Worship
Course: The Higher Calling to Worship
Lesson 12
Lesson Title: Rejoicing in persecution - United with joy in His sufferings
Lesson Goal: …to understand that opposition to the anointing brings an opportunity to worship.
Lesson
Text: 'But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with
exceeding joy.' (1 Peter 4:13)
Lesson Theme: The anointing will produce hostility from those who resist the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Introduction: There are three kinds of responses to the anointing mentioned in the early chapters of the book of Acts.
· The first response was that a great multitude recognised Jesus to be the Messiah, and received Him as their Lord and Saviour.
· The second response was from those who were not willing to be associated with the disciples but they recognised the power of God was with them. They held them in high regard, but they did not dare to come too close to them.
· The third response was that many of the religious leaders resisted the moving of the Holy Spirit. It was this third response that provided the opportunity for worship on the higher level.
Introductory
Story: The prodding of the goad.
·
A goad is a spiked stick that
was used to prod oxen or other animals so that they would move in the right
direction. Paul fought against the
goads. Acts 9:5 'And he said, Who art
thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the
pricks.'
· The anointed worshipper is one who glorifies the Lord in the face of persecution from those who resist the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Exposition:
1.
The prayers of anointed
worshippers change persecutors into worshippers. 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you;' (Matthew 5:44)
· Prayer on this level of worship has great power with God because the love of Christ in the worshipper is expressed through his or her concern for the welfare of others. Stephen prayed for his attackers to be forgiven when he was being stoned to death, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, lay not this sin to their charge' (Acts 7:60).
· Prayers offered in worship on behalf of those who resist the moving of the Holy Spirit will turn persecutors like Saul into worshippers. The prayers of the early church were united with the eternal plan and purpose of God, and Saul of Tarsus was turned from being a murderous persecutor of the believers into one who was willing to count everything as rubbish that he might win Christ.
2. The early church was persecuted by those who resisted the moving of the Holy Spirit.
·
The anointing brought
humiliation to the Apostles and the threat of death. They were persecuted because the Jewish
leaders had been 'cut to the heart' by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 'When they heard that, they
were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.' (Acts
·
The disciples rejoiced when
they were beaten and disgraced in front of highly respected Jewish leaders. '...and when they had called
the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the
name of Jesus, and let them go. And they
departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for his name. And
daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach
Jesus Christ.' (Acts 5:40-42)
·
Persecuting the church is the
same as persecuting Christ. When the
religious leaders persecuted the believers in Christ they were persecuting
Christ, '…why are
you persecuting me? And he said, Who are
You, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting: it is hard
for you to kick against the pricks.' (Acts 9:4-5)
·
When the Lord told Saul, 'it is
hard for you to kick against the pricks', He was referring to how Paul was
resisting the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Saul had been 'cut to the heart' by the testimony of Stephen and the
other believers, but because of his hardness of heart, he was not willing to
recognise that Jesus is the Messiah. He
was seeking to persecute the church even at the time of his encounter with the
Lord on the
3. Paul knew from his conversion that he would worship on this level.
·
The Lord revealed to Paul that
he would worship at this level. When
Ananias was told to pray for Saul after his
·
The anointing of the Holy
Spirit enabled Paul to worship on the highest levels. His primary calling was always to be a
worshipper. His ministry developed out
of worship. Paul never sought to build
up his ministry, but he always sought to move higher in worship. For Paul it made no difference whether he was
in prison, out of prison, in need, or in abundance. Paul wanted to fulfil his ministry with joy. This was not just the joy of fulfilment and
the satisfaction of having done well; it was the joy that is necessary for
worship. 'But none of these things move me,
neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with
joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the
gospel of the grace of God.' (Acts
·
First and foremost Paul was a
worshipper. He wrote from prison to the
Philippians that he counted all things as rubbish that he might gain
Christ. Paul had no concern for his own
interests or safety, but he rejoiced in his sufferings because he was a
worshipper, and he rejoiced in the opportunity to express his love for his
Lord. 'That I may know him, and the power of
his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable
unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the
dead.' (Philippians 3:10-11)
·
The fellowship of His
sufferings does not mean the sufferings of the Lord on the cross because the
Lord bore this suffering alone when He cried 'it is finished' (John
· Paul worshipped at the highest levels of worship, but he still wrote 'that I might know Him'. There are always greater heights to reach in worshipping the Lord. Even though Paul had worshipped in heaven, he still desired to move higher in worship.
4. A worshipper rejoices in being persecuted for Christ. It is important to understand that being persecuted is not worship. Paul wrote that suffering persecution will only bring a reward if we have love.
·
A worshipper rejoices in
persecution because of his or her love for Christ. 'And though I bestow all my goods to feed
the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits
me nothing.' (1 Corinthians 13:3)
· Some people are persecuted because they have been deliberately confrontational. They have provoked people into reacting against them. This is not worship. They are being persecuted because they have been deliberately aggressive towards others who disagree. Even though they are saved and belong to Christ, they are not worshippers; they are contentious. Worship in persecution is humble submission to the will of God and rejoicing at the privilege of suffering shame for what the Lord has done.
·
Jesus told His disciples to
rejoice in persecution because they would receive a great reward. When we are
spoken against falsely for His name's sake, we should never try to defend
ourselves, we should rejoice. We should
always keep in mind the day when we will see Jesus. John Wesley called persecution the badge of
discipleship. Rejoicing in persecution
is the characteristic of the worshipper.
'Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you.'
(Matthew 5:10-12)
Conclusion:
1. We must never regard anyone as too bad to become a worshipper. The prayers of anointed worshippers can change persecutors into worshippers.
2. Persecution from those who resist the moving of the Holy Spirit provides opportunity to worship.
3. Paul was a worshipper and his ministry was built on worship.
4. We are to rejoice in persecution knowing that we will receive a great reward in heaven.
What
should the student do?
1) Pray for those who persecute us.
2) Worship in persecution
3) Seek to fulfil our ministry with joy.
4) Rejoice that we will receive an eternal reward.