Church leaders and those in jail, and that
includes also the average person that might attend
a house church.
Those reports often include beatings and torture.
China allows a three-self patriotic church, but
it is controlled by the government.
They are currently rewriting the Bible, changing the
text from the original text to agree with
Chinese culture and dictatorial and socialistic principles.
There are severe restrictions on what pastors can
say, and children are not allowed in the
three-self churches.
So true Christians join underground house churches.
With opposition, with difficulties in life, we
also need to tell others about the Lord.
We also need to do what the Word
of God says.
We also need to follow Jesus when he
says, go, sheep, go, do something.
So, but don't give up and don't lose
heart.
We must not give up when we hurt,
when weak, when failing, when we're opposed, when
we lose courage, when we faint, or when
we grow weary.
The just shall live by faith.
Those are the sheep.
Those are us.
And we are to live by faith, and
the Lord provides and strengthens us to do
the task that he has given to us.
So don't give up and don't lose heart.
God allows difficulties in our lives for us
to become more like his Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, and to live our lives in
dependence upon him.
Yes, we need higher help, and he will
provide it if we ask him.
Without the challenges, we would never grow in
character, nor grow in wisdom, nor grow in
faith, and so life's challenges should be seen
as invaluable in our personal development and to
draw nearer to God.
You see, God wants his children to live
in dependence upon him, so he allows difficulties
in our lives.
So don't give up, don't lose heart.
In the passage this morning, Jesus added to
the challenge for the sheep, the needs of
wolves are also to be considered.
They need to be saved.
He says that in addition to all the
problems we have in our own lives, God
expects us to do what he says.
He sends us to wolves.
So let us return to this text in
Matthew chapter 10, verses 16 to 20, and
just consider the text for a moment, and
then to consider how it relates to us.
In Matthew 10, verses 16 to 20, it
says, 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.
Scourging, by the way, means beatings.
You will be brought before governors and kings
for my sake as a testimony to them
and to the Gentiles, Gentiles are unbelievers.
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.
So in this passage here, Jesus explains that
the message of the gospel, the message of
salvation, is to be given in a certain
way.
It needs to be given in humility and
love, with great wisdom, and not offensive, but
as gentle and as harmless as a dove.
However, Jesus said, while doing so, we may
still face great difficulties, persecution, and opposition.
It may include job loss, it may include
jail, it may include beatings, it may include
other afflictions, but Jesus said, I'll never leave
you nor forsake you.
If we have to go through deep waters,
Jesus is with us.
So don't give up and don't lose heart.
Now Jesus explains also in this passage, in
verse 18, and there Jesus explains the reason
for sheep sent to wolves.
It is that we must be a witness
to the wolves.
We are to give a testimony of what
God has done in our lives to make
us sheep.
Jesus said, don't worry what to say, the
Holy Spirit will say through you to the
wolves the words that are to be said.
So Jesus wants us to be sheep, to
do the job of reaching out for him,
that some wolves might still accept the truth
and become Christians.
You see, Jesus also loves wolves and he
wants to reach some of the wolves to
make it to heaven.
So how does Jesus reach the wolves, the
unbelievers, the wicked?
Well, it is mainly through us, his followers.
It is through true Christians.
It is through sheep.
So don't give up and don't lose heart.
Because the Lord reminds us, he has turned
us into sheep so that we can go
to wolves.
In fact, he has equipped us greatly and
we'll cover that a little bit later on.
So now let me share a little story.
The Lord took me, a wolf, and made
me a sheep.
I have a very vivid memory of God
showing me that I was on my way
to hell because I was so evil.
It was an open grave I was in.
The grave was neatly cut out on four
sides.
I was lying on my back and could
not move and could not get out.
I had a huge rope of sin bound
around all of my body.
I could not move.
There I had the vision and that I
was on my way to hell.
I cried for help and no one came
to help me, the wolf.
Then I cried to the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, help me, save me, have mercy
on me.
Is there any mercy left for such a
sinner as I am, Lord?
Please save me.
The Son of God came and released me
from the grave and saved me.
I repented and prayed for him to save
me and he did.
Then heaven came down and glory filled my
soul.
When at the cross, the Savior made me
whole.
My sins were all forgiven and now I
am on the way to heaven.
I gave my life to Jesus.
I did not understand yet that I had
become a sheep among wolves.
At that particular time, I was still in
big business and I was actually a senior
vice president in a major company running businesses
in Europe and in Australia, New Zealand, Japan,
and so on.
