16 Behold, I send you forth
as sheep in the midst of wolves: be
ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But
beware of men: for they will deliver you
up to the councils, and they will scourge
you in their synagogues; 18 and ye shall be
brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them
and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up,
take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that
same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And
the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child:
and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And
ye shall be hated of all men for
my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But
when they persecute you in this city,
flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over
the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 24 The
disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his
lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be
as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of
the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his
household? 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is
nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be
known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak
ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the
housetops. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
1 Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as
a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
The foundation of the suffering
- The nature of the beast – wolves, predators (verse 16)
- The impulse of the nature – hatred, enmity with God (verse 22)
The progression of the suffering
- Begins with hate (verse 22)
- Proceeds to verbal attacks, name-calling (verse 25)
- Advances to physical persecution (verse 23)
- Progresses to legal opposition, incarceration (verses 17-19)
- Ends with execution, killing the body (verses 21, 28)
The counteraction to the suffering
- Behold (verse 16)
- Be wise (verse 16)
- Be harmless (verse 16)
- Beware (verse 17)
- Speak (verses 19-20, 27)
- Flee (verse 23)
- Fear not (verses 26, 28)
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