Salt and Light
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Intro:
The Beatitudes
The character of those who are part of the kingdom of God.
These are not what get you INTO the kingdom of God.
Entrance into the Kingdom of God can never be brought about by our actions or goodness.
Entrance into the Kingdom of God is by faith…
and faith alone as we receive the grace of God.
So the Beatitudes are the counter-cultural characteristics that flow from knowing Christ.
As his grace takes greater root in our lives,
we will see these characteristics show up more and more...
B/c we are transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus.
“poor in spirit”… “those who mourn”… “the meek”
"the merciful”… “the pure in heart”
All lead us to to see how “the hunger and thirst for righteousness” helps us become peacemakers....
and how being peacemakers leads us to our passage this morning.
Scripture Reading (“Please stand…”)
“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.
Pray...
Intro:
Foxes Book of Martyrs
was first published in 1563,
during the early years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign.
The original title was:
“Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church”
Good idea on the name change.
The book recounts the persecution that has fallen on God’s people since the life of Christ...
ultimately ending with the persecution in the 1500’s in England.
Especially the Protestant Reformers who were executed under Catholic authorities in Europe,
and especially under Mary I of England.
Better known as “Bloody Mary” due to the abundance of executions
of those who held to the Word of God against the church.
She reigned from 1553 to 1558,
and when she came to the throne,
she reversed the Protestant reforms of the church of England
and restored Roman Catholic authority in England.
In his book, John Foxes tells of Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridley.
Hugh Latimer — A Cambridge‑trained preacher, who after his conversion to Reformed theology,
become Bishop of Worcester under Henry VIII,
and later became one of the most influential preachers of his day.
Nicholas Ridley — A Cambridge scholar, chaplain to Thomas Cranmer,
later Bishop of Rochester and then Bishop of London.
He helped shape the 1552 Book of Common Prayer.
Yet, they both held to a view of communion that opposed what Roman Catholic theology stated.
They publicly affirmed these 3 things (for which they were executed):
That the actual, natural body of Christ was not present in the Lord’s Supper
That the elements (bread/wine) remain the substance bread and wine.
In the “mass”, there is no propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead.
Meaning, Jesus is not being sacrificed again in communion.
They also would not recognize the Pope as the true head of the church...
Jesus Christ alone is the head of the church.
They were pleaded with to recant (withdraw their views)...
but they would not.
And were sentenced to death to be burned at the stake.
The night before he was to be executed,
Ridley’s brother offered to stay with him the entire night.
Ridley said, “No… For I mind (God willing) to go to bed,
and to sleep as quietly tonight, as ever I did in my life.”
After they were compared to Judas for his betrayal,
they were bound to the stake and readied for their execution.
Ridley: “O heavenly Father, I give unto Thee most hearty thanks, for that Thou hast called me to be a professor of Thee, even unto death. I beseech Thee, Lord God, take mercy upon this realm of England.”
As the fire was about to be lit,
Latimer to Ridley:
“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man.
We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England,
as I trust shall never be put out.”
And with that… they died for the truth of the Gospel.
One of the obvious questions,
“Why would God allow such harm to fall on those who are standing for him and his word?”
Ridley gave an answer to his accusers days prior to this death:
“The servant is not above his Master.
If they dealt so cruelly with our Saviour Christ, as the Scriptures make mention,
and he suffered the same patiently,
how much more does it become us His servants.”
Translation:
If Jesus suffered for the sake of righteousness,
we will suffer for the sake of righteousness.
If him, the One who is righteous, suffered and was persecuted,
then we will be persecuted in his name.
When we come to embrace the Gospel by faith,
we are saved.
Then, we are transformed into a New Way of Living.
We have NEW practices, NEW way of speaking, NEW way of relating.
NEW desires.
NEW priorities
We value what Jesus values.
Our priorities change to match his priorities.
The Gospel changes us internally first,
before externals begin to change.
New Priorities Lead to New Pursuits
New Priorities Lead to New Pursuits
(Timer: 20 minutes left?)
New Pursuits:
Live for his righteousness so much so that it leads to people mistreating us.
Let’s make something very clear here...
We don’t endure persecution SO THAT we get into the kingdom of God.
We endure persecution BECAUSE we are in the kingdom of God.
It is a result… not a cause.
Jesus teaches us:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
persecution… “for righteousness’ sake”
B/c of the pursuit of righteousness, we will be persecuted.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Jesus terms it “on my account”
“for righteousness’ sake”
“on my account”
We no longer live for ourselves.
We live for the glory of God.
And in his glory, we find our greatest good.
Prior Beatitude...
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
The desire for righteousness now leads to the pursuit of righteousness.
From peacemaking to persecution
“Blessed are the peacemakers”...
remember that we said that peacemakers will receive blows on both sides.
It’s no surprise that Jesus now turns to “persecution”.
If you life for the sake of righteousness,
it won’t be popular.
After talking about anxiety over provision in this life, Jesus says,
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“seek” - desire, go after, pursue
“seek first” - pursue these things as your priority...
And all the rest will work itself out.
Seek “the kingdom of God” and God’s “righteousness”
Rather than chasing after money and possessions...
chase after me and my righteousness in this world.