I got a notice of a major business
meeting and I realized that we might have
meetings on Sunday.
So I asked the chairman for that particular
time.
I said to him, you know, I've become
a Christian and I really would like Sunday
off so that I can go to church
and I'll go to church.
He said, yes, that's fine.
You go ahead.
However, the chairman forgot.
And on Sunday morning, when I was getting
ready for church, all of a sudden, he
gave the news.
He said, we're going to have our business
meeting on all foreign companies in one hour
from now.
Get ready for it.
So I went back to my room and
I didn't know what to do.
You see, it is also possible if you're
required to work on Sundays to worship God
on another day.
But, yeah, Colossians says that don't let anyone
judge you by the day of a festivity.
So if you're required to work, there is
an alternative.
But for me, I had asked him, he
knew.
I had said I was a Christian and
the Bible says, let your yes be yes
and your no's be no's.
So I was praying on a little carpet
in that room, in that chairman's villa, and
I was sweating.
You see, I was understanding enough to know
that it likely would mean my job.
It would cost me my job if I
asked to go to church again.
And so I was praying and sweat was
dripping off me.
I was praying for nearly the whole hour
that I had the notice, but God didn't
respond.
And when he has written something in the
Bible, he doesn't need to tell us again.
So finally, I got up.
I toweled myself off a little bit.
I put on a new shirt and I
went outside.
And there the chairman and the vice chairman
were sitting at a great table full of
documents of all of the and they were
waiting for me.
And as I went into the room, I
said to the chairman, thank you for this
meeting.
But I did speak to you about Sunday
and that I had asked to be free
from this meeting or from a meeting and
that I really needed to go and worship
God in church.
And the vice chairman at that moment triumphantly
turned to the chairman and he said, you
see, you see, there's someone more greater than
you.
There's someone more important than you.
Then he turned to me and he said,
if you do what you say and leave
us now, you are fired.
I went to the door and the vice
chairman shouted behind me.
If you touch this doorknob, you are fired.
I looked at my hand and I said,
Satan, I used to be in your hands.
I no longer am in your hand.
I'm now in the hand of God.
Yes, I lost my vice president's, senior vice
president's position.
I got fired a year later.
However, miracles happened along the way and God
was with me.
And you know, the chairman gave me a
free office for three years next to his
office after I was fired.
He gave it to me free of charge
with the secretary and I used that office
for three years to study for the ministry.
At the same time, the chairman and the
vice chairman allowed me to start a Christian
fellowship inside the company.
You see, this is the way of sheep
among wolves.
And at Christmas time and by the time
I left that company after three years, we
had a Christmas party.
The head office had 200 people and 95
people came to the Christmas party that we
put on in the boardroom declaring our faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, beloved, don't give up, don't lose heart.
Remember the hand of God you're in.
Don't remember the hand of the devil or
of evil people because God is with you.
He will never leave you nor forsake you.
So, this was the beginning of my becoming
a sheep and more is awaiting me, beloved.
Let us go on to the next passage
in Matthew chapter 10 and now let us
go to verse 21 to 23.
Because times will get harder, beloved.
You think times are hard now, they will
become more difficult because the world is turning
against Christianity.
And there in Matthew 10, 21 to 23,
it says, Now brother will deliver up brother
to death and the father is child and
children will rise up against parents and cause
them to be put to death.
To death, beloved.
And you will be hated by all for
my name's sake.
This is what the Lord Jesus said, beloved.
Please remember, it's his word.
It's his word he's giving to us.
And then he said, 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.
So here Jesus warned the sheep again.
He warns us, even our families might turn
against us and betray us.
But I must not give up nor lose
heart, the Bible says.
I must not give up nor lose heart.
Then Jesus says in Matthew chapter 10, verses
24 to 26, 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.
So Jesus explains here that he was hated
by many on earth.
He wasn't just loved, he was also hated
by many.
And the religious community called him Beelzebub, which
is another name for the devil.
And so Jesus told us, we're not above
the master.
If they did it to him, they will
also do it to the sheep.
And so we might be called names and
even more.
But Jesus said, don't fear them.
So don't give up and don't lose heart.
Jesus says not to fear men in the
next passage in Matthew 10, verses 27 to
31.
And there he says, whatever I tell you
in the dark, speak in the light.
And what you hear in the ear, preach
on the housetops.
Speak out loud, don't be afraid.
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 sold for a copper
coin?
Are not one of them falls to the
ground apart from your father's will?
But the very hairs of your head are
all numbered.
So do not fear.
Therefore, you are of more value than many
sparrows.
