In Jason Dohm's sermon 'Behold I Send You Out,' based on Matthew 10:16-31, believers are encouraged to embrace their mission as disciples sent by Jesus like 'sheep among wolves.' This imagery underscores the challenges and persecutions Christians will face. The sermon highlights the necessity for believers to be both wise and innocent, balancing careful strategy with genuine purity. Jesus prepares his followers for inevitable persecution, framing it not as a deviation from God's plan, but as integral to it, showcasing the power of the Gospel. Believers are assured that the Holy Spirit will provide the necessary words during times of trial, emphasizing reliance on divine wisdom over human preparation. The sermon further explores the idea that fear of God should eclipse fear of man, encouraging believers to trust in God's sovereignty and care, even down to the smallest details of life. Ultimately, the sermon calls for endurance and promises salvation to those who persevere, reinforcing that every trial is appointed for God's glory and the believer's good.

Our today's preaching is taken from the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter 10, from verse 16 through 31. And the Word of God reads, Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as sepians and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak. For it is not you who speak but the spirit of your father who speaks in you now brother now brother will deliver up brother to death and the father his child and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death and you'll be headed by all for my name's sake but he who endures to the end will be saved When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.

If they have called the master of the house Be'erizabeb, how much more will they call those of his household? Therefore, do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light, and what you hear in the year, preach on the horse tops. And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sought for a copper coin and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father's will? But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore you are of more value than many sparrows. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are your sovereign and you are faithful and you are just and you are holy.

Thank you, O Lord God, because of your grace and love upon our lives. We thank you for your son Jesus Christ, who paid for our sins so that we might have life everlasting. My Father, I just commit this time unto Your hands that You will lead us and give Your us and would you give your servant boldness, wisdom, knowledge and understanding of your word as he preaches. I pray O Lord God that you lead him by your Holy Spirit. Would you cause us, the heroes, O Lord, to be humble before you in learning what you have prepared before us, O Lord, through your servant.

It is my prayer, O Lord God, that you will help us to worship you in spirit and also in truth. Help us, O God, and be with us. In Christ's name I pray, amen. The last time we were in Matthew, which is actually, I guess, three weeks ago today, the last sermon was titled, Disciples to Apostles. And that's what we saw in the first part of this chapter.

In the first verse, they're called the 12 disciples. And a disciple is a pupil. A disciple is a learner. And that's what these 12 men have been. They've been pupils and learners but they're being turned into something else by Jesus.

In verse 2 calls them the 12 apostles And these are men, apostles are those who are sent out with orders. So they're being sent out by Jesus. They're being sent out under orders. And this is in response to what happened at the very end of chapter 9, which was Jesus is going through all the towns and villages. He's seeing the multitudes.

He has compassion on them. They are like sheep without a shepherd. They're scattered and weary, and Jesus is full of compassion. And so he tells the disciples to pray the Lord of the harvest that he would send laborers into the harvest because the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. And then he does just what he's asked them to pray for.

He sends out laborers into the harvest. And so the whole of chapter 10 is a commissioning to these 12 men that he's sending out into the harvest. And it's a commanding. When we get to chapter 11, verse 1, it's going to say, when he had finished commanding them. And so he's not giving them suggestions.

He is as their Lord and their teacher, as their master, He's commanding them what they are to do. In the context, particularly in the text for the last sermon in Matthew, verses 1 through 15, the context has been so very immediate. In the next days and weeks, do exactly this. He tells them where to go and where not to go. They're to go to the lost sheep of Israel.

They're not to go into the way of the Gentiles. They're not to go into any city of the Samaritans. He tells them exactly what to do. Preach the kingdom. Preach the arrival of the kingdom of God.

They're to heal the sick. They're to cleanse the lepers. They're to raise the dead. They're to cast out demons. And then he says this, freely you have received.

Freely give he tells them what to take or more properly tells them what not to take this for the twelve disciples are now the twelve apostles is going to be a time of learning about the provision of God. And so Jesus actually in this instance restrains them from taking many of the things that they'll need because He's going to prove, He's going to demonstrate that He's able to just put resources out there in advance of their arrival. And this is going to be a time of teaching them that. And then he tells them where to stay. Says, when you go into a city, Seek out a household that is worthy.

And in a parallel text, he calls these sons of peace. Seek out sons of peace. People who have already made peace with God, people who are already gods, who will receive them. And then they'll be able to stay there and use these households of the sons of peace as a base from which to do their evangelism. And finally he tells them what to do when they're rejected.

