========================
What are we going to do?
========================
1)
What are we going
to do?
o
We are going to
find out the following about persecution:
§
It is certain
that disciples will be persecuted.
§
Disciples will be
hated by everyone because of Jesus.
§
Disciples who
endure persecution will be saved.
§
Disciples should
bless those who persecute them.
========================
What are we going to do?
========================
========================
It is certain that disciples will
be persecuted
========================
John 15:20
20Remember what I told you:
‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will
persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
----------------------------------------
2)
Whom does ‘I’
refer to?
o
‘I’ refers to Jesus.
3)
Whom does ‘you’
refer to?
o
‘You’ refers to the
disciples.
4)
What did Jesus
mean when he said that a servant is not greater than his master?
o
Jesus meant that a
servant is treated no better than his master is.
5)
What should be
the expectation of the disciples if people persecute Jesus?
o
People will
persecute the disciples also.
6)
What should be
the expectation of the disciples if people obey Jesus’ teaching?
o
People will obey the
disciples’ teaching also.
7)
Should the disciples
expect that people will persecute them and why?
o
Yes, because people
did persecute Jesus.
----------------------------------------
2 Timothy 3:12
12In fact, everyone who wants
to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
----------------------------------------
8)
What do we call a
person who lives a godly life in Christ Jesus?
o
A disciple.
9)
What is the
certainty that a disciple will be persecuted?
o
It is certain.
----------------------------------------
Conclusion
10)
What have we
found out about persecution?
o
It is certain
that disciples will be persecuted.
========================
It is certain that disciples will
be persecuted
========================
========================
Disciples will be persecuted
and hated by everyone because of Jesus
========================
11)
What are we going
to do?
o
We are going to
find out the following about persecution:
§
Disciples will be
persecuted and hated by everyone because of Jesus.
----------------------------------------
Matthew 10:21-22
21“Brother will betray
brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their
parents and have them put to death.
22You will be hated by
everyone because of me...
----------------------------------------
12)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 21 what is the source of persecution?
o
Persecution
originates from within the family.
13)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 21 how severe is the persecution that originates from
within the family?
o
It is the most
severe persecution by way of death.
14)
Whom does ‘you’
in verse 22 refer to?
o
‘You’ in verse 22
refers to the disciples.
15)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 22 for whose sake will disciples be hated by everyone?
o
Disciples will be
hated by everyone because of Jesus.
----------------------------------------
Matthew 24:9
9Then you will be handed over
to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be
hated by all nations because of me.
----------------------------------------
16)
Whom does ‘you’
refer to?
o
‘You’ refers to the
disciples.
17)
Whom does ‘me’
refer to?
o
‘Me’ refers to Jesus.
18)
Who will be
persecuted and put to death?
o
Disciples will be
§
Persecuted.
§
And put to death.
19)
What does ‘all
nations’ mean?
o
‘All nations’
means all people groups.
20)
How universal
will the hatred be for disciples?
o
It will be from
all people groups on earth.
21)
For whose sake
will disciples be persecuted and hated by everyone?
o
Disciples will be
§
Persecuted.
§
And hated.
o
By everyone
because of Jesus.
----------------------------------------
Conclusion
22)
What have we
found out about persecution?
o
Disciples will be
§
Persecuted.
§
And hated.
o
By everyone
because of Jesus.
========================
Disciples will be persecuted
and hated by everyone because of Jesus
========================
========================
Disciples who endure
persecution will be saved
========================
23)
What are we going
to do?
o
We are going to
find out the following about persecution:
§
Disciples who
endure persecution will be rewarded.
----------------------------------------
Hebrews 10:32-35
32Remember those earlier days
after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of
suffering.
33Sometimes you were publicly
exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with
those who were so treated.
34You suffered along with
those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property,
because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
35So do not throw away your
confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
----------------------------------------
24)
What does it mean
by receiving the light?
o
It means
§
Repenting.
§
And believing.
o
The good news of
Jesus Christ.
25)
Whom does ‘you’
in verse 32 refer to?
o
‘You’ in verse 32
refers to the disciples.
26)
What does ‘those
earlier days after you had received the light’ refer to?
o
It refers to the time.
o
Soon after
o
The disciples
§
Repented.
§
And believed.
o
The good news of
Jesus Christ.
27)
According to
verse 32 what did the disciples experience soon after they repented and
believed the good news of Jesus Christ?
o
They endured in a
great conflict full of suffering.
