Endure Faithfully

Take your Bibles if you would please and turn to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 3. We are moving like lightning through the Ephesian epistle, and I'm so glad you think that that is funny. Today's message title is going to be Enduring Faithfulness. I'm so encouraged by our women's Bible study groups, and they were studying a very similar concept today as they're working their way through the book of 2nd Timothy. Today's subject matter is going to capitalize on chapter 3, verse 1, because Paul is most certainly doing this. He is enduring persecution as a Christian and he is faithful in doing so. He's faithful to spread the gospel even while he's being persecuted as a Christian. He is most certainly in prison because he is a Christian. We'll show you that in today's text and message today.

But if I could prod you to inwardly think about a resolve with me as we go through the text today, I want you to resolve inside of your heart and soul to know that when persecution comes as a Christian, you will inwardly believe that this is going to bring the best out of you. The best of God's will that He intends to work in and through you will come out in persecution. We see this throughout all of history, starting here with Paul and how he is in prison, and he coins prison epistles while he's in prison — the best of his theological treatises that we have in the New Testament: Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon. These are coming out of his time in prison.

And you see the same with John Wycliffe, as he was persecuted by the Catholic Church for translating the Bible into English. As he was translating the Bible and he was arrested and put on home arrest, is when he got the opportunity to do all of this work for Christ. So the best of John Wycliffe came out of when he was in prison — home prison, home arrest. And the Catholic Church hated him so much that when he was buried, they dug up his bones and incinerated them and threw the ashes into the river. And his ashes are known among Christians as what was spread throughout the whole world to spread the gospel. People remember John Wycliffe and not the ones who persecuted him. And at the same time, what did John Bunyan write while he was in prison?

Pilgrim's Progress. The best of what God has to work in and through us comes through when we are enduring the most severe persecution. I want you to resolve to know that, so when the heat comes, you endure faithfully.

Read with me just verse 1 today in Ephesians chapter 3, verse 1. It says, "For this reason" — you may not know this reason, we'll talk about the reason here in a minute — "but for this reason I, Paul" — now if you're thinking to yourself, you already know that Paul was writing this letter. But there is emphasis here. If you are sharing with a friend something that is very meaningful, a very important reason or a very important cause for which you are living, and you back up for just a minute and you say to someone whom you know very well, listen — like as if I'm going to do with you — "I, Casey Butner, in living for a cause greater than myself," you think to yourself, everything that you know about me, I am really, really reiterating all of who I am and I'm laying it before you. This emphasis here: "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles." Folks, this is so important for us to comprehend today.

Let's just pause for a moment of prayer. Lord, thank You, dear Jesus, for this verse and these concepts that follow before He bows His knees to pray. Father, I pray that You would help us to also, in like fashion, live like the Apostle Paul in his enduring faithfulness. It's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.

And so, in this verse, Paul is persevering through imprisonment and chains for the furtherance of the gospel, which is bringing unity to the Gentiles and the Jews in Christ. This is the great purpose. The first verse embodies what we could call the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. I want for you to hear today's message in light of this great doctrine that we as true Christians persevere.

This doctrine is more than just eternal security. It means that the God who starts something in you is the God who finishes something in you. He will finish all of what God has for you because He has intended it. He has purposed it. And since you are saved, He is sanctifying and will one day glorify you. And in that, you will finish. You will also persevere. You will be obedient because you're a Christian. And so you'll continue to do these things because God is going to complete this work in and through you. You don't have to worry about this. You just simply need to be faithful as you focus on enduring faithfully.

Listen to Philippians chapter 1, verse 6. The Bible says, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." What an amazing verse to drive home the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. What God started in you, He will finish in you. He has intended all of what He's planned. The God who starts something is the God who finishes something.

Even in our church constitution, we speak of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. And we believe this. It says this: "We believe that such only are true believers as endure to the end." John 8:31, which is my favorite verse that typifies our church, by the way. And then it goes on to say that their persevering attachment to Christ — what a good phrase — their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark that distinguishes them from superficial professors. And then the reference in our constitution is 1 John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they were never really of us."

True believers truly follow through with their Christianity. They endure faithfully. Truly saved ones, according to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, means two things. First of all, they have eternal security. That's a done deal. You don't have to worry about that. They are preserved by the hand of God, by the strength of Him. They're held safe and secure, especially through trials. And so, as you are enduring, it's the hand of God that is keeping you from drowning.