Jesus now teaches us that we should speak
up in the light because we are the
light.
There's darkness all around us.
How will light come in?
Sheep must go also to wolves.
He says, do not fear the wolves.
They can only kill the body, but not
your soul.
Then Jesus says, we must not only love
God, but also fear God because he can
destroy both body and soul in hell.
Jesus ends this passage with a beautiful and
wonderful promise, which is eternal.
So don't give up and don't lose heart.
And he said, but the very hairs of
your head are all numbered.
Do not fear.
Therefore, you are of more value than many
sparrows.
There may be temporary suffering for us, beloved,
on earth.
But the future is great rewards in heaven
for those that die for the Lord Jesus
Christ.
There's a martyr's crown.
There are other rewards.
They will rule with Christ.
And he restores us in heaven with a
new beautiful body.
We have an eternity and a destiny without
trials, without troubles ahead of us.
But in the meantime, we need to be
prepared and understand the whole Bible.
I need to be ready.
I need to understand the word of God.
There is a very beloved Psalm 23 that
we always refer to.
And you might say to me, well, brother,
yes, maybe Jesus said that.
But in Psalm 23, we are all protected.
There is nothing to worry about.
Well, let us read some verses in Psalm
23.
And there in verse 4 in Psalm 23,
it says, Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil, for you are with me.
And even if we were to die in
Christ, he's still with us.
And angels will take us to heaven.
And then Psalm 23, 4 then says, I
will fear no evil, for you are with
me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
And now comes a key verse for us
to understand.
Because in verse 5 in Psalm 23, it
says, You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies.
And there God says, no, no, no, I'm
not taking away the enemies yet.
I will deal with them later.
But they will be enemies.
But I will prepare a table for you.
And I was wondering what might be on
that table.
Maybe there would be a great dinner, good
food.
But then I realized that God would put
on that table soul food.
Food for the soul.
There would be spiritual help on that table
for our sheep to make it to the
wolves.
And so here the Good Shepherd reminds us
that he may not take away enemies we
have to face.
But he prepares a table for us to
help us face enemies.
For sheep, there are wolves to face.
For us, there are evil people and the
powers of evil to face up to.
So don't give up, beloved.
Because the Good Shepherd has prepared a table
for us, let us reflect for a moment
on what I believe all of the wonderful
gifts are that Jesus has on that table
for us.
They're all listed in the Bible, by the
way.
And so there is a Bible on that
table, I believe.
There is prayer.
There is faith.
There's the Holy Spirit to empower us.
But God said, how much more will I
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask?
So we got to pray and we got
to ask.
There is the armor of God on that
table, including a belt of truth.
The breastplate of righteousness.
The shoes for our feet to bring the
gospel of peace to others.
There is a shield of faith with which
we can extinguish all the flaming darts and
fire from the evil one.
There is the helmet of salvation to protect
our head and our mind.
There is the sword of the Spirit, which
is the Word of God.
There are the gifts of the Holy Spirit
on that table, equipping us with specific spiritual
skills.
There is the fruit of the Holy Spirit
on this table, giving us love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
There's sufficient love on that table to forgive
and help us love our enemies.
And when we love enemies, we got to
first forgive them, start in your household, then
pray for them, bless them, and even do
good to them.
That's what the Bible says in Matthew 544.
Then on that table, and Brother Zach played
that beautiful song of the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ is on that table,
beloved.
It is for us to use in place
of our own mind.
And Philippians says, let this mind of Christ
be in you.
So we have a part.
If we oppose the mind of Christ, then
we don't use it.
But let this mind of Christ be in
you.
There's a plaque on that table saying, you
sheep are ambassadors for Christ.
There's a plaque on that table that says,
you are more than a conqueror.
There is Jesus himself who says, I will
never leave you nor forsake you.
It's a wonderful table of helps.
It's a wonderful table from God to equip
us Christians to do that which is difficult
for us.
You see, we sheep are not so helpless.
We are fearful.
We are fearfully and wonderfully equipped to do
the work of sheep among wolves.
However, God may also require the ultimate test
from us, beloved.
And here in closing is a story from
North Korea where there were sheep in hiding.
A former wolf who became later a Christian
wrote down for us what happened.
Soldiers from the North Korean army were dispatched
to widen a highway between Pyongyang and the
nearby port of Nampo.
They were demolishing a vacated house in Yonggang
County.
When they demolished part of the basement there
between two bricks, they found a Bible and
a small notebook that contained 25 names, one
identified as the pastor, two assistant pastors, two
as elders, and 20 other names, apparently all
believers, identified by their occupations.