When no one will receive them What do you do then? You wipe the dust off of your feet. Now, nobody would know that in our day. People would say, what is he doing with his shoes? But in that day, it was what you did when you came back from Gentile, when you came back from pagan territory.

You wiped the dust off your feet. So the Jews would have known. This was a testimony against them. This was a strict warning that judgment was coming, and you didn't even want to be contaminated with the dust of this place. So the context has been immediate.

What's going to happen the next day? What's going to happen the next day, what's going to happen the next week. But Jesus also has an eye to the future. And we really get into this in verses 16 through 31, which we're covering in detail today. Jesus has an eye to the future.

We have nothing recorded that would tell us that in the days and weeks following Jesus saying this, that they would encounter any of the persecutions that we see in 16-31, but boy do we ever have it in the book of Acts. And also we have some of it later in the book of Matthew as well. So Jesus is training His disciples and He's training them like teachers often do. Telling them what they need to know right now for the immediate mission, but also having an eye to the future. And making them ready for the things that he knows they're going to encounter down the road.

He is training men who are going to turn the world upside down. And so he's got this eye on the horizon, seeing what the future holds 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, 40 years from now, and knowing that there's going to be great upheaval during those decades. And he's just beginning, just beginning to prepare these men for what comes down the road. Versus 16 through 31 is a reality check. It is just a bucket of cold water.

It's a dose of reality on what they can expect from being faithful. We need to know that. We need to know what we can expect if we're faithful. And Jesus is preparing these men. So we're going to split the text into three sections today.

The first section will be verses 16 through 23. So let's read it again and then I'll talk about it. Matthew 10, 16. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

But Beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father, his child and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But He who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." The tagline on your handout for this section is the promise of persecution. It's being promised that these men will be persecuted.

And I just draw your attention to the sermon title. Behold, I send you out. Behold, look at this, Jesus is saying. Look at this. I am sending you out.

Persecution is not a departure from the plan. This might be the most critical thing to be said today. Persecution is not a departure from the plan. This might be the most critical thing to be said today. Persecution is not a departure from the plan.

Persecution is the plan. We read about the persecution and all the resistance against the gospel. We might think, and these people, if it's like that, these people need a revival. This is a revival. This is what a revival looks like.

It's times when people don't care, when people are so apathetic that they won't even push back on the Gospel when you need a revival. When the Spirit of God is poured out, This is what it looks like. Not the other. Persecution is not a departure from the plan. It is the plan.

Jesus knows all things, knew all things, could control all things. Now let's think about where we've been in the previous chapters. Jesus has been demonstrating His authority over everything. Just one thing right after another. He's just been knocking down one domino right after another.

I'm over that. I'm over that. I'm over that. I'm over that. I'm over sickness.

I'm over nature. The wind and the waves obey me. I'm over the spiritual realm. Demons, leave this man. I'm over death.

Little girl, stand up. Dead girl, stand up. Son, your sins are forgiven you. I'm over sin. I'm over death.

Jesus isn't resigned to the persecution. You have to understand that about this text. He's not just resigning himself. This is whatever will be will be. No, This is not it.

He's not resigned to the persecution. He's establishing a different kind of kingdom. Not a kingdom that will come through the power of arms, but a kingdom that will come through the power of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the Gospel. And part of the testimony of the Gospel is not just the words. It will be a powerful testimony to the Gospel that there are men who are willing to be clapped in irons for the Gospel.

There are men who are willing to lay down their lives for the Gospel. That There are men who are willing to be clapped in irons for the Gospel. There are men who are willing to lay down their lives for the Gospel. There are men who are willing to be beaten in the synagogues for the Gospel. There are the words of the gospel and there's the testimony of the gospel that God would raise up men who will suffer many things for the gospel.

And this is central to the plan of God. Jesus could have taken dominion over all of this and given them universal success wherever they went. Completely within His power. He's the God of the universe. He spoke everything into existence just through the power of His Word.

But it brings him more glory to send out a gospel that men will suffer for and men will die for. The very nature of the gospel is wrapped up in incursions into enemy territory. Do you get that? It's the very nature of the gospel. That's why the gospel is needed, is because there's so much enemy territory.

You know what? We used to be part of that enemy territory, didn't we? Weren't we enemies of God? And we needed someone to invade that territory so that we could be saved. It's the very nature of the Gospel that there would be an invasion of hostile territory.

