In the message today, we will be considering the potency of the cross of Jesus Christ, and we will be glorying in the fact that He is Lord over all things. This message necessarily brings the Church into conflict with the unbelieving world, and there is no way to paper over the difference.
But though the world is run by fools, in the biblical sense—men who do not acknowledge God—it is not run by men who are stupid. When they come to oppose us, it will not be “because we hate the fact that you preach Jesus Christ.” No, they are shrewd enough to lie about their reasons for persecution. “We oppose you because you have too many borders,” or “you’re not zoned for that,” or “you need to pay these taxes,” or “we don’t like your racist, neo-Confederate views,” and so on. Not only are they lying about their reasons for the opposition, they also lie in their statement of those false reasons (as can be seen in the laughable accusations of racism). So much is to be expected.
The problem lies in the fact that many Christian brothers believe these stories, and think that when true persecution for the gospel arises, the persecutors will always conform to a “truth in advertising” standard, and will admit that their hostility is “toward the gospel, pure and simple.” But of course they won’t do anything of the kind. Jesus was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton, a companion of prostitutes. What that the real issue? St. Paul was accused of radical antinomianism. Was that true? And was it the issue? The early Christians were persecuted because of “cannibalism and incest,” not to mention their “political subversion of Caesar.” John Bunyan spent those years in jail in a Christian country, not for preaching the truth but for preaching without a license.
This means that when the fundamental collision comes, the “issue” will almost certainly not be the issue. If you remember anything, remember this.