(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

And I wanted to start out here by looking at 1 John 3, verse 13, where it says, Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. And that's really something we've got to keep in mind today because we're living in a time today when the world is hating Christians quite a bit. We could see that in our own country and in our culture that we are becoming more and more anti-Christian all the time. And if you would, keep something in 1 John, but turn over to Matthew chapter 26. And John is here telling us, saying, you know, we should not be shocked by it. We should not be surprised by the fact that the world would hate us. They don't like our message. They don't like what we have to say. So it really should not be a marvel to us. But it's something that he has to remind us, isn't it? It's something you have to say, Marvel not. And it's something that comes up over and over in Scripture that we should not be afraid of these things. We should not be surprised by these things if the world hates us. That should not come as a surprise. It should not come as a shock to us that we are hated by the world. We're warned of that in many places in Scripture. And of course, here in Matthew chapter 26, we all know the story of Christ's betrayal and arrest in the garden. We'll pick it up there in verse 55 where it says, in the same hour, said Jesus to the multitudes, are you come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you laid no hold on me. But this was all done that the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. So we see when the persecution came to Christ and the persecution came to his disciples, they were not able to stand. When those that hated Christ came and resisted him and arrested him, it says there that they all fled, that they all went away. And what's interesting about this is that Jesus told his disciples this is exactly what was going to happen only a short time before it happened. If you would, just back up to verse 30. And when he had sung in him, they went out onto the Mount of Olives, look at verse 31, then saith Jesus unto them, all ye shall be offended because of me this night. So there he is just a short time before saying, look, you guys are going to be offended this night. And he goes on and tells them that in verse, it carries on and says, for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. And even further in verse 33, we see where Jesus specifically even warns Peter about his own denial that he would be professing very shortly. Look at verse 33 where it says, Peter answered and said unto him, though all men should be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto you that this night before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. So just a few hours before they're all fleeing from the persecution that came to Jesus Christ, they're all, you know, they're swearing their loyalty that they would go with him even unto death. And Scripture predicted these things even hundreds of years before it happened. As we recall there in verse 31, it says, then saith Jesus unto them, all ye shall be offended me because of this night, for it is written. So they should have, they all knew this was going to take place, it came as no surprise. We know, of course, that's referring to Zechariah chapter 13, we won't turn there for the sake of time. But the point I want to make right now is the fact that despite all of these predictions, despite all of the warnings, despite all the oaths of loyalty, it still happened. Despite them saying, you know, all men forsake thee, yet I will not forsake thee. You know what I'm saying? Even if I were to die with thee, yet will I not forsake thee. And only a few hours later, they all fled. So despite all these predictions, despite all the warnings, despite the oaths of loyalty, it still took place. But what I want to preach to us tonight, this evening, is the fact that we as Christians today need to prepare to be persecuted. That is the title of the sermon, Prepare to Be Persecuted. Scripture consistently shows us that God's people and God's prophets have always been despised by the world. This is not a new thing. And we see it right here in Jesus' day. And it should not come to a shock to us when we ourselves are persecuted. But here's the thing, we have a passing, sometimes just a passing understanding of that. If we really come to terms with that, have we really let that sink in, what that means? Are we really prepared this evening to be persecuted? And again, Scripture consistently shows us this. If you would, turn over to Genesis chapter 46. Genesis chapter 46. Those that love truth and righteousness will always be hated by those that don't. Those who want to hold up the banner of truth, those who want to hold up the banner of righteousness, they're going to be hated by those who want to see it taken down, who want to see it destroyed. A lot of times, I believe it comes, it stems from envy. There in Genesis chapter 46, we can remember the fact that Joseph was hated of his brethren, all the way back in the book of Genesis. Even before that, there was Cain who was slew by his brother Abel. And why did his brother slay him? Because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous. When somebody else is righteous, the evil hate that and they want to persecute that person even to the point where they would kill them. In Genesis chapter, you're in 46, I'll read to you from Genesis chapter 37 where it says, Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age and he made him a coat of many colors and