So Jesus says, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Sermon on the mount. He's already talked about wolves. Matthew 7 verse 15, Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Paul speaks of this in Acts 20.

Paul is exhorting the elders of the church in Ephesus, and he says this, take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood." And then he says this, "'For I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." We've been memorizing that text, so that was over the last couple of weeks. So I had a head start on that one. It's a dangerous world. There are predators out there, and Jesus doesn't want to section us off from all the predators, particularly the ministers of the gospel.

He wants to invade. That's what he wants to do. And the predators aren't just outside. They're not just out there. Sometimes they're in there.

Think back. Sermon on the Mount, chapter 7, verse 15. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Paul says that after his departure, savage wolves will come in among you. Also from among yourselves men will rise up.

It's not always the wolves that are out there. Many times it's the wolves that are in here. And Jesus, as He compiles the list of people who will be persecuting them, it becomes so clear that it is inward where often the persecution will come. That's right here in this text. We don't have to go outside of this text to establish that.

So in verse 17, the first part of it, Jesus starts verse 17, but beware of men. Beware of men. And then he says, all men, look at verse 22, the first part of that, and you will be hated by all men for my name's sake. You'll be hated by all men. And he gives us the list.

Government men? Yes, government men. Religious men? Yes, religious men. Governors and kings?

Yes, governors and kings. Family? Yes, family. Brothers, fathers, children. And we're going to talk about this.

I'm going to move on from this very quickly because it's in the end third of the chapter. We'll be tackling in detail. So I don't want to steal all the thunder for next week. All kinds of men will rise up to persecute the faithful ministers of the Gospel. And here's the consequence.

Jesus has given us the information, now he tells us what to do with the information. Be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Wise and harmless. About half the translations render it harmless, About half the translations render it harmless. About half the translations render it innocent.

Pretty much the same meaning, a few shades. Be harmless. Be innocent. And also be wise. You've all seen the two extremes.

You've all seen one without the other. The first person who's an extreme is always calculating. They're always scheming. They're always trying to apply the right principle to get a certain outcome. To the point where they've just become jaded and cynical.

They don't trust anyone at any time. They're just trying to pull the right lever to get the desired outcome. On the other extreme, you have that person that you know who's just hopelessly trusting. Just hopelessly trusting and naive. And they just run over time after time after time after time.

And so Jesus is desiring in his disciples and his followers to marry these two things so that the strengths of both are preserved, but the weaknesses of both are kept away from. And Jesus of course is our model for this. I want to give you three New Testament examples of being wise as a serpent, but as harmless or as innocent as a dove. The first one comes from Matthew 21. Now when Jesus came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted him as he was teaching and said, by what authority are you doing these things?

And who gave you this authority? But Jesus answered and said to them, I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men? And they reasoned among themselves saying, if we say from heaven, He will say to us, why then did you not believe Him?

Wise as a serpent, innocent as a dove. Matthew 22. They come to him again. Tell us, therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

In both of these cases, not an honest question in sight. They don't want to know the answer. They want to trap Jesus. But Jesus is wise as a serpent. He understands the audience.

He understands the moment. Now, a person who was hopelessly trusting would have been eaten alive there. That's actually what they wanted. They wanted to eat Jesus alive there. But he's wise as a serpent and also innocent.

He's harmless. He's innocent as a dove. Consider this, Paul in Acts 23. But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other part Pharisees he cried out in the council men and brethren I am a Pharisee the son of a Pharisee concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead, I am being judged. And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the assembly was divided.

This is what it means. Paul is being wise as a serpent, but innocent as a dove. Knowing his audience, seeing beyond face value, understanding the motives, and acting wisely, not to be eaten alive. And if you're a wolf being sent, excuse me, if you're a sheep being sent into wolf territory, you need to be able to understand, you need to be able to marry these things. Not to be so defensive that you lose your harmlessness, that you lose your innocence.

The Kingdom of God doesn't need that. The spreading of the Gospel doesn't need jaded, cynical people who are only trying to pull levers. And at the same time, the Kingdom of God don't need defenseless sheep who are just there to be swallowed alive. And then Jesus proceeds to why this is. Why do we need to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves?

Men will deliver you up. That's why. That term deliver you up is used three times. Verse 17, verse 19, and verse 21. It literally means hand you over.

They're going to put hands on you, and they're going to hand you over to be dealt with. And this is the book of Acts, isn't it? Think through the book of Acts. Time and time and time and time again. Handed over, delivered up.

