Skip Steward

I can’t tell you precisely what’s going to come in the future against us, but it’s going to come and it’s going to escalate. For how long? I don’t know. And in what forms? I’m not sure. Persecution is going to come against you as an individual, if it doesn’t already come, because you’re an outspoken Christian.  Finding Security in This Troubled World — John MacArthur // May 12, 2013 Let me give you one final and very important reality. If you want to secure yourself in the midst of persecution, have a pure conscience, a pure conscience. And this is in verse 16. “Keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.” You know, it’s kind of like people will try to make you feel bad, make you feel guilty. But if your conscience is clear, they can’t succeed. I always go back to 1 Corinthians...2 Corinthians where the critics had just shredded Paul’s reputation in the Corinthian church, and I believe they were demonic and they were very successful with supernatural power. And Paul writes a letter and basically says, “I have a clear conscience,” “I have a clear conscience.” Horrible things have been said about me; lies have been propagated about me. I have a clear conscience. My conscience is not accusing me. That is the ultimate earthly court in the life of an individual. Romans 2 says, “Conscience is a device that either excuses you or accuses you.” It either validates your behavior as consistent with truth, or invalidates it as inconsistent with truth. Live with a clear conscience so that your conscience doesn’t condemn you. And when it doesn’t condemn you, you can take whatever comes and you can be calm, at ease, at peace, and even experience joy.  And when your enemies see that in you, when they come at you and slander you and revile your good behavior in Christ, they end up feeling shameful. This is like heaping coals of fire on your enemies’ heads.If there’s sin in your life, you’re not going to have a clear conscience, and you’re not going to be at ease before God when trouble comes and persecution comes. You’re going to be like David in Psalm 32 who had so much guilt that he was in agony. His life juices dried up at physical results, fears and anxieties. But if your conscience is pure, if your conscience surveys your life and finds nothing by which to condemn you, then when persecution comes, and you respond with trust, and faith, and peace, and joy, and hope, your enemies will be ashamed. So in the end, verse 17, “If it comes, if this suffering comes, if this persecution comes, it is better if God should will it that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong,” right? Basic. If it’s going to come, let it be for doing what is right. We’re right back to where we started. I can’t tell you precisely what’s going to come in the future against us, but it’s going to come and it’s going to escalate. For how long? I don’t know. And in what forms? I’m not sure. Persecution is going to come against you as an individual, if it doesn’t already come, because you’re an outspoken Christian. Here you are in the world, an alien and a stranger, and your task is not just to survive, your task is not somehow to defeat the enemy, your task is to win the enemy to your side. You do that by keeping your behavior honest and excellent. You do that by being a shining light in the world so that men can see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. You do that by proclaiming the gospel and loving your persecutors and showing kindness to them. You do that by doing good, having a passion for goodness, being willing to suffer, focusing on Christ, looking to eternal glory and keeping your conscience pure. If we live our lives like that in the face of this, we will be at ease in comfort and confidence in the midst of the worst that comes, whatever it is.

God has designed human government to protect those who do good and to punish those who do evil. You’re not voting for persons. You’re voting for coalitions. So, your question is this—which party, which coalition... will uphold God’s design for government? — John MacArthur

A good life is hard to harm. Don’t get bitter. Don’t get defensive. Don’t get self-protective. Don’t get angry because things are impinging on your freedoms and on your possessions and on your comfort. Just keep doing what is good. Finding Security in This Troubled World — John MacArthur // May 12, 2013 How do we secure ourselves in this kind of world? Let’s go to chapter 3, verse 13 now, and Peter gives us some very, very practical instruction from verse 13 down through verse 17, very practical instruction. You’re not going to hear anything that’s new, but I hope I’m going to put you in touch with some things that are renewed in your thinking, cause I’m watching Christians become anxious, fearful, afraid, angry, irritated, hostile and I’m telling you, if you’re that way now, you’re going to have a problem down the road a few years when the persecution escalates. So here’s the heart of our serenity. Here’s the heart of our comfort. Here’s the heart of our confidence. Here’s the heart of our hope. Here’s the hope of our peace in the midst of persecution as it escalates. Here is where we find our security. Here are attitudes necessary to fortify us and to enable us in the midst of all of this to keep on extending the gospel. I agree, there are plenty of things to alarm us at a pace that we’ve never seen before and at an exposure level that’s never even been imagined. We need to hear what Peter says. Let me give you several things. How do we secure ourselves and maintain our comfort, our peace, and our position as the only light the world has in this era, the only light of the gospel? How do we do that? Number one, Peter says you need a passion for goodness, you need a passion for goodness. As the persecution escalates, Peter says, verse 13, “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?” “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?” This is the first line of defense against persecution, against evil aggression. It’s just an axiomatic idea. This is not some profound heavenly doctrine. This is just axiomatic, proverbial, a self-evident truth. People have a hard time hurting those that are good. It’s difficult. It’s unusual for folks who are hostile to mistreat people who are passionate about doing good. The world is slow to hurt people who are a benefit to society, who are helpful, compassionate, kind, caring, merciful. Peter says start there. A good life is hard to harm. Don’t get bitter. Don’t get defensive. Don’t get self-protective. Don’t get angry because things are impinging on your freedoms and on your possessions and on your comfort. Just keep doing what is good. And that’s in a very broad sense. Keep doing what is good. Maybe I can add a little light to what that is by reading you 1 Thessalonians 5:15, “See that no one repays evil with evil.” All right, they’re doing evil to you, don’t give it back. What do you do? Always seek after that which is good, both for one another, believers, and for all people. Just find the path of goodness. It’s very hard for people to harm you, to do evil to you. The word “to harm” comes from that Greek root which means evil. It’s hard for people to do evil to those folks who literally become passionate, they become zealous for goodness. Start there in your life. Don’t let the persecution, don’t let the hostility, don’t let the anti-Christian attitude, don’t let the terrible overwhelming, overpowering corruption that’s happening in our world direct you toward vengeance, animosity, hostility, don’t return evil for evil. Let your passion be what is good.