when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him. So why did they hate him? Because he did them dirty, because he did something bad to them. Was it justified, this hatred that they had for his own brother? No, it was because their own father loved him, loved him more than the others. That's not any reason to hate somebody just because you've obtained favor from somebody. And I'm telling you, it's the same way today. A lot of these haters of God, they look at a group like this, that we know we're loved of God, we know that God loves us and I believe in the back of their minds, they know that God loves us and they hate us for it. Look at that there in Genesis chapter 46 verse 33, And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, you shall say, What is your occupation? That you shall say, Thy servant's trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now. Both we and also our fathers, they may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. Of course this is a story when Joseph's brethren, his family and his father are coming back down to the land of Egypt during the time of famine and he's telling them to seek out, to tell Pharaoh that they are shepherds so that they would be given the land of Goshen. But it's interesting there what it says, where it says at the end, for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And what is an abomination? It's something that causes extreme disgust or hatred. And he's saying here that these shepherds of Israel were an abomination to the people of Egypt. And of course that's a literal physical hatred that they had for literal physical shepherds, but today we can apply that spiritually. I mean, God's shepherds today are an abomination to the world around them. You know, Jesus is the good shepherd. Is he not despised or is he not considered an abomination by many of what we would call the Egyptians today, the heathen today? And even pastors today, they're likened unto shepherds, they're the under-shepherds, they're given the oversight of the flock. And oftentimes they are despised and hated by the world, they are a source of disgust and hatred to the world, they are an abomination. Every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. So we see that being persecuted for being one of the people of God is something that goes all the way back even into Genesis. If you would, turn over to Jeremiah chapter 38. Some other examples of God's people just being persecuted throughout history. David was hated and hunted of Saul because God preferred him. Jeremiah was imprisoned for preaching the word of God. He went and preached the word of God. They didn't like what he had to say and they threw him in prison. Going over to Jeremiah chapter 38, look at verse 1. Then Shephatiah the son of Matan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Juchal the son of Shelomiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken on all the people saying, Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in the city shall die by the sword, by the famine, by the pestilence. But he that goeth forth the Chaldeans shall live, for he shall save his life for a prey and shall live. Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army which shall take it. Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death. For thus he weakenedeth the hands of the men of war that remain in the city and the hands of all the people in speaking such words unto them. For this man seeketh not the will for the people but the hurt. Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold he is in your hand, for the king is not he that can do anything against you. Then took they Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hamalek that was in the court of the prison, and they let down Jeremiah with cords, and in the dungeon there was no water but mire. So Jeremiah sunk in the mire. I mean he gets this really harsh punishment of being put down. No doubt they wanted to kill him, so how did they decide to kill him? They've let him down in the mire where there is no water, and they're literally just going to put him down in this pit and let him starve to death. They're going to let him just die of thirst and hunger and famished. What was his crime? What was the crime that Jeremiah had committed that made him worthy of such a heinous punishment in their eyes? Well it says right there in verse 4 towards the latter end, in speaking such words unto them. It wasn't the things that he did, it was what he said that upset these people. Speaking such words, he was speaking a negative message, and I think really that's what we see today. We see men of God who stand up and they preach a message and it's a negative message, and people hate the man of God for it. They hate the people of God for the message that they're bringing because it's a negative message that God is going to judge this country for the abominations that are taking place in it, for the murder that's taking place in it, for the shedding of innocent blood. There's a negative message that's being preached in pulpits across this country, and people hate the man of God for it, and they're being persecuted. And really, I don't know that it was necessarily the message itself, but maybe it was just the fact that the message began with these words, thus saith the Lord, thus saith the Lord. You know, if a man of God would stand up and just say, you know, sodomy is an abomination to God that's worthy of death, and these things, and just stood on his own words, then the world could just, you know, disregard him as, you know, it's just the ravings of a madman. It's just