Happy are the Persecuted

Happy are the Persecuted

Text: Matthew 5:1–11 (KJV 1900)

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 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 they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Introduction:

* We have come now to the 7th beatitude that Jesus preached to the people in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:10–12 (KJV 1900)

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

This beatitude was contrary to the mindset of Jesus’ hearers:

* As with each of the previous beatitudes, this beatitude was also in direct contrast to the Mindset of the people who had come to hear this strange prophet-preacher Jesus.

* These who had gathered to hear Jesus preach that morning on the side of the mountain were a proud people who were suffering persecution at the hand of the Romans.

* They could see no profit in being persecuted. Their national pride created in them a mindset that the Messiah would come to deliver them from the Roman occupation and persecution.

* This strange prophet, Jesus of Nazareth, opened his mouth and declared that persecuted people are happy people! What a contradiction to the Jewish mind!

* Their mindset was not just evident in their national pride, but it was also evident in their pride of their Jewish religion as well.

* This religious pride was in the minds of Jesus disciples when they came to Jesus and pointed out the greatness and beauty of the temple.

* As they look down from the Mount of Olives the Temple stood before them gleaming in the sun.

* The temple buildings were made of gleaming white marble, and the whole eastern wall of the large main structure was covered with gold plates that reflected the morning sun, making a spectacle that was visible for miles.

* The entire temple mount had been enlarged by Herod’s engineers, by means of large retaining walls and vaulted chambers.

* The whole temple complex was magnificent by any standard.

* The disciples’ conversation here may have been prompted by Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:38.

Matthew 23:38–24:3 (KJV 1900)

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

24 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

* They were undoubtedly wondering how a site so spectacular could be left “desolate.”

* Jesus said in Matthew 24 and verse 2:

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

* These words would be literally fulfilled in a.d. 70.

* After many years of dealing with the stubborn rebellious city of Jerusalem, Titus, and the Roman legions, entered the doomed city of Jerusalem and sacked it; not one stone of the temple was left upon another.

* The Roman soldiers built large wooden scaffold around the walls of the temple buildings, and piled them high with wood and other flammable items, and set them ablaze.

* The heat from the fires was so intense that the stones crumbled.

* The rubble of that of that magnicifient temple was then sifted to retrieve the melted gold, and the remaining ruins were “thrown down” into the Kidron Valley.

* The very streets of Jerusalem were then plowed up. See notes on 22:7; Luke 19:43.

* This kind of teaching was not what those who came to hear Jesus preach expected.

* They wanted this “candidate for the Messiah” to restore the kingdom of David to Israel right then and free Jerusalem from the persecution of the cruel Roman occupation!

* But instead this strange prophet-preacher opened his mouth and began to teach “Happy are those who are persecuted!”

* let’s take a look at Jesus answer when his disciples came and asked Him about the destruction of the temple in Luke’s gospel: (Luke 21:20–24).

“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days!

for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled”

* In a.d. 70, when the Roman armies surrounded the city, they laid siege to it, cut it off from the rest of the world, and then finally breached the wall and got in.

* What the Romans did was terrible. They demolished the city. It was the worst destruction in the history of the city of Jerusalem.

* This destruction was more devastating than that conducted by Nebuchadnezzar over six centuries earlier.

* There were over one million Jews were slaughtered by the Romans in the streets of Jerusalem and 900,000 were taken captive and re-located during the course of the revolts against the Romans.

* Jesus knew the terrible persecution that soon befall those who were hearing him preach that morning and He was reaching out in compassion warning them and encouraging them to take courage in persecution.

* Listen to the worlds of Jesus in Matthew 23:34 as He tells of the persecution that is soon to come upon all the Jews:

Matthew 23:34–39 (KJV 1900)

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

* Not only did Jesus know that the Jews would suffer great persecution, but the very disciples that were sitting at His feet and that traveled with him, his disciples would soon taste of terrible persecution for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

* Jesus knew that Peter would be crucified upside-down on an x-shaped cross in Rome in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy (John 21:18).

* Jesus could look out over the crowd and see His beloved deciple Matthew would violently suffer martyrdom in Ethiopia, being killed by a sword wound.

* Jesus knew that his beloved friend John would face martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome.

* He saw how that John would be miraculously delivered from death, but only to be sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos.

* The apostle John was later freed and returned to what is now modern-day Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.

* As Jesus looked out over the people gathered there to hear Him preach, He could see the face of James, his very own brother.