And verse 18 gives us the grand purpose. Why would the sovereign God of the universe allow his people, allow his sheep, to be handed over to the wolves? Why? For my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles, verse 18. As a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

Verse 18. As a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Again, persecution is not the train getting off the tracks. The train is still on the tracks. The train is right where God wants it to be, steaming ahead.

And persecution is part of his redemptive plan. He has a redemptive purpose for it. And these men are going to think that they're acting unilaterally on their own, but they're really doing the will of God. And they're handing you over so that a mighty testimony might be made to the rulers and to the Gentiles. And then we have a promise.

What's the promise? That the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say in the very hour that you need it. Right when you need the words, the Holy Spirit will give the words to you. He says, don't worry. Now this can be misused in all sorts of way where a preacher would say, I don't have to prepare for the sermon.

Holy Spirit will give me the words right in that very hour. I'm claiming it. That's not what's being said. This is not the promise that's being made unfortunately. But the promise is that when they lay hands on you, when they hand you over, when they deliver you up for things that you couldn't prepare for even if you had the time and even if you wanted to because they're going to be examining and cross-examining you.

How are you going to prepare for that? In this moment, when you need the words, that the words will be given to you by God. God will actually speak in you. It won't even be your own words. But the Spirit of the Father of Jesus Christ and your own Father will give you the words the same hour that you need them.

Here's a passage that teaches much of the same things. Because of the timing I don't think it's a parallel passage, but it's a really similar passage in Luke 21. Here's Luke 21 verses 12 through 15. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. It will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore, settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer. Now listen to this, verse 15, Luke 21, 15. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.

You'll not only be given things to say, but there'll be such mighty things that your adversaries will not be able to stand up or resist the things that you're saying. I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. Now Jesus speaks of the possibilities and the rewards. The possibilities are this, There are wolves out there. You're going to see wolves.

You're going to be attacked by wolves, scourging in the synagogues. Some of you are going to be detained and beaten for the things that you're saying. Death, verse 21. Now brother will deliver up brother to death etc Goes through the different family relationships, but it's always a delivering up to death here are the possibility world wolves scourging death Matthew Henry says this Christ has dealt fairly and faithfully with us in telling us the worst we can meet with in his service. And he would have us deal so with ourselves in sitting down and counting the cost.

Isn't this beautiful? That Jesus Christ would tell his disciples up front, I think this is the reverse of bait and switch. You're all familiar with that sales tactic, bait and switch. It's really good, it's really good, it's really good. And then when you buy, it's something else.

Jesus is not that way at all. Just like Matthew Henry says, he's dealt fairly and faithfully with us. He's told us the worst of it. You might encounter wolves. You might be scourged.

You might be handed over to be put to death. And he would have us deal the same way with ourselves. He would have us sit down and count the cost. Do we really want to follow Jesus? Is this lip service for us, or do we understand what might be out there?

Because Jesus says these things are out there. And we've lived a long time without persecution and in comfort in the United States of America. And for us to presume that this will never happen in our lifetime or the lifetime of our children or the lifetime of our grandchildren. And not to make our children and grandchildren ready for this is hopelessly naive. Most of the church, when you read this passage, they know what Jesus is talking about.

This is one of the few places on earth where we think, wow, that sounds bad. Most people have seen this. Throughout the ages, most people have lived somewhere that looked something like this. John 16, verses 1 through the first part of 4. John 16, 1 through 4.

Jesus says, these things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them." Jesus is vaccinating his disciples.

He's vaccinating them. He's making them ready for the full dose. He's telling them. So when they come, they'll think back and say, Jesus told us about this. We knew this was coming.

We know how to walk faithfully before the Lord because He spoke to us of these things. That you should not be made to stumble. These things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble. So these are the possibilities, now the rewards. The second half of verse 22 of our text in Matthew 10.

Matthew 10, 22, the second half. But he who endures to the end will be saved. Persecutions coming, endure. Persevere. Possess your soul in patience.

Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5. He's already said these things, hasn't he? Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, verses 11 and 12. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice And be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

He who endures to the end will be saved." Jesus is not training sprinters. Not training sprinters. Not desiring sprinters. It's training marathoners. It's training long-distance runners who will endure to the end and be saved.

Who will persevere through hardship and trial and maybe death. This is nothing more than we'll encounter in Matthew 13 when we get to the parable of the seeds. There's this seed that is cast onto stony ground. And it springs up immediately because the person just receives the Word with joy. But verse Matthew 13, 21 says this, Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while, For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, Immediately he stumbles.

