecution is inevitable. Expect it whenever you have an unstoppable force, the Church of Jesus Christ, headed toward an immovable object, the world value system, you're going to have a fiery collision. Don't be surprised at it.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. To many Christians, persecution is something that happens in a far-off place like Asia or the Middle East. But in reality, persecution is already taking place in America.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares why our country's hostility toward Christians will only continue to rise.

Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message. Dr. Jeffress, thanks, David.

Speaker 2

And welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Not too long ago, I had the privilege of bringing a keynote address to the annual convention of national religious Broadcasters. The event, held in Nashville, Tennessee, is a gathering of prominent Christian communicators. Many of the attendees and members you would readily recognize, and some were heard on your radio station.

In light of this unique opportunity, I chose to bring a wake-up call to my colleagues in Christian broadcasting. America's future is at risk. And even more critically, the church's freedom to speak the truth is at risk. So what you'll hear today is my attempt to put my colleagues on notice that persecution is coming to America. Lest you think it's all doom and gloom, I can assure you that every Christian believer can have confidence that God is on our side. We know the end of the story, right? In the end, he wins. But in the meantime, each one of us plays a significant role in his story of redemption.

Along those lines, I've written an inspirational book for you and your family that's called Shine the Light. It's my gift to you when you give a generous gift toward the salt and light matching challenge in the amount of $1 million. This positions Pathway to Victory to receive a whopping $2 million in order to shine the bright light of Jesus into the darkest corners of our world.

And remember, when you give a generous gift of the Matching Challenge, I'll be pleased to send you my brand new book, Shine the Light, with my thanks. I'll say more about my book and the Matching Challenge later on. But right now, let's give our full attention to the study of God's word. I've titled today's special message: Persecution Comes.

Speaker 3

Ladies and gentlemen, the overt persecution we're seeing against Christians in other parts of the world is coming to America. And no Christian church, no Christian broadcaster, no individual believer is going to be immune from those consequences. And that's why tonight we're going to turn to the very first instance of Christian persecution found in the Bible and discover four important principles about how we can be ready when persecution comes. If you have your Bibles, turn to Acts, chapter four.

Now listen to Acts four, beginning with verse one. And they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard. And the Sadducees came up to them and being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. The Jewish authorities, the temple guard, they were upset because this Christianity stuff was spreading like wildfire throughout Jerusalem. So they were disturbed to hear this message from Peter about Jesus being raised from the dead. And so they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the message believed the number of the men came to be about 5,000. Imagine, 5,000 more converts.

Well, these leaders thought a night in jail would maybe cool the enthusiasm of Peter and John, but it didn't work out that way. Notice what happens in verse five. Not only were they arrested because of the name of Jesus, now they were going to be tried because of the name of Jesus. On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem. And Annas, the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander.

Verse 7: When they had placed Peter and John in the center, they began to inquire, by what power or in what name have you done this? And Peter, filled, controlled by the Holy Spirit, spoke and he said, rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for the benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, do you really want to put us on trial for healing somebody who was lame? If you want to do that, go right ahead. But know this. Let it be known to all people that if you want to know the name that we did this in, it was the name of Jesus Christ. And if you don't remember who he is, he was that guy you murdered two months ago. And if that doesn't ring a bell to you, Sadducees, he's the one whom God raised from the dead just as he said he would; by this name, this man stands here before you in good health.

Did they stop there? No. Peter went on and he said in verse 12, for there is salvation in no one else. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Now I would be guilty of pastoral negligence if I didn't stop here and say something about that verse. That verse is what we call a key passage in the Bible about the exclusivity of Jesus Christ for salvation. Did you know a recent poll showed that 60% of self-identified evangelical Christians believe there's more than one way to heaven other than faith in Jesus Christ? 60%. And yet Peter says no. There is salvation in no one else. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. That was what Peter was saying here.

Well, look at it in verse 13. How did they respond to that bold statement? Now, as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. They were amazed at their confidence. Well, they had a problem on their hands. The Jewish leaders. I mean, there was a big problem. On one hand, they had this man who everybody knew had been healed after being sick for 40 years. On the other hand, they had this growing movement. What could they do?

Well, notice what happened next. The followers of Christ were threatened because of the name of Jesus. Look at verse 18. When they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Just don't use the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, whether it be right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge. In other words, if you want to have a theological debate about civil disobedience and whether we ought to obey you or God, you can carry on that little discussion by yourself. But know this. We cannot, we will not stop speaking about what we had seen and heard.

They weren't in any mood for a compromise now. They could have rationalized compromising. They could have used the excuse that many people use today for not preaching or teaching in the name of Jesus. They could have said, well, we don't want to offend people of another faith, so we won't use the name Jesus. That's too offensive. We'll just talk about God. Can I tell you something? You can talk to most people about God. You can broadcast about God and tell sweet little stories about God all you want to, and you won't get any complaint because most people think God is the accumulation of all their thoughts and imaginations about him. They talk about the God of your understanding. In other words, God is whoever you want him to be. Nobody really gets offended by God.

