Blessed are those who are Persecuted because of Righteousness...

...for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

We’ve come to the last of the beatitudes. We’ve found that we’re blessed when we realize our need for God, that we can’t do it on our own. We’re blessed when we mourn our sinfulness and turn away from it. We’re blessed when we willingly accept God’s rule in our lives, obeying in meekness. We’re blessed when we want a right relationship with God more than we desire food and drink. We’re blessed when we have mercy. We’re blessed when we have pure hearts. We’re blessed when we make peace.

The result of all this? We’re blessed when we’re persecuted. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Wow. What a blessing. Doesn’t everyone want that? Isn’t that what we’re striving for? In 2 Timothy 3:12, the Apostle Paul writes to his protégé, Timothy: In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Paul knew first hand about persecution; before his conversion, he was one of Christianity’s chief persecutors. In the beginning of the book of Acts, the church had grown to the point where they needed to appoint leaders for their food ministry so that the Apostles could continue preaching. I know what that’s like!

Acts 6:8ff: Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of Freedmen (as it was called) – Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the province of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the spirit by whom he spoke.

Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."

When Stephen got his chance to speak, (v. 15) All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Stephen made an incredible defense of his faith, and if you’re interested in a one-chapter summary of the Old Testament, read Acts 7. The result of his correct understanding and explanation of the history of God’s people was this: they dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death. All this for being a part of the team who headed up the food bank ministry. And the man who would later become the Apostle Paul was there, giving his approval to it all.

This gives us all a lot of hope, doesn’t it? If we really do what Jesus told us to, the result is persecution. If we hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God – give everything we have to pursue that relationship, it’s going to wreck some other aspects of life. James writes that friendship with the world is hatred toward God; when we seek after anything other than God, we’re not just ignoring Him or putting Him second, but we’re actually acting as His enemies.

Then when we seek wholeheartedly to be peacemakers, we, like Stephen, naturally confront sins in the lives of those around us. Peacemaking, as I said last week, isn’t peaceful. It isn’t about avoiding conflict; in fact, peacemaking often brings conflict boiling up.

When sin is confronted, a natural human reaction is often of the "fight of flight" variety. I knew a young man who admitted that he was engaged in sinful behaviors, but that was the last I ever saw of him. He "flew" rather than face the conflict that would follow as I tried to keep him accountable. But when we do the confronting, the response is often negative - strongly negative, sometimes even violent. "Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to say…?"
Then Satan, who already had a foot in the door, comes, lashing out. Satan, the Deceiver, the Father of Lies, hates the Truth. He hates the living, active Word of God. So he attacks it violently in every way he can.

Because of our human nature, we hate to be wrong. That’s part of our sin nature: we’re wrong, but we aren’t satisfied with just being wrong; we get defensive about our wrongness. Then the Holy Spirit comes convincing us that we’re wrong, and we (again) lash out.

This is often where persecution comes from.

Jesus told his followers that three types of persecution would follow them. They would be insulted, physically persecuted, and lied about.

Insults:
Being sold-out for Jesus Christ makes you a magnet for insults. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was in a cell group with his brother Charles and a couple of other friends, where they spent their time studying the Scriptures, fasting, praying, feeding the hungry, visiting the imprisoned, and they were called all sorts of names by their fellow seminarians. They were called the Holy Club, Bible bookworms, and (here’s a really nasty one) Methodists.

In Matthew 11:19, Jesus was called a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. No good Jew wanted to be called any of these things or associated with "those people." You might know that "guilt by association." If you are associated with "those people," it must mean that you’re just like them. I remember this kid who was in my class in elementary school, I’ll just call him Kenny. Kenny wasn’t very smart, he dressed in unstylish clothes, and, worst of all, he smelled bad. Nobody wanted to associate with Kenny. One day I went over to his house to play. The next day, a couple of boys from my class confronted me. "Why were you in our neighborhood?" they asked. I sheepishly admitted that I’d gone to Kenny’s house. "Why?" they demanded. I’m ashamed to admit that, being afraid of their insults, and I lied and told them that I’d gone there to fight with Kenny. They dropped the matter, as if that was just fine. Here’s the bottom line: if you really, truly associate with Jesus, you will be insulted by people who don’t.

