PERSECUTED, BUT JOYFUL! (Matthew 5:10-12) INTRODUCTION

PERSECUTED, BUT JOYFUL! (Matthew 5:10-12) INTRODUCTION Persecuted, but Joyful! This seems like a paradox. It is a paradox! Also, how can it be that Jesus goes from talking about being a peacemaker to being persecuted? What would cause him to start talking about persecution in the midst of these very positive beatitudes? Why would anyone want to persecute a person living like Jesus teaches us to live according to the other seven beatitudes? A person living according to the other seven beatitudes would be a most outstanding citizen. One would think that the world would be delighted to have citizens who are aware of their spiritual poverty, sorry for their sins, and leading God-controlled lives? Wouldn't any community welcome residents who are hungry after righteousness, merciful, pure, and fulfilling the role of peace makers? Surely, the world would welcome such persons with open arms? Jesus says No, they won t! So be ready to experience some persecution. We need to put more thought on this beatitude and ask the Holy Spirit to help us see why this is an important beatitude and how we should respond to persecution. WHAT INVITES PERSECUTION? First, what is it about believers that invites persecution? What did Jesus have in mind? If we have an objectionable personality and are persecuted, Jesus is not talking about this. If we do wrong, break the law, etc and are persecuted, Jesus is not talking about this. Even if we are being fanatical and doing weird things in the name of the Lord and are persecuted, Jesus is not talking about this. It is for something very specific. It is because of righteousness. Jesus says very specifically, Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. It is for our living a righteous life. What is it about righteousness that the world hates? Righteousness shines as a light on unrighteousness and therefore the unrighteous hate the righteous. This is the way it has been since the days of Cain and Able. Why did Cain kill Abel? Listen to the Apostle John: November 25, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 1

1 John 3:12 NIV Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Unrighteousness hates to be exposed by the light of righteousness. If we seek to live righteously, it will draw persecution from the unrighteous. Jesus said that it goes beyond righteousness. It is because the world hates Jesus. Matthew 5:11 NIV "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Jesus warned the disciples in the Upper Room "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first (John 15:18) The world here is the world system, which is under the control of Satan (I John 5:19). The Open Doors organization, who researches and keeps track of persecuted Christians, says, Christians remain one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world. Some of their statistics for 2018 are: 215 million Christians live in areas of high levels of persecution in the countries on the World Watch List. This represents 1 in 12 Christians worldwide. North Korea is ranked #1 for the 17th consecutive year as the most dangerous country for Christians. During the World Watch List 2018 reporting period: 3,066 Christians were killed; 1,252 were abducted; 1,020 were raped or sexually harassed; and 793 churches were attacked. Islamic Oppression fuels Christian persecution in 8 of the top 10 countries. What is it that invites persecution from the world? It is because of righteousness and the world s built-in hatred of Jesus. WHAT COUNTS FOR PERSECUTION? Next, let s think about what counts as persecution according to this beatitude. When we think of persecution we normally think of physical violence done to us. And certainly this is the case for many as Open Doors reports. But most of us here today haven t experienced physical violence or been physically attacked because of our faith. This is mainly because we live in a nation which was founded on Christian values, which value and respect the beliefs of others. November 25, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 2

We should be very thankful for God raising up our national forefathers who based the government of this nation on Christian values and the Ten Commandments. But just because we don t suffer physical violence because of our faith this doesn t mean that the beatitude is not for us. Note that Jesus says in verse 11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Suffering insults and false accusations and malice because of our living like Jesus and our faith in Jesus is a form of persecution. Sadly our nation is moving more and more towards this kind of treatment of Christians. Peter got the message of this beatitude. He echoed it twice in his book of I Peter. He wrote: 1 Peter 4:14-16 NIV If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (15) If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. (16) However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. When we seek to consistently live as Jesus would have us live, i.e. righteously, there will be those who shun us, or ridicule us for being too Puritanical, or even be biased against us in the work place, in social settings, or even accused of hate-speech, etc. This beatitude relates to us today. We shouldn t be surprised at how Christians are treated in this world. Again Peter warned us against. 1 Peter 4:12-13 NIV Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (13) But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND? What may be the most amazing part of Jesus teaching on persecution is how we are to respond! He says (12) Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. November 25, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 3

