Witness despite persecution

Matthew 10:24–33 ²⁴“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a servant above his master. ²⁵It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher and the servant like his master. If the master of the house was called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

²⁶“So do not be afraid of them, because there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁹“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father. ³⁰And even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

³²“Everyone who confesses me before others, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. ³³But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

Because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6) Amen.

Last fall, Professor Mark Zarling, who was serving as the President of Martin Luther College – where we train our pastors and teachers – announced his retirement from the ministry. I jokingly told some Synod officials that they could put my name on the call list. If I was President of MLC, they could save money on business cards, brochures and nameplates. They could just print, “M. Zarling.”

I’ve also facetiously said that if I ever wanted to move something along faster in the Synod, I signed my email as “Pastor M. Zarling,” instead of “Pastor Michael Zarling.” If people thought it was coming from “Mark Zarling,” that carries a little more weight than “Mike Zarling.”

Being connected with a certain name can be beneficial and influential. Certain names can also be detrimental. That’s why no one wants to name their child “Delilah,” “Judas” or “Adolph.”

As Christians, we bear a holy gift, one which the unbelieving world does not have. In Holy Baptism, our God had gifted us with his Name – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is perhaps the greatest gift he could give. With the giving of his Name, he has given us himself. He gives us his presence. His Name is his presence. For where God’s name is, there he is delivering eternal blessings into the heart.  As Jesus says, “Where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.” (Matthew 18:20).  But the Name of the Triune God gives more than that. This Name allows us to worship him in truth and purity. The Lord says, “In every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and I will bless you” (Exodus 20:24). This name sanctifies your time, vocation and life. It makes them holy. For in his baptismal waters, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

But such heavenly approval will often be met with earthly disapproval. Jesus will take our bold confession before the court of the Father in heaven for praise. Unbelievers will take our bold confession before the court of public opinion for derision here on earth.

Jesus teaches, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher and the servant like his master. If the master of the house was called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” Being connected to the name of Jesus can mean hardships and hazards.

As Jesus sends out his apostles, he warns them that he will be called “Beelzebul,” the prince of demons. He would be beaten, flogged and finally crucified. Life was not always fun and easy for Jesus.

The same was true for Jesus’ apostles. Church history tells us that all of them suffered a martyr’s death, except John. Yet even John was exiled to an island. Life was not always fun and easy for the apostles of Jesus. If life was not easy for Jesus the Master Teacher, it wouldn’t always be easy for his student-servants.

The same is true for us, his student-servants of today. Some may think us fools for believing that faith in Jesus is the only way to heaven. Others will treat us with contempt for upholding the truth of the Bible. Some will call us cruel names for sharing what we believe. Life will not always be fun and easy as Jesus’ present-day disciples. We may not sacrifice our lives, but we will sacrifice our time, money and more in service to him.

The gift of God’s Name brings consecration to God’s children, but persecution from the people of this world. Fellow witnesses, because you bear the Name of Jesus, you will be hated, persecuted, mocked, intimidated, humiliated, slandered, misrepresented, fined by the governing authorities for hate speech, censored in the name of tolerance, and possibly imprisoned, or even suffer death. People will hate you because you are Christian; because you believe what the Bible says about salvation; because you believe what the Bible says about morality, the value of life, and the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.

As Christians clinging to the Name of Jesus, we therefore also cling to Jesus’ Word. To do otherwise would be to deny his Name and reject his gift. Sadly, many Christians and churches are tempted to compromise God’s Word and bow before the altars of tolerance and acceptance. Rather than boldly proclaiming the clear Word of the Lord in their vocations, too many exchange God’s life-giving proclamation for the praise of people and the fleeting peace they have to offer.

How often do we covet the praise of our friends and so bury God’s Word from plain sight? How often does the desire of peace between family, friends, and neighbors, silence our confession of Christ? How often do our lives encounter the culture instead of being the counter to culture? It is easier if we don’t publicly live out our faith, keep it to ourselves, and keep our mouth shut. After all no one likes conflict. Conflict brings suffering and anguish. And no one likes suffering and anguish. The truth is, we’ll go to great lengths to avoid it! So, what do we do? We will imitate the behaviors, echo the talking points, tolerate the alternate lifestyles, and endorse the theological mindset of this unbelieving world.

