Persecution For Christ's Sake
PERSECUTION FOR CHRIST’S SAKE
MATT 5:11Matthew 5:11 (KJV)
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falselya, for my sake. [1]
Remember blessed means happy are ye
ARE YE –INDIVIDUAL INSTANCES – IT IS ONE THING TO STAND IN THE MIDST OF PERSECUTION WITH OTHERS, BUT IT IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ISSUE WHEN YOU ARE STANDING BY YOURSELF WHETHER ONE OR MANY ARE INVOLVED AND ALSO WHETHER THEY ARE FRIENDS OR BROTHERS OR ADVERSARIES
When men—there is one aspect that I may have not have covered when we were discussing the persecution and that is the persecution that does not come from men, but from our own thinking
This type will drain your energy, your vitality and deprive you of any desire to go on. It is one thing to be persecuted from without, most people can stand that, but to be persecuted in your own mind, to be tormented with doubt and fear is one of the most exhausting battles you will ever fight.
But this is when men!
Deals with three areas.
Revile—
Persecute---
Say all manner of evil against you falsely---
Purpose for these attacks—For Christ’s sake
Revile---to upbraid--: to criticize severely : find fault with
2 : to reproach severely : scold vehemently
[2]
also means to reproach--1 : an expression of rebuke or disapproval
2 : the act or action of reproaching or disapproving 〈was beyond reproach[3]
Now we see in this reviling by definition can take two extremes—one a rebuke or disapproval, the milder of the two ways and the second is to reproach severely or to criticize severely, but in both cases it is the same
It causes shame or disappointment; it causes you to be discouraged, especially when you have tried, especially when you were not sure of the command or the way of accomplishing it
How many times have you received a command—thought you understood it—obeyed it according to your understanding—only to find out it was wrong
Now this is how we react in the earthly way, but in the Spiritual way we should act totally different. Why?
In the worldly issues it may be because we were at fault or have come up short, but when it happens in the Spiritual issues, then, we should rejoice. Why?
Differentiate between the earthly and the spiritual.
We must be testifying of Christ!!! This is some of the evidence to us and to others that Christ is actually doing some lasting work in our lives
If it is done because of our stand for Christ and not for our inconsistencies then rejoice--- be happy God has done a good work in you
We will bypass the word persecute since we have dealt with this recently
Shall say
What should we care? Well lets be honest it still hurts whether we admit it or not
Read Proverbs 18: 8 We do care what people say! I’ve heard the comment “I don’t care what they say about me” and that is an absolute lie. We all care some may not show it as much as others
A wound hurts—it is annoying—and it inhibits us from our normal abilities
All manner---don’t be surprised about what others may say about you as you follow the Lord
Some of it will down right offensive and it will even get to the extremely ridiculous
But it is going to be said, God said it would, when he used the word when? When you are testifying of Christ not just with your mouth, but with your life
Of evil –it won’t be good things they will be EVIL and it will hurt
It also will be said with authority and the sad part will be that there will always be some in the community that will believe it. And not only believe it, but will be glad to spread it
They will call you bad names, say you have done bad things, accuse you of many things they cannot prove, but if they did our Lord that way, why do we expect fallen man to treat us any better as more of the life of Christ becomes evident in our lives. In actuality they will not be speaking evil of us, but they will be speaking evil of our Lord.
Are you offended for your sakes or for our Lord’s sake?
Against You--- this makes it personal it is not a corporate issue but a very personal one
That is another reason that it is important to be attending the services and participating in the Christian fellowship as much as you can, because you never know when the attack will come and you never know what word or comment God may use from a brother or a sister that will strengthen you during this onslaught
Falsely—this is what makes it hard to accept and what causes us to rise up in defense of ourselves, but this is where we have to just leave it alone and not stir up strife because that is all it will do
But you say is there never a time to ask a person about why they are or if they are actually saying those things?
Yes there is, but you had better be in the right attitude and the right spirit
With the right motive or it will not come out right and even at its best it is sometime going to go bad
The best way to handle this is to let God arrange the circumstances to bring the discussion to pass
Whenever I have determined to talk to this person that has been saying things about me and have arranged the meeting in a subtle way, it has always come out wrong.
But when I have allowed God to arrange it, it usually comes out right or better.
For my sake—whose sake—for Christ’s sake—
Which by definition means on account of me
The reviling, the persecution, the saying of all manner of evil falsely is because of Christ not for any wrong we have done
It is evidence that the life of Christ is being seen by others working in us and the evidence of light being emitted and the darkness rising up against it.
Why would God allow this?
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (KJV)16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? [4]
The purpose is in verse 14 where it say
God causeth us to always triumph in Christ
And maketh manifest (evident to others) the savor of his knowledge
By us!!!!
A savor of life unto life to them that are saved
And a savor of death unto death unto them that perish.
This will lead us to the next step
SALT AND LIGHT
----
a falsely: Gr. lying
[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA
[2]Merriam-Webster, I. 1996, c1993. Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (10th ed.). Merriam-Webster: Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.
[3]Merriam-Webster, I. 1996, c1993. Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (10th ed.). Merriam-Webster: Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.
[4] The Holy Bible : King James Version. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995