Now this may be hard to do! When someone insults you, you are to say, Thank you, I am blessed by that! The first Christians to suffer insult and persecution as recorded in Acts were Peter and John in Acts 5 - They were put in jail for preaching Christ and when they got out they kept on preaching. They were then brought before the council where they were flogged. Here is their reaction: Acts 5:40-41 They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. (41) The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. We are to rejoice, not because we are to have a masochist nature, one who derives joy out of pain, or because we have a martyr s complex, but because we are experiencing the same type of suffering that Jesus suffered and that brings glory to His Name. We are to count it all joy to suffer like Jesus! Paul even says that suffering for Jesus is a gift given to us. Philippians 1:29 NIV For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, WHY WE ARE TO REJOICE? This brings us to considering some reasons why suffering for Jesus sake should bring us joy. One, it gives evidence that you are identified with Christ. It shows that your belong to Christ. We should wear our experience of persecution as a badge that we belong to Jesus. If we are suffering because we are living for Jesus then we can rejoice in that it is saying that we are true believers and gladly identify with Him. Two, it is proof that the Holy Spirit is really at work in your heart preparing you for heaven. Billy Graham told the story of the man who was discouraged and disillusioned by the things he had suffered in life. The man was walking in an area where some men were working on a building with a tall tower in it. One of the workers was chiseling away on a piece of stone. The man asked this worker what he was doing and he pointed to a small triangular hole near the top of the tower. He explained to the discouraged man, I m shaping it down here so that it will fit up there. November 25, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 4

This is what the Holy Spirit is doing to us. He s shaping us down here to fit up there. Therefore we should rejoice in our sufferings. Three, it enables us to experience the nearness of Christ in a tangible way. The three Hebrew young men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- Nego) who were cast into the fiery furnace experienced the nearness of God in the time of their suffering. Daniel 3:24-25 NKJV Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." (25) "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." In a special way the nearness of Christ is with us as we go through suffering for him. Listen to the great promise of Isa. 41:10 Isaiah 41:10 NIV So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Four, it is an opportunity to give a powerful testimony to others of glory of Christ. Back in the days of the Reformation in England there was a lot of persecution. In 1555 the godly Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were led to the stake in Oxford, England, for their faith. Just before they lit the fires Latimer cried out to Ridley, "Be of good comfort, master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as (I trust) shall never be put out." And he was right. Five, Jesus promises a reward. Actually the only cause for joy that Jesus mentions is he promises a reward. Matthew 5:12 NIV Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Great is your reward in heaven. Sometimes we may think that it is unspiritual to look forward to rewards in heaven. But the Bible speaks of different November 25, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 5

types rewards. One reward is for the suffering for Jesus. I don t know what these rewards will be but I know that at least it will be Well done, my good and faithful servant. That will be reward enough for me. To be faithful to Christ during suffering and persecution is something God will reward. Jesus says that when you are persecuted for righteousness and for his sake, REJOIC and Be GLAD. CONCLUSION Let me ask you, Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? Have you had to suffer offense of being insulted, ridiculed, or accused of being a fanatic for your desire to live like Jesus and for righteousness? If not, then should you question whether your life is reflecting the righteousness of Christ to others? Paul said, 2 Timothy 3:12 NIV In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, Don t be surprised if you are called upon to suffer for Jesus sake. Rejoice and be strong for your reward is great. Also pray for those who are suffering physically in this world. Paul, more than once, said, Remember my chains. I believe he was saying remember in prayer my suffering. We need to remember the thousands of Christians today who are faced with physical suffering for Jesus sake. Amen? Amen! November 25, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 6