And then number two, this great doctrine means that you will endure faithfully. Truly saved ones continue in the Word and endure hardship as a good Christian soldier. 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 2 says, "To endure hardship" — it's a command — "do this, be obedient. Endure hardship as a good Christian soldier. Don't shrink back." And so, by God's power, we are kept faithful. It's He who sustains us. God sustains the righteous.

So when believers inevitably do fall into sin — because we're not perfect and grieve the Holy Spirit — we are inwardly tortured and grieved, because when we sin, it brings reproach upon Christ. It brings reproach upon the church, whom we're members of. It brings reproach upon our family, our personal family. We grieve our own family members because when we sin, they are connected with us and it hurts them too. And so we're not an island to ourselves. We have relationships in all of these relational strings. When one person goes down, it pulls all the hearts down. But when one person is striving upward, it pulls all the hearts upward. It's a strengthening and togetherness. It's wonderful.

And as we inevitably fall into sin, we bring reproach upon not only the church, not only our families, not only the cause of Christ, but also upon our own reputation. People remember these things and it's sometimes difficult to overcome them. However, the believer who falls into sin will not stay in sin because God disciplines that person. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 8, that if you are without discipline, you're illegitimate. Listen to this: "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him. For those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines, and He flogs every son whom He receives." Have you ever had to flog your son or daughter before? Most daughters don't need a flogging, but all sons need a good beating once in a while.

In verse 7, the Bible says, "It is for discipline that you endure." Let me explain just briefly what this word "discipline" means. It denotes the training of a child. It is correction. It is chastening. It is a flogging if you continue to rebel. But more so, it begins with nurturing. Correction and discipline starts with a gentle leading. If you yield at that point, you're good. But this word "discipline" is the broader idea of "educate."

In the Bible, the root concept of "educate" and "disciple" is the same concept. To be educated by God, to be discipled by God, to be led by God, is to mean that you are a child of God. This word "disciple" in this passage moves from a nurturing to a more firm hand of correction. God is educating and correcting and guiding and disciplining us with His gracious and firm hands, with His words and His infliction upon us when we participate in evil, when we do things that we should not do. He gives us correction, light at the beginning, and then blows that get harder and harder to get us on the right path. If that is not true for your life, the Bible says here in verse 8 that you're illegitimate — you're not a child of God. For the child of God who is truly saved, they truly do get put back on the right path.

So true believers endure faithfully, and we know that nothing can separate us from the love of God. In Romans chapter 8, verses 35 through 39, the Bible says this: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or turmoil or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Just as it is written, for your sake we are being put to death all day long and we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers or height or depth nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

True believers endure faithfully whether they have sinned intentionally and are being corrected, or they're going through the trials of this life that are, as the Apostle Peter says, more precious than gold — or as James said, the trials of our faith that we consider joy. So Paul is faithfully enduring here, and back in chapter 3 of Ephesians, he's faithfully enduring persecution by continuing his ministry while he's suffering for the salvation of the Jews and the Gentiles in their union in Christ.

Paul is ministering while he's suffering. He's actually in prison. It says right here, "For this reason I, Paul, by the way, the prisoner of Jesus Christ." He doesn't only say that right there; he also says it in chapter 4 as well, by way of repetition. Chapter 4, verse 1: "Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord" — "I exhort you to walk worthy." What is Paul doing? Why is he doing what he's doing here? Well, it starts off with "for this reason."

"For this reason" refers to the preceding theme in chapter 2. So essentially all of chapter 1 and chapter 2 is leading up to what is being talked about — this reason here. What reason? Well, it's salvation and union in Christ for both Jews and Gentiles. Paul is living for a purpose greater than himself. He is not focused on himself. How many of us would go to prison and be like, "Oh, poor me. Help me." No — you know what? What would you email if you were in prison? Well, Paul is sending a letter to the Ephesians, and he is encouraging their union in Christ, their salvation first of all, and their unity among one another — which should be the same as their unity in Christ. And so he is ministering while he is suffering. He is living to serve. He's not living for himself. He's living for a cause way greater than himself.

