16 Sermons Tagged "Persecution"

Living the life of a Christian is not always joyous. In fact for some, like most of the disciples, there are times when it can be miserable. Yet in his "High Priestly Prayer" before his arrest, Jesus prayed for God the Father to give us his joy.

Jesus gave the binding and loosing keys to the church after his resurrection when he appeared to the disciples and other believers. We use the binding key (the Law) when someone is embracing a sin to show them they are damned to Hell and need a savior, and we use the loosing key (the Gospel) when they repent to forgive them of that sin and tell them Jesus is their savior.

Christians today are often persecuted or ridiculed, and it may seem like God is not paying attention. However, God is still in control, and he still keeps his enemies in line and uses them for our benefit. We look to God's use of the prophet Isaiah and the Babylonians before, during, and after they conquered Jerusalem to see this in action.

Even today we may face opposition or persecution when proclaiming your faith in Jesus, but we should not let that stop us because God is control; He is working to both keep us in His salvation and to help us spread His message.