“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” John 16:1-4a
Devotional Thought For The Day
Thankfully John recorded these precious words of advice and encouragement which Jesus gave to His disciples before His suffering, death, and resurrection. In them we see the principle purpose of the Word that He has given to us in Scripture, both Testaments, for our learning and instruction. He gives us His Word to keep us from “falling away.” As we all know, this is a temptation that we face – not only through persecution and threat, but also through the discomfort of repenting of our sin, the desire to just continue on with what we want to do without the confrontation of God’s Word of right and wrong, and also the desire to take the easy path of self-indulgence rather than self-sacrifice. This is our fallen human nature which resides in all of us and exercises its influence upon us daily. It is a good thing to see reality, to understand and confess our weakness, our vulnerability as identified by our Savior and Lord, and to continue in His Word, especially His final Word of grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
The threat Jesus describes that may cause people to fall away is twofold: rejection, and persecution, perhaps even to death in martyrdom. We struggle with both. We fear rejection – being ostracized by the majority and being considered to be deficient, inferior, and irrational for not seeing things their way. This happens in family, among friends, in the public arena, at work, and in social gatherings. It is real – regardless of the “civility” that is often politely observed in such settings. But the division is real. We also fear persecution; life has enough troubles and burdens without inviting more upon ourselves because of our “religious opinions.” And this threat is also real – loss of a job, denied promotions, demotions, being uninvited, shunned, precisely because of our loyalty to Jesus and our commitment to the mission He has given us, to “make disciples of all nations.” Worst, I suppose, is such insane hatred of God and Christ that views us as worthy of death, the conclusion that those who kill Christians are serving God, that the world would be a better place if all Christians were eradicated. This is a very difficult thing to comprehend, and perhaps even harder to experience. Such is the nature, however, of those who do not know the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus encourages His disciples to remember that He warned us of these things before they happen, so that we be prepared for them, strengthened in our faith and our commitment to Him so that we do not fall away in the face of such wicked opposition. It is hard, especially when we have become accustomed to living with religious freedom and some approval from society, to watch the tide turn and to now experience more disapprobation. It is difficult to watch our social mores and values erode away, and for the general population to embrace ever greater decadence. So perhaps we have even greater need to take cognizance of these words of our Savior, and to heed them, in our current day and time. This is really all about counting the cost of discipleship, and determining to “deny self,” to “take up one’s cross” in following Jesus. But if we know the Father, and if we know Jesus, the wonders of His love and the precious gift of salvation and eternal life that He has provided for us – at great and immense cost to Himself, then we are stuck to Him and will not “fall away.” This is the purpose of the fellowship and worship of the church – to continuously receive His gracious forgiveness, mercy, and love, to strengthen and increase our bonds of love with God.
This may well be the “hour” of those who do not know the Father and His Son. If so, we know what to expect. So let us remember the precious and tender Words of our Savior, and know that as we take our struggles and temptations to Him, He fully understands and empathizes with us. Let us also recall His promises, to be with us always, to preserve us from evil, to work all things together for our greatest good and blessedness. Then we are well prepared to remain with Him, to follow Him, to love Him and serve Him regardless of the cost. This is His good, gracious, and loving will for each of us. And His promise remains that soon enough He will wipe away all tears from our eyes.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, continue to draw us ever closer to Yourself, that we may grow in confidence and courage in Your love even in the face of growing antipathy, malice, and hatred of Your kingdom. Keep us mindful of Your Word so that we never succumb to threats and temptations to fall away from You. Increase in us gentle and firm commitment to our ministry, that Your enemies might know that they can never overcome You. Your Word is powerful, and we wait to see that power bring others to know Your love, and into Your fold. We pray that Your kingdom would come even in our midst in these latter days. Amen.