Blessed are the Persecuted / Matthew 5:10-12

In the famous tale of the Lord of the Rings, two of the main characters, Sam and Frodo compare their adventure to the grand stories of old. During one low moment of their journey Frodo says, “You and I, Sam, are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all too likely that some will say at this point ‘Shut the book now, dad; we don’t want to read any more’.”

Perhaps there is no theme in the Bible, and our lives, that makes us want to echo these words more than persecution. Your journey with Jesus began with mercy, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and peacemaking. You are experiencing exciting growth. Those around you see the difference. But suddenly, and unexpectedly, your beliefs cause a family divide. You get in trouble at work. Friends begin to distance themselves. You experience the pain of persecution and it makes you want to say, “Shut the book now, Father. I don’t want to continue.”

In our final week meditating on the beatitudes we arrive at the hardest one to believe and the most difficult to experience…

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

At first glance, this verse makes no sense. Why should those who are mistreated be happy? If you’re a normal human, you take a rest day when you’re sick. You avoid people who make you uncomfortable. If you feel like your neighborhood is unsafe, you try to move.

Three words unlock this mystery: for righteousness sake.

Many worldviews teach that persecution and suffering is noble even if you don’t have a cause. Those teachings are not only false, they are dangerous. Listen to the words of the apostle Paul, “19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” If there is no God, no resurrection, no eternity don’t praise suffering Christians, pity us.

There are many reasons why people may be mistreated. You may disliked because you are a mean person. You may be persecuted for political opinion. You may seek persecution because you have a guilty conscience and you think suffering will ease the guilt. In history, people have even sought martyrdom to be famous. The bible explains that you can go to the stake with impure motives: 1 Corinthians 13:3 “I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

I once heard a teacher explain that Christians in China were praying for the church in America to experience persecution so that we might be purified. This sounded very spiritual. Until my mind was refined with the thought, “the only people who pray for persecution are those who have never experienced it.” Jesus taught us to pray, deliver us from evil!

Just because the persecuted are blessed does not mean we are called to seek persecution. You focus on following Jesus and persecution will seek you. 1 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

So what does it look like to live for righteousness sake? For starters, it means more that being noble or kind. The apostles weren’t killed for passing out water bottles with a smile or hosting fun community events. Unbelievers welcome those actions. Those who do not know Christ respect figures like Mother Teresa, Mr. Rogers, and George Washington for retiring after two terms. Pastor Martyn Lloyd Jones wisely explained this reality, “The good and noble are very rarely persecuted because we all have the feeling that they are just like ourselves at our best. But the righteous are persecuted because they are different.”

To live for righteousness sake is to be different. To be light in darkness. To be salt preventing decay. To be truth amidst lies. To love enemies and bless those who mistreat us. To live for righteousness is to live like Jesus. And if we live like Jesus, let us not be surprised when we are treated like Jesus. He told us, 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.”

Christians, the world is not surprised if are hated for being prideful. Or seeming like conspiracy theorists. If we find ourselves hated, let it be because of light, truth, and grace.

People that are hated for shining light in this dark world cause sleepless nights and change more hearts than any celebrity pastor. The mystery of being persecuted for living like Jesus demands an answer. And Christ himself provides the reason, John 3:19-20 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

The non-Christian loves sin. They are happy it exists. It makes them feel the warmth of escape. And when you love something, you will defend it. Wherever you find love, know that hatred is close by.

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“20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

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Plato once taught, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

Love for sin makes you afraid of the light. This reality is visible even in the first family. I find it utterly sad, but relevant, that the initial case of persecution was within the context of family. 1 John 3 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.”

Abel’s righteousness exposed the darkness in Cain, so Cain hated him.

You may be able to endure sitting alone at the lunch table or being misunderstood at work. But watching your family divide because of your allegiance to Christ has a unique sting. How can we endure persecution, especially when it is personal?

Listen to this promise.

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To the one sitting alone, you are not alone. To the one who is hated, you are loved by God. To the one who was passed for that raise because of your convictions, you became richer. If your blood family has rejected you, remember that the blood of Christ adopted you into a new family.

Experiencing this final beatitude is a stamp of assurance that we belong to God. Those who persecute may get ahead and inherit the world. Those who are persecuted inherit heaven. I choose heaven. I choose to stand with God, even if I have to stand alone. Choose you this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Jim Elliot story - Mid 1950's desire to do missions in the jungles of Ecuador, attempt to reach the people, murder 5 men including Nate saint his wife and some of the children went back to minister many were saved, some of the very men who killed the missionaries was saved.

Jim Elliot quote:“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Some, like Jim Elliot, died for the cause of Christ. You and I may have that same future, but the more urgent question is, are you willing to boldly live for Jesus this week? Especially in the normal day-to-day moments of life. Especially in the normal moments.

Often people teach on persecution with heart wrenching stats and gory examples of brutal martyrdom. The unintended result of these illustrations is that normal Christians walk into this challenging world thinking that persecution exclusively looks like extreme violence. It’s easy to think that persecution is some vague experience, “out there.” You hear it when people say that persecution may come to America one day. This misunderstanding causes our expectations to be out of sync with the scriptures. Listen to verse 11…

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

This verse doesn’t say, blessed are you when you’re martyred. It explains that you are blessed when all kinds of evil is against you. Persecution is more than torture and stoning. It may look like loneliness. Sound like biting sarcasm. And result in less pay or less friends. The majority of persecution Jesus experienced before the cross was words - friend of sinners, glutton, empowered by satan.

