Fortunate Persecution

Matthew 5:1–12 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

We have had it so, so easy. Where to now, American Christianity?

I am a pretty straightforward preacher. I get up each week, open the Word, and explain as best I can and apply it to the lives of the congregation. Then on Monday, I open to the next text and start working on the following sermon. I tend to not let current events interrupt that rhythm. I still believe that the expository preaching of the Word of God, methodically through books of the Bible should be the regular diet of the church. However, sometimes events happen so burned into our national psyche that I feel the need to address them. This has been a dark week in our nation. We have seen a young lady brutally murdered by a criminal on a train. There was yet another school shooting in Colorado. Late in the week came word of an attack inside the Naval Academy by a former midshipman. And, many of us have seen the graphic video of our Christian brother Charlie Kirk being murdered by an assassin’s bullet. We have seen many people cheer and celebrate that a young father was taken from his wife and children because he had different political and religious views than them. And all of this during a week when we remember the darkest time in our country that most of us can remember, September 11, 2001. Friends, my heart is heavy. This world is dark. There are times when it seems like we feel the weight of sin and the curse more acutely than others. I am sure some of you feel this as well.

It left me asking the question: Should I speak to this? Should I comfort and encourage the congregation with a Word from the Lord about this type of tragedy and suffering. What words could I possibly come up with. The only Words you need were written down long ago by men carried along by the Holy Spirit. You don’t need my words. You and I need the Word of God.

Today is not a service for Charlie Kirk. Today is about Jesus Christ, the promises He has made to His people, and how we walk faithfully through something like this. Charlie’s murder is a symptom of something darker and more heinous. In quite the bit of irony, it has become and I believe will be looked back through history as a turning point in the story of Christianity and of political discourse in the West. I believe we have entered the era of martyrdom in America. This can seem scary for many of us. Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I don’t think anyone is “coming for you” tomorrow or anything like that. But something has changed and this week seems to be an indication outwardly of where the hearts of people are at. It feels like a cork has come off a bottle in some respects. But we are not a people who should live in fear. We are not a people who shrink away from risk. And no matter how dark it “feels” we are people who walk in faith and upon the facts of God and not on our feelings alone. We have seen a lot of people living out lives based on emotions this week. That is not working so well. We MUST be different. And being different, we will face persecution.

Today I want us to step aside from our time in Luke’s gospel account and back up to Matthew chapter 5. I preached a series of messages a few years ago through the Sermon on the Mount, but there are three verses that I really want to zero back in on during this time of questioning and doubt in our nation. My prayer is that this would be a comfort to your soul and an encouragement to you in your discipleship and exercising a living faith before a watching world.

The Sermon on the Mount as a whole is Jesus’ best known block of teaching. At the beginning of this block we find the Beatitudes.

Today we are going to focus specifically on the last three of them.

As we get into these verses, we need to understand what it means to be blessed. That word has roughly been translated as “happy” by some, however, this isn’t a full enough understanding because happiness in our culture denotes something temporary or fleeting and none of us would say these gifts of blessing are fleeting.

It could also carry the meaning of fortunate. It indicates someone who is favored by God. Yes, they are happy because of being favored by God as His children. You might also say the blessed are these people who exhibit these traits and are carefree even. Listen to what Daniel Doriani has written about this word:

In referencing the Greek he says this:

Matthew, Volumes 1 & 2 The Nature of a Blessed Character

It can mean “happy” or even “carefree.” But since Jesus goes on to say, “Blessed are those who mourn,” we know he does not have ordinary happiness, the happiness that comes from food or entertainment, in mind. Jesus’ “happy” disciples are poor and hungry; they mourn and suffer persecution. For disciples, happiness means wholeness and integrity even in the darkest hour.

Did you catch that? Wholeness and integrity even in the darkest hour.

The final set of Beatitudes that we are covering come as pretty unexpected. I want you to image you’re there as Jesus is giving this sermon. What would it have sounded like to the original hearers? Jesus goes form being peacemakers into being persecuted…and more than that… he says you are blessed when persecuted for righteousness sake. This sounds like quite the backwards statement to human ears. Remember that Jesus is speaking to His followers, His disciples. Matthew is the Gospel account that most gives emphasis to a changed life that must flow from our commitment to Christ. It’s that change from the inside out that I’ve talked about. God changes us inside and that works its way out to our outsides or actions. He changes our attitudes. But this is an important thing to Matthew. It makes since since we know that Matthew was a tax collector when Jesus called him. He would have a pretty good understanding of how Jesus changes you.