And when you get a hold of that cause of Christ — for this reason, for this cause — when you comprehend it and you grab onto it, then all of a sudden the things of this world grow strangely dim, because you are living for something greater than yourself. You're not living for yourself. You're not focused on yourself. You're not talking about yourself. You get away from all the selfies. You get away from the conversation that circles around you, and you're actually living so much so that you are an extension of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are living for this great thing like Paul is — union with Christ.

So this is the great thing that he is living for, and that this letter has been building up to and explaining. And now in chapter 3, Paul is preparing to pray that the Ephesians can understand their mutual union in Christ. But before he gets to the prayer here in verse 14 — verse 14 says, "For this reason I bow my knees" — I want you to know that Paul has this in mind, that he wants to pray for the Ephesians right as he is penning this letter. And he starts with "for this reason," and then he's got a lot of pertinent information that he wants to verbalize and explain and get out to them before he actually starts to pray. So after this, he goes right back to this grand theme of unity — unity in the Spirit and the bond of peace.

So in chapter 3, verse 1, he starts off with "for this reason," and all the way down to verse 14, he picks back up with "for this reason." And the word "reason" is important as well, because it not only means "cause" — for this cause, for the cause of Christ in you, the hope of glory — for this purpose I live way beyond my comfort, way beyond what I would do otherwise. For this reason, it also means "for the sake of" — for the sake of the Gentiles, for the sake of the Jews, for the sake of their eternity. I'm living to get the life-saving gospel to them. I'm living for this reason, in favor of this purpose.

This is so wonderful when all of a sudden we get beyond coveting our neighbor's stuff and wanting to have something as good or better than them. You're living for a cause, you're not coveting. You're living for a cause, you're not coveting. It's so, so wonderful on the inside of your heart when you are living with an objective mind, because now you've got peace and clarity and direction, and everything according to your pursuit — the words of your mouth, the meditations of your heart, your checkbook — it's all in alignment, it's all going. For those of you who are under 30, you're like, "Checkbook, what's that?"

Paul is truly living with a purpose in mind here, and then he says, "I, Paul." When you think of Paul, what do you think about? You think of the fact that he is preaching and ministering and church planting and laboring and suffering and traveling and explaining and persuading and writing and praying for this reason. Paul — when you hear him repeat his name — they think of all of what Paul is doing and who he is, and he is pushing so that all who are saved are unified in Christ, and he wants to get that message out loud and clear.

For this purpose, he labors. Let me read to you how he repeated this purpose in Colossians chapter 1, verse 27 and following: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:28 says, "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ" — their union in Christ, complete, mature in Christ — "for this purpose I also labor, striving according to His working in which He works in me in power." God is working a work inside of Paul. This effectual work is working through him and he is not shrinking back. He is striving forward even while he is chained in prison. He is still ministering.

This is so important for us to grasp the observation of the text today — to just see what Paul is doing. So for this reason, I, Paul, as we continue to work through this first verse: for this reason, union in Christ for the Jews and the Gentiles — union in Christ — for this reason, I, Paul, missionary, pastor, street preacher, now he says prisoner of Christ. This word "prisoner" means held captive, and he was actually chained to a Roman guard.

I was playing as a boy and two of my friends got handcuffed. That was hilarious to see how long they were handcuffed together before they got set loose. Paul was handcuffed. He was chained to another man inside of his own house on house arrest, another person bound to him. And now Paul uses this idea of chains to illustrate his passionate commitment to Christ. This word "prisoner" is interesting. He is chained. These iron chains are strong, but his commitment to Christ and the cause of Christ is way stronger. He's not only a prisoner as one who is on house arrest — he's a prisoner of Christ Jesus. "I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus."

Paul tells all who will ever read Ephesians that his suffering and his afflictions are on their behalf — verse 13 in the text. He's imprisoned on their behalf. He is pushing forward in the gospel for their benefit. So this circulatory letter — it not only reached the Ephesians, it not only reached the Corinthians in Corinth or the Colossians in Colossae — it also got all the way to Rome and Jerusalem, and by way of extension, now it is to all of Christendom and all of the whole world.