If you are living for Jesus, you have experienced persecution and you will continue to experience persecution.

But the blessing only applies if the mean words are false. This principle is so easy to misdiagnose that Jesus re-iterates the cause of persecution. Peter once wrote, let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed

Another way of saying this, being the center of conflict is not something to be proud of. Perhaps you are not a victim or a martyr. Maybe you’re a meddler or an evil doer. If insert yourself into peoples drama, no wonder you get reviled. But it’s not falsely on account of Christ. Perhaps it’s because you can’t control your tongue.

On the other hand, do not believe every claim about those who publically live for God. You may have heard the principle, the customer is always right. We now live in a day where the supposed victim is always right. Don’t you think that Satan, the father of lies, loves giving ammunition against God’s children? Some, perhaps many, of reports, whispers, and claims are not true. So if you have conflict, go to the person directly and be a peacemaker.

If you are persecuted for Christ..

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,

If you do not have the Spirit of Jesus, you will not be able to rejoice and be glad during persecution. When the world faces suffering, plan a is to escape through distraction. Watch a movie. Grab a bottle. Numb the pain.

When Christians face suffering, we are told that we may not escape. But we can anticipate. I may be hated by some while here, but this is not my home. Imagine walking through a nursing tent during one of the world’s great wars. You pass a man who is bloody and beaten, but he wears a smile. It catches your eye, so you pause and ask him, why are you smiling? He responds, “I get to go home.”

Christian, your willingness to pick up your cross is evidence that you believe. The situation that feels most like hell, should remind us most that we belong to heaven.

Let the sufferings of this life wean you from love for this fading world and increase your hunger to be with God.

Spurgeon once wrote, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” Friend, learn to rejoice in every insult, rejection, and conflict that leads you closer to God.

And remember that you are not alone.

for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

To help us rejoice, God want’s to clear up our expectations. Persecution is the norm for Christians, not the exception. And you do not stand alone when you stand for Jesus.

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

(Do you think it’s easier to be a Christian in Chesterfield during the 1700’s or today? I’d choose today. I can freely get a pumpkin spice latte about 100 yards from where pastors used to be imprisoned.

In the 1770s seven Baptist preachers were imprisoned in our county jail for openly preaching the gospel. I want you to hear a description of the painting that we will show of one of the ministers:

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"Text by Dr. Wayne Thompson, from Painting “John Weatherford Preaching Through the Grates of Chesterfield County Jail, June-October, 1773”: The jail in Chesterfield County, Virginia confined seven Baptist preachers for preaching the gospel of the grace of God without state church ordination or state license. Robert Baylor Semple tells us that Chesterfield County “kept up their persecution after other counties had laid it aside.” John Weatherford was born in Charlotte County, Virginia in 1743 and entered the Baptist ministry in 1761. Wherever he went great crowds attended his preaching. This stirred up the jealousy and wrath of the established clergy, and he was apprehended and arrested by Colonel Archibald Cary, May 15, 1773 for convening numbers of people and preaching to them, “not being qualified by law so to do, which is contrary to law and tends to disturb the peace and good government of this colony.” The event portrayed in this painting is of John Weatherford preaching through the grates of the window of Chesterfield County jail. You will notice a man stationed to the side of the window slashing his hands as he continued his demonstrative preaching sprinkling his startled listeners with his blood. He carried the white scars when his hands were folded across his breast in death on January 23, 1833. One who observed them later called them “the marks of the Lord Jesus – martyr marks of God’s hero.” Notice also the drummer pounding away on his drum, and a horseman approaching to ride through the people peaceably assembled to hear God’s word. These were common practices to disturb the peace of those accused of disturbing the peace. Ultimately a wall was consructed to prevent the preachers from noticing when their congregations assembled. They then leaped upon the wall and said, “Preach on Preacher,” until glass and other sharp objects were placed there to discourage this, at which time a stick and handerkerchief became their preaching banners. The preaching was fruitful, conversions multiplied, baptisms followed, strong churches were established and more men were called of God to preach the gospel. Patrick Henry befriended Weatherford as well as other Baptist preachers in Virginia. He defended them in court, relieved their sufferings in prison, paid their fines and secured their freedom. God preserve the memory of godly Baptist preachers such as John Weatherford and courageous statesmen such as Patrick Henry, who sacrificed so much to establish religious liberty throughout the land.")

The hardships we face as we live for Christ are shared by Christians worldwide and throughout time. I do not say this to dilute the pain of our experience, but rather to encourage us. They made it. We will too.

When you stand for Jesus. You do not stand alone.

I find it much easier to share my beliefs when other Christians are with me. Imagine what it would feel like to have the Prophet Elijah stand behind you or the Prophet Daniel sit beside you. Christian, we have something, namely someone better. Jesus is with you, always.

The verse, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Is not about God supporting your favorite football team. Next time your are mistreated because you’re living for Jesus. Remind your heart, God is standing with me. I can handle the whole world standing against me if God is standing with me.

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