Matthew 5:10 - For the Sake of Righteousness

Matthew 5:10

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Today’s society is afraid of everything, I don’t know how I made it to !

· I sat too close to the tv and didn’t go blind

· I didn’t wait thirty minutes after I ate to go swimming

· I made that face and it didn’t stick that way

· I never wore a helmet when I rode a bike

· I jumped on a trampoline without a safety net

· I ran with shoelaces untied, scissors in my hand and suckers in my mouth

· I took candy from strangers and ate it

· I played with toys that were painted with lead based paints

· I climbed a tree in our back yard and loved it…

· I fell out of a tree in our backyard and made it

· I got hit with the balls, beat up at school and spankings at home

· When I was thirteen my baseball team lost every game we played and it didn’t scar me for life

Sometimes I am afraid that we take our natural tendencies to be fearful… and transplant them into our walk with Christ. We become fearful of the cost of

an all-out commitment to follow God’s call on our lives at all cost.

Last week…I spoke of the woman whom God placed in Jolyn and I’s life when we were faithful to his leading…to cover the cost of tuition at Southwestern Seminary…

And I want you to know today that God protects his interests…if you are in the center of his will…you will see his hand at work in your life!

It may not be comfortable…It may not be the outcome that you thought you wanted…but oh the peace and the confidence and the boldness and the power that the believer receives when they choose to give it all to the One who gave it all for them!

2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God gave us a spirit… not of fear… but of power and love and self-control.

The Lord was writing to Timothy… a young pastor…who was experiencing immense opposition because of his commitment to God…

People were opposed to him…people were opposed to his message…people were opposed to his priority of the Lord…

And because of that…Timothy found himself right in the middle of what Matt 5:10 calls persecution…

Looking at that word:

The Greek word translated here for persecuted [is diwkw – which] means to pursue, to persecute, to press forward. It would be used to describe a wild beast as he is pursued by a hunter, or an enemy who has been put to flight and is being pursued.

IN OTHER WORDS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT… IS NOT JUST A ONE TIME EVENT OR EVEN A COLLECTION EVENTS BUT RATHER… THE OPPOSITION SURROUNDING TIMOTHY HAS BECOME THE NORM!

Folks…know this morning that when you make a “all-In” decision for Christ that “Oppostion” will become the norm in your life!

This passage in Matt 5 comes toward the end of the list of the beatitudes, in which Jesus gives us a vivid picture of what it looks like to live a fully committed life for the sake of the Gospel. For the sake of Christ.

Matt 5:3-9

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

John 15:18 – Jesus tells us that “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

This list of beatitudes should makes us aware of two things:

1. The Kingdom life is principally a spiritual life… a matter of the heart. Therefore, the heart MUST be right before it can be anything else.

2. The Kingdom life is HARD! Jesus does not call his people to follow him with the promise of unbounded wealth or perfect health, but he does promise blessing and power and peace. However sometimes his people will experience the pain of rejection and loss.

1 Cor. 1:18 - For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

John 15:18-21

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

1 Peter 3:14

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

We must keep in mind that when the scripture tells us we are blessed, it is not referring to our feelings….nor our circumstance.

John Stott said it this way: “Happiness is a subjective state, whereas Jesus is making an objective judgment about these people.”

We must understand that living a life of persecution for the sake of the Gospel is way more than just having a bad day!

For some of us our idea of living the Christian life is following a list of rules and putting Jesus on top. But this is the very thing that Jesus in this Sermon on the Mount is teaching against. LIVING A RIGHTEOUS LIFE IS MUCH MORE THAN FOLLOWING A LIST OF RULES WITH JESUS ON TOP!

this blessing is for those who have nothing within themselves, for those who hate sin in their life,

for those who are submissive and uncompromising to the call of the Gospel on their lives,

for those who are actively seeking a life that characterized by righteous living,

for those who are merciful, and genuine and seek to model the peaceful character of God in their life,

it is for those people that there is reward.

It is to those that God gives the kingdom of heaven, the comforts of heaven, the earth as their inheritance, the satisfaction of his provision, the mercy and provision of God, the right to be called the sons and daughters of God, and perhaps the greatest of all: ownership in his Kingdom.

Luke 12:4

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

The next section of scripture in Matt 5 confronts us with a question - Are you being salt and light to the world?

Salt ( 2 purposes) preserve and enhance

God has set the believer a part to preserve the world against the inherent evil in a society of ungodliness and sin

We as believers are to enhance the flavor of life in this world as salt enhances the flavor of the food we consume.

Light

The believer is to be a light in the darkness, set high so that the world may see…

Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Have you surrendered all to Christ? Have rejected the World and received Christ. Are you with him to the end? Have you committed your life to Jesus and his Word. Are you experiencing persecution due to your resounding stance for Christ? Or are you floating comfortably through life?

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.