The candidate for the chaplaincy was attending chaplains school under the auspices of our own joint commission on Reformed and Presbyterian chaplains. During one of the sessions, an instructor said to the gathered group, “I want to caution you chaplain candidates that if you pray in the name of Jesus, you will be disciplined.” Well, this particular chaplains candidate, a rather burly fellow, took exception to this statement and privately challenged this instructor, who came back later and said to the chaplain candidates, “Well, officially I am not supposed to tell you this sort of thing, but I am telling it to you anyway: if you pray in the name of Jesus you will likely be disciplined.” So he backed off slightly.

I wonder what you would do in a circumstance like that. Would your speech in that circumstance be a little anxious? Mine might be. As you contemplated confronting this senior officer, would the adrenaline rise and your hands get a little cold and clammy? Anxious speech, sweaty palms. This happens to us when anxiety rises.

In our text we see situations similar to this – not exactly like this particular situation, but situations similar to this. And Jesus gives the instruction to his disciples, “Don't worry.” Don't worry. Don't be anxious. And the solution that he offers at the same time is simply this: trust the Holy Spirit! Don't be anxious, trust the Holy Spirit. And of course, that is the point you need to get from this text.

Opposition and Persecution⤒🔗

Jesus says to us that he sends us out into a world full of wolves:

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.Matthew 10:16, NASB

The sheep is an apt metaphor for the people of God. God's people need care. They need to be tended. They need to be taken into green pastures. They need green pastures to feed. The wolf is a carnivore. The wolf runs along the sheep, which is its prey, and grabs it by the throat and throws it to the ground and kills the sheep. This is the objective of the wolf. And Jesus says, “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.”

The word “I send you" in the original language is apostellō. You might hear the word “apostle” in the background, and it is a word from which we get our English word “apostle,” but it is not directions only to the apostles that Jesus has in mind. He has in mind direction to all the disciples. In the context, he is sending out the twelve in the earlier part of the chapter. He is sending out the twelve on a mission trip. And he is now giving them a warning that there is dangerous territory into which he is sending them.

Shrewd as Serpents, Innocent as Doves←↰⤒🔗

At the same time, he says to them as they enter this wolf-torn world, “Be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” You can think of the Garden of Eden and how the serpent was cunning, how the serpent was shrewd, how the serpent deceived Eve. There is a cunningness and a shrewdness and a wisdom of the world, and this kind of shrewdness and cunningness and wisdom has false motives, but there can be a wisdom and a shrewdness and a cunningness that is full of good motives. Solomon was shrewd when the two women presented him a child and they both claimed to be the mother. You remember the story. Solomon said, “Okay, we will divide the child.” Solomon was cunning because he knew that the real mother would be willing to give up the child. And Jesus was cunning and shrewd when he was asked the question, “Who is my neighbour?” and he picked out a Samaritan to be the one who would be good to a traveller. A hated Samaritan! And those who were listening to him had to admit that he was the neighbour. You can be cunning and shrewd and have good motives. That is, be harmless and pure as doves. And this is what Jesus expects.

Jesus also tells us that he is sending us out into a wolf-filled world, and that it does not matter where we flee, we will find the same things to be prevalent:

But whenever they persecute you in on city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.Matthew 10:23, NASB

It does not matter where you go, you are going to meet the same kinds of opposition. So be aware of that. There are no geographical boundaries to this opposition and there are no temporal boundaries to this opposition. This opposition will continue until the end of the age. That is what Jesus is telling us. The reason it will continue until the end of the age is we live in a fallen world. We really do live in a fallen world. We know that intellectually, and we have to get outside of our own comfort zones and go into other areas of the world to realize that we live in a fallen world. Just recently in northern Nigeria a church was burned by Muslims and the congregation murdered – a Christian congregation. We live in a hostile, fallen world. You and I need to understand that this is indeed the case. Theology is not just intellectual work that is put in books; it is practical.

Hatred Because of Jesus←↰⤒🔗

Jesus also notes that you will encounter hatred because of him, because you bear his name:

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against the parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name.Matthew 10:21-22a, NASB

“Because of me you will be hated!” Of course, in this same passage Jesus speaks about the Spirit. And those of you who love Jesus Christ are marked by the Holy Spirit. You have the Holy Spirit, and the mark on your life is the mark of the Holy Spirit. We get these strange ideas when we read the book of Revelation and think about the mark of the beast and 666 and this sort of thing, and think about having a tattoo across your forehead or something. No, in the book of Revelation the mark of the beast is the unholy spirit – the spirit of this world, the spirit of anti-Christ, the spirit which is opposed to Christ. The world is divided. The world is divided between believer and unbeliever. That is the great division in the world. Yes, there are divisions that are ethnic, and there are divisions that are racial, and there are divisions that are national – there are all kinds of different divisions in the world. But the real basic division that exists in the world is the division between believers and unbelievers. This is what Jesus is getting at. And He says, “You will be hated by all because of my name, because you bear the name of Christ and you bear the Spirit of Christ.”

