Blessed are the Persecuted

intro

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:10–12

Offertory Prayer:

Our heavenly Father, in a violent world filled with disturbing problems and saddening sights, may our hearts be strengthened even in the face of personal persecution. Save us from pitying ourselves on those rare occasions when we must bear the cross of Christ. We offer our thanks with humble hearts. Receive from our hands the gifts that express our devotion to you. May these gifts be used as a means to further your kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Introduction

We are made to love and to be loved.

We like to be liked.

Friendship is the atmosphere in which we breathe most freely.

To be ridiculed as a child is a heartbreaking experience, but the pain is not lessened as one becomes an adult. Persecution in the form of harassment and unfair accusations may destroy our private castles of security.

Of all the injuries that can be afflicted on a human being, persecution possibly comes the closest to making life hell on earth.

Therefore the Lord’s final beatitude seems almost paradoxical. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is probably the most difficult of the Beatitudes to believe. The reason for this difficulty is that persecution seems to be the antithesis of happiness. Furthermore, it seems like a strange statement to come from the lips of such a compassionate Savior. How can we understand our Lord when he congratulated those who were persecuted and encouraged them to rejoice in their persecution? Obviously there is a paradox to be explained.

Why does persecution exist?

John 15:18–22 AV

18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

Let us listen carefull to Jesus:

Look at v 22: He says that the reason they hated him is that he took away their covers that they hid behind when they sinned.

Jesus did this by pointing the sin out:

He said leirs are sinners, fornicators are sinners, adulteres are sinners, spirituailts are sinners, homosexuals are sinners, idolaters are sinners.

Jesus removed any and all ambiuity from sin by calling it what it is.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 NKJV

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

So why the world hates Jesus is not surprising at all.

But here is the truth - this same Jesus who ther world hates, is the same Jesus which layed His life down for the world that by Him they might not perish, but be saved from their sin and evil, and find everlasting life.

John 3:16 AV

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

in among that sinful rabble, who hate Jesus, were certan people, no different from the rest.

But, the realisation of what this man they hated did for them, broke through their prideful hate.

Jesus like it did 2000 years ago when the thief, who at first moked jesus, cried out and asked Jesus to remeber him in Heaven.

Matthew 27:41–44 AV

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

But thenm something about Jesus broke through the hate and one said:

Luke 23:40–43 AV

40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

The love and magnitutde of what Jesus was doing broke through the hate and pride of many hearts.

For those who came to see Jesus for what he askualy is, The Son of God, and realised what he has done - giving us everlasting life by grace - all the hate we once had for him was transformed into love.

Whewn we realised they he did not hate us, but loved us, we loved him back.

1 John 4:19 AV

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

And now we cannot get enough of Jesus. We worship him, praise him, love him and adore him. we pray in his name, sing songs to him and bring our requests to him. We livge our whole lives in such longing for hi that we welcome death to see him and look for his second coming.

BUT… his great and wondertful love did not break tghrough every prideful and hateful heart.

Why?

John 3:19 AV

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Those who love for their sin, is greater than their love for truth, reject the love of Jesus and STILL HATE HIM!

Now that would not be much of our problem, except for something very important.

Those few people, who have recieved God’s love and who now love God, to those people Jesus has given a very important mission:

Mark 16:15 AV

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

We are to take the same message of Jesus, and continue telling as many people about Him as we can.

And because we now share the values, vision and beliefs as Jesus, the hate was is still directed towards him falls on us.

John 15:19 AV

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

So this is why the christian church is the most persecuted people in the history of the world. To this day more christians are persecuted than ay one else.

More Christans are currently slaves than anyone else.

More christans are currebtly being marytererd than anyone else.

More chriustans are currently living as re fugees than anyone else.

We must not get fooled by our fragile western world that blinds us to the trials of our eastern and middle eastern brothers and sisters.

Persecution is not the exception for the church - it is the norm.

2 Timothy 3:12 AV

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

James the elder brother of John the Apostle, was beheaded.

Philip was scourged, thrown into prison and later crucified.

Matthew the tax collector was slain with a halberd.

James, the brother of the Lord, suffered martyrdom at the age of ninety-four by being beaten and stoned.

Matthias, the man who was chosen to replace Judas as an apostle, was stoned and then beheaded.

Andrew, the brother of Peter was crucified on a cross.

Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria.

Peter, the apostle, was crucified upside down.

Paul was really persecuted several times. He was scourged, stoned, and finally, Nero had him beheaded by a sword.

Jude was crucified.

Bartholomew was cruelly beaten and then crucified.

Thomas, doubting Thomas, was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.

Luke the author of Luke and Acts was hanged on and olive tree.

Simon the Zealot was crucified.

John, the Apostle was then banished to the Isle of Patmos and there he wrote the book of Revelation.

Persecution is the nrom.

This is why there is persecution, its obvious, and it takes many forms.

Jesus identifes at least 3 types of persecution a christain will suffer.

1: Slander

“those who insult you”

Christian have always been targets of insults.

And dont ever feel alone when insulted, because theyt did the same to Jesus.

1 Peter 2:23 NIV84

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Out of those who insuklt us none shoiut louder tha the militant athiests who follow richard dawkins like their prophet and savior.

They accuse us of having imagenary friends, of denying sceince and of beliving in the impossible foolish.

All this dispite them believeing in scientific impossibility tht nothiong created everyuthing.

2: Harrasment

Harrasment has many forms, from something as simple as NOT bing invided to the braai or party to the tourture and martyrdom of christans for refusing to deny Jesus.

As a christian you can expect to loose old friends, get fewer invites to function, get turned down for jobs, get passed over in promotions, just to name a few.

3: Falsehoods

Never forget this one thing:

Those who hate you, are under the power of Satan.

2 Corinthians 4:4 AV

4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

And what do we know about Satan and those who belong to him?

John 8:44 AV

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

So we can expect to be lied about.

They lied and mnade flase claims about Jesus.

They accused him of working with Satan to accomplish his miracles.

And they lie about you too.

So where is the Blessing?

But whyy would Jesus call suffering persecution a blessing?

What is blessed about being hated and attacked and killed?

What does persecution possibly accomplish that could be seen as a blessing?

1: Exponential expansion of the church,.

Acts 8:1 AV

1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

2: Purification of the Church.

Persecution gets rid of false converts.

Imagine if SARS stood ourtside the church one day...

3: Increased eternal reward.

2 Corinthians 4:17 AV

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;