We can fake it with each other. You can thank me out. I can thank you out. It's so easy. But time and circumstances will reveal these things.

Persecution will come. He who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. And so the seed might spring up because you've received the Word with joy. But for those who have no root in themselves, time and circumstances, the persecution is coming. It might be big or it might be small, but it will be enough to make you stumble.

Jesus speaks to what to do when persecution comes. This is verse 23. What to do when persecution comes. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." The nature of the mission for his apostles, the ones he was sending out with orders, was to get the word out.

So you can't stay here and wrangle endlessly with the persecutors because you've got to get the word out. So if they're persecuting you in this city, they will not receive you in this city, you flee to the next city. Not to get away from the trouble, but to keep the Gospel moving forward. Matthew Henry says this, it is no inglorious thing for Christ's soldiers to quit their ground provided they do not quit their colors. In other words, you might be able to change locations, but you better not go be under another banner.

You can only go to another place if you remain under the banner of Jesus Christ. He says, they may go out of the way of danger, though they must not go out of the way of duty. And this is a good way to think about the liberty to go or not to go. You have to think in terms of strategic withdrawals. This is not distancing ourselves from the Gospel in any way, shape, or form.

This is a strategic withdrawal in order to keep the Kingdom of God advancing somewhere else where there might be fruit. Okay, part B of the verse. Second half of the verse. Many, many different views on this. So a couple of comments before I just lay out the different views and then land really lightly on one of them.

First is, I would say this deals with the end times. It most likely deals with eschatology, but it's a lousy place to start to build your eschatology, because there's not very much here. So you're going to have to fit it into your eschatology, and so am I. But it's not going to drive our eschatology. It's half a verse, and it doesn't give you much.

The second thing I would say is what I've already said, which is there's not a lot here. There's not a lot to hang our hats on here. So I'm going to give you eight views of what the second half of this verse means. The first one. There are multiple scholars who reject the godhood of Jesus and or reject the inerrancy of Scripture who explain it by saying that Jesus was just wrong.

He thought certain things were going to happen, and they didn't end up happening. So the church had to adjust their end time theology. Or that they say, this verse isn't authentic. This doesn't even belong in scripture. So because they reject the godhead of Jesus or they reject the inerrancy of scripture, we're just voting them off the island right now.

They get no more time. But those views are out there. And if that's true, then the Word of God is completely compromised and go do something else with your life. The second, in the wake of the sending out of the 70, here's what Luke 10.1 says. After these things, the Lord appointed 70 others also and sent them out two by two before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to go.

So this is where he sent the seventy. Before his face into every city where he was about to go. So some people look at the second half of verse 23 in our text today and say, Jesus is just saying, boys you gotta head start. I'm coming right after you and before you're done, I will have come. I'm sending you before me and I'm coming.

So that's possible. That's possible. I'm not sure but I don't think that's a good explanation. But it at least gets you away from eschatology. So in that sense, I'm all for that one.

Number three, Jesus is talking about the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was when he was declared to be the Son of God with power. And so people say, this is the coming of the Son of Man. It's the resurrection. Number four, there are others that say, it's at the ascension.

The ascension is when Jesus Christ is given his kingdom. And so they would go, and this is Dan Horn. Dan Horn thinks it's the ascension. So they'll go to Daniel 7 and read 13 and 14, which I'll read. And they'll say, this is that.

And when you look at it, you say, hey, there's some overlap in the words and the phrases. So I read it and think, maybe it could be this. Daniel 7, 13 and 14. I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man." So here's our first overlap. Coming with the clouds of heaven.

So so far so good. We have the coming of the Son of Man. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed." So the ascension, Jesus is actually taken up in the clouds remember the angels say he'll he'll return in the same way in which you've seen him taken up on the clouds of heaven.

So Jesus comes to the Father on the clouds of heaven and he's given the kingdom, an everlasting kingdom, a dominion that will last forever and ever. Could be that. Number five, Pentecost. The sending of the promised Holy Spirit. Could be Pentecost.

A number of commentators take that position. Number six, the dispensationalist view where all of church history is just a parenthesis, just a parenthesis. Redemptive history is really about Israel, national Israel. And so church history is a parenthesis. And so it's not accounted for in this prophecy.

So it's like church history doesn't happen. And that, you don't get out of this text. You might have to fit this verse into your end times theology and it leave you with that. If you end up with if you end up with dispensationalist theology You have to do something with the second half of this verse. Here's what they do with it.

