Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. I'm not a prophet nor a son of a prophet, but I predict. In our own country here in the United States, to proclaim the word of God and to proclaim the truth of God, in some cases, is going to be said hate speech. What are we to do? To be silenced?
How can we be? Silent regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ. Welcome to the Verdict with Pastor John Monroe. The world will always be hostile to God and his people. But in the midst of difficulties and opposition, God calls his people to righteousness.
Today on the verdict, we're learning that following Jesus is costly. but we are to be faithful and courageous. We're to do what's right and leave the consequences to God.
Now, continuing our newest series in Matthew, here's Pastor John Monroe. Are you a faithful and courageous follower of Jesus Christ? That's a penetrating question, isn't it? most of us would hesitate before responding. Last time we learned about this remarkable servant of God, John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of Jesus, He prepared people spiritually for the coming Messiah.
And he is a great example of proclaiming the truth of God irrespective of the opposition. Last time we saw in Matthew chapter 14 that John the Baptist confronts King Herod and tells him he's living in immorality. Contrary to so many, John is not a man of compromise. He lives in the fear of God and not in the fear of man. Today we'll learn more of what it means to stand for God.
Yes, there is a cost. Matthew fourteen, then verse one at that time. Herod the Tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus. And he said to his servants, This is John the Baptist. He's been raised from the dead.
This is why these miraculous powers are at work in him. For Herod. had seized John and bound him. and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias. His brother Philip's wife, Because John had been saying to him, it's not lawful for you to have her.
And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people. because they held them to be a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod.
So that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, She said. Give me the head of John the Baptist. Here on a platter. And the king was sorry.
But because of his oaths and his guests, he commanded it to be given. He sent. and had John beheaded in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl. And she brought it to her mother.
Verse twelve. And his disciples came. and took the body. and buried it. And they went and told.
Jesus.
Now there's a story, isn't it? Following Jesus involves Faithfulness. and courage. If you're a follower of Jesus, You must be faithful. And you must be courageous.
And we have this wonderful example. In John The Baptist. Do not compromise. Don't be a spiritual whimp. Be strong.
Be courageous. Speak the truth. Yes, speak it in love, we're told, but speak the truth. Francis Schaeffer used to speak about loving. confrontation.
None of us like confrontation. None of us like to confront those. Who are in error, it's much easier to turn the other way. But for followers of Jesus Christ, we do not have that option. We need to speak.
The truth today, we would have made excuses for Herod. I mean, after all, he'd a terrible upbringing. He had the cruelest of fathers. Herod the Great was a very, very cruel man. Or some might have said, I can hear them, can't you?
You know, Herod Antipas, he's immoral, but I tell you, he has got some really good policies, so let him just continue. Don't say anything against him. He does some good things for the country. Most would have said it's none of your business. His personal life doesn't matter.
But John is a servant of God. He's not a politician reflecting the latest opinion polls. He's a messenger of God proclaiming the message of God. He is a trumpeter of God. Paul says to young Timothy: preach the word in season and out of season, when it's popular and when it's not popular.
And so my question to all of you. Not just the preachers. But to every single follower of Christ, if you're a follower of Christ, Answer this question in your heart. Is there some compromise? Regarding truth.
You're compromising the truth in some way in your home. In your relationships, at work, how you do business, you compromise the truth. I'm saying to you, be courageous, be a person of integrity. Serve Jesus. And Be faithful, yes, in the smallest of details, as well as the important decisions in life.
Hadn't Robinson tells the story of a writer for a newspaper in Toronto. who undertook the uh an investigation into the ethical practices of auto repair shops. He took a spark plug wire off of his engine, making the car run unevenly. And then he took it to different shops, different mechanics. Time after time People sold him unnecessary repairs or charged him for repairs that weren't done.
Finally, he went to a small garage and there's a there's a man called Fred. And he said to Fred, I want you to listen to this. After a few seconds. Fred told the reporter, I think I know what's wrong. He reached down, grabbed a wire, announcing your spark plug wire has come off.
You put it back on. The reporter says, what do I owe you? I'm not going to charge you anything, Fred replied. I didn't have to fix anything. I just reattached the wire.
Right, or then Told Fred of all of the mechanics. uh who had ripped him off, lied to him, taken advantage of him. And he said to Fred, why didn't you charge me anything? Fred said, you sure you want to know? He said, I happen to be a Christian.
And I believe that everything we do should be done to glorify God. I'm not a preacher, says Fred. I'm not a missionary, I'm a mechanic. And I do it. Listen to this.
I do it. On this way? I do it skillfully. and I do it to the glory of God. That's John the Baptist.
Honest? Skillful. doing everything for the glory of God. What about you? What about you and your work?
You're in sales. Do you do it honestly? Skillfully For the glory of God. Sudan, you're you're working at Chick-fil-A? Do you do honestly?
