Eight Promises to Students Facing Ridicule at School
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00:00:05.600 | Well, cultural support for homosexual relationships and for so-called gay marriage
00:00:10.700 | is very strong today, as strong as it's ever been in the United States,
00:00:14.600 | and for Christians who are resolved to resist
00:00:17.500 | the incredible pressures of pop culture conformity.
00:00:20.800 | We are certain to face ridicule and even various expressions of intolerance for our position.
00:00:27.400 | And that leads us to today's question from a concerned dad, Jason, in Toledo, Ohio, who writes in,
00:00:33.000 | "Pastor John, what advice might you have for my two high school-aged daughters
00:00:37.800 | as they experience ridicule for speaking out against homosexuality?"
00:00:42.300 | What would you say to them, Pastor John?
00:00:44.200 | The advice I have is to give them eight biblical reasons that they should be thrilled.
00:00:56.200 | [Laughs]
00:00:57.400 | Glad and rejoice that they have the grace of God working in their lives
00:01:04.800 | to stand for truth and for love the way they're standing.
00:01:08.600 | And here are my eight encouragements.
00:01:11.300 | And if they feel right now, maybe they're listening, I don't know,
00:01:15.600 | that it doesn't make them happy to be made fun of, I get that.
00:01:21.300 | I feel that nobody likes to be made fun of in our natural capacities.
00:01:27.000 | But let these eight words from God transform your emotional priorities
00:01:34.800 | so that you really are able to do this miracle.
00:01:37.700 | Number one, Jesus, the Lord of the universe, promised you
00:01:42.100 | it would come to you just the same way it came to him, because you're following him.
00:01:51.000 | So Matthew 10, 25, "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,"
00:01:56.800 | that is the devil, if they call Jesus the devil,
00:02:00.300 | "how much more will they malign, ridicule, make fun of, insult those of his household?"
00:02:08.500 | So when this happens to you, it's a confirmation.
00:02:12.100 | You're in his house and you have a wonderful partner in your misery.
00:02:17.500 | He's glorious.
00:02:18.900 | Number two, you are in great company with apostles and prophets.
00:02:24.400 | Acts 5, 41, "The apostles left the presence of the council rejoicing
00:02:31.800 | that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name."
00:02:37.400 | Boy, if you could come out of a situation where you had been shamed for the name
00:02:43.100 | and you could look at Peter and John in the face as they were rejoicing,
00:02:48.700 | you would feel such a glorious camaraderie.
00:02:51.900 | It would make you glad.
00:02:53.600 | Number three, you do not know if the ridicule is the last word from these people
00:03:00.100 | or if God may use your courage and your love and your devotion to truth to change them.
00:03:04.900 | And I say that because in the first epistle of Peter, you seem to get that kind of change.
00:03:10.100 | Chapter 3, verse 16 says, "Have a good conscience so that when you are slandered,
00:03:16.600 | those who reviled your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."
00:03:20.600 | So you're hoping that they will be led to be ashamed of their criticism.
00:03:26.300 | And then it says in chapter 2, verse 12, "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles
00:03:31.300 | honorable so that when they speak against you," so there you've got them
00:03:37.000 | speaking against you as evildoers, "they may see your good deeds and glorify God
00:03:43.100 | on the day of visitation."
00:03:44.600 | So it pictures something, something begins with evil speaking and ridicule and insult,
00:03:50.600 | and then they see something about you.
00:03:52.500 | They see how kind you are and loving you are and faithful you are and courageous you are
00:03:57.000 | and something triggers by God's grace in their heart and they switch.
00:04:01.600 | Don't assume that the ridicule is the last word.
00:04:05.600 | Number four, there is a special blessing from the Holy Spirit for those who bear
00:04:14.400 | the ridicule for the name of Christ and for the truth that he calls us to stand for.
00:04:19.900 | 1 Peter 4, 14, "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed
00:04:29.500 | because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you."
00:04:35.700 | I really believe that means there is a special anointing, a special presence,
00:04:43.100 | a special ministry of the Holy Spirit given to those whom he gives grace to stand like that.
00:04:51.400 | Number five, there is a great reward coming to you because you bear reviling
00:04:59.300 | for the name of Jesus.
