Persecution for Righteousness Sake

Matt. 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [1]

The first eight beatitudes including this one are to “they” not to you.

Is it a corporate issue? Such as the whole congregation.

Even if it is, the whole congregation, each individual must be participating for the

ministry to be effective

Also, we must realize that whenever God comes to us in an instructive way individually in our lives and we refuse to walk in what he is showing us, it not only hurts us, but it hurts our family, our friends, the church congregation and the community that you live in. Remember Adam and David.

We must realize now and from now on that no matter how large or how great we seem to become, we will always be poor without the life of Christ. We will always need to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst, to be merciful, to have a pureness of motive and to be peacemakers, realizing that we may be lambasted from both sides, and accepting persecution gladly and peacefully. The extremely hard thing to accept will be that one or both sides in a dispute may not understand what you are trying to accomplish and will make you out to be the bad guy.

Matt 5,44 Romans 12,14 We all have to be of the same mind in this area, as a congregation, to do right with the right Spirit and to suffer wrong with the right spirit for the sake of the Gospel, without murmuring or complaining.

How does this follow the progress of the other beatitudes?

First of all if you will remember, when we begin to be peacemakers, if we are not careful and even if we are careful, we are likely to end up with some persecution because of our right stand, with the right attitude, or right spirit. Then if we are walking this way consistently people will begin to notice that you do not walk in the same excess of riot as they do or the same excess of control as they do and they will begin to mock you and make fun of you. God has never intimidated anyone. This also is a form of persecution.

Persecute--- to systematically organize a program to oppress and harass people—‘to persecute, to harass, persecution.’9[2]

Persecution can be for many reasons other than righteousness, for political reasons, for class warfare, for race or for just being different. While all these are very real and very hurtful, they are not what are blessed in God’s eyes.

Also we must realize that our opponent does not give up easily nor does he tire easily. One thing we must realize is that he has a better grasp and view of the eternal consequences than we do, and he knows that every minute of every day counts. Are you willing to devote your entire life in this direction?

This persecution will be systematic (formed with a regular consistency and connection of parts, or in this case situations, to each other). Every persecution will be brought about with the previous one and the next one in order for the express purpose of wearing out the saints or in getting them to quit and not persevere in the righteousness they are walking in. They will be disguised in many ways, such as he\she said something about me, or they never ask me to help, or I’m just a nobody. All of these are types of persecution, only they are the mental persecutions that cause us to get worn down.

So be careful when you get some relief, don’t let your guard down, and don’t get complacent. It is usually when we have a time of rest from the battle that we get into more trouble.

Another issue here is you will be persecuted for doing what is right, not only for what we do wrong. That is always harder to withstand then the other, especially with the right attitude and the right motive. People will not understand you, they will think you are meddling, (maybe you are, but maybe you are not), or that you are nosey, or gossiping, when all along you are just trying to be helpful. The second issue in this point is when it is other Christians who are doing the persecuting. It will go like this; you are being too strict or to legalistic on the one side or you are being too worldly and to earthly minded on the other side. This is extremely hard to bear and will cause all kinds of mental turmoil. That is why it is so important that you study the scripture and become settled in your own mind. Are there issues you are not certain of, then study them and ask God to open your understanding and grant you peace in that area. What about women’s dress? Have you studied God’s word or have you made your decision based on the desires of your heart? If your decision is based on the Word of God then you will not be troubled when others interpretations disagree with you, because you will be anchored in what God has shown you. Really there are two issues with the dress as I see it and that is modesty and differentiation. Now if you noticed I said “as I see it” not this is what you should believe. What is of utmost importance in being able to withstand the persecution, is to have a sure word that you can stand on so you won’t be blown about with every wind of doctrine. It does not say every doctrine, but every wind of doctrine. You must have searched it out and have asked the Holy Spirit to illuminate it to you. Also remember that if your attitude, motive and spirit are correct than it will be a happy time.

Also one other issue is John 3.20 Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds be reproved.

Acts 22.7 The world does not hate you but me it hateth, because I testify of it that its works are evil. As we grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our lives will more and more testify of the evil deeds of this world, sometimes without our having to say a word.

1 Cor 4:12, 2 Cor 4:9, Finally we should also realize that the persecutions of today are for the benefits of those around us and those that follow us. Our success or our failure will have direct effects on them. We have the historical record to support our view. Prior physical persecutions led to future freedoms. The religious persecution of the Dark Ages led eventually to the founding of the USA for the free exercise of Christianity. Jeremiah 22:3 (KJV)

2 Tim 3:12

Righteousness Sake

Now let’s look at righteousness for a short time.