Our personal holiness sets us apart as strangers and aliens. We began to suffer as strangers and aliens because we’re strangers and aliens, and in the midst of it, he says honor Christ the Lord as holy, keep your eyes on him. Don’t look at the Syrian army. Keep your eyes on him. Don’t fear the Syrian army. Keep your eyes on him. Do not compromise in the face of the Syrian army. Keep your eyes on him. And then he says, oh, by the way, there’s going to be an explanation required, and your tendency will be implied here. Your tendency will be to explain your personal holiness in the least offensive manner possible so that you can reduce the likelihood of more suffering. — Voddie Baucham

Martyn Lloyd-Jones is asked: “What do you think the church needs above all else today?”  Lloyd-Jones answers: “She needs to be absolutely certain about her message. We need to get back to the position of Paul when he went to Corinth: ‘I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.' “We mustn't be trying to preach philosophy or politics or things of that kind. We must go back to this New Testament message and realize on top of that, that without the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit, even the preaching of that message will be in vain."

Hope for a Doomed Nation — John MacArthur The decline in swift and severe punishment. The decline in swift and severe punishment. There’s a very interesting verse in Ecclesiastes 8:11. Listen to this: “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.” You want to turn criminals loose; just delay their sentence, just delay the process, just delay the consequences. And if you push the consequences out far enough, you literally encourage them to crime. We’re pretty good at that in this society. Finally, we have said that trouble with society is civil rebellion, lack of respect, prejudice, unforgiveness, vengeance, anger, hate sexual perversion, love of things, love of self, love of pleasure; and finally, a desire for weak, impotent, and immoral leaders; a desire for weak, impotent, and immoral leaders.I don’t think this country cares about the character of its leaders. Some do; we do. Proverbs 16:12, “It’s an abomination for rulers to commit wicked acts, for a throne is established on righteousness, or justice.”  Proverbs 29:2, “When the wicked rule, people groan.”  Proverbs 29:12, “If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his ministers become wicked. If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his ministers become wicked.”  What is the principle there?  You allow lies and you’ll attract liars. You’re corrupt and you’ll be surrounded by more corrupt people. Now on the other hand, 2 Samuel 23, “God gives His picture of a leader. These are the last words of David: “David the son of Jesse declares—” but these are the words of God in verse 3:  “The God of Israel said: The Rock of Israel spoke. ‘He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain.’”  A ruler who rules righteously in the fear of the Lord is like a beautiful dawn and a fresh rain. Those who rule in utter submission to God and righteousness make life beautiful.

Mark this: If a ruler is a liar, all his advisers are liars; they have to be. If a ruler is wicked, all his advisers are wicked. If a ruler is a liar, then he is an agent of Satan who is the father of lies. Who Is God’s Candidate Part 2 — John MacArthur // June 15, 2016 When a king is committed to the search for wisdom and that search is for the wisdom of God, he will remove the wicked so that he is clear in his pathway to the truth of the true God. Mark this: If a ruler is a liar, all his advisers are liars; they have to be. If a ruler is wicked, all his advisers are wicked. If a ruler is a liar, then he is an agent of Satan who is the father of lies. That leads to the next characteristic, Number Five: honesty, honesty. John 8:44 says every liar is acting like Satan, every liar is acting like Satan.Proverbs 17:7, “Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool.” You don’t expect a fool to have excellent speech. “Much less are lying lips to a ruler.” No one expects excellent speech out of the mouth of a fool, nor should anyone expect lies out of the mouth of a ruler. God hates liars. Proverbs 20:28, “Loyalty and truth preserve the king – ” and I might add preserve the kingdom. When liars rule no one knows what’s really going on; chaos results. I need to hurry, so let me give you Number Six. I had more to say, but we’ll leave it at that. Number Six: morality. We go from wisdom, to honesty, to morality. Look at Proverbs 31 – and we could look at a lot of things. But look at Proverbs 31, and I think you’re familiar with this. Most of us know the latter half of Proverbs 31 and not the front half. But the front half talks about a ruler, King Lemuel, and his mother is giving him some instruction. This is the burden – it’s called the oracle in the NAS. It’s kind of the burden that his mother had as she realized that her son was going to reign, so she taught him this: “What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, or your ways to that which destroys kings.” Immorality, immorality, it destroys kings. And it did destroy tragically the king who had such a wonderful beginning, Solomon, when he asked for wisdom and God gave it to him. He shunned the wisdom of God, and in 1 Kings 11 it says, “King Solomon loved many foreign women. He loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, Hittite – ” he didn’t care what society they came from “ – from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, ‘You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.’ Solomon held fast to these in love.” In a kind of erotic love, Solomon was attracted to them so, this is just beyond imagination.“ He had seven hundred wives, princesses, three hundred concubines – ” women for sexual partnership “ – and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and didn’t follow the Lord fully, as David his father had. He built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon.” You know Molech required, right? If you wanted to worship Molech and appease him, you offered your living baby on an altar. You burned your baby to death to satisfy him. “He did all this for his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.