Jesus changes our attitudes, affections, and actions.

The main idea that I want us to dig into today is:

You can have joy amid persecution for following Jesus, knowing that you will receive a reward, and that you are in good company.

Persecuted people are seen as fortunate by Jesus Christ.

Persecution has been defined by one scholar as “simply the clash between two irreconcilable value-systems.” Our very value systems are at odds with each other. Ideologies and worldviews that have been in conflict are now standing publicly in STARK contrast. These ideologies are irreconcilable. CK did not get murdered for his political stances. It was because of his Biblical beliefs and Christian faith that informed his political stances.

Christians are called to be peacemakers and yet there are some people in the world who will refuse to live at peace with us. Our ministry is a ministry of reconciliation but not all relationships get reconciled. Not all attempts to reconcile are successful. The result will be persecution.

Let’s look at the reasons for persecution,

I. Reasons for Persecution

What are the reasons that a Christian might face persecution? If you live a life reflecting the righteousness of God as described in the Beatitudes you will invite persecution. That’s how it works. Jesus was very clear about this.

Take a look at

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

and

John 15:18 ESV

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

Why should we expect any different treatment than they gave God in the flesh?

In the book of 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul understands this.

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

I need to be very clear here as well. There are reasons why this persecution happens. It is not to be because of our individual sin or tactlessness. This is not you being persecuted because you are hard to deal with or mean or unkind. This is persecution:

1. For Righteousness Sake

1 Peter 3:14 ESV

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

1 Peter 4:14–15 ESV

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

The persecution we are promised must be the result of righteous living, of holding to Christ’s standards of living and loving. There is a pretty tragic thing that happens when it’s not enough for some Christians that the world persecutes them but we actually see some Christians persecute one another. Typically this is based on a too narrow view of what living the Christian life looks like. That is not to say we don’t call out false teaching. We absolutely should label false teaching as false teaching (maybe even louder now) but we must make sure we are adhering to actual Biblical doctrine and not simply preference when we do so. Unity yes, but unity around what? It must be around the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Verses 11 and 12 serve to amplify and personalize verse 10 like a commentary on it. The only persecution that is BLESSED is from allegiance to Jesus and living conformed to his standards. This is persecution for righteousness sake. The second reason for this persecution is:

2. On Jesus’ Account

On account of our loyalty to Him and our loyalty to His standards of living, of truth and righteousness.

We may experience this in a variety of ways:

Rejection

Loss of family

Loss of friends

Loss of job

Imprisonment

Torture

or even martyrdom by assassination for Jesus’ sake

Hebrews 11

The Hall of Faith sounds awesome. You’re hearing about all the awesome stuff that happened in the lives of these people but then something happens when you get to verse 35.

Hebrews 11:35–40 ESV

35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

People of the world do not understand Jesus. They also do not understand why we would live in such a counter-cultural way, why we would cling to such, in their words, archaic standards of morality and ethics. They do not understand that when Jesus saved us from sin, He adopted us into His family. He granted us citizenship in His kingdom and we, as citizens of Jesus’ kingdom must live according to the ways of our King. When we are persecuted on account of Jesus, He is glorified and His name is lifted up. It shows that what He taught is true and we who hold to it are genuine.

Let’s look at what it says in verse 11 about the types of persecution you might face on Jesus’ account.

Matthew 5:11 ESV

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

Revile you - reproach, heap insults on, mock

Persecute you - pursue, chase, hunt, drive away

Utter all kinds of evil against you falsely

All on Jesus’ account.

But what is to be our response to this persecution?

II. Response to Persecution

Our response to violence is not more violence. It is not to hate. We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever would. We’re not supposed to sulk in the corner like a child. We shouldn’t lick our wounds like an injured dog and throw a pity party for ourselves (no poor mouthing). We don’t need to be like some kind of stoic philosopher and just grin and bear it and certainly we should not pretend that we actually like it like some kind of massochist. So don’t get it twisted in your response.

Jesus tells us to rejoice and be glad. It is joy! Not an emotion. It’s an attitude of JOY. When you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake and on account of Jesus, know that you are well off. You are blessed. You are fortunate! But why is this true? Of course, because Jesus said it. Take a look at how the apostles responded to persecution in the book of Acts.

Acts 5:41 ESV

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

This week has been a lesson in the power of the tongue. If you spend a decade demonizing a group of people for what they believe and call them the worst people imaginable, eventually some weak minded person is going to take up the cause and respond with violence.