Number seven, Jesus coming in judgment in 70 AD. In 70 AD, the Romans come And they make true what Jesus has said, that not one stone of the temple will be on top of another. It is really practical annihilation of the city of Jerusalem. I think it's this. I think it is the coming of Jesus in judgment.

And the reason I think so is just very straightforward. Jesus says, you will not have gone through all the cities of Israel before my coming. And I think that's why he wants them working quickly to progressively get through with Israel because Israel's time is so limited. They are going to be wiped out as a nation within 40 years of when this is said. So I think it's this but man am I landing on it lightly.

I could be completely wrong. My eschatology has not worked out yet and I realize the time is short. If not for the world in me figuring out my eschatology. And then finally number eight, it's the second coming. If you make it the second coming, then you have all sorts of problems and I don't even know why you would invite those problems.

I never could figure, the commentators that said that, I never could figure out exactly what they gained that would make them want to To take on all the theological problems that result from that, but that's a view so here's what I say Don't land too hard the commentators don't Gill was very repers John Gill was very representative of them, and he just says it could be the resurrection, it could be Pentecost, it could be 70 AD. And he just leaves it at that. He doesn't even say, I'm landing lightly on this. He just keeps moving. The reason there are eight different views, and actually, that's condensing them.

There are more views on this. The text doesn't say. It's hard. There's not enough hard markers in the text to help you sort out exactly what it is. The point is they need to keep moving.

There is urgency. When they face persecution in one city, they're to flee to another. Not to distance themselves from the gospel, but to keep the gospel moving because the time short, Jesus Christ is going to come in some sense before they are through all the cities in Israel. Next section, verse 24 through 28. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household? Therefore, do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. And what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.

And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Jesus is teaching us to be like Him. We're in discipleship 101, 201, 301, 401, and never-ending series of courses to be like him. He's training us to be like him. We're servants learning to be like our master. That's what Christians are.

They're followers of Christ who are being conformed into his image. You've probably heard this a hundred times this year. What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Normally when people say that, what they're talking about is, stop doing the same thing over and over again.

Actually, what Jesus is exhorting to is, absolutely do the same thing over and over again. Watch Him and do what He's doing over and over again, and yet we shouldn't expect a different result. The result that Jesus has got is the result that we should expect because we're not above our teacher. And if we're like Him, then we can expect the same result. They called our Master the Elzebub.

The Prince of Demons or the Chief of Demons. It literally means Lord of the house. Lord of the house. He's the Lord of the house of the enemy. Now think about this.

They called Jesus Christ the exalted head of the people of God for all time. They called him actually the despised head of all the enemies of God. This term Beelzebub probably comes from Second Kings 1, verse 2. Now, Aaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers and said to them, go inquire of Baal-Zabab, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.

It was Baal, like Baal worship. B-A-A-L. Zabab was the name of the god. And it was the god of Ekron. He was the lord of the flies, actually.

And that's probably, that term then became synonymous with Satan. The Lord of the house of devils. This is what they're calling Jesus. Could there be a worse slander for Jesus? Jesus actually calls this blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

To call Jesus the Lord of Devils is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. And this should let us know what to expect. They're going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at you. They might throw the kitchen sink at you. If they call Jesus the Lord of demons, the chief of demons, what might they call the members of his house?

Jesus is helping us to be wise as serpents, harmless as does. Because unless you know this, you're going to lose your innocence. You're going to lose your harmlessness when these things start to be said about you. So Be wise as a serpent. Know that these things are coming to you so that you may maintain your innocence and your harmlessness because it's coming.

Here are the options if you're experiencing no persecution in your life. Here are the options that Jesus gives us. You're above Him, or you're not like Him. That's it. Two items on the list.

If you're experiencing no persecution, either you're above him, the text leaves that open, so test yourself. Or you're not like him. Ryle, J.C. Ryle says this, If we let the world alone, it will probably let us alone. But if we try to do it spiritual good, it will hate us as it did our Master.

Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 2. 2 Corinthians 2, verses 15 and the first part of 16. 2 Corinthians 2, 15 and 16. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.

And Jesus is saying that in this text. Jesus is the problem. If you want to call it that. Jesus is the problem. That's why he says, for my name's sake.

That's why you're going to be hated. That will never be the stated reason, but that's the reason for all the venom, is that Jesus is the problem. You are the aroma of death to those who are perishing. And Jesus is sending us out to preach the Kingdom. There's a King.