* Jesus knew that James would be thrown from the southeast pinnacle of the temple (over a hundred feet down) when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

* Jesus say that when they discovered that James had survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a club.

* Jesus could look out over the crowd and see Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael, would become a missionary to Asia and witness in present-day Turkey.

* He could see that Bartholomew soon would be martyred for his preaching in Armenia, he saw him being flayed to death by a whip.

* Jesus saw that day Andrew, who Jesus knew would be crucified on an x-shaped cross in Greece and after being whipped severely by seven soldiers, his body would be tied to a the cross with cords to prolong his agony.

* Jesus saw how that the followers of Andrew would hear Andrew say as he was led toward the cross: “I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.”

* Jesus knew that Andrew would continue to preach to his tormentors for two days until he died.

* Jesus could look out that day as he preached and see the face of the apostle Thomas and knew that Thomas would be stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in India.

* Somewhere near Jesus in that crow stood Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot.

* Jesus knew that Matthias would be was stoned and then beheaded for the kingdom of God.

* Jesus knew others would suffer severe persecution for the kingdom of God, like the apostle Paul who would be tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero.

* It is no new thing that the people who represent God in this world will always be persecuted by those who hate God.

* The book of Hebrews chapter 11, after giving the examples of people who who have suffered persecution for the Kingdom of God, bears an excellent record of those who have gone before us how that they were persecuted for the Kingdom of God.

Hebrews 11:32–12:4 (KJV 1900)

32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

* The time in which we now live is on the verge of another time in history that Christians will suffer severe persecution.

* For the time, the persecution seems to be very light, but it will increasingly get worse.

* The apostle Paul warned Timothy in II Timothy 3 that persecution will get worse and worse and the end time nears:

2 Timothy 3:12–13 (KJV 1900)

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

* Paul told Timothy “mark it down,” persecution will come if you life a Godly life!

* You might say “I haven’t really suffer any persecution that I know of.”

* Well here’s a thought –Maybe you haven’t yet lived Godly!

* As Debbie and I have already related to you in the past few weeks, every time I have preached on one of these beatitudes, we have had to apply its truth in our own life.

* During each week in this series, while I am preparing the message for a particular beatitude, God has brought about certain circumstances that have made us apply that week’s beatitude in our daily life.

* Last Sunday night at our home I made this statement and said that I wasn’t looking forward that what the Lord was going to do this week.

* We all laughed about it and it will be interesting to see what God does with this one!

* Well I will let Debbie tell you about here bought with persecution this week.

* Persecution will touch each of us who love God and follow His commandments.

* Sometimes we don’t see persecution for what it really is in our lives.

* Sometimes failed friendships or even marriages happen because of persecution and we don’t see the problem for what it really is.

* I was saved when I was a six year old boy. I was called to preach while listening to our pastor preach on a Sunday night about God telling Isaiah that He needed someone to stand in the Gap between people and God and bring them to God to be saved.

* I was only 11 years old. I did not know what persecution would do to my life.

* All my life I prepared for the ministry. That is all I have ever lived for, This ministry has been my life.

* At 19 I married the daughter of one of the deacons of the church where my father was pastor.

* During my first year of marriage it became clear that I had married a person who professed to be a Christian, but who in reality, was not saved.

* I spent 17 years trying to be the preacher that God had called me to be, saddled with a wife who hated God.

* She hated God so much that she would steal the money from the tithing envelope and keep it for herself.

* She hated God so much that she would sneak away from church while I was preaching in Jr. church downstairs and take the tithe money and go out to eat with my kids. I didn’t know anything about it.

* I didn’t know it, but while I was a work at night, my wife would bring men into our home right in front of our children.

* I faithfully followed my Lord and Savior Jesus for 17 years, all the while being persecuted by my own spouse because I loved God.

* Finally, after 17 years I caught here with another man.

* Weeping, on my knees, I offered to forgive the adultery, and move to another city where we could start over.

* Her reply was “I am sick and tired of church!” She said: “I don’t not want anything to do with being a preacher’s wife!”

* I wound up in divorce court and listened to her family members tell a judge that I made my family suffer by giving all our money to the church and that I was a terrible man because of that.

* Over the years I have come to realize that my failed marriage, was because I was being persecuted for being a follower of Jesus.

* My children did not do anything wrong to cause their lives to be so hard, they now realize that the pain and hardships they suffered because their mother abandoned them, happened because of persecution.