This here is an amazing concept: that while he is chained, the very thing that happens is the greatest thing in all of his ministry. The word "prisoner" here is most certainly used in a double fashion. He is proclaiming both meanings at once. The literal chains of imprisonment are true — he is actually imprisoned — but the spiritual chains of his captivation with Christ and the cause of Christ is more important. And his captivation, his chained being to Christ, is stronger than iron. There's no soldier that could torture him to make him recant his faith. His commitment to Christ is stronger than the chains. And so this double meaning is wonderful here.

We see this played out not only here, but in other books as well. Paul was so committed to the cause of Christ that no matter what happened to him, he would not shrink back. And as we look through this, the same ability — that is, by God's grace, to endure suffering faithfully — has been demonstrated by other saints as well. Not only just the disciples, but it follows through the centuries. One being John Knox, a reformer of Scotland. He was preaching in Europe for like 12 years and endured all kinds of persecution. The straw that broke the camel's back was Bloody Mary. He preached and lived through that season when Bloody Mary was murdering all the Protestants. And Bloody Mary, when she came to power and was persecuting all the Protestants, he then, underneath her rule, was sentenced — imprisoned on a boat and chained to an oar for 18 months.

And as he was a prisoner, he went from a preacher and a pastor to a prisoner on a boat, chained to an oar, in the direct sunlight, suffering. And if you know anything about the ocean, there's all kinds of awful diseases that happen in unsanitary conditions. And you also know that in the direct sunlight, he would be just scorched day and night, chained to an oar for 18 months. And history attests to the fact that he actually had to row past the church that he used to pastor. So within view of the church he used to preach at, he's chained to an oar. And one of those lovely guys on the ship brought an image of Mary before him and set it before his face and tried to get him to recant his faith and say, "Just become a Catholic again," because he was raised and trained as a Catholic priest and he had converted.

I'll let you read the history, but he gave it the what-for. I'm sure he would have used some more colorful words, but he would not recant his faith. So this idol of Mary — he detested it. He came then to Scotland as the nobles would call him to come and help reform Scotland. He was from England. Twelve years in England under the severe persecution, never recanting his faith. And after Bloody Mary was gone, and another Protestant-favorable king came into play, he was released. John Knox was released. And as he was released, he pastored another church and then got word from Scotland that they wanted him to come and help bring this Reformation to Scotland, this Protestant Reformation.

And so through all of the trials — this is the reason why I bring this up — all of the trials that he had gone through was simply training for Scotland. All the persecution that he had endured built within him a steadfastness, an unmovable strength, that he would always abound in the work of the Lord. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 58, it says, "To be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." And if we would have this enduring faithful spirit of God within us, we would view the trials of our life as training for what God wants to bring out of us in our greater days.

You see, when Knox went to Scotland, the majority of the real estate was owned by the Catholic Church. And so it was still a land of severe persecution. For preaching Christ, you could be disemboweled publicly. The people would watch your bowels fall out of your belly right in the middle of town. For preaching Christ, or preaching against the Pope, or preaching against the Eucharist, or preaching against the way that they did communion, or preaching against indulgences — which he did. He clarified. He was like John the Baptist in rooting these ugly, nasty, sinful, heretical doctrines out. John Knox was crystal clear. He knew Catholic doctrine at its core because he was ordained as a priest. He knew exactly what to preach against. All of that was training for when he went to Scotland, which was primarily owned by the Catholic Church and caused the severe persecution that he would endure gladly.

For the causes of Christ were worth it, because he is the founder of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. He is dubbed as the founder of the Puritan movement in Scotland. This man is awesome, and it all came at a high cost. This is the way of God. This is the way of the cross.

I think that we'll spend the rest of our life charting and figuring out what it means to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him. What does it mean to take up your cross and to embrace the suffering? What does it mean to have a biblical worldview towards these trials of our faith? It means that you'll be like Paul and keep ministering while you're suffering. It means to keep doing what God wants for you. It means to keep living out loud.

Why then is Paul in prison? I'm glad you're thinking that. I'm glad you asked. I haven't clarified yet. He's on behalf of the Gentiles. It's on behalf of the Gentiles. He's in prison as well because of his ministry on behalf of Christ, for the cause of Christ. Turn with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 21. I want you to see verses 27 to 36 as to why he's actually in prison to begin with. So far he's been in prison now for three years.