It's Jesus. But I want to be King. I don't want a King. I am the King. And this brings us to our text today.

When you have the message of the kingship of Jesus Christ on your lips, those who are perishing, that smells like death to them. They want to be king. And yet they know in their heart of hearts that they can't be king, that the end thereof is destruction. So Jesus lays all these things out before them and then he says this in verse 26 and verse 28 and verse 31, Do not fear. He says it three times.

Do not fear. And he gives us the first reason not to fear in the second half of verse 26. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known. Everything that your persecutors are saying and doing is known by God and will be made manifest. Every single thing that they're saying.

Every single thing that they're thinking. Every single thing that they're doing. And all the slanders about you, those things will be known. It'll be known about you, what you're saying, thinking, and doing. And you will be exonerated.

Sometimes in this life, sometimes on that great day, But always, always, always, nothing will remain hidden. Many times it happens in this life. Wisdom is known by her children. And So many times, the wisdom of Christians, though it is slandered, it will give birth to children. And people will see those children running around.

Not literal children, figurative children. And people will be able to look back in five years and say, that was slander. It happens in this life often. But even if it doesn't happen in this life, a day has been appointed by God. A day has been appointed by God when all the wrongs will be made right.

Where All the slanders will be revealed as rubbish, as slander. It must be enough for us that God knows. When we are slandered, People are paralyzed by slander. We cannot be paralyzed by slander. We cannot be neutralized for the kingdom of God, for the gospel of Jesus Christ by slander.

It must be enough for us that God knows and that He is appointed a day. Hebrews 12.3 says this, For consider Him, Jesus Christ, for consider Christ, who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. When we're slandered, when we're persecuted, when we're tempted to just be allowed to be neutralized for the kingdom of God, for the gospel of Jesus Christ, we look at Christ. We remember Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself. And so we don't become weary.

We don't become discouraged in our souls. Verse 27 says something that's closely related to that. Jesus says, whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light, and whatever you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. So Jesus is saying the same thing about our words that he just said about our conduct which is this, persecution must not have a muzzling effect. Slander, accusations must not have a muzzling effect on the people of God.

Matthew Henry says this, I love this. There is no part of Christ's Gospel that needs upon any accounts to be concealed. No part of the Gospel needs to be concealed. In never so mixed a multitude, let it be plainly and fully delivered. Let the children be there.

Let the women be there. Let your neighbors be there. Let the co-workers be there. And you can preach the whole counsel of God. Nothing needs to be concealed from the Gospel.

Acts 5, 17-20. Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, and they were filled with indignation and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, Go, stand in the temple. Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. Just had their hands laid on them, get them to stop, angel lets them out.

Go stand in the temple and speak all the words of this life. This is our example, this is what we are to do. This is what Jesus is saying in Matthew 10. The things that are whispered to you, go on to the housetops and proclaim them. Verse 28.

This is the second reason why we should not fear. Jesus says, do not fear. Here is the second reason. Our fear of God is to rule over the fear of man and extinguish it. The fear of God is to extinguish The fear of man.

Proverbs speaks to this. Proverbs 9 and 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 29 and 25 speaks to the other side of that coin.

The fear of man brings a snare. But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be saved. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of man brings a snare. Listen to Isaiah about this.

This is Isaiah 8, 12 and 13. Do not say a conspiracy concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow. Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. All the people around you saying, it's a conspiracy.

And Isaiah says, let him be your fear. Let him be your dread. Not all the other things that people are talking about. Oh, the sky is falling. Not when God is your fear.

Not when God is your dread. Listen again in Isaiah 51. Isaiah 51, 12 and 13. I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass.

And you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? Isaiah would teach us to look at the persecutor, the man who is there to put us to death and just see grass, just grass, he'll pass away. His place won't even remember him after he's gone.

But we'll fear the one who stretched out the foundations of the world. He actually says, Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die and of the son of a man who will be made like grass And you forget the Lord your Maker. To fear man is to forget God, and it is a great sin. To fear man is to forget God. That's what Isaiah 51 says.

And this is a great sin. And so we're called to always be building this beautiful, overwhelming, compelling vision of God so that when we're staring down the barrel we won't blink because we know God. We know that He spoke the worlds into existence by the power of His Word. So man is nothing to us. There's nothing that builds our vision of God like just reading the Bible.