Do you do it skillfully? Do you do it for the glory of God? Businessman, you're putting together a big deal. You're negotiating something. I have to ask you.
Are you doing it honestly? Would you be ashamed if Jesus Christ was was looking? At all of the documentation, listening to your conversations. Are you doing it honestly? Are you doing it skillfully?
Because, as followers of Jesus Christ, we should be committed to excellence, shouldn't we? and skill, hard work, honestly, skillfully, and doing it for the glory of God.
So that God is pleased, whether it is a small Task In serving a customer, Whether it is making decisions which impact the lives of hundreds of people. From the small task to the big task, we do it honestly. We do it skillfully. and we do it to the glory of God. I learned that lesson.
As a young attorney struggling with a will, I've told this story before. I couldn't write the will properly, and I was getting frustrated by it. Went to the old senior partner. Who'd practiced law for many, many years, and we sat down together and he took out his pen and he said, Maybe maybe this would sound a little better. And he began to rewrite.
And I said to him, I've really struggled with this. He said, do you know? that when you're writing this will You're doing it. For the glory of God, I thought. I thought we were doing it to get paid.
That's all we're doing here to get money. No, no, no, no. That's a byproduct. You do it as an act of worship to God. That was Fred.
This mechanic? Honest, skillful, doing it for the glory of God. We call that integrity. Integrity. John was a man of integrity.
He had a mission and he discharged it to the glory of God. in an uncompromising commitment to truthfulness. Integrity is being trustworthy in every situation and circumstance. You're given by your employer a very small task that doesn't seem to matter, but you do that. With excellence to the glory of God.
God in his grace Promote you, and you have more and more responsibility. You do that. Clearly skilfully, honestly, to the glory of God. I'm asking you today. To follow the example of John the Baptist.
To be faithful. and what you're doing. Raising your children? Going around the seeming routine of life. facing important decisions Be faithful and be courageous.
We've got too many spiritual wombs, haven't we? Our world. The world of our enemy, who is a father of lies, who spreads the seed. He's strong. They state their views.
No, I'm not asking you to be rough. I'm not asking you to be. Boorish and rude. I'm asking you to do it in love. I'm asking you.
to follow the example of John and be faithful. and courageous. Secondly, Following Jesus. Following Jesus involves sacrifice. You see, you want me to follow the example of John?
He lost his head. Mm. Yes, you might lose your job. That's true. You just think God's way.
It is costly. Sacrificially. There can be opposition. Faithfully following Jesus is often costly. Here is John, he's imprisoned and then he's killed.
John the Baptist, who loved the outdoors, who loved the wilderness, is now imprisoned in a dungeon. Macaris. On top of it would be the castle, built by Herod the Great and now inherited by his son Herod Antipas, who maintained it.
Now it's just a ruin, obviously. And down at the bottom of the hill, To the right-hand side, there is a kind of a cave, a dungeon, and it is said that that is where John was imprisoned. That information comes from. Uh Josephus. the Jewish historian.
And we do know that Herod the Great had this fortress on the east side of the Jordan, 2,300 feet above Sea level. And John It's put. in prison. Verse three. For Herod had seized John.
Think of the violence. Bound them. and put them in prison. for the sake of Herodias. His brother Philip's wife, because John had been saying, It's not lawful for you.
to have her. He may well have been almost a year in that terrible, dark. Dungeon. Here is the forerunner of Jesus, this great man, John the Baptist. And this cult.
through the scheming of wicked Herodias, and their daughter. There they're having a birthday party. Herod's here in The fortress. Great celebration. No doubt plenty of alcohol.
Let's get some entertainment. And Herodias has a very pretty daughter. And she performs some kind of dance and Herod. An immoral, lustful Drunken man. says to her something very stupid.
I'll give you whatever you want. She tells her mother And the mother said, Oh, this is it. This is why I want. I don't want any money. I want the head.
of John the Baptist and I want it on a platter. Think of the cruel woman that she was. And Herod The man who could break the law of God. Although his conscience was troubling him, as we saw in verse 2, he couldn't break his evil, rash oath. But he's Doesn't have a trial.
Here's the executioner come. And this wonderful man, this lovely man, John the Baptist is Beheaded. And his head is put on a platter. And it's presented there. Two.
Herodias and Herschel. Daughter.
So ends the life of a faithful messenger of God. God's voice. is silence. The work of this man the greatest man born of woman. It's completed.
His death, of course. is a foreshadowing. of a greater death, of a crueler death. the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't it true?
That our enemy, and we have an enemy, is the father of lies. And the devil always tries to silence the voice of God. Think of Jeremiah the prophet. A wonderful prophet is his preaching. And there's an evil king, Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, who should have known better.