Physical:
I already mentioned Stephen’s suffering death, but did I mention that all but one of the twelve Apostles were killed for their faith? Hebrews 11:36-37 gives us a picture of what happened. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated.

Jesus didn’t say that being sold-out for him might be tough; he said that it would be tough a fact that Peter repeats in 1 Peter 4:12-16: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or a thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

I can go on and on about those who have undergone all sorts of physical persecution because of their relationship with Jesus Christ. Did you know that more Christians were persecuted in the twentieth century than in the previous nineteen centuries put together? If you're interested in more information about persecution, especially that which is going on right now, click here or check out the Voice of the Martyrs at persecution.com.

False accusation:
One of the hardest parts of being a visionary Christian leader is the false accusations. When I was in seminary, I was a part of an exciting, growing church. I loved it there. In one class, we were grouped by fours, and as part of our group’s dynamics, we visited one another’s churches. I noticed that one of the guys had a stopwatch, and when I asked him about it, he told me, "The people at my church say that this church undervalues Communion and just whips through it to ‘get it over with.’" He then reported that our Communion service lasted one minute longer than in his church. The false accusations really stemmed from the fact that some people in his church didn’t like the style of worship in our church.

I have heard false accusations about leadership in growing churches: pastor so-and-so is such-and-such. It always comes in the most pious of voice, too. People who are "so concerned" that they feel that "someone just has to know" and then they spread the gossip. If you’re doing that, instead of being Jesus’ followers, you are the one persecuting Christians. There’s just no nice way to put it. Stop it right now!

Persecution is horrible, but if you are persecuted for being in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ, there is a blessing. In fact, Jesus pronounces a triple blessing!

  • Yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.
  • Your reward in heaven is great.
  • You are in line with the prophets and with Jesus Himself!

When you own the Kingdom, you’ll live for its fulfillment. In doing so, you’ll realize that in the big scheme of things, the persecution doesn’t last long. James 4:14 What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9;16-18: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed… Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Jesus doesn’t stop there, though. He says that your reward in heaven will be great. The glory of the reward will more than compensate for the struggles you go through. Romans 8:18: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Finally, Jesus tells his followers that they are in line with the prophets… and Jesus Himself. If our goal is Christ-likeness, then we’re on the right path. You see, not only does persecution for Christ ensure us of heavenly rewards, it makes us like Jesus. Persecution changes our character. Romans 5:2b- 5: And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

So, if we are persecuted, what are we supposed to do? We stand firm in our faith.

Why do we stand firm? When we do, it demonstrates to the persecutors that there is something different about us.

1 Peter 4:19: So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Over 150 years ago, missionaries from Great Britain and Germany traveled to northeast India to preach the gospel. Dr. P.P Job, Director of a mission in India, tells the story of how a man, his wife and two children were converted to Christ. Their spontaneous faith spread throughout the village, angering the leader of the community. He summoned the man before the village and demanded that he renounce his Christian faith or face execution. The man, facing this crucial decision, sang a song that I have heard sung around the world, "I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back."
Enraged, the chief ordered the archers to shoot the two children. As both of the boys lay twitching on the ground, the chief asked, "Now will you renounce your faith? You have lost both of your children. You will lose your wife as well." The man replied by singing, "Though no one joins me, still will I follow. Though no one joins me, still will I follow. Though no one joins me, still will I follow. No turning back, no turning back." The chief was beside himself with rage and he ordered the wife put to death. Now he asked for the final time, "Now I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live. There is no one for you in the world." The man then sang, "The cross before me, the world behind me. The cross before me, the world behind me. The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back, no turning back." He was executed.

Eventually the courage of this man and his family would lead to the conversion of this chief and the entire village.

Know that you aren’t alone.
1 Peter 5:8-9: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Finally, know that this is the way that God builds you into Jesus’ likeness and receive your reward.

James 1:2-4; 12: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

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