The Sermon on the Mount (8)
Notes
Transcript
Today we finish the Beatitudes with a paradox of joy in persecution. Church history is full of persecution. Jesus is letting His followers know this is something that will happen to the true Christian, but He gives hope to those who face persecution for His sake.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 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.
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.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“for righteousness”— blessed are those who are persecute “for righteousness sake” for living the kingdom life. When we talk of righteousness it is of God, not what the world calls righteousness. Sadly today many so called Christians are persecuted not for their Christianity but their lack of it. So, what does Jesus mean, as always we must keep things in context. This righteousness is defined n the preceeding Beatitudes, because the world cannot tolerate that type of lifestyle. Persecution that stems from allegiance to Christ and living in conformity to His standards. This is the righteousness that will be persecuted, but why, because all of the preceding Beatitudes are contrary to the worlds viewpoint. 1st the poor in spirit is contrary to the pride of the world. The world admires the self-sufficient. 2nd The mourning repentant heart that is sorrowful over their own sin and the worlds sin is not appreciated by the world. 3rd The meek are seen as weak. Worldly wisdom says that meekness is weakness. 4th Hunger and thirsting for Christ the world finds offensive because they seek after what can be seen and touched. 5th The merciful goes against the grudge holding uncaring world. 6th The pure heart solely focused on Christ is contrary to the self-indulgent, self-centered world. 7th The peacemaker does not settle for the false peace of the world. The foundational reason such a person will be persecuted is that they are like Christ. John 15:18
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.
Jesus spell it out very plainly. If we are like Him, a true follower we will be hated, but if we are like the world we will not be hated by them. If the world hates us persecution will come.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Verse 11 repeats verse 10 but there is a change in person from third to second, it makes this more personal, “Blessed are you”. In this Jesus lists out some forms of persecution. When our lives are filled with the righteousness of Christ the world will persecute us. It is made very clear a true child of God will face persecution at some point, but it is not something that will happen everyday. also most time persecution does not come in dramatic ways— especially in our country. If we have never faced rejection for the sake of the kingdom, perhaps we are not member of the kingdom, maybe we are close , or maybe we are far off from the kingdom, but for true kingdom citizens persecution will come. One of the sad realities is that many Christians do not face persecution because they have isolate themselves from the world, everyone they associate with is a member of the kingdom. Now we are not to be of the world but we are to be in the world. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, and we should be building the Kingdom each and everyday. But one of the saddest things is that churches do not experience persecution because they have let the world penetrate the church, they have become like the world. they have compromised the truth of God’s word, watering it down so it does not offend people.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“Rejoice and be glad” when persecution comes, sounds wrong doesn’t it. We rejoice for one because we are citizens of God’s kingdom and there is nothing this world can do to change that. 2 Corinthians 4:17.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
Any persecution we face for the Kingdom is only momentary. This is in comparison to eternity. 2 Timothy 4:7-8.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Then the reward. An eternity with our Lord and Savior, what a wonderful day that will be.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
There is a lot of speculation and questions when it comes to heaven. People wonder what will be their reward, will they be reunited with loved ones. Now I think we are missing the point. Nothing can compare to being in the presence of God, face to face with the One who died for us. Revelation 4:9-11.
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
No matter what we receive we will cast it back at the feet of God, worshiping Him. What is important about our reward is that we get the righteousness of Christ, so we can even be in God’s presence, that is all that matters. It not about what we get, it is about what He has given.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Kingdom honor is not granted as compensation for the unfairness of life, but a blessing to those who have actively pursued true Kingdom righteousness and have been persecuted for it. Jesus gives us hope and courage for those who’s Kingdom righteousness causes them to be persecuted. The Beatitudes completely invert the self-centered prideful life that seeks personal security and survival above the good of others. We see an emphasis that a changed life must flow from one’s commitment to Christ. Jesus goes beyond the formula that says “Blessed are” and says for us to “rejoice and be glad” in our persecution. What, we are supposed to be happy when we are being persecuted for righteousness, when we are being reviled because of our relationship with christ. Sounds odd doesn’t it, well we should be glad because it shows us we are going in the right direction. Now we must be very careful to not thing that everything that goes wrong in our life is persecution because we are Christians. but when we are truly persecuted because of our relationship with Christ, it lets us know we are doing something right, that we are following in the footsteps of the people like Jeremiah, Elisha and ultimately Jesus. Persecution is a part of who we are because we follow a way that goes against the world. We should be fish swimming against the mainstream viewpoints of our world.
The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount
Now we know what a true member of the kingdom looks like, we have gone through the Beatitudes painting a picture of their character. As we work through each of these in our own lives through our relationship with Christ, we will face persecution on His account. we are not special it happened to those of the time past and it will happen to those to come. We follow in the footprints of Jesus. Where are you at the Beatitude ladder, have you just started your journey, or are you part way up, No matter where you are, are you clinging to Christ every step of the way. Allowing Him to work in and through us each and everyday.
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