28)
According to
verses 33 and 34 how did the disciples suffer?
o
They
§
Sometimes were
publicly exposed to
Ø
Insult.
Ø
And persecution.
§
And at other
times stood side by side with those who were so treated.
o
They
§
Suffered along with
those in prison.
§
And joyfully
accepted the confiscation of your property.
29)
What does suffering
along with those in prison mean?
o
It means
§
Showing sympathy.
§
And offering
assistance.
o
To those in
prison.
30)
According to
verse 34 what enabled the disciples to joyfully accept the confiscation of their
property?
o
They knew that they
had eternal possessions that were
§
Better.
§
And more lasting.
o
Than earthly ones.
31)
According to
verse 35 what will that confidence concerning eternal possessions bring?
o
It will be richly
rewarded.
----------------------------------------
Matthew 5:10-12
10Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when
people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.
----------------------------------------
32)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 10 what is the blessedness of disciples who are persecuted
because of righteousness?
o
Theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
33)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 11 what is the blessedness of disciples who are insulted,
persecuted and maligned because of him?
o
Great is their
reward in heaven.
34)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 12 whom did these persecutors persecute in the same way?
o
In the same way
they persecuted the prophets who were before the disciples.
----------------------------------------
Matthew 10:22
22You will be hated by
everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
----------------------------------------
35)
What is the promise
to a disciple who stands firm to the end in the midst of widespread persecution
because of Jesus?
o
The disciple will
be saved.
----------------------------------------
Conclusion
36)
What have we
found out about persecution?
o
Disciples who
endure persecution will be saved.
========================
Disciples who endure
persecution will be saved
========================
========================
Disciples should bless those
who persecute them
========================
Matthew 5:44-45
44But I tell you, love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45that you may be children of
your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
----------------------------------------
37)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 44 what does he advocate when it comes to our enemies?
o
Jesus advocates
loving our enemies.
38)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 44 what does he advocate when it comes to those who persecute us?
o
Jesus advocates praying for those who persecute us.
39)
What did Jesus
intend for his disciples to accomplish in what he advocates?
o
Jesus intended
for his disciples to overcome evil with good instead of being overcome by evil,
returning an eye for an eye.
40)
According to what
Jesus said in verses 44 and 45 what would become of the disciples who love their enemies and pray for
those who persecute them?
o
They would be children of their Father in heaven.
41)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 45 do the
evil and the good have sunshine and the righteous and the unrighteous have rain because of their own
merit and why?
o
No, because
sunshine and rain
have been given them as a gracious gift from our Father in heaven.
42)
What motivates
our Father in heaven to give his gracious gifts?
o
Our Father in
heaven gives his gracious gifts out of his own gracious character that has
nothing to do with the recipients of his grace.
43)
Do the disciples love their enemies just for the
sake of loving their enemies and pray for those who persecute them just
for the sake of praying for
those who persecute them and why?
o
No, because the
disciples do so striving to be children of their gracious Father in heaven.
o
Jesus made it clear that
§
Loving our enemies.
§
And praying for those who persecute us.
o
Is incidental to
our drive to be children
of our Father in heaven.
44)
Who then should
be the focus and motivation for
loving our enemies and praying
for those who persecute us?
o
Our Father in heaven
should be
§
The singular
focus.
§
And the sole
motivation.
o
For our ethics.
o
When
o
We
§
Love.
§
And pray.
o
Even though
o
On the surface it
is about
§
Our enemies.
§
And those who
persecute us.
45)
Do the disciples
then love their enemies and
pray for those who persecute them for their own good as much as doing so for the benefits
of others and why?
o
Yes, because by
doing so they may be children
of our Father in heaven.
46)
Why is it
important to establish the right focus and motivation for loving our enemies
and praying for those who
persecute us?
o
It is only then.
o
That
o
We can attain the
high ideal.
o
That
o
Jesus advocates.
----------------------------------------
Romans 12:14
14Bless
those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
----------------------------------------
47)
How are disciples
to deal with those who persecute them?
o
They are to bless
those who persecute them.
----------------------------------------
Conclusion
48)
What have we
found out about persecution?
o
Disciples should
bless those who persecute them.
========================
Disciples should bless those
who persecute them
========================
========================
What are we going to do?