But you talk about the name of Jesus. That's when the fireworks begin. You know what? These apostles, they could have rationalized. They could have said, we don't want to offend. Or they could have said, well, we're not doing any good for the gospel if we're locked up in jail or if we're beheaded. Maybe we shouldn't lose our position of influence over this. We will compromise. They weren't going to have anything to do with the compromise. They weren't going to back down, and neither can we.

So what happened when the apostles refused to back down? Look at what happened in verses 23 and 24. When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief elders had said to them. And when the church heard this, they lifted up their arms to God with one accord and they prayed a beautiful prayer. And then they said, and now, Lord, take note of their threats and grant that your bond servants may speak your word with all confidence. The church prayed, let us have the same confidence that Peter and John had. And when they had prayed, the places where they had gathered together were shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they began to speak the word of God with confidence.

Remember, folks, people are watching you. They're watching you to see if you have the courage to stand for the faith. And when you stand, it encourages others as well. Pastor, what does this have to do with persecution? I want you to write down four statements as we close tonight, and I want you to remember this forever.

First of all, persecution is inevitable. Expect it whenever you have an unstoppable force. The church of Jesus Christ headed toward an immovable object, the world value system. When you have that unstoppable force heading for the immovable object, you're going to have a fiery collision. Don't be surprised at it. The Bible says that this world is under Satan's control temporarily. The Bible says friendship with the world is hostility toward God. They are two opposing value systems in a battle in our country and in our world right now. And Satan has his grip on this world. Anytime he and his demonic forces feel threatened in the least by a church, an organization, a broadcaster that might loosen their grip on this planet, they are going to react and react violently.

That's why Jesus said bluntly in John 16:33, he said, in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. Now that's the victory. Here's the bad news. Before he overcame the world, Jesus was crucified by the world. And don't be surprised when the same thing happens to you. Don't be surprised when an employer fires you or demotes you because of your faith. Don't be surprised when a school penalizes you. Don't be surprised when the government finds you or even takes away your broadcast license because of your stand for truth. We are in a war. That's why Peter said in 1st Peter 4, Beloved, don't be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening. It's part and parcel of living in this world. Persecution is inevitable. Expect it.

Secondly, and this is key, persecution is incremental. Understand it, it's incremental. Notice how they persecuted the church. This was the first instance that we looked at tonight of persecution. And it was just a verbal admonishment. But that verbal admonishment was followed by light scourging and then heavy beating and then long-term imprisonment and finally beheadings. It moved incrementally in the persecution of the first-century church. And that's always been the pattern. You know, you look at Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 40s, the German people would have never stood for the Nazis putting Jews in the crematorium at the beginning. They never would have stood for that. And so the Nazis had a very savvy way of accomplishing their goals. They first of all marginalized the Jewish people. They're not like we are. They are inferior from us. They don't have the same rights as we do. And only after they had marginalized and isolated the Jews were they able to implement the final solution that resulted in 6 million Jews being murdered.

Are Christians in America being executed today? No, not yet anyway. But don't be mistaken. Churches and broadcasters who stand for biblical truth are being marginalized. Churches and broadcasters who insist that God is the one who makes us male or female, people who insist that marriage is between one man and one woman, or who insist that abortion is nothing but cold-blooded murder, or who insist that there is only one way to God and it is through faith in Jesus Christ. They are being marginalized and the persecution is coming. In fact, we're already seeing the hints of it that are coming from our government.

Right now in Texas, I have a friend. Her name is Bunny Pounds. She's the leader of an organization called Christians Engaged. The purpose of Christians Engaged is to educate Christians to vote their biblical values. They don't endorse specific candidates. They don't oppose specific candidates. They only encourage people to vote their biblical values. They applied for tax-exempt status to the IRS under the 501C3. They qualified, but the IRS denied their tax-exempt status even though they didn't endorse or oppose candidates. Their reasoning? I have a copy of the letter from the IRS. I've read it in its entirety. I want you to listen to this very carefully to what the Internal Revenue Service said. This is their indictment against Christians Engaged.

Quote, you educate believers on national issues that are central to their belief in the Bible as the inerrant word of God. Specifically, you educate Christians on what the Bible says in areas where they can be instrumental, including the areas of sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, biblical justice, freedom of speech, defense, and Israeli relations. The Bible teachings are typically affirmed with the Republican Party and candidates. This disqualifies you from exemption under IRC 301C3.

Now, do you hear what the IRS is saying? You cannot do what you want to do because the values you preach that are according to the inerrant word of God, those values just happen to align with what Republicans believe. That therefore what you think of as biblical teaching is really political speech. And we're not going to allow you to do it. Now, fortunately, they pushed back. Bunny and her group pushed back hard. And the IRS kind of reversed themselves and granted the tax-exempt status. But this tells you where the government's going. This was a test case.

Now let me tell you what's going to happen next. The IRS is going to take that same idea. If we can't shut down people's religious speech, we'll just term their religious speech political speech. If you speak out against homosexuality, transgenderism, same-sex marriage, abortion, that's political speech. And we're not going to allow you to do it. And we're going to start taxing all of your property. We're not going to allow contributions. And that's just the first thing we're going to do. They're going to take the same standard and try it out on churches to see if they can succeed.

