A Very Present Help

A Very Present Help in Times of Trouble
Matthew 10:16-31

Where do we find help?
Trouble never seems far away when we live for Christ. We try to be faithful, to respond to the call into the harvest field (9:37), to leave behind the attractions of this world and to live as radical disciples of Christ. And we fool ourselves into thinking that, because we are obedient, the world will congratulate us. Of course it will not. We are not immunized against trouble. In fact, obeying Christ is a sure way to find trouble. The question is, how can we deal with it when it comes? How can we live victoriously?


Here are four sources of strength.

First: Remember the Promise Verses 16-20
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of Your Father speaking through you. (10:19-20)

Sheep and wolves do not mix well, but we are not defenseless. We have a shepherd. And when it comes to defending ourselves it need not be all bleating and baa-ing. The promise is that the Spirit of the Father will, at that time, speak through us.

Some years ago I helped with a mission led by a Christian Union in a major university. A debate was held between a communist and a Christian. Five hundred people came to listen as the two sparred. The Christian was relaxed, funny and insightful. His opponent was like a coiled spring, so nervous he could not marshal his arguments. It was no contest. The Christian won hands-down. Afterwards, I asked him how he had done it. His response: He had prepared by re-reading some important books, such as several by Francis Schaeffer and C. S. Lewis. He had prayed, and had been supported during the debate by a group praying in another room. He had also claimed the promise of Matthew 10:20, that the Spirit of the Father would use his lips as instruments of truth. We can do no less today.

Second: Look to the Future Verses 21-23
Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (10:21-22)

We must keep the end in sight. A teenage girl, dreaming of becoming a doctor, must not worry about all the years of study, the residency, and the temptations to quit; instead she must keep her eyes on the goal. A woman in labor, wondering if she can bear the pain, will conquer it if she remembers the reward, the child, struggling into the light of day, who will one day call her “mother.” Suffering does not endure forever. Salvation will come. We will have our reward (10:42).

Verse 22 does not mean that we risk losing our salvation if we do not stand firm, rather, it reminds us of the fruit of faithfulness. We show, by our standing firm, the work God has already done in us.

There will come an end. There will be a reckoning. The just will be vindicated. The faithful will enter in to their reward. Keep a heavenly perspective. To look to the future is to live in hope.

Third: Follow the Master Verses 24-27
A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a student to be like his teacher, and a student like his master. (10:24-25)

How are we to be like our Teacher, our Master? By being obedient to the Father’s will. Our response to the call of God into the harvest fields is to discern our Father’s will, through study of the Scriptures, through ardent prayer, and through the counsel of Godly friends; and then it is to be obedient.

Our Master was “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.” (Isaiah 53:3) Some people thought He was from the devil. Some people may think that we are from the devil too! We may be called all manner of things. Count it as joy to be defamed and abused because of our obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a privilege to follow the Master. He trod the path we must tread today. He suffered. So why shouldn’t we suffer too? Gain strength from the knowledge that, if you are truly faithful, your suffering is the result of your obedience.

Fourth: Trust the Father Verses 28-31

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. (10:29)

Why should you trust the Father? Two reasons:

First, He is the One whom we should really fear.
Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (10:28)

God is the One who has our eternal destiny in His hands. We should be so afraid of Him that we should fear no human agency. Ours should not be the fearful dread that makes us run from Him, but the holy awe that drives us to His feet.

Second, He is the One who really cares for us.
Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (10:30)

If God, in His providence, can watch over the smallest of creatures, surely He can also watch over you. God did not send His Son to die for sparrows; He sent Him to die for you. He cares for you. You can trust Him.

Bearing faithful witness during troubled days can be a daunting task. It is easier to keep quiet; but silence is not always an option available to us. In this passage, Christ reminds us that even in difficult times, when we face opposition, God will not leave us without the help we need, the hope that will not let us go.