========================
49)
What are we going
to do next?
o
We are going to glean
some lessons from two incidents of persecution.
o
As
o
Paul and Barnabas
preached the gospel.
========================
What are we going to do next?
========================
========================
What happened to Paul and
Barnabas at Iconium?
========================
Acts 14:1-7
1At Iconium
Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so
effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
2But the Jews who refused to
believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the
brothers.
3So Paul and Barnabas spent
considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the
message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
4The people of the city were
divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.
5There was a plot afoot among
both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone
them.
6But they found out about it
and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the
surrounding country,
7where they continued to
preach the gospel.
----------------------------------------
50)
According to
verse 1 where did Paul and Barnabas go at Iconium?
o
They went as
usual into the Jewish synagogue.
51)
According to
verse 1 what happened in the Jewish synagogue?
o
There they spoke
so effectively.
o
That
o
A great number of
Jews and Greeks believed.
52)
According to
verse 2 what did those Jews do who refused to believe?
o
They
§
Stirred up the
other Gentiles.
§
And poisoned
their minds.
o
Against the
brothers.
53)
What happened
when large numbers of people believed?
o
Opposition arose.
54)
According to
verse 3 what did Paul and Barnabas do regardless of the opposition?
o
They spent
considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord.
55)
According to verse
3 how did the Lord confirm the message Paul and Barnabas preached?
o
The Lord confirmed
the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
56)
According to
verse 4 what was the attitude of the people of the city as a result?
o
They were divided.
o
Some sided with
the Jews.
o
Others with the
apostles.
57)
According to
verse 5 what were both Jews and Gentiles plotting against Paul and Barnabas?
o
They were plotting
to
§
Mistreat
Ø
Paul.
Ø
And Barnabas.
§
And stone them.
58)
According to
verses 6 and 7 what did Paul and Barnabas do when they found out about the plot?
o
They fled
§
To the Lycaonian cities of
Ø
Lystra.
Ø
And Derbe.
§
And to the
surrounding country.
§
Where
§
They continued to
preach the gospel.
59)
What did Paul and
Barnabas encounter at Iconium when they persisted in preaching
the gospel in the face of opposition?
o
They encountered
persecution.
60)
According to
verses 6 and 7 what did Paul and Barnabas do when they encountered persecution at
Iconium?
o
They fled
§
To the Lycaonian cities of
Ø
Lystra.
Ø
And Derbe.
§
And to the
surrounding country.
§
Where
§
They continued to
preach the gospel.
61)
Did Paul and
Barnabas stop preaching the gospel when they encountered persecution at Iconium and why?
o
No, because they
continued to preach the gospel in
§
Lystra.
§
And Derbe.
62)
Are Iconium, Lystra and Derbe cities in the same region?
o
Yes.
63)
How do we
generalize what Paul and Barnabas did when they encountered persecution from preaching
the gospel in one place?
o
They fled to another
place in the same region.
o
Where
o
They could
continue to preach the gospel.
========================
What happened to Paul and
Barnabas at Iconium?
========================
========================
What happened to Paul and
Barnabas in Lystra and Derbe?
========================
Acts 14:8-23
8In Lystra
there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never
walked.
9He listened to Paul as he
was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he
had faith to be healed
10and called out, “Stand up
on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
11When the crowd saw what
Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian
language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”
12Barnabas they called Zeus,
and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.
13The priest of Zeus, whose
temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates
because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14But when the apostles
Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into
the crowd, shouting:
15“Friends,
why are you doing this? We too are
only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from
these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth
and the sea and everything in them.
16In the past, he let all
nations go their own way.
17Yet he has not left himself
without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and
crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your
hearts with joy.”
18Even with these words, they
had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
19Then some Jews came from
20But after the disciples had
gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and
Barnabas left for Derbe.
21They preached the gospel in
that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and
22strengthening
the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the
23Paul and Barnabas appointed
elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to
the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
----------------------------------------
64)
According to
verse 8 what was the condition of a lame man who sat in Lystra?
o
He
§
Had been that way
from birth.
§
And had never
walked.
65)
According to
verse 9 what was the lame man listening to?
o
He was listening
to Paul speaking.
66)
According to
verse 9 what did Paul see when he looked at the lame man?
o
He saw that the lame
man had faith to be healed.
67)
According to
verse 10 what did Paul do next?
o
He called out to the
lame man, “Stand up on your feet!”
68)
According to
verse 10 what was the lame man’s response?
o
He
§
Jumped up.