The soldiers turned the Bible and notebook over
to the military police to investigate.
The believers were tracked down at their places
of work through the listing of occupations.
All 25 persons were picked up without formal
arrest and brought to the construction site.
This happened in November 1996.
The 25 were brought and set up in
rows of spectators.
The soldier who later became a Christian was
watching in the first row.
The five leaders were to be executed, the
pastor, two assistant pastors, and two elders.
They were bound hand and foot and made
to lie down in front of a large
construction steam rollers.
The condemned were accused of being Protestant Christian
spies and conspiring to engage in subversive activities.
Nevertheless, they were told, if you abandon your
religion and serve only Kim Il-sung and
Kim Jong-il, you will not be killed.
None of the five responded.
Others who wrote about the story said a
song sprang up like, My God, nearer to
thee, my God, nearer to thee.
The steam rollers started to roll.
Some of the 20 fellow believers assembled to
watch the execution, cried and screamed or fainted
when the skulls made a popping sound as
they were crushed beneath the steam roller.
The soldiers who became a Christian thought at
the time that those church people were out
of their minds.
He thought that religion was an opiate and
that it was very foolish for them to
give up their lives for religion.
The other 20 prisoners that had watched were
being sent to a prison death camp.
The soldier who became a Christian later on
told the story, and he made a sketch
of what happened then.
Beloved North Korean Christians are still suffering terribly
under today's leadership, and they face great persecution
and death.
My question to you and to me also,
I'm a sheep.
Will I be ready?
Will you be ready?
Will we be able to stand before Jesus
and say it was an honor to suffer
for you, Lord?
We can learn from Jesus because he did
it himself for us, beloved, and we can
learn from the persecuted church.
But Jesus said in Matthew 22, but he
that endureth to the end shall be saved.
The North Korean sheep endure to the end.
Will you and I, will Jesus say when
he comes back to this earth and when
he comes to Canada, will he find faith
in Canada?
So we can learn from Jesus himself to
increase faith, to go to that table in
Psalm 23, and to pick up all the
things that Jesus is leaving for us on
that table to help us.
And then we can also learn from the
North Korean Christians who pray our persecution and
suffering are our joy and honor.
We want to accept ridicule, scorn, and disadvantages
with joy in Jesus' name.
We want to wipe others' tears away and
comfort the suffering.
We want to be ready to risk our
lives because of our love for our neighbor
so that they also become Christians.
We want to live our lives according to
the standards set in God's word.
Perhaps you are a non-Christian who is
watching this service, and may I encourage you
to become a Christian.
May I encourage you to become a sheep,
and you might answer me and say, why
should I do that?
If what you preach is right, then I
will be persecuted, and I may even have
some troubles in this life.
Why would I want to become a Christian?
But beloved, heaven and the destiny that we're
looking for are not our current troubles.
Our destiny is on the other side.
Our destiny is with the Lord Jesus Christ
in heaven, and the heaven without tears, sorrow,
pain, war, and death.
So yes, you can decide to not accept
Christ as your Savior.
But then the alternative you face for eternity
is separation from God and a place called
hell.
This is what the Bible tells us.
And so I'm just simply repeating to you
what the Bible tells us.
So I urge you that you would turn
to Christ, that you give your life to
Christ.
And now, beloved sisters and brothers, I think
that perhaps the Lord has spoken to each
one here this morning.
He has spoken to me anew and again.
So let us close in a word of
prayer.
And let us ask God to help us
in our walk and to encourage us and
to strengthen us and to lead us in
the way that we ought to go.
And so, beloved, let us pray now.
Oh, heavenly Father, we thank you so much
for this challenge, for this message for Christians
today.
And you send us as sheep among wolves.
So, Lord Jesus, you also promised you would
never leave us nor forsake us.
So please give us courage and understanding and
joy even in the midst of these instructions.
For you have shown us on the table
of Psalm 23 all of the wonderful things
that you put there to help us to
do that which you have ordained.
Because you also want wolves to have another
chance and to become Christians.
So be with us all.
Help us all.
Encourage us this day.
And then help us to study and grow
in your words so that we will also
be the recipient of your help when the
time comes when we speak with others.
So help each one of us, Lord.
Cleanse each one anew from any negativity, from
any thought that is wrong, Lord.
And then fill us anew with your Holy
Spirit so that we would go forth in
power to do your work.
And I pray this in Jesus' name for
all of us, including myself.