We are sinners who want a life of ease rather than service. We so often want to just sit in church rather than be the Church. But that’s why Jesus went to the cross, to pay the damning curse for such sinful thoughts and such sinful inactivity.

Each one of us must ask ourselves, “Whom do I respect and fear more? My friends, family, government and culture who can make life miserable for me? Or the almighty and eternal God who can damn me to an eternity in hell?”

Fellow witnesses, hear the Savior and take to heart his Word when he says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Repent of your timidity! Repent and fear God – not with a cowering fear that drives you away from God – but with a holy fear, the kind of fear that bows head and heart, neck and knee before the Lord your God. Do not be ashamed to bear the Name of Jesus before this dying world. Do not hide what was spoken in the darkness. Do not bury what has been placed in the heart. Do not fear angry atheists, malicious mobs, censoring social media or fervent family and friends. St. Paul encourages, “God did not give us a timid spirit, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord” (2 Timothy 1:7,8).

It was 1945, a year after the Communists had seized power in Romania. The government had invited all religious leaders to attend a congress at the Parliament building – over 4000 attended. First, they chose Joseph Stalin as honorary president of the congress. Then the speeches began. One by one, the priests and pastors of Romania stood and offered words of praise for Communism and declared their loyalty to the new regime.

One by one, bishops and pastors arose and declared Communism and Christianity were fundamentally the same and could coexist. Out of fear, these men of God were filling the air with flattery and … lies. Their refusal to confess Christ before men was a flat-out denial of Christ before men. Every speech was spittle upon the face of Christ.

Sabina Wurmbrand could stand it no longer. She whispered to her husband, “Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ.”

Richard knew what would happen, “If I speak, you will lose your husband.”

Sabina replied, “I do not wish to have a coward for a husband.”

Pastor Wurmbrand took the stage. To everyone’s surprise, he began to preach. Immediately, a great silence fell on the hall.

“Delegates, it is our duty not to praise earthly powers that come and go, but to glorify God the Creator and Christ the Savior, who died for us on the cross!”

A communist official jumped to his feet. “Your right to speak is withdrawn.”  … “Cut the microphone!” But the crowds cheered. The audience applauded. Pastor Wurmbrand concluded his message and left the stage a marked man.

Three years later, Pastor Wurmbrand was on his way to church when he was kidnapped by a group of secret police. He was led to a prison thirty feet beneath the earth where he was kept in solitary confinement for years.

Pastor Wurmbrand could stand before men and confess the Name of Christ because he was confident of God’s care and love for him in the midst of any and all circumstances. He could suffer torture, brainwashing, isolation, mockery, and a whole host of humanity’s worst imaginations because he trusted the Savior’s words. “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

Fellow saints who witness despite persecution, God has given you his name in your Baptism. It is the cruel cross and the open grave that gives Baptism its power to save. Through the cross and the grave, God has proven that you are worth more than a smattering of sparrows. You are worth – though not deserving of – the blood of his Son. Therefore, you are no longer your own, for you have been purchased with the blood of Jesus. His life, death, and resurrection applied to you in your Baptism has sealed you for the day of Judgment and preserves you from the fires of hell. 

Not only does the Lord treasure you, but he also treasures all those who are lost. So, as you live out your life – a life sanctified by the Name – you bring the presence of God to all those around you.

Through Pastor Wurmbrand’s suffering in that Romanian prison, through his constant prayer and his faithful confession of Christ, several guards converted to Jesus and were forced to share in the sufferings of the gospel.

Fellow saints, the Name of God hallows his people and gives himself to his people.  You bear that Name in your baptism. You trust that Name. You bow at that Name. Live in that Name. Boldly proclaim that Name. Do not fear the threats of the world. Fear God! Trust God! Love God! He will not abandon you. He will not let one hair on your head be harmed apart from his will. 

Witness despite persecution. Don’t fear the cross! Confess the cross! Bring God’s presence upon others as you bring them the Name that is above every Name, that they too may be gifted with God’s salvation.  Let your life be an echo of praise to the Savior who gave all things for you and your salvation. Amen.

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:10) Amen.