00:05:00.400 | Chapter 5 of Matthew, verse 11, "Blessed are you when others revile you and
00:05:05.800 | persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account."
00:05:10.600 | They say things about you that are not true.
00:05:12.900 | Verse 12, "Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for so they
00:05:21.600 | persecuted the prophets who were before you."
00:05:23.500 | There is a great reward awaiting you that will make up ten thousandfold
00:05:29.300 | for anything you lost here.
00:05:31.300 | Number six, God may be preparing you.
00:05:35.100 | I say this especially to young people because these are teenagers I gather
00:05:39.000 | and they might feel like, "Good night.
00:05:41.000 | My whole world, my whole life is undone because all my friends are turning against me."
00:05:46.800 | So number six is God may be preparing you for some remarkably greater purpose
00:05:55.900 | in this world, greater than you can dream.
00:05:58.900 | Here's where I get that.
00:06:00.000 | James chapter 1, verse 2, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials
00:06:07.600 | of various kinds."
00:06:08.800 | Why?
00:06:09.300 | Why should you count it as joy?
00:06:11.000 | "For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."
00:06:19.200 | What does that mean?
00:06:21.200 | It's like a muscle.
00:06:22.700 | I mean, why do we go to the gym and pick up heavy weights that put our biceps—
00:06:30.000 | I'm holding my bicep right now, so I wish you could see my illustration.
00:06:33.200 | I'm flexing it now with 10, 20, 30 pounds, whatever I could do in that arm,
00:06:39.600 | and it's making my bicep hurt just like trials make us hurt, make our faith hurt.
00:06:46.400 | Why?
00:06:47.600 | Because that makes the bicep stronger so that when you need to lift a car
00:06:55.000 | off of your sister, you'll be able to do it.
00:06:58.400 | And so it is with your faith.
00:07:00.600 | When Jesus does these things to us, he lets people come at us this way,
00:07:06.200 | he's preparing us for something.
00:07:08.200 | So you young people, dream your dream of what this steadfastness and this muscular
00:07:14.800 | Christianity that you're developing might enable you to do someday.
00:07:19.500 | Number seven, God is absolutely sovereign over the world, and he will accomplish
00:07:25.000 | all his purpose.
00:07:26.000 | Don't be afraid that right now you look like you're on the losing end.
00:07:29.500 | You're not.
00:07:30.600 | Isaiah 46, 9, "I am God, there is no other.
00:07:34.600 | I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning,
00:07:39.400 | and from ancient times, things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
00:07:46.200 | and I will accomplish all my purpose.'"
00:07:48.800 | You do not need to be afraid that God will fail to bring about his purpose.
00:07:54.200 | And finally, number eight, with all that authority, Jesus promises to be with you
00:08:00.400 | personally, intimately, close enough to count the hairs on your head.
00:08:05.700 | "Behold, I am with you to the end of the age."
00:08:10.100 | So I say to these young people, be encouraged.
00:08:14.400 | Do not become sullen or self-pitying or defeatist or defensive.
00:08:21.800 | Jesus said amazingly, "Rejoice and be glad."
00:08:27.800 | And I know that sounds virtually impossible, but let these truths sink in,
00:08:34.700 | and you will see that it makes sense, that joy makes sense, and the Holy Spirit
00:08:40.900 | will work it in your heart.
00:08:43.800 | We really should be, we Christians, with that amazing hope,
00:08:48.500 | we should be the happiest people in the world.
00:08:51.800 | Amen. Those are golden promises for students, Pastor John.
00:08:54.500 | Thank you.
00:08:55.600 | And thank you for listening to the Ask Pastor John podcast.
00:08:58.300 | We are over 700 episodes into this thing.
00:09:01.400 | Thank you for listening and for asking great questions and for your willingness
00:09:04.700 | to share this podcast with your friends.
00:09:07.400 | To find our past episodes and to see a list of our most popular episodes to date,
00:09:12.500 | or to download the podcast app, or to ask Pastor John a question of your own,
00:09:16.500 | go to DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn.
00:09:22.000 | Well, what's the difference between self-love and self-esteem?
00:09:27.000 | There is a difference, and John Piper will explain how to distinguish the two tomorrow.
00:09:31.900 | I'm your host, Tony Reinke. Thanks for listening.
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