some lunatic fringe group that believes that, but when you actually take the Bible, the word of God out, and show them in black and white where it says these things, when you say, thus saith the Lord, that's really what gets people upset, because they know it's true. They know in the back of their mind that is what the Bible says. Turn to John chapter 15, John chapter 15. So when a man of God is hated for saying, thus saith the Lord, it should not shock us. It should not shock us when persecution comes to the people of God. We just looked through a few examples in the Bible today, this evening, where that's exactly what happens. It should remind us of what a real man of God looks like. When we see a man of God being persecuted for saying, thus saith the Lord, it should remind us. It should remind us that that's what a real man of God looks like. Look at John chapter 15 verse 18, if the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own, but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my sayings, they will keep yours also. It should not come with shock to us when the man of God is being persecuted for saying, thus saith the Lord, for getting up and preaching the word of God. I mean, when we say Jesus was not of God because the world hated him, he said they hate me. They say if they're going to hate you, it's because they hate me. When we say, oh, the world hates them, there must be something wrong with them. They must not be right. Would you say that about Jesus? That just because he was hated, that there was something wrong with his message? The reason why he was hated is because his message was the truth, and it's the same thing today. The reason why men of God are being persecuted is because they're preaching the truth. So we see that it's perfectly natural for a man of God to be hated by the world when he stands up and says, thus saith the Lord. And it only stands to reason that when we follow a man of God who does that, who preaches the whole counsel of God, that we are also going to be hated, that we are going to take part in somewhat of that persecution that comes. If you would, turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. We should be prepared for persecution because it comes to those that live godly in Christ Jesus. It comes to the man of God who preaches us, saith the Lord, and it comes to those who follow such a man, who sit under his preaching and listen to it and promote it and agree with it. They are also going to receive the persecution that comes. You go into 1 Corinthians chapter 4, I'll read to you from John 17, where the Bible says, I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 9, for I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as we are appointed unto death, for we are made a spectacle in the world unto angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong, you are honorable, but we are despised. Even under this present hour, we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place, and labor, working with our own hands, being reviled, we bless, being persecuted, we suffer it. Being defamed, we entreat it. We are made as the filth of the world and are the off scouring of all things unto this day. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons, I warn you. For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you have not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me." Paul here is warning them that true Christianity is suffering. He's saying, you need to follow me, but make no mistake about it, these are the type of things that come. That they're going to hunger, they're going to thirst, they're going to be naked, they're going to be buffeted, homeless, reviled, persecuted, defamed, made as the filth and off scouring of the world. Paul warned them that that's what true Christianity looks like. If you see that taking place, then you know you've got the real deal. First Peter chapter two says this, for here unto were ye called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. I mean the Christian life is suffering, it's being persecuted. So we need to understand this evening that we ought to be prepared to be persecuted because that is the nature of the Christian life. If you're going to stand on the word of God, if you're going to preach the word of God, if you're going to follow a man of God who preaches the word of God, you are going to suffer, you are going to suffer persecution. Paul beseeched these people, the Corinthians, to follow him despite all that suffering. He describes all the suffering that they're going through and he says there at the end, wherefore I beseech you be followers of me. We may never be called to suffer like that. We may never be called to hunger and thirst and be naked and beaten and homeless and reviled and persecuted and all these things that Paul went through and all these things that Christians that have lived before us have gone through. We might never be called to suffer to that degree. But should we be called to that, we have to ask ourselves, could we say we could suffer that? Could we suffer to that degree for Christ today? If it came to that, would we be willing, would we be able to actually suffer to that degree for Christ? If we live long enough, there will be that time of tribulation that shall come. The Bible says in Matthew 24, for then shall be great tribulation such as not since the beginning of the world to this time, no ever shall be. So there is yet coming a time on this earth of the greatest tribulation that shall ever come. And no doubt a lot of these things will take place and Christians will suffer. They will go hungry, they will suffer thirst, they will be buffeted, they will be persecuted. It's going to come. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but if it did, would we be ready? Are we prepared for persecution this evening? We say, yeah, I think I'm ready for it. I can go on Facebook and mix it up with the worst of them. I can name call and I can do this and that and I can get put in Facebook jail and we think that that's some kind of badge of honor that's going to help us in some great tribulation. We really got it pretty good, we really haven't suffered that much as a people. But even then, even the suffering that does come to us, we need to be prepared for it. There is going to be some type of suffering that comes to us in our life and it's going to come to us in our personal life one way or another. We know that's true because the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3, yay and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So if you're living godly in Christ Jesus like you ought to be, you are going to suffer persecution. Maybe you'll never be buffeted, maybe you'll never have to suffer hunger and thirst, maybe you'll never be homeless, but there is going to be some type of persecution that comes to you in your life and you have to ask yourself, are you ready for that? And if you can't handle that persecution, that you're guaranteed to come to you in this life in some form, whether it be from your family, whether it be from your friends or your co-workers, you know, our family, we take our kids out of public school, we put them in, we start homeschooling them and everyone thinks this is going to be great and then the relatives come in, what are you doing? What are you crazy? What do you mean you're wearing skirts now? What do you mean you don't drink anymore? What do you mean you don't go to the movies and watch all that filth anymore? Right, all these type of little persecutions that come, maybe it'll be from our friends. What do you mean you don't party anymore? What do you mean you don't hang out and stay out late and run around? You're too holy for us now, you know, it might be from your co-workers. It's going to come to you in some shape or form. It's going to come to you in your personal life and if you can't handle that, you're not going to be able to handle the real persecution that comes. The Bible says in Jeremiah 12, if thou hast run with the footmen and they have wearied knee, how canst thou contend with horses? If we can't handle these smaller persecutions that are bound to come to us in our life, then we're not prepared to handle the real heavy ones that are bound to come. And here's the thing, you know, we all have those stories. We could all probably go around the room and talk about, you know, when we first started listening to Pastor Anderson online, we told our family about it, we first got saved. I remember when I first got saved, I called my mom on the way home from the church, say, hey mom, I got saved, she was real proud of me. A year later, she's like, you need psychiatric help. You know, how quickly the tides, you know, has turned. You know, but we all got stories like that, they think you're crazy, they don't understand why you're living like this anymore, why you're saying the things. I used to say, I had a sister who said, the old, the Corbin from two years ago would make fun of the Corbin of today. And that was the truth. But it's all going to come to us, we could all talk about that, we could all share these type of stories. But here's the thing, we're not the first one to be mocked. We're not the first ones to be scoffed at, we're not the first ones to be befriended, we're not the first ones to be arrested, we're not the first ones that are going to be fired, or you know, told you can't come to Cracker Barrel, that's the new one, right? So it's not that good there anyway. Amen. But here's the thing, we all have those stories, it's all going to come to us. Turn over to Revelation chapter 6, Revelation chapter 6. We're not the first ones that have suffered persecution, and we won't be the last. Acts chapter 20, it says this, And now behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there. Paul didn't say he didn't know whether or not things are going to befall him. He said he knew not what things shall befall him. He knew there was going to be something waiting for him there, because the witness, the Holy Ghost had been witnessing him in every city, trying to get him not go there, telling him that if he went there, bad things were going to happen. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he was certain of one thing, that something shall befall him. And we can mark it down, if we live this Christian life like the way we should, something shall befall us, there will be a persecution. We're not the first, and we're certainly not the last. Look here in Revelation chapter 6 verse 9, And when he had opened the fifth seal, and I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto them. And it was said unto them that they should rest for yet a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. So of course, this is referring to the great tribulation. We know that we're not the last ones that are going to suffer persecution, we're not the first ones, and we're not the last ones. There's a whole throng of people that are going to suffer the greatest tribulation that's ever come upon the earth. So we need to be prepared for persecution. That's the point of the sermon this evening, that we need to be prepared for persecution. So how do we get prepared, how do we prepare ourselves for the persecution that has come to God's people throughout history, that is bound to come to us if we live for Christ? Well you can prepare by getting the proper perspective. Go ahead and turn over to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. You need to prepare for persecution by getting the proper perspective, you need to see things the right way, you need to look at the world the right way, and if you can learn to look at the world the right way, you will be prepared for the persecution that will come. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 17, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment. That strong language coming from a guy like Paul, who just described some things that I would not probably categorize as light affliction. Buffeted, naked, homeless, destitute, just all those things that he listed earlier. Cast down, forsaken. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look down at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. So Paul there, he says it's a light affliction, which is for but a moment. But we have to understand it's only light to Paul in comparison to what? In comparison to the eternal weight of glory. If all Paul saw was the persecution, yeah it would probably be too much for him. But that's not what he looked at. He said we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. Paul didn't focus on those things, on the persecution and all the bad things that were happening to him. He looked beyond that. He saw the eternal weight of glory, which far outweighed the persecutions that he was going through. And when he saw that, he said, oh this is light. All these things that are going on in my life in comparison to what's awaiting me on the other side, the rewards in heaven are as nothing. They are a light affliction. Jesus said in Luke 6, blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. Bible says in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 10, for therefore we both labor and suffer approach because we trust in the living God who is the savior of all men, especially of those that believe. So we have to have the right perspective. That's what's going to help us be prepared for persecution. We have the right perspective. When we see things the right way, when we look at the things which are not instead of the things which are. See when we have the proper perspective, we're going to be more concerned with the eternal suffering of the lost than with our own light affliction. You know, if we were looking more at the loss we're going to suffer, you know, the suffering that we're going through for their sake, it would seem pretty light. It says there in 1 Timothy 4, therefore we both labor and suffer reproach. They say, look, we work, we labor. What was the work? It was the work of the ministry, going out preaching the gospel. He was doing all these things, suffering all these things so that he could make the gospel known to the Gentiles. He was doing all these things because he was more concerned with the eternal suffering of the lost than whatever things he would have to suffer. And if we would have that same perspective, that same ability to see what Paul saw, that it's the suffering of the lost that really matters. I was out this last weekend up there on the White Mountain Apache when all the whole thing blew up in Knoxville with Pastor Grayson Fritz and the massive conference was going on and all the dozens of protesters showed up, you know, and they were out there and the news media is just blowing up. And there were some people, no doubt about it, that were suffering some persecution. I'm not trying to make light of those that actually do go through that, you know, pastors and their families that when the media comes and the protesters come and the hate mail comes and the death threats are made, I'm not saying that's necessarily a cakewalk. I've never had to go through it. I'm sure it's not the easiest thing in the world. But I thought, man, those guys are going through it, but we're out here laboring and, you know, we got to be willing to do both. We got to be willing to go out and labor and knock the doors and we also have to be willing to suffer the persecution that comes. And we'd be willing to do that. We'd be prepared to do that if we had the proper perspective, if we understood that there are people who are going to suffer far worse for eternity than we ever will in this life. That's why Paul said, neither count I my life dear unto myself. He was more concerned with others than himself. You see, laboring and suffering, it goes hand in hand there. Therefore we both labor and suffer reproach. Why? Because we trust the living God. Laboring and suffering is a package deal. We can't have one without the other. Laboring in the Gospel, you know, out on the reservation is a real privilege. But you know, suffering is probably going to come in some other area. You know, that someday there will be some other persecution that comes my way or those of you that were out there or any of us that are doing the work of God and we're rejoicing to do it and we're glad to do it. We have to understand that suffering is also a part of that deal in the Christian life. It comes with the territory. You know, coming out to Faithful Word, moving here and being part of a soul winning church, it's great. I did it. It was wonderful. One of the best decisions I've ever made for me and my family was to come out and be part of a church that's on fire for God, for knocking doors, for saving the lost. That's what we ought to do. We have to understand something. We