"For My Sake": The Secret to Suffering in an Evil World

 Introduction:

This past week was extremely sad for those of us who took the assassination of Charlie Kirk personally. It seemed that there could hardly be a greater waste of talent, virtue, and love in a world grossly short on all three. After my sister alerted me to what happened, I watched the news in both anger and disbelief--anger that some newscasters said the brazen things they did and disbelief that anyone would hate such a wonderful person. My anger turned to moral outrage when I heard one newscaster say that Charlie Kirk said a lot of things that were wrong and that he was known for saying divisive things. He said he had often questioned him on how he could pursue Christianity and still believe some of the things he did. He said this within minutes of airing Erika Kirk's testimony Friday evening. These insensitive remarks were the equivalent of calling Charlie Kirk a liar and of insinuating that it was his own fault that he was killed. It was also the equivalent of saying that he wasn't much of a Christian. But no one who truly knew Charlie or who heard Erika's testimony could walk away with any of those opinions. I have never heard a greater tribute in my life, and she presented the gospel of Jesus Christ with unalloyed power and grace on national television.

 Losing My Life "For My Sake":

The day after Charlie's assassination (and the day before Erika spoke), which was also 9-11, I walked into the school building with tears in my eyes when I saw the flag at half-staff. The flag was a visible reminder of the national scope of this tragedy, and a heavy darkness and crushing weight of evil just seemed to linger in the very atmosphere. We had just lost one of the strongest conservative Christian voices we have had in my lifetime. It seemed that God had abandoned our nation.

That night as I crawled into bed, the Lord spoke to my mind these words, which comforted and steadied me instantly: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). That precious phrase, "For My sake! For My sake!" just kept going over and over in my mind. Oh, that was it! "All for Jesus! All for Jesus!" we used to sing when I was young. And I started thinking of all the Scriptures in which Jesus said these words "for My sake," and I started wondering how this one phrase would revolutionize our lives if we truly lived with this devotion in view. This verse in Matthew is not only an implicit command, it is a promise. Charlie Kirk has found his life, and his wife is going to keep his legacy alive. Not only is she earning her doctorate in Biblical studies from Liberty University, she is going to keep Turning Point USA active. Those millions of young people who found in Charlie a voice will still have a champion. And more than one person has said that a thousand Charlie Kirks will arise in his place.

Erika's testimony was more powerful than hearing a Billy Graham Crusade, for she spoke from her sorrow with a voice that could not be denied. Not only did her words confirm the words of Jesus that I heard in my spirit the night before, I knew the Lord was still working on our nation. He had not abandoned us. Charlie's assassin, who still remained at large the night before, had by this time been found, which made Erika's words that much more powerful and redemptive. It was as if her heart had been broken open like Mary of Bethany's alabaster box, and as if, like the unnamed woman in Luke's Gospel, she was anointing the feet of Jesus with the costly perfume of her tears. "For My sake" is the undying purpose of the heart whose personal devotion for Jesus far surpasses that of the church at Ephesus that had lost its first love (Revelation 2:4).

It is this personal devotion crystallized in the words of Jesus, "for My sake," that provides the secret to suffering in an evil world. As Stephen was being martyred for preaching the gospel to the same crowd who crucified Jesus, he beheld his Savior "standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55). What more vivid reminder could Stephen have that his suffering was "for My sake"? The writer to the Hebrews describes Jesus as being "set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2), but for Stephen, the first martyr of the church, Christ stood as if on tiptoe to give His faithful servant a standing ovation. Stephen embraced the cross about which he was preaching, and he found that the way to lose his life "for My sake" was to deny himself, to take up his cross, and to follow Jesus. Fear could not stop him. He had already died to himself, and any death beyond that would only lead to life.