How many of us would think to ourselves that it is within the scope of what God would work in our life, as if we were in prison for the next three years? Would you think that it was a waste of time? Would you think that God's off the throne? Would you think that you did something wrong and you deserve to go to prison?

Folks, listen. Paul was so captivated for the cause of Christ that as he was preaching and living out loud, he was arrested and thrown into prison. And he was arrested by his own — just like Christ. Acts chapter 21, verse 27 and following. I'm just going to read through and explain some things.

Acts 21:27: "Now as the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon noticing him in the temple, began to throw all the crowd into confusion and laid hands on him, crying out, 'Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and the law and this place. And besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.'"

Here you see three slanderous accusations. These folks — Paul's own people. Paul used to be a Pharisee. He's a Jewish man. And his own have now turned on him and falsely accused him of some terrible things, like as if he had defiled the holy place of the temple. Verse 29: "For they had previously seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple." Oh, they guessed. So they made a false accusation. They guessed. And now an assumption is going to turn into an accusation — an accusation to all the people. They're going to intentionally stir as many people as they possibly can against Paul. Watch how this builds.

Verse 30: "Then all the city was stirred, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul, they dragged him out of the temple." By the way, those who turn against you are not going to be satisfied until you're dragged out, right? "And immediately the doors were shut." Verse 31: "While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. And at once he took along soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul." So now look at what's happened. An assumption turned into an accusation, which stirred the crowd, and now he's being beaten.

Verse 33: "Then the commander came up and took hold of him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. And he began asking who he was and what he had done. But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another. And when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he got to the stairs, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd. For the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, 'Away with him. Away with him.'"

This is relentless persecution of this man of God. And now, as you see, Paul is arrested. Three years go by and he is now penning these prison epistles.

Now as I land this plane a little bit earlier than normal, I want to give you a few take-home truths.

Number one: truth must be repeated. Truth must be repeated. Paul didn't shrink back from repeating that salvation is in Christ alone. You must repent and believe the gospel. He died for your sin. You must believe in Him. And for that, he was persecuted, but he kept repeating these truths. But also, you see in the text this repetition back to Ephesians chapter 3: "For this reason, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus." And then in chapter 3, verse 14: "For this reason." And then in chapter 4: "Therefore I, a prisoner of the Lord." It must be repeated.

Now this is, according to Hebraic thought, the way of learning. Repetition, repetition, repetition. We must really repeat that which is vital in order for it to be learned. And I'll take you back to the Old Testament so that you can see that. In Isaiah chapter 28, the Bible talks about how it's line upon line that we learn.

Turn with me if you would to verse 9. Isaiah chapter 28. I want to start with verse 9: "Whom would He instruct in knowledge, and whom would He provide understanding about this report?" So we're talking about knowledge and understanding. "Those whom He weaned from milk" — speaking about babies. Are you going to teach babies knowledge and understanding? — "just as those taken from the breast." Verse 10: "For he says, order on order, order on order." This word "order" means in the Hebrew: command, ordinance, or precept. Precept upon precept. Command upon command. An orderly instruction on top of an orderly instruction. This is how knowledge and understanding work — get the difference between knowledge and understanding. You may know something, but you really don't understand why, or do it. It has not yet become a heart cause for you. And so knowledge becomes understanding, which becomes a way of life.

How does that happen? How does Christ in you as the hope of glory become not just head knowledge, but heart knowledge, and you live it out? How does that happen? Well, order on order, order on order — or line upon line, the Bible says right here: "Line upon line." Interestingly enough, "line" means measuring line. And a measuring line was used as an illustration by the prophet Amos in Amos chapter 7, verses 7 and 8. Please turn with me there if you would. I want you to see this measuring line and what a measuring line does when it is applied by God. This plumb line, this measuring line, is important.

Amos chapter 7, verse 7: "And thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line." Verse 8, Amos 7:8: "And Yahweh said to me, 'What do you see, Amos?' And I said, 'A plumb line.' And then the Lord said, 'Behold, I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel. And I will pass over them no longer. The high places of Isaac will be desolated and the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid waste. And then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.'"

Jeroboam was a king who started out good and did a lot of great things, and he ended bad, and God took his life, because Jeroboam abandoned the causes that he was supposed to be following. He abandoned the law and God took his life. And here you see all of Israel is guilty of all of these high places, idol worship, and even the sanctuaries are just laid waste. And so God is going to take His measuring line — the standard, the Word of God — and He's going to show them their sin, and He is going to bring judgment to them.