Division←↰⤒🔗

Let me speak to you from personal experience and family experience here, because in verse 21 he says:

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.Matthew 10:21, NASB

There will be division in families, and some of you have experienced this kind of division. Shortly after I was converted to faith in Christ out of paganism, I told my parents that I was going into the ministry. I was in the army at the time, and my father said to me something like this: “You are going to give up a perfectly good career in the army for that? For that?” After I was ordained, I sent sermon cassette tapes home to my mother, and my mother said, “I don't like your sermons.” She would not listen to them. When my mother was languishing in a rest home and she had given up on life and I visited her, I remember leaning over her bed and saying, “Mom, would it be alright if I prayed for you?” She looked up and she said to me, “No.” That stings! This is the kind of world in which we live.

Persecution in the Church←↰⤒🔗

Jesus goes on to say to his disciples, “You may even face problems in church courts and you may face problems in civil courts”:

But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues.Matthew 10:17, NASB

Notice how strong the language is: “Beware of men.” The courts here were church courts – ecclesiastical courts in the Old Testament times. The leader of the synagogue was the one who was in charge of the scourging of individuals who were guilty of infringements. Paul says, “Five times I was scourged with forty lashes less one” (2 Corinthians 11:24). Five times! And that would have been at the synagogue level.

And you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.Matthew 10:18, NASB

Ecclesiastical/church courts, but also civil courts. Remember that Jesus himself was brought before Governor Pilate and falsely accused and sentenced to death on trumped up charges. The apostle Paul appeared before King Agrippa and Governor Felix. Before kings and governors. We can get a little anxious in these kinds of situations.

Let me speak to you out of my own personal experience here on the church court side. Years ago, in another denomination, in a congregation I served, men were elected to the eldership, and they refused to stand for ordination because they could not take the ordination vows. They would not take a vow to subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith and Larger and Shorter Catechisms. Their personal theology would not allow them to subscribe to the standards of the church in which they were elected officers. What was the pastor supposed to do? I went around and I talked to these men one by one. And one by one they said, “No, we are not going to step aside. This is our church. You are not taking this church away from us. This is our church.” And then they filed charges against me at presbytery in an effort to get rid of me as their pastor. The ones who refused to submit to the standards of the church filed charges against the individual who stood for the standards of the church!

It is amazing what can happen. We live in an upside-down world. And of course, this is not only happening in church courts, it is happening in civil courts all over the place. You know as well as I do how the civil courts have come down against expressions of Christianity. How many of you remember when you were children and you were in public school, and in the morning your teacher read the Bible and led you in prayer? I remember every morning in elementary school – I was not a Christian, but I remember this – our teacher read the Bible and we said the Lord's Prayer. Every morning! Charges would be brought up against you if you did that today; a jail term might face you if you did that today.

Defending Your Faith←⤒🔗

If you found yourself in that kind of a circumstance, you might be a little anxious. But now look at what Jesus says: “Do not be anxious.”

But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.Matthew 10:19, NASB

Earlier we talked about the fact that Jesus says, “Do not worry about what you are going to eat. Do not worry about what you are going to wear. Do not worry about what tomorrow will bring. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” Can you imagine going to some of the people who are suffering so terribly on the east coast with that message? In large measure, it is a message that needs to be heard. But relief and help needs to accompany the message. Do not worry, in the same vein, about what you will say in that tight situation.

Persevere←↰⤒🔗

And Jesus adds the word in this situation: persevere. Don't worry, persevere:

You will be hated by all because of my name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.Matthew 10:22, NASB

I like to ask my students in one of my classes, “What is the most important characteristic of a pastor?” The first answer is usually, “Love.” I say, “Wrong.” And then they give me two or three other answers, and I say to them, “No.” The most important characteristic you must exhibit as a pastor is perseverance. And the most important characteristic as a Christian you must exhibit is perseverance. Oh yes, love is important. But those who persevere to the end will be saved. C.S. Lewis gives a very striking illustration of this in speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. He says Jesus Christ is the only person who has come into this world who really understands the extent of a test. And the reason he is the only one having come into the world who understands the extent of a test is that he is the only One who has pushed through the test completely to its final end and conclusion. Most of us give up early on and we do not persevere. Don’t worry, persevere.