Righteousness---Purity of life and Rectitude (Conformity of mind and life to the truth or right) of life

What is truth? This is the main issue you will have to have settled in your belief and that is this Bible the truth? Can I trust it?

Or do I trust the Da Vinci Code?

Phil. 1:15-18 However Christ is preached. Anything that brings it up whether controversy or otherwise gives us the opportunity to speak of Christ.

JER.22,3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. [3]

Deuteronomy 24:13 (KJV)

13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God. [4]

godliness—“piety.” Righteousness is more in relation to our fellow man; piety (“godliness”) to God”; faith is the root of both (see on Tit 2:12).[5]

Why does it take faith for piety towards God? Is not to believe what He has promised

What about our fellow man? He is not as dependable as God; we never know what a man may do. What if we act right, but the man takes advantage of us? It takes faith to believe that it will

work out no matter what the results are. Besides, who is our faith in, the man or the God who made the man?

1 Tim 6:11 The virtues and noble qualities set before Timothy are not just heaped haphazardly together. There is an order in them. First, there comes righteousness, dikaiosune. This is defined as “giving both to men and to God their due.” It is the most comprehensive of the virtues; the righteous man is he who does his duty to God and to his fellow-men.

What is our duty to God? Obey his Commandments. What are his commandments?

Love our neighbor! It does not say our Christian neighbor or our fairly righteous neighbor,

Second, there comes a group of three virtues which look towards God. Godliness, eusebeia, is the reverence of the man who never ceases to be aware that all life is lived in the presence of God. Faith, pistis, here means fidelity, and is the virtue of the man who, through all the chances and the changes of life, down even to the gates of death, is loyal to God. Love, agapē, is the virtue of the man who, even if he tried, could not forget what God has done for him nor the love of God to men.[6]

11–12. But, in striking contrast, the man of God should flee, follow, and fight. Flee is in the Greek present imperative and denotes a continuous action. The temptation for riches is ever present and Timothy was to constantly run from this desire. Instead he was to follow (Gr diōkō) or “to run” after righteousness. This is not the imputed righteousness which every believer has by faith (Rom 10:1–9), but is personal and practical righteous living which brings usefulness and rewards. Not defeated by the snares which he flees, but clothed with this fruit of the Spirit (righteousness, godliness, faith, etc.) he is to Fight the good fight of faith. The word Fight (Gr agōnizomai) is an athletic term meaning “to engage in a contest.” This contest is the whole life of the believer striving to win “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:13). It is a good fight whereas the fight for money is evil[7]

It a fight against our old Nature and the wiles of the Devil

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RIGHTEOUSNESS----NEIGHBOR

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2 Peter 1:1-13 (KJV)7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. [8]

1:8 There is either advance or decline in the pathway of discipleship—no standing still. There is strength and security in moving forward; danger and failure in retreat. [9]

What we begin to see is that Godliness is pertaining to God, while Righteousness is pertaining to our fellowman or as Jesus put it our Neighbor---the one who God brings across our path.

Brotherly kindness--- first meaning is a brother, but following it out to the root word it means a friend

John 13:35 (KJV)John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

This leads to a love for all mankind and is not an emotion but a commandment to obey. Not just those we like, but all mankind including our enemies

A lost man cannot do this--- only a Christian can fulfill this command, because it is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that allows us to do this.

So the persecution we talked about last week pertains to our actions towards or obedience to God or our actions towards our fellow man

Have you ever helped someone and they treated you badly or refused to repay you or took advantage of you and the next time you helped them anyways. You will suffer persecution for continuing to help from your friends or even your family.

It will go something like this; I wouldn’t help them again, they haven’t repaid you from the last time. Or how can you continue t be nice to them when they have been so ugly to you?

These are acts of righteousness that you are being persecuted for from not only your friends, but even your Christian family

So it won’t just be the heathen who are against God that will persecute you, it will be them of your own household

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[1]The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 . Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA

9 9 Some persons have contended that ἐκδιώκωb is an intensive of διώκωc with the resulting meaning of ‘to persecute harshly.’ However, general Greek usage and particularly NT contexts do not seem to bear out any such consistent distinctions in meaning.

[2]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. 1996, c1989. Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) . United Bible societies: New York

[3] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA

[4] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA

[5]Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. 1997. A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. On spine: Critical and explanatory commentary. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA

[6]The letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. 2000, c1975 (W. Barclay, lecturer in the University of Glasgow, Ed.). The Daily study Bible series, Rev. ed. The Westminster Press: Philadelphia

[7]KJV Bible commentary. 1997, c1994 (electronic ed.). Thomas Nelson: Nashville

[8] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA

[9]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. 1997, c1995. Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (electronic ed.) . Thomas Nelson: Nashville