And so this is a truth that really truly is: there is a right and there is a wrong. And for Paul as the apostle, he is telling everybody repeatedly: there is a standard. There is a God. There's only one way. There are things that are right and there are things that are wrong. You cannot be the God of your own life. He is repeating these things over and over and over again.

And so I would say to us, by an extension of point number one — point number two: verbalize what is vital. Verbalize it. Get to the point to where you can actually say what you believe. Verbalize these things. It's vital to do that. Titus chapter 2, verse 1 says, "Speak these things which are fitting for sound doctrine." This is very clear that we must verbalize what is vital. We must speak sound doctrine. Truth must be repeated in your life.

If you're going to help others understand truly what the Bible says — that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life — then it has to be repeated in ways that are going to be memorable. All of our children here, perk up just for a minute. Let's prove my point. All the kids in the house, say John 14:6 together. Are you ready? John 14:6. "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life." Yep. You know that because it's been being repeated over and over and over again. By repetition, they will never forget those things, and you can build knowledge and you can build understanding. You can build a life in Christ based upon this repetition.

And check it out in Ephesians, how Paul is so repetitive. "For this reason," verse 1. "For this reason," verse 14. "Prisoner," chapter 3, verse 1. "Prisoner" again in chapter 4, verse 1. "The mystery," verse 3. "The mystery of Christ," verse 4. "The mystery," verse 9. "To make known the mystery," chapter 6, verse 19. And then it repeats the word "peace." "He is our peace," chapter 2, verse 14. "Two groups into one, making peace," chapter 2, verse 15. "And He came and preached peace," chapter 2, verse 17 — "to you who are far away and near, peace." "To the praise of His glory" — He starts repeating "glory" in chapter 1, verse 6: "to the praise of His glory," chapter 1, verse 12: "to the praise of His glory," chapter 1, verse 14. And then, "to Him be the glory," chapter 4, verse 21.

These are important concepts in the book of Ephesians — glory and peace. This mystery, who is Christ. For this reason, I'm a prisoner of Christ. These themes, grand themes, wonderful themes, they're all being repeated. And this is a Hebraic idea of education. And I think that we need to continue to repeat that which is vital — not just until the people who are in our sphere of influence can finish our sentences. Sometimes they'll say, "Yeah, you've said that before." I think we need to keep repeating what is vital until they start repeating what is vital. Until they start teaching someone what the truth is. They may know it, but they may not have yet understood it.

And so we need to be as parents, those who are repeating the precepts of God. We need to be as disciples, those who repeat sound doctrine. We need to be Christians who repeat and reveal the causes of Christ over and over and over again. Truly, may the words that come out of your heart through your mouth be all about Christ, over and over and over and over again. May you begin to have conviction in your heart and life when the futile things of this world are just wasted words. Utilize the things that are tragic in this world to point to the solution — Christ. Utilize the things that are happening in this world as that — whether it's Olympic debauchery, to point to the solution of righteousness in Christ. Whether it's Kamala Harris celebrating the LGBT way of life and then saying amen after that — all of these terrible things that are happening in the world, speak to it, and then be part of the solution in Christ, and repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat the solution. The scriptures. Repeat what is vital.

We need to do this. This is how we're going to be strong people of God. This is how we're going to see women who are strong in their faith speak up and make a difference. This is how we're going to see godly fathers and godly mothers raise godly children. This is how we're going to see dynamic disciples on display daily — not shrinking back when something threatens their well-being. They'd rather have their well-being, their flesh, assaulted than shrink back from Christ.

And so I think that we should repeat until they know, and then repeat it again until we expect them to do it, and then repeat it until they actually teach it. Know, do, be. Repeat what is vital until they know it. Repeat what is vital until they are able to do it. Repeat what is vital until they actually teach it.

And so for our third take-home truth: based upon the life of Jesus, based upon the life of Paul, based upon all of what we see throughout history, it is very safe to say that while you are faithful in Christ, while you are unrelentingly preaching and teaching and living Christ, it is very safe to say that there are many who are around you that you would consider your own, that they would perhaps disown you. And so point number three: our own often disown us.