labor and we suffer reproach. When you align yourself with a ministry, with a man of God that preaches the entire counsel of the word of God, you're setting yourself up for persecution so don't be surprised when it comes. Don't be surprised when the family starts to go, you go to that church? That's your pastor? I've had that. I got that text message. Are you going to that protest to protest that pastor? No, that is my pastor. Haven't spoken to that sister in five years. Did me a favor really, you know. But that's the reality of it. When we align ourselves with a ministry like this that preaches the entire counsel of the word of God, you're setting yourself up for persecution. It's bound to happen. So you might as well prepare for it now. Be ready for it. Don't marvel not, brethren, when the world hates you. Don't let it catch you off guard. If you would, turn over to Philippians chapter 3, we'll close there. Prepare for it now. Bible says, well, let me just move along here. We need to prepare for it now and how do we prepare for it? We need to prepare for it by expecting resistance. Expect resistance. A lot of people get this idea that it's just going to be smooth sailing. We're just going to go join a church, we're going to get on fire for God and it's just going to be a bed of roses. Sometimes there's seasons where it seems like it's the complete opposite. Everything seems like it's going wrong. But you need to be prepared for that. You need to be prepared to expect resistance. And here's the thing, if you expect resistance, you're going to be better prepared for it. And this is a good way to illustrate it, is that people who are expecting to be shoved are hard to push over. I mean, if after service, and I wouldn't do this, don't anybody else do it, but if I were to just walk up behind somebody that had their back turned me and just shove them, I could send them flying. And the same for me, I mean, I'm a bigger guy, it's okay, I've learned to live with it. I'm a little bit of a bigger guy. Even if you took the smallest guy here and he got the drop on me, came up from behind, he could send me flying. He could put me right through a wall if he wanted to, if I wasn't expecting it. But what if that same guy came around the corner to push me and saw me down in a three-point stance like a linebacker? He's going to say, I can't push that guy over. My center of gravity is lower, I'm prepared, I'm ready for the resistance. And that's how we have to learn to live the Christian life. Be prepared for the resistance that's going to come, because it is going to come. The Bible says in Philippians chapter 3, look there at verse 13, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. I press. That's the language of somebody who's expecting resistance. That's not, I coast to the mark, I idle my way there. That's somebody who's pressing against something, coming up against resistance and applying force back at it, pressing against it. That's how you get to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, you press toward it. So you have to expect resistance. That's how you're going to prepare for persecution, namely expect it, and don't let it surprise you when it comes. You see, if you're serious about serving God for the long term, you have to prepare for persecution. You need to prepare to suffer by allowing God to establish you, to strengthen you, and to settle you. As it says in 1 Peter 5, where the Bible reads, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. You come here to a church like this, you've got a target on your back now. The devil knows you, I'm telling you he keeps an eye on this church, and churches like this that are actually trying to do something for God. He looks around and sees who he can get. You know who the lion always goes after? It's the one that's wandering away from the flock, or from the herd. It's getting away, it's not paying attention. That's who he goes after. And it says here, resist steadfast in the faith knowing the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. So we need to prepare to suffer by allowing God to establish us, to strengthen us, and to settle us. We need to be established in the local church, don't quit, don't drop out. When the persecution comes, stick by the stuff, stay with it, don't be one of the people that fall out, it gets too hot and they just wither away. Stick by the stuff, be established, be strengthened, be settled. So that's the message this evening, that we would be prepared for persecution as God's people because it's bound to come, it's guaranteed to come. It's something that we see coming to God's people throughout all of scripture, it's something that we see coming in a degree that the world has never known in the future, and if we're not prepared now, we'll never be prepared for that. But you know, we might never face that, so let's just be prepared for the persecutions that we know will come, in whatever shape and form they do come, we need to be prepared for persecution. Let's go ahead and pray, Heavenly Father, again, thank you for the Bible, thank you for the encouragement, and Lord, the warning that's in it, Lord, help us to be prepared to be persecuted as people that live for you. Lord, I pray that this message would be an encouragement to those that are suffering or have suffered persecution, and Lord, that it would be a warning to those who are so naive to think it will not come to them. Father, help us to always look to you and to consider, Lord, the things which we cannot see that we might be able to endure these persecutions. We ask in Christ's name, amen.