Learn of Him. Know what He's like by just applying yourselves to the Scriptures. And you'll find yourselves fearing God more, fearing man less, less. Man becomes a shadow when we immerse ourselves in the Word of God. May it be so of us.

May our vision of God be so enlarged by just soaking in the Word of God, by being like that tree that's planted by rivers of water. The last section, verses 29 through 31. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground, apart from your father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Do not fear, therefore. You are of more value than many sparrows." These last three verses are so precious. They speak of the love of our Father for us. What a treasure these last three verses are. It's a father that loves his children and is comforting them, even his children, that he's sending out among the wolves, knowing that they'll be persecuted, having ordained that they'll be persecuted.

Here's what the Expositors Bible commentary says, and it's so helpful. Jesus's third argument against fear is thus the very opposite of what is commonly advanced. People say that God cares about the big things, but not about little details. But Jesus says that God's sovereignty over the tiniest detail should give us confidence that He also super intends the larger matters. Did you get that?

Most people think God's concerned about the big things. Who wins the election or things like that. These little things don't matter to God. And Expositor's Bible commentary is rightly saying that the Bible teaches exactly the opposite of that. The Bible teaches that he ordains just the very smallest things, so we'll have total confidence that the large things are nothing to him.

Because He moves around the individual molecules. He moves around the sparrows. Notice this, there's no price for a single sparrow. What's the price on a single sparrow in this text? One copper coin for two.

They won't even price them individually. Some translations say two for a penny, because the penny is just our smallest denomination coin. It's our smallest value coin. So the point here is that this thing that man doesn't even regard so that he can even price it individually. You get two for one on sparrows.

Man doesn't even value it enough to be able to value one of these. And yet, God values it so much that He appoints the day of its death. Every sparrow that dies, God has appointed its day of death. It doesn't say, not apart from his knowledge, it says apart from his will. It's not just that God knows about it, it's that He determines it.

Look at the verse. Apart from His will. It is the will of God that that sparrow dies on that day. This is our God. This is His level of involvement.

You who think that You just set the world spinning and then just step back to see what would happen. No, no. Determining the day of death for every sparrow. Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6.26. Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly Father feeds them are you not much more valuable than they." There's just an extended teaching on that.

Every day of a sparrow's life God feeds it And then when its life is over, he's appointed the day of its death. His will determines that it will die. He knows How many hairs are on your head? You don't know that about yourself. How many hairs do you have today?

God knows the answer to that question. God numbers everything. Dare we think our persecutions have escaped the gaze of God. No, He has ordained every one of them. Not only does He know about it, He has appointed it for you.

He has appointed every one of the slanders, every one of the persecutions. If he knows the number of hairs on your head, the assaults against you are not news to him. How absurd to think that it might have escaped your notice. He knows how many hairs are there. But by the way the answer is between 100, 000 and 500, 000 depending on the person.

Mark Cole's 100, 000 and James Lundquist is 500, 000. So the summary of the reasons why we should not fear. I said three times, do not fear, do not fear, do not fear. Reason Number one is verse 26. Everything will be revealed.

Everything will be revealed. Don't worry. All these things will come to light. Number two, God is the one who is worthy of fear. Verse 28, only God is worthy of fear.

Men are not worth your fear. God is worthy of your fear. Number three, everything that happens to you has been appointed by God. Verse 29, everything that happens to you has been appointed by God, and He's your Father. He loves you.

If you're a part of His people, He laid down His life for you. So don't fear. In your afflictions, in your persecutions, amidst the slanders, don't fear. Not for one minute. God loves you.

He's appointing everything that He's bringing to you. And He's working it together for good. In conclusion, John 16, 33. These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer.

I have overcome the world. This is our God. He wants us to be of good cheer. He wants to give us peace. He promises that in this world we will have tribulation.

That is a promise. You can take that to the bank. But even so, he says, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Let's pray.

Oh God you are a great God. You know the hair count on my head. You who have bought me with a great price, a loving father, predisposed to always do me good, working out all things for the good of those who are the called according to your purpose. You'll weave these things together in a way that will bring you glory. God, we see in your Word that you have promised us tribulation.

Persecution will come upon us. We receive your exhortation to be of good cheer. We are of good cheer today. We see our loving Father ordaining all things for your own glory and we say amen, amen. Do all things to your own glory.

Use us in whatever way you desire to use us God. Oh God may we be poured out as a drink offering as Paul says, pleasing to you. Whatever would please you God. Help us to endure to the end that we might be saved, that great our reward be in heaven. We thank you God in Jesus name, Amen.