III. Why rejoice in the face of persecution?

Here are three reasons why you should rejoice when you face this type of persecution.

Evidence you are a genuine citizen of heaven.

As a child when I was at home from school sick I would watch tv all day. They had all of these commercials for commemorative plates or coins that you could buy and I remember quite clearly that they advertised that each of them came with a certificate of authenticity. Persecution has been said to be like a certificate of authenticity for the Christian life.

A great reward awaits in heaven.

Reward literally means “wages”. Allen says it’s a “promise of future recompense for a present condition of persecution and reproach, not a reward for piety.” (reverance, devotion, dutifulness)

We should think of heaven as the reward and not some kind of elevated level of status there based on some kind of merit. The reward is given as a free gift to the citizens of the kingdom.

You are in excellent company.

Jesus tells us that the people persecuted the prophets of long ago and when we are persecuted for the same thing we should consider it a joy and blessing.

The prophet Jeremiah for example.

The entirety of Christian history.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you are the only one who has experienced this. When we are just getting hammered on, it’s tempting to think we have it worse than anyone else. NO POOR MOUTHING.

Of note on rejoicing in the face of persecution John Piper gives us some helpful practical application.

Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount How Are Citizens of the Kingdom to Live among the Nations? 5:1-12

So we can see why a life devoted to righteousness or godliness will be persecuted or reviled or spoken against.

• If you cherish [moral purity], your life will be an attack on people’s love for [unbridled] sex.

• If you embrace temperance, your life will be a statement against the love of alcohol.

• If you pursue self-control, your life will indict excess eating.

• If you live simply and happily, you will show the folly of luxury.

• If you walk humbly with your God, you will expose the evil of pride.

• If you are punctual and thorough in your dealings, you will lay open the inferiority of laziness and negligence.

• If you speak with compassion, you will throw callousness into sharp relief.

• If you are earnest, you will make the flippant look flippant instead of clever.

• And if you are spiritually minded, you will expose the worldly-mindedness of those around you. (“Persecuted”)

From John Stott:

The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (8. Those Who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake (10–12)) Few men of this century have understood better the inevitability of suffering than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He seems never to have wavered in his Christian antagonism to the Nazi regime, although it meant for him imprisonment, the threat of torture, danger to his own family and finally death. He was executed by the direct order of Heinrich Himmler in April 1945 in the Flossenburg concentration camp, only a few days before it was liberated. It was the fulfilment of what he had always believed and taught: ‘Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his master. Following Christ means passio passiva, suffering because we have to suffer. That is why Luther reckoned suffering among the marks of the true Church, and one of the memoranda drawn up in preparation for the Augsburg Confession similarly defines the Church as the community of those “who are persecuted and martyred for the gospel’s sake” … Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer. In fact, it is a joy and a token of his grace.’3

Until this past Wednesday, Western Christians have been protected from much of this type of persecution faced by the rest of the world.

Conclusion

Persecution is to be thought of as a normal mark of true Christian discipleship. This is true just as with the other Beatitudes. They describe the marks of Christian discipleship. Every believer should be a peacemaker, pure in heart, mourn over their sin, be meek, understand their bankruptcy before God, and expect persecution.

A portrait of a Christian disciple - The Beatitudes…

The Beatitudes are an inversion of the world’s value system. The term used to be “machismo.”

The world’s value system is:

self-centered

self arrogating

prideful

seeks personal security and survival above the good of others

Jesus’ values and standards are in direct conflict with the world.

God

exalts the humble

abases the proud

calls the last first

ascribes greatness to the servant

sends the rich away empty-handed

declares the meet to be his heirs

When someone enters a saving relationship with Jesus, their values are transformed.

Bonhoeffer called this the “extraordinariness of the Christian life.” He said, “With every beatitude, the gulf is widened between the disciples and the people, and their call to come forth from the people becomes increasingly manifest. There is a difference between true Christians and the world. True disciples refuse to be in tune with the world or to even accommodate the world’s standards.

But the Beatitudes give us a clear picture of who Jesus is making us into and who we are becoming in Him.

And the reward waiting at the end is free. It’s not merit based.

We, who live both here and will exist in eternity must keep an eternal mindset on these things. Life is a fraction of what eternity is and so we must rejoice even when we face tough persecution.

At the beginning of this message I talked about the meaning of the Greek word that gets translated as “blessed”.

The opposite of this word is a word that means “woe” , w.o.e. And this word woe is the status of someone who is not approved by God and is the object of impending judgement.