§
And began to walk.
69)
According to
verse 11 what did the crowd do when they saw what Paul had done?
o
They shouted in
the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to
us in human form!”
70)
According to
verse 12 what did the crowd call Barnabas and Paul respectively?
o
Barnabas they
called Zeus.
o
And Paul they
called Hermes.
o
Because he was
the chief speaker.
71)
According to
verse 13 what did the priest of Zeus do and why?
o
The priest of Zeus
brought
§
Bulls.
§
And wreaths.
o
To the city gates.
o
Because
o
He and the crowd
wanted to offer sacrifices to
§
Barnabas.
§
And Paul.
72)
According to
verses 14 and 18 what did Barnabas and Paul do when they heard of the intention
of the priest of Zeus and the crowd?
o
They
§
Tore their
clothes.
§
Rushed out into
the crowd.
§
And tried but had
difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
73)
According to
verse 19 what did some Jews from
o
They won the
crowd over.
74)
According to verse
19 what did the Jews from
o
They
§
Stoned Paul.
§
And dragged him
outside the city.
o
Thinking he was
dead.
75)
What did the Jews
from
o
They just rid the
city of
76)
According to
verse 20 what happened to Paul after the disciples had gathered around him?
o
Paul
§
Got up.
§
And went back
into the city.
77)
What did Paul do
when he could not flee the persecution?
o
He
§
Endured it.
§
And in fact
seemed to seek it.
o
By going back
into the city.
78)
Had Paul been
injured badly and why?
o
Yes, because his
persecutors thought that he had died.
79)
According to
verses 20 and 21 what did Paul and Barnabas do after Paul almost died from
preaching the gospel in Lystra?
o
They went to Derbe to continue to preach the gospel.
80)
Would persecution
against Paul and Barnabas subside if they would just stop preaching the gospel?
o
Yes.
81)
Did Paul and Barnabas
let up preaching the gospel after Paul survived the failed attempt at killing
him?
o
No.
82)
How do we
characterize Paul’s attitude in the face of severe persecution against
preaching the gospel?
o
Fortitude.
o
Resilience.
o
And tenacity.
83)
According to
verses 20 and 21 what did God bring about in Derbe as
a result?
o
God enabled
§
Paul.
§
And Barnabas.
o
To win a large
number of disciples through preaching the gospel.
84)
What correlation
is there between persecution and the increase of the number of disciples?
o
The number of disciples
increases.
o
When
o
They endure
persecution.
85)
According to
verses 21 and 22 what did Paul and Barnabas do with the disciples in Lystra, Iconium and
o
They
§
Strengthened the
disciples.
§
Encouraged them
to remain true to the faith.
§
And admonished them
that they must go through many hardships to enter the
86)
What object
lessons did the disciples learn from Paul and Barnabas when it came to
persecution?
o
They would be
persecuted.
o
If
o
They preached the
gospel.
o
They should flee.
o
When
o
They were
persecuted.
o
They needed to
have the fortitude to endure persecution.
o
When
o
They could not
flee from it.
87)
What would be an
indication that the disciples remained true to the faith?
o
The disciples remained
true to the faith.
o
When
o
They continued in
it in the midst of persecution.
o
Unlike seed sown
on rocky places as told in the parable of the sower.
88)
According to
verse 22 what is entering the
o
Entering the
89)
According to
verse 23 what did Paul and Barnabas do for the disciples in each church?
o
They appointed
elders for them in each church.
90)
According to
verse 23 to whom did Paul and Barnabas commit the disciples?
o
With prayer and
fasting, they committed the disciples to the Lord.
91)
Had the disciples
repented and believed the good news for long and why?
o
No, the remark ‘in
whom they had put their trust’ in verse 23 suggests that they had only recently
§
Repented.
§
And believed the
good news.
92)
What is another
sign that the disciples had repented and believed the good news only recently?
o
Elders were appointed
for the disciples in each church.
o
Disciples did not
volunteer for the leadership positions.
93)
In the midst of
what were the churches in Derbe, Lystra
and Iconium born?
o
They were born in
the midst of persecution.
94)
How did the
disciples whose churches were born in the midst of persecution regard
persecution in the context of the cost of discipleship?
o
They regarded
enduring persecution to be part of the cost of discipleship.
========================
What happened to Paul and Barnabas
in Lystra and Derbe?
========================