Question:
What do punishment, persecution, and sacrifice have in common ?
Answer:
Suffering

PUNISHMENT
Suffering, and it’s your fault

PERSECUTION
Suffering, and it’s not your fault

SACRIFICE
Suffering, and it’s your choice

More on sacrifice—like a foreign word in our everyday lives.

Suffering by choice, really ?

SACRIFICE
— Giving, till it hurts
— Living beyond my comfort level
— Suffering
— Self-dying
— Self-denying
— Self-drowning
— Self-humbling
— Self-crucifying
— Self-surrendering to follow Jesus, with consequences for saying His name
— Self-acceptance of identity “in the fellowship of His suffering”
— Self-application of His promises—many troubles + deliverance
— Self-contentment, even courage, because Jesus “overcame the world”.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them allI.”

PUNISHMENT
Suffering, and it’s your fault

• Jesus actually promised suffering for His followers, and deliverance.
• But He did not promise to save us from all the evil in the world and the consequences of our sins.

PERSECUTION
Suffering, and it’s not your fault

• Jesus said repeatedly that we are blessed and should rejoice when people do all kinds of bad things to us BECAUSE WE FOLLOW HIM.

SACRIFICE
Suffering, and it’s your choice

• Jesus called his disciples to leave everything and follow him.
• He told a rich, young man to sell all, give it to the poor, and follow Him (for riches in heaven).
• When God told Ananias to baptize Saul (terrorist persecutor), He said, “I will show him (Paul) how much he must suffer for My Name.”

And that, dear friends, is “the rest of the story” if you follow Jesus.
Read your Bible ! ! !

Christians are not called to make the government the church (or make the church the government).

Remember how that ‘worked’ for the Holy Roman Empire.
Seemed great at first—the growth of the church—until it took over the government—until “the church” leaders used authority (power) of the government to kill anyone who disagreed with them, even Christians.

Christians are called to be “a peculiar people” that don’t fit well in this world.

Jesus did not fit well in this world, and He explained why.
“My kingdom is not of this world.”
“The world will hate you, because it hated me first.”
“Do not love the world or the things in the world.”

Christians are called to make a difference for good in this world.

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”
“Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
“Go, and do likewise.” (like the Good Samaritan)

Christians are called by Jesus from day one to be “salt” and “light”.

It is impossible for salt and light to not affect everything, influence everything around it (unless salt stays in the salt shaker) (unless light doesn’t have the light switch turned on).

Christians are called to tell everyone the good news of forgiveness for our sin because Jesus paid the penalty for all.

This good news also sets people, and nations, free from all kinds of evil.
Christians make a world of difference in this world—involved in the government and in the culture, to
promote the best policies for all citizens, and to help those who are suffering.

‐ – –

Christians–
— Citizens of heaven, forever
— Citizens of a nation, for this time

CHRISTIAN NATIONALISTS ?
— Yes !
— Worshipping God above all !
— Committed to making our nation better !