The blessed ones, the ones approved by God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, His life, death, and resurrection, are the ones who live the life of discipleship described in these beatitudes. Those who do not live this life show themselves to be filled with woe. Their lifestyle is a reflection of their woeful status.

As we read through these verses, we can understand the situation that many of the first readers of Matthew’s gospel account would have been in. True disciples follow Jesus even at the cost of their own life. Those who avoid persecution are showing something of themselves and their faith.

Most of us in this room will probably not face death on account of our faith in Jesus. Some might. It’s easy to say you would walk faithfully through persecution when you are not facing it. It’s easy for someone to say they would die for Jesus. But what I want to know is will we live for Him even when we face persecution? Will you consider yourself fortunate when friends betray you and lie about you and make up accusations against you because you live by God’s standards and trust in Jesus? Will you rejoice in persecution and adversity for the sake of righteousness?

At the end of it all we have great promises straight from the Lord Jesus Christ, our King.

Closing Prayer and Time of Response

So, what now Christian?

It’s incredible that right after these verses Jesus follows them up with an encouragement to live out the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:13–16 ESV

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Be salt. - seasoning, flavor, preservative

2. Be light.

Point to Jesus.

Be useful to the Kingdom.

3. Speak clearly, listen well, and let your speech be seasoned with grace.

You shouldn’t have to give a caveat to saying that it is evil that someone was murdered. You shouldn’t have to say you don’t agree with everything a person says to be crushed that a human life was snuffed out.

4. Operate with Godly wisdom - found in the Word of God

5. Less time on social media and more time on your knees.

I know that there may be some out there who hear this message and aren’t sure why I felt the need to address it. Even though it’s on most of our hearts and minds, there may be some who hear this and become angry that I shared it. It might bother you that these are the truths that God lays out in His Word. Let me close by sharing two things with you. One is something my friend Noah wrote to encourage pastors this week:

From Noah Oldham:

“ Pastors, this one’s for you.

There’s a real struggle in our calling: to speak with boldness, clarity, and conviction in moments when tragedy feels “political” but is ultimately theological. Years ago, a couple sat me down. They worried my outspokenness about defending the unborn would hurt our church’s witness in the community. A few years later, that same husband left his wife—and the faith. Another time, a man whispered in a small group that I preached “moralism” because I talked about sin and repentance too much. I carried that wound… until I learned he was in the middle of a months-long affair. He too left his wife—and the faith. Still another time, a young grad student confronted me, angry that I spoke so often about abortion but not about sex slavery. I explained: our city, country, and culture aren’t debating whether sex slavery should be celebrated and legally protected—but abortion is at the center of that fight. That year it was even a major issue in the presidential election. Come to find out, she was pro-abortion and simply wanted me to stop talking about it.

Here’s the point: there is real pressure from real people in our churches to say less about fewer things, for all kinds of reasons.

“Don’t offend them.”

“Don’t offend us.”

Which really means:

“Don’t tell the truth too loud.”

But this is why we plant churches: to be outposts of gospel light in dark places. And that will always require telling bold truth about issues others would rather deem “political” and off-limits.

…

Let’s be bold truth-tellers. Because only the truth sets people free.

And to church members: reach out and encourage your pastors. Let them know you support them in saying the hard things. You know you need it. Their job is to shepherd you with the truth of God’s Word, and that often means stepping on your toes. Give them permission—and your blessing—to do it boldly.”

And lastly I want to leave you with the words of a worship song that was on my heart as I wrote the sermon manuscript in the last couple of days.

He Will Hold Me Fast

When I fear my faith will fail Christ will hold me fast When the tempter would prevail He will hold me fast

I could never keep my hold Through life's fearful path For my love is often cold He must hold me fast

He will hold me fast He will hold me fast For my Saviour loves me so He will hold me fast

Those He saves are His delight Christ will hold me fast Precious in His holy sight He will hold me fast

He'll not let my soul be lost His promises shall last Bought by Him at such a cost He will hold me fast

He will hold me fast He will hold me fast For my Saviour loves me so He will hold me fast

For my life He bled and died Christ will hold me fast Justice has been satisfied He will hold me fast

Raised with Him to endless life He will hold me fast 'Til our faith is turned to sight When He comes at last!

He will hold me fast He will hold me fast For my Saviour loves me so He will hold me fast

He will hold me fast He will hold me fast For my Saviour loves me so He will hold me fast

PRAY