Will you trust me when I tell you I know what I'm talking about? It's happening even as we speak. And when any government agency tries to control anything that is said in a pulpit of the Church of Jesus Christ, we need to say, not on your life. You have no business interfering with the Church of God, and it's time for the church to push back. You know, let me just remind you, people say, oh, well, you shouldn't get involved in legal fights with the government. The Apostle Paul spent two years caught up in the Roman legal system, fighting for his rights as a Roman citizen so that he could preach the gospel with freedom. And our forefathers gave their life's blood for the free exercise of religion. And we need to hang on to that value and pay any price to keep it.

Persecution is inevitable, expect it. It's incremental, understand it. Third, persecution is painful. Endure it. You know, most Christians know that persecution is coming, but they don't think it's supposed to hurt. And yet, remember, Jesus had no heavenly anesthetic when he was on the cross. The cross hurt. It was painful. But here's the good news. Some of you are paying a price right now for standing for your faith. It's painful, but that pain is temporary. In 2nd Corinthians 4:17, Paul said, for momentary light afflictions is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. Paul said, the affliction you feel is real, but it's momentary. It's light. I always think that's funny when you think about Paul. He was beaten three different times within an inch of his life. But he said, the affliction I've suffered is light compared to the weight of what God has prepared for me. It's temporary. It's only a nanosecond compared to eternity.

Persecution is painful. Endure it, and finally, persecution is profitable. Praise God for it. James said, consider it all joy, brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Now, James isn't saying we ought to go out looking to be persecuted. We shouldn't be sadomasochists who enjoy receiving pain. He doesn't expect us to be happy, giddy when we're going through intense times of persecution. But there's a difference between happiness and joy. He didn't say, be happy. Happiness depends on happenings. It's a superficial emotion tied to our circumstances. But joy. Joy is that deep inward assurance that no matter what we're going through, God is working out his purpose for us and for his kingdom.

You know, I thought of a story that author Joan Chittister tells about. Centuries ago there was an invading army that was cutting a path of destruction. And when they would go into a village, they would aim their wrath at the Christians. And so the Christians would usually be the first to flee. When the army was approaching and the commander of that force went into a village, the leader of the village came and surrendered immediately. And immediately the commander wanted to know about the Christians. And the leader said, all the Christians have fled except one monk. The commander was infuriated and demanded to know where the monk was. And so the leader took him to the monastery. The commander kicked down the front door, went searching for the monk, and when he found him, he bellowed out to him, do you know who I am? I am the one who can run you through with a sword without batting an eyelash. The monk looked up peacefully and said, and do you know who I am? I'm the one who can allow you to run me through with a sword without batting an eyelash.

That was the courage of the early church. The Bible says they went on their way from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name. And every day in the temple, from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching that Jesus was the Christ. May God give us that same courage when persecution comes.

Speaker 2

We do a disservice to our church members and all those who claim Jesus as Lord to present anything other than the truth. The Bible has made it very clear.

Speaker 3

Clear.

Speaker 2

And the current state of our nation bears evidence that persecution is coming, and Christian believers need to be prepared. This cautionary message is a wake-up call for anyone who loves our country.

Along those lines, Pathway to Victory is excited to participate in a generous matching challenge in the amount of $1 million. We decided to call this endeavor the Salt and Light Matching Challenge because we're asking God to help us reach the goal so that we can unleash a combined $2 million in resources to shine the bright light of the gospel into the darkest recesses of our world.

When you give a generous gift today, it will be multiplied by two because of the matching challenge. In essence, your gift will shine two times brighter as we send this daily program all across major cities in our country and around the world.

The result of your gift? Well, first it will keep you and your family deeply rooted in God's word so that nothing that's happening in our culture will shake you. And second, your gift will introduce the bright light of Jesus Christ to those who are lost and hurting.

To thank you for your gift today to the Salt and Light Matching Challenge, I'm going to send you my brand new inspirational book called Shine the Light. And here's my promise: as you stand with Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift to the Matching Challenge, we will continue shining the bright light of the Gospel by providing clear and compelling Bible teaching for you and your family.

Thanks in advance for your partnership in this way.

David thanks Dr. Jeffress.

Speaker 1

Today, when you invest in the ministry of Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift, we'll say thanks by sending you the brand new book by Dr. Jeffress called *Shine the Light*. Just call 866-999-2965 or visit our website at ptv.org, and when your gift is $100 or more, you'll receive not only the book and the DVD but also the complete collection of audio and video discs for the *Shine the Light* Teaching series.

Now don't forget, because of the Salt and Light Matching Challenge, your gift will be matched and therefore double in impact one more time. Call 866-999-2965 or find us online at ptv.org. You could write to us if you'd like. Here's that address: P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Join us again Thursday for a message called *Determined to Influence Your Culture*. That's right here on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible.

And right now, your ministry gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact thanks to the Salt and Light Matching Challenge. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact before the deadline on July 6th. To give toward the matching challenge, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.