Seriously. Based upon the observation of what I just read to you in the book of Acts, based upon Acts chapter 21, based upon the life of Christ, based upon why Paul is in prison — our own will often disown us. This is the reason why Paul is in prison. His fellow Jews believed an assumption, acted on hearsay, intentionally caused confusion, stirred the people, and they kept on relentlessly persecuting until Paul was arrested. And they were unreasonable, but at judgment will be responsible, and in eternity, regretful.

And so as we look through Acts chapter 21, we see that they supposed, they guessed, they made an assumption, then they stirred, and then they sought to kill, and then they had him beaten, and then chained, and they kept shouting, and they kept on with their violence and shouting until he was arrested. Paul's own disowned him. Christ's own disowned Him.

Pastors have sheep who oftentimes scheme in person and disown them. It's just a fact of how observation of history is. And unfortunately, parents who do their absolute best to raise their children in the admonition of the Lord will have children who will disown them.

Children, look at me. You all — I know your parents — you've got great parents and grandparents in here. Don't ever disown your parents. Don't ever ghost them. Don't ever remove yourself from communicating with them. Don't ever cut them off. That's one of the harshest things that you could ever do, is to turn on your own. Don't ever. They have your best in mind. They're wiser, they're older. So listen to your parents. Always honor your parents. I love seeing your head nodding there, Abigail. I believe you. I believe you're going to do that. I believe you're going to stay faithful to Christ and honor your parents. Honor your father and mother is a command that never ends. No matter how old they are, we are to honor our fathers and mothers.

Oftentimes our own friends will disown us. Listen, we're in an age now, in a day, in an epoch, in an era, where social media has a large factor on how the mind operates. And so as a child grows up with a device in their hand and a screen in their face, they can click on something and press play to something that they want. I want this, I want this, I want this. And then just as fast as they click on something that they want, they can click it off. I don't want that, I don't want that — based upon how they feel. As an immature child, they can click on and click off and click on and click off, week after week, month after month, year after year. They grow up and you would think a young adult — but the programming from social media, from media, has given them the entitlement, the thought that they can just turn off a relationship and disown their own and go and turn on whatever they want quickly.

This is not a biblical way of handling your life. This is not honoring Christ, not honoring your parents. It's not being a family member in the church. And so I think that we should truly repeat what is important. And as we do this, just keep in mind that oftentimes our own will disown us. But at the end of the day, for those who are truly saved, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints will shine through. The truth will rise to the surface. God will see a true believer through. And Lord willing, by repentance and by prayer and by humility — union, not only in Christ, but union among the brethren, union between Jews who ate and lived differently than Gentiles who ate and lived differently — unity in Christ, unity in the Ephesian church, would be so wonderful.

And so I say to us today, even if your own disowns you, endure faithfully, like Paul was in prison, ministering to the Ephesian church, though he was persecuted. And I read to you in Acts that he was in prison because of preaching the gospel, because of his faithfulness in Christ. And after three years, now he's in prison. He is still faithfully ministering, enduring. So endure faithfully, endure faithfully — no matter what, endure faithfully. In prison, persecuted, with a pen. Paul is enduring faithfully.

So listen: Paul's commitment to the cause of Christ was stronger than the disowning opposition. And Christ's commitment to the cause of the gospel was stronger than the disowning opposition. Christocentric. Christ-centered lives. Your commitment to Christ must be stronger than iron. Must be stronger than chains. Can chains break you away from Christ?

If we have an election coming up this November that perhaps has, by God's grace, a person who is a fearer of God — a God-fearer — and we are able to continue in our freedom of religion in this great country, I praise God for it. But if we have another leader who is united with the United Nations, or with the Olympic philosophy of life, or with whatever is popular in this woke world — if we have a leader who is bent on destroying America, and Christians become victims of hate speech and are now by legislation able to be put in prison — what an awful position for police, lawyers, and judges who are Christians. It's not above world history and above God to have this happen. But can chains break you away from Christ?

The reason why I'm preaching this particular message to you today is to bring you to a resolve inside of your heart and soul. And I pray that your resolve would be according to 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 15. These following resolutions I bring you to, and I close.