He takes the scroll of the law and he's sitting by a fire. It's a little cold, and he takes his knife and he cuts out. The pieces of scripture that he doesn't like and throws them into the fire until the scroll is completely gone. They put Jeremiah in a dungeon. They try to silence, they try to eliminate the word of God.
Sound familiar? Satan's still trying to do that. But Christians today, when we speak in love and when we speak out, We're accused of being bigoted, intolerant, judgmental. We're even accused of hate speech. And I'm not a prophet nor a son of a prophet, but I predict that in our own country here in the United States, as it's happening in other countries right now, To proclaim the word of God and to proclaim the truth of God in some cases is going to be said hate speech.
What are we to do? To be silenced? How can we be silent? How can we be? Silent regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ?
How can we be silent when there's so many lies? How can we be silent where our enemy is so loud and continues to Present a message and a lifestyle. and a culture which is so anti-gods. What are we to do? Would you be courageous?
even when it involves sacrifice. And Herod is an interesting man. teaches us is all too possible and to have an interest in spiritual things, to enjoy listening. to preaching. Herod liked some kind of miracle.
He liked to be entertained. He was a dabbler in things, but he still rejected the voice of God. When God came to him, When, if he had listened to God and if he had repented of his sin, there would have been salvation for him. But instead of repenting, when he hears the voice of God, he is furious. Partner Herodias is furious, and they stop the voice of God.
We'll stop listening to this. I don't need to listen to this anymore. Let's get the man's head off. And that's exactly what happens. Incidentally, did you notice verse twelve?
I love what John's disciples did. They loved their master, they loved John the Baptist. Verse twelve His disciples came. took the body. and buried it.
And they went and told. Jesus.
Many of us here, I'm sure most of us here, know what it is to lose a loved one. What are we to do? Be respectful to the body. Bury the body and then go and tell. Jesus.
That was very wise of them. I don't know what Jesus told them. But he knew about comfort. And I'm sure that where he took them in his arms, And thank God for this magnificent man. John.
the Baptist. What about you? Any sacrifice in following Jesus? When you have loving confrontation. When you stand for God, When you draw the line and say, No, I will not do that, I will say this.
Are you prepared for the consequences? Yes, we should be. Do what is right, students, at school, no cheating. No copying someone's Exam or paper. Business people?
No taking the shortcut. No lying to customers. No lying to your employer or employee. Be a person of integrity. You say, if I do that, John, there may be suffering.
It may be difficult for me, I understand that. But do it. And do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do what is right. Leave the consequences to God.
Isn't that what Jesus is saying? Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Don't worry about that. Leave that to God. He's strong, He's powerful.
And do what is right. Be strong. And Courageous. Paul says, indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. No, this passage is a reminder to us.
that those of us who follow Jesus Christ must be clear-cut. No, we don't compromise. We take a stand in a world of CD compromise. In a world where we are astonished at what is happening, which would never have happened even 20 or 30 years ago, we as followers of Jesus Christ. March to the beat of a different drum.
The drum is not our culture. The drum is not Congress. The drum is not the Supreme Court. The drum is not the President. The drum is the Word of God, which stands forever.
This is our commitment to this book, this wonderful book of Scripture. Say it with grace. Say it with love. But speak. The truth.
Jesus says, If anyone come after me, let him what? Deny himself. That sacrifice The nice self. Take up my cross. and follow me.
There's some here this morning, perhaps you've never known the Savior. And you say, I couldn't do that, I'd be too weak. The wonder of the gospel is this, that when you repent of your sin and you trust the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins, and when you receive Christ, you receive his strength. You receive his wisdom and he will guide you, he will empower you as you seek to live. For the Lord.
Jesus Christ. Follow Jesus. I'm saying to you today, follow him faithfully. Follow him courageously. Follow him sacrificially, and what an impact we will make in our world.
As we display and proclaim. Our Lord Jesus. Christ. Let me pray, Father. Help us.
This is often difficult for us because we're weak. We want to please people. We don't want to stand out. But thank you for this example of John the Baptist. A man after your own heart.
Give us courage, Father. Give us strength when we're weak. Give us boldness when we're fearful. Give us wisdom. But their words will be seasoned with salt.
and that we will have the joy, the incredible joy. of pointing people To the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for our country. We pray for our president. We pray for Congress.
We pray for our governor and our mayor. We pray for healing. for our land. Help us. We ask In Christ's name.
Get him out. This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God.
To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Would you have been as courageous as John? He was not prepared to compromise the truth of God even when faced with a king and his corrupt family. Jesus makes it clear that those who follow him must deny self Take up their cross and follow Him. Yes, it's costly to be a follower of Jesus.
But there's incredible joy in serving our Lord faithfully. and what an impact you will have.
Next time, we'll think of one of the best-known miracles of Jesus, the miracle of multiplication. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