“and all these things will be added to you.”
App. Typical Pursuits
Don't rock the boat.
Just keep your head down.
Don't mention Jesus, I'm witnessing by my actions.
Compromise so that you fit in.
How will you dress? Do you look any different than the world around you?
How you speak? Will you fall into what everyone else is saying or will you stand out?
Conformity - people pleasing, rather than standing against the tide of the room.
A desire to be accepted more than to be faithful
A commitment to personal comfort
A craving for control over outcomes
A longing for earthly reward
A desire to avoid conflict at any cost
A commitment to self protection
A desire for a predictable, manageable life
A longing to be seen as reasonable
Now, if we are honest in our thinking,
“all these things will be added to you”...
DOES NOT agree with “suffering persecution”
New Priorities Lead to New Experiences
New Priorities Lead to New Experiences
(Timer: How much time left?)
New Experiences:
Persecution flows to us when we pursue Jesus and his righteousness.
persecute (3x)
"persecute" - in other contexts of achieving a goal, it means to pursue something vigorously.
Intense effort toward the goal.
To chase, to hunt.
What does this look like?
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
What does persecution look like in 2026 suburban SC or downtown Columbia, SC?
Jesus is a Sunday morning only thing.
Why are you being a religious fanatic?
Get whatever you can get? Why limit yourself?
“I do not want to be divisive.”
“I do not want to ruin my witness.”
This turns fear of reproach into an evangelistic strategy.
The heart avoids obedience under the guise of preserving influence.
“I do not want to push people away.”
The heart uses concern for others as a cover for self protection.
It avoids righteousness to maintain comfort and approval.
“I am being strategic.”
Covering for delay, hesitation, or silence.
The heart masks fear with planning.
Persecution:
This is the norm of the Christian life.
So often we think something is wrong if we suffer for Christ.
We think:
Persecution is something to avoid.
Persecution is not good.
The Apostle Paul said it this way,
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Yet, we wonder...
What did we say wrong?
How could we have said something more lovingly?
So easy to equate suffering and difficulty to a problem with our life.
Yet, Jesus along with the other authors of Scripture say this should be expected.
Tim Keller
The more God’s glory is shining out in your life, the more you will both attract and repel people. If nobody is reacting either way, there is not much of Christ showing forth in you.
If nobody is being attracted in because of your unusual love or being repelled because of your holiness, then there is not much going on in there. (Tim Keller)
If you’re always persecuted, you’re probably an obnoxious person, but if you’re never being persecuted you’re probably a coward. (Tim Keller)
Ex. Excelling at work… setting a high standard for those around you.
To the person desiring to just get by: “You’re making us look bad.”
Standing to the truth of God in the face of Tolerance, Acceptance, Inclusion
“How could you believe that my lifestyle is wrong?”
“If you believe that, you hate me.”
Employer: “We must all accept everyone’s beliefs (well, except your Biblical ones)”
New Priorities Lead to New Blessings
New Priorities Lead to New Blessings
(Timer: How much time left?)
kingdom of heaven - inclusio
We tend to think of blessings as life working out well.
Tangible blessings… provision, wealth, health, peaceful relationships, etc.
Yet, Jesus redefines “blessing”
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Blessing:
“in heaven”
“rejoicing and gladness”
This is what Peter talks about in his letter
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
It’s as if he was quoting Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.
*** By suffering we enter into communion with the prophets and the Lord Jesus Himself.
In Jesus:
Jesus perfectly endured persecution for righteousness.
He was insulted, rejected, mocked, falsely accused, and ultimately crucified.
He never compromised, never retaliated, never withdrew from obedience.
He rejoiced in the Father’s will and entrusted himself fully to the Father’s care.
He fulfilled the command by embracing suffering with perfect faithfulness and perfect joy.
He transforms persecution from loss into blessing
Peter uses similar wording a chapter earlier.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
The only way we will see this as a blessing...
is if our desires and priorities have changed.
“like the persecuted the prophets”
Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,
ILL. Martin Lloyd-Jones
Tim Keller told this story in one of his sermons.
One of the mot prominent preacher of the 20th century in England.
But prior to the ministry, he was a renowned physician.
When he became a pastor,
he took a 90% cut in salary.
He also was shunned by his friends in high society in England.
A few years later,
a young reporter asked him,
“Was it worth it?
You gained some things, and you lost some things...
Having weighed it all up, was it worth it?”
Lloyd-Jones:
“Let me get this straight with you.
I gave up NOTHING, and I gained EVERYTHING.”
“You don’t understand the first thing about Christianity.
Those things which I lost used to be my peace, you see.
That was my peace, my performance.
Now Christ is my peace,
and to compare what I have in Christ to those things and to actually even struggle is sort of like a person saying,
“I have a million dollars in the bank,
but I just hate to spend this 25 cents to put a stamp on the envelope
that will get me the withdrawal of my money.”
Close in Prayer
Closing Song:
Benediction:
Announce:
Sunday School - Entire Church in Sunday School
Kids (Kindergarten and up) - pick-up by 11:05
Nursery and Pre-School will be normal.
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.