"I will gladly spend and be spent for your souls." Paul again, to the lewd and sinful Corinthians — Corinthians who were doing all kinds of sinful acts that should not even be mentioned in public. But to the Corinthians who had some of the worst things going on in their world, he said, "I will gladly spend and be spent for your souls." And so will you resolve according to 2 Corinthians 12:15 to say, "I will gladly spend of what God has given me — my resources, whatever — and I'll be spent emotionally, physically, psychologically for your souls," living not for yourself?

Will you say, according to Ephesians 3:1, "I am willing for the cause of Christ to be chained"? Will you say, "I am willing, according to Ephesians 3:14, for the cause of Christ — I'm willing to pray"? Will you say and resolve, "I am willing according to Ephesians 3:14, for the cause of Christ, not only to pray, but, chapter 4, verse 1, for Christ — I will walk worthy"?

Chapter 6, verse 10: "For the cause of Christ, I will be strong in the Lord, not in my own strength, but in Christ." And now chapter 6, verse 20 is so important: "For which I am an ambassador in chains, so that in proclaiming it" — being the gospel — "I may speak boldly as I ought to speak." Speak boldly. He's chained. He's an ambassador. He's living for a cause greater than himself. He's ministering while he's suffering and he is still speaking boldly.

If you resolve within yourself, through the worst that any type of persecution brings your way — and by the way, the little persecutions that we may endure in this safe American country are only going to be training. God is so gracious to train us up for the hard stuff. So think of what God has brought you through as training for what He has still got planned for you. And I think that we now need to not only with this idea train the next generation, despite the difficulty — training in the Greek is gymnazō, a verb meaning to exercise the mind, train the mind, train them in righteousness, train them, set them up for success to be able to suffer well.

And I believe that you will be in like fashion with the Apostle Paul, who, whether in prison or out of prison, whether well-fed or not — according to Philippians chapter 4, verse 11, he has learned to be content — he's going to continue to serve Christ. Pray with me.

Father, we do love You and we thank You, dear Jesus, for the example that the Apostle Paul has given us as one who would suffer well and continue to minister through all of the misery, so to speak — the sufferings and the life that is restrained. And God, throughout all of history — not only John Knox, not only John Calvin, not only Martin Luther, not only William Tyndale, not only John Wycliffe — but also those in our own age, dear Jesus, around the world and around the globe today, there are untold thousands of missionaries who are suffering for the causes of Christ. And I pray, God, that as we live now in a country that still honors the freedom of religion, that we would be prepared by You, being made able to be strong in You no matter what. Thank You, dear Jesus.

I pray Your blessings upon us, that You would help this dear congregation to continue to grow in their faith so that they can endure faithfully. Lord, if there's one here that has never been saved by Your grace — I believe there is. I believe there are some here, Lord Jesus, that have never been saved by Your grace before. They've never been given a new heart, new motives, and a new mission by a transformed life that You have implanted in them. Lord, I pray, God, for one here who has never truly repented of their sin and placed their faith and trust in You and been saved by You, that You would do that. You would draw their soul closer to You.

Lord, Your Bible says that in like fashion, You will draw that soul in a sorrowful way to be able to show them their sin, that they have indeed violated Your righteous commands, and in doing so there comes punishment. And if they do not repent of their sin and place their faith and trust in Your substitutionary work on the cross — that's the reason why You died — then they will have to pay for their sin for eternity in hell, away from You. Dear God, I want that for nobody, and neither do You.

I pray, dear Jesus, that for the soul who was not saved today, that You would draw them in a sorrowful way, as Your Word says in 2 Corinthians 7:10, that "godly sorrow produces repentance unto salvation." Dear God, by Your gentle Holy Spirit, will You draw that soul into a sorrowfulness, and while they're under conviction, dear Jesus, of their sin — for they know that they are sinners and they need a Savior — I pray, Lord, You'd save their soul. And from evidence that You have regenerated their heart, that they would confess You as Lord and believe in their heart that You, dear God, raised Your Son from the dead.

I pray, God, many salvations would come from Beulah Baptist Church, and many true baptisms would come through this local congregation, and many would be saved — not only baptized, but also, Lord, that they would belong here and grow in their faith and learn how to study Your Bible and make disciples. Dear God, we ask these wonderful things in Your capable name, Jesus. Amen.