PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS
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Jesus Christ told his disciples the truth about what they can and will experience in this broken and sinful world of ours. The Lord has promised his people many amazing blessings and gifts, but he has also made it plain that if we are faithful and obedient to his commands, we will experience opposition from those who love the darkness and hate the light.
The Lord hid nothing from his people. No one can say that Jesus overpromised and underdelivered. In our next installment of Jesus’ discourse on the coming of his future victory over evil and sin on this earth, we hear some very challenging and stark words about what the follower of Christ stands to experience as we approach the days of his return.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
(Matthew 24:9-14 NIV11)
Verse 9 – Opposition
From the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount to the giving of the Great Commission, Jesus made it clear that our work as his followers will be one that is met by opposition. In the days of Jesus’s earthly ministry, there were countless examples of those willing to reject Jesus in order to keep their power in this life.
In our day, this is still the case. The true follower of Jesus will follow in his footsteps and find themselves on the receiving end of the anger and animosity that all sinners have against the one who exposes the evil in their hearts. They lash out at the Christian because to do otherwise would be to listen to the message of the Gospel and submit to the Lordship of Jesus.
Verse 10 – Apostasy
From Judas Iscariot to the protester shouting obscenities inside church meetings today, we see people who do much more than simply stop believing in God; they stand in violent opposition to the Lord.
This too has been the sad and dismal story of the carnal and uncommitted Christian for over two thousand years. Too many see in the church an opportunity for personal advancement and carnal enrichment at the expense of the faithful.
Jesus warned that there would be wolves pretending to be sheep in the Body of Christ. If you hear a fellow sheep starting to growl in your local church, then know that this person is not working for the advancement of the Gospel; rather, they are looking for a meal.
Verse 11 – Idolatry
It would be impossible to count all the false Messiahs that have popped up throughout Christian history. It seems to be a common pastime for the enemy to raise up new men who will pretend to speak the hidden truths of God that the corrupted Christians have misunderstood.
From Marcion to Muhammad, we see so many people all over the world being pulled away from the truth of Jesus Christ by those who seem hell-bent on leading others away from the simple truth of the Gospel.
What we see today has been around for a long time and will continue on until the day when all of these liars join their true master in the lake of fire.
Verse 12 – Apathy
Could this be a description of our time in the Christian saga? Sure. But there have always been those amongst the rank and file of Christians who could not be bothered to have an opinion on what is right and what is wrong.
These rudderless, lukewarm Christians in name only fill millions of seats in churches all across the world. They are fans of Jesus and not followers. They have lost their first love and do not even seem to care. They will be spit out one day soon.
Verses 13-14 – Victory
At the end of this passage, we are reminded that God always wins.
People will seek the destruction of the disciple of Christ, and the fire of faith will break out and spread far and wide as a result. Liars and thieves will twist the truth of the scriptures to point to their own false divinity, but none of them will stand before the withering judgment of the Lord.
Yes, we will face opposition, apostasy, idolatry, and apathy within and without the church, but as Jesus Christ made plain in verses 13-14, “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, it looks bad out there today. People seem to hate you and your people today more than ever. But, I know that you used the suffering of the Christians in the colosseum to preach the Gospel of Jesus to Caeser and change history. I know that you used the boldness of Luther to confront falsehood in the church even though it came at a high price. I know that you have proven yourself to be faithful to your disciples and that you will continue to lead us and guide us into the kingdom you have prepared. Lord, this is not my true home, but while I am here, help me stand up to all opposition and never fall victim to the enemy’s traps. Thank you for the boldness of your word and the surety of your Spirit.
In Christ,
Ryan Laden
PASTOR RYAN LADEN
Senior Pastor at PARK HILL BAPTIST CHURCH
Worked at MTN. CHURCH
Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church
Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Studied at Baylor University
Studied at Texas Tech University
Went to Castle Hills First Baptist
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