Trust the Spirit←↰⤒🔗

And then Jesus says, “Trust the Spirit”:

But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.Matthew 10:19-20, NASB

You are men and women and young people and children who have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in you! And he is a reservoir of power and strength. “So do not worry,” Jesus says, “about how or what you are to say.”

Preparation←↰⤒🔗

Let me add something here that is quite important. Jesus is not talking about just speaking off the cuff here. He is not talking about giving an impromptu speech – a speech without any preparation. There is a difference between extemporaneous speaking and impromptu speaking. Extempore refers to speaking out of time – out of a time of preparation, out of a time of study. If the Holy Spirit is going to have material with which to work in your heart, you have to make some preparation. That is the whole idea behind coming together for worship every week and studying the Word of God and reading the Bible on a regular basis: of preparing yourself for situations in which you will encounter opposition. The sweaty palms and the anxious speech might erupt. But no, there is preparation!

I have the privilege of teaching preaching, and I am fascinated that some of the men (even some of the pastors that I speak to) say to me, “I have to have everything written down in meticulous detail, because I am paranoid and afraid that I am going to forget something.” I always tell them, “If you forget something, who is going to know? Only you!” But you see, it is out of the reservoir of preparation that you speak and that the Holy Spirit has material with which to work. In Christian education, for example, it is always good to teach young children the catechism for young children. Who made you? God. What else did God make? God made all things. Why did God make all things? For his own glory. Etc. When those little bits of facts get in their heads and the Holy Spirit comes along, the Holy Spirit has something to shine on. But if there is nothing there, the Holy Spirit doesn't have anything to shine on! It is like shining a flashlight into a large dark cavern and the light just dissipates in the darkness; there is nothing upon which the light may shine.

The apostle Peter says with regard to preparation, “Always be ready to give an account for the hope that is within you” (1 Peter 3:15). How are you going to be ready? You have to make preparation. So study. Prepare. Think through what you might say in an awkward situation or in a difficult situation. And then trust the Holy Spirit.

Notice also in verse 19 that Jesus says, “But when they hand you over, do not worry” (don’t be anxious, trust the Spirit, do some preparation) “about how or what you are to say.” How you speak is just as important as what you speak. The manner in which you set forth the truth is just as important as the truth itself. Paul says, “Speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). The way you speak the truth is important. And it is the Holy Spirit that changes you. Isn't that the case? Because the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, [goodness, faith], gentleness and self-control. Oh, how the manner of your presentation can change and melt the heart. As Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath.” And that is a work of the Holy Spirit. So that is the message: Don't worry about what you will say in that tight spot. Make some preparation. Trust the Spirit.

Do Not Worry←⤒🔗

Suppose you are in a public high school and you are up against it on a test, so right before the test you bow your head on your desk and you cry out to God quietly for help. Then after class the teacher grabs you and says, “What were you doing right before you took that test and put your head down on the desk? Were you praying?” All of a sudden the confrontation blooms large, and the anxiety can raise its ugly head. Remember the words of Jesus. Make preparation. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Trust the Spirit.

(Transcription of audio file from 33:43 to 34:18 omitted.)

[Suppose you have a necklace with a cross]. You don't normally wear that sort of thing, but that morning you decide that will look good hanging outside that sweater you are going to wear. Off to work you go. And then you remember that the boss is not very friendly to Christians. When you get to the office and you pass by his office door and he sees that cross, he says, “Come in here. What is that hanging around your neck?” Suddenly there is the situation, and the anxiety can rise and the sweaty palms. “Don't worry” is the message Jesus gives you. Don't worry. Trust the Spirit. You have heard the Word of God proclaimed. You have studied the Word of God. Don't worry. Trust the Spirit

Maybe in God's providence you are that chaplain candidate who hears the commanding officer or the student instructor say, “I warn you, do not pray in the name of Jesus, or you will be disciplined.” You think to yourself, “That is an unlawful order. I cannot let that stand.” Yet the anxiety rises and the adrenaline and the cold sweaty hands. But you know you have to go talk to that man, and you remember the words of Jesus. Don't worry. You have done all the study. Don't worry. Trust the Spirit.” Isn't that what Jesus says? Matthew 10:20: “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Don't worry. Trust God's Spirit.