Enduring Persecution "For My Sake":

Although every follower of Christ must lose his life by denying himself, taking up his cross, and following Jesus (Matthew 16:24), certainly not every Christian will meet a martyr's death. Even so, Paul tells Timothy that "all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (II Timothy 3:12). Some Christians in the world today might actually find a martyr's death easier than the slow burn they endure for being a follower of Christ. Persecution comes in many forms, and some persecution is so subtle and yet so relentless that we don't even realize its source. Peter warns that our adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion, "seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8). But Paul reminds us that we are not ignorant of his devices (II Corinthians 2:11). Sooner or later, Satan shows his hand, and when he does, we may rejoice with Paul that everything that has happened to us has happened for the furtherance of the gospel (Philippians 1:12).

Seeing our trials objectively allows us to realize that our suffering is not our own fault but that it serves a divine purpose. And, if Satan is fighting, that can mean only one thing: God is working! For this reason, Peter reminds us not to think it strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try us but to rejoice "inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings" (I Peter 4:13). "For My sake!" But Peter doesn't stop there. As if recalling that balmy day when Jesus delivered His Sermon on the Mount, Peter climaxes his command by saying, "that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy" (I Peter 4:13). Peter isn't talking merely about the physical suffering that sin has brought upon the world. He is speaking of the suffering caused by persecution: "If you are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you; on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified." There it is again: "for My sake." And, in case we missed this point, Peter continues, "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf" (I Peter 4:14,16).

And what does Jesus say about persecution in His Sermon on the Mount? "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). There it is: "for My sake." They may call Charlie Kirk divisive and imply that he was spouting misinformation or lies and that he doesn't represent a true Christian, but if that were the case, the world would love him and he wouldn't have died. When we serve our Lord as the salt and light of the world, eternity will commend the result. And for whatever persecution you and I might face from the unlikeliest sources, can we not find it freeing to know that in every persecution, Christ is honored when we rejoice?

Witnessing "For My Sake":

Losing one's life, enduring persecution--what else does Jesus specify will characterize the true Christian's life "for My sake"? Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:18 that we will be called on the carpet before governors and kings "for my sake."  This may seem unlikely, but Peter does command us to be always ready for a defense to everyone who asks us concerning the hope that is in us (I Peter 3:15). To me, this says that I need to have my ducks in a row when I stand up for what I believe. No one could defeat the logic of Charlie Kirk, and I think this is what drove some people insane, just as it gave Gen Z an anchor to hold them from soul drift in the seas of metamodernism. It is every Christian's business to know their Bible, to know their faith, and, most of all, to "know Whom I have believed" (II Timothy 1:12). There is that personal devotion again--"for My sake"--without which we are sounding brass and tinkling cymbals (I Corinthians 13:1).

But why do we do this? The text is surprising: "for a testimony against them and the Gentiles." When we know what we believe and speak accordingly, blood will not be on our head. But we must notice that no one is going to applaud our impeccable logic and compelling argument. On the contrary, to this task of standing before kings (the toughest foe) "for my sake," the Lord promises, not success, but failure: "And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22). Will we do this for Jesus? Will we study God's Word "for My sake"?

Abandoning All "For My Sake":

By now, we are seeing without a doubt that living for Jesus will require suffering and heroism beyond the stretch of our imagination. But there is yet another "for My sake" that is down to earth and which most of us who have walked any length of time with the Lord have experienced. After Jesus had addressed the questions of the rich young ruler, who counted the cost of discipleship and walked away, the Lord identifies yet another group of disciples whom He will reward as having suffered "for my sake." In response to Peter, who points out in contrast to the rich young ruler that the disciples have left all to follow Jesus, our Lord says, "And everyone who has forsaken houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" (Matthew 19:29). We have heard many times that we cannot outgive the Lord, but these words are reward enough, are they not? "For My sake" I will leave behind anything my Lord requires as I follow Him all the way to glory.

Conclusion:

Who can say with Paul that, "whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Colossians 3:17)? What if we regarded each of our daily duties and priorities in light of these three precious words of Jesus: "for My sake"? Wouldn't that personalize the impossible and sanctify the disagreeable? Paul instructs the Philippians as follows: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11).

What a wonderful request our Lord makes of us to do anything at all "For My sake," for His Name is above every name, and at the Name of Jesus the whole earth shall one day bow. In the meantime, friend, press on for Jesus' sake--for this alone is the secret to suffering in an evil world.