* Listen to the word of Jesus concerning persecution coming from within your own household:

Matthew 10:34–39 (KJV 1900)

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

* Jesus later told his hearers in Mark 13:

Mark 13:12–13 (KJV 1900)

12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake…

* Persecution comes from outside our family as well.

* We are seeing attacks by atheists groups on public displays of crosses across our country.

* This week, it came out in the news that the IRS will begin sending spies into churches to monitor preacher’s sermons because atheists groups are demanding that the tax exempt status of Churches be revoked.

Not all persecution is the kind of persecution Jesus was speaking of.

* The kind of persecution Jesus was talking that day on the mountain is the persecution that comes about “for righteousness’ sake.

* Jesus was talking about the kind of persecution that comes from having your life identified with Jesus Christ.

* We shouldn’t assume that everything bad that happens to us is persecution.

* Sometimes our own stress, sin, or bad choices can bring difficulties into our lives.

* First Peter 4:15 reads, “Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.”

* We can get into a lot of trouble just by doing the wrong things, but that doesn’t make it persecution.

* We have all seen those to whine about being persecuted, when it is plainly evident to everyone around them that their problems are of their own making.

* If we are in trouble for doing something wrong, we have no business taking the blessing of Matthew 5:10 to heart.

* There are also those who march to the drum of false claims of persecution like the race baiters of our day who claim they are persecuted because of Race or some other discrimination.

* This is not the kind of persecution that Jesus was preaching about.

* This would also include the women’s libbers and the Liberals who try to smear conservatives as conducting a war on women and persecuting women.

* Manufactured persecution by those who wish to promote a political cause is not the kind of persecuting that Jesus was talking about.

* Jesus was talking about those who are persecuted because they identify with Him and the Kingdom of God.

Persecution comes in three ways:

Jesus describes how that will occur by using three different words- Revile,

* First, in our text in verse 11 Jesus says:

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

* Jesus says that a person who identifies with Him and the Kingdom of God will be reviled.

* That word literally means to throw things into your face.

* For example, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, some of those in attendance made fun of him, mocking him with vile, malicious words.

* We can’t just expect to be chased out of the groups of which we are a part; we will also be subject to evil words and scorn.

* People will say bad things about us, just as they did about Christ.

* If we live for Jesus, we can’t expect that non-Christians are going to understand us or accept us.

The second term Christ uses is persecute—

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

* Jesus said they will persecute you.

* In other words, they will come after us because we are good and they are evil, and evil hates good.

* Persecution has been around since the fall of man.

* Cain killed Abel because his own works were evil but his brother’s righteous.

* Joseph was persecuted because his father loved him.

* Moses was reviled, Samuel rejected, Elijah despised, and Nehemiah oppressed.

* Jesus Christ, the faithful witness of His Father, was put to death by the people to whom He came to minister.

* Stephen was stoned for speaking the truth, John and Peter were cast in prison, and James was beheaded for preaching the Good News of the Kingdom.

* Every one of the Apostles was martyred for his faith, except for John, who was exiled to the Isle of Patmos.

* Why did God’s people suffer such persecution? Because they were doing right.

* Where did we ever get the idea that things will work out just fine if we do everything right?

* The Bible says exactly the opposite.

* You would do well to teach your children a hard but wonderful truth.

* It will be the most important thing that you can teach them.

* We need to teach our youth that Life isn’t fair.”

* We need to teach people that God never said life would be fair!

The third phrase Jesus used to describe the harassment of His people was that people would “say all kinds of evil against you falsely.”

* Have you ever noticed how creative people can get when they’re trying to make up lies about Christians?

*Modern entertainment seems to go out of its way to portray pastors and Christians in the ugliest way possible.

* Every time you see Christians mentioned in the news today they are misquoted and misrepresented.

* The Christians who were killed during the Roman persecutions were not tortured and killed because they were followers of Christ; they were sentenced to death because they were enemies of Rome.

* They were portrayed as terrorists and rebellious against the state of Rome.

* One of the greatest slaughters of Christians during the Roman persecutions was because the Emperor Nero set fire to the city of Rome and blamed it on the Christians.

* The hundreds that were tortured and burned at the steak by the Catholic persecutions were not because they were followers of Jesus, they claimed they carried out their crimes because these people were enemies of the Church of Rome.

* In the great persecution this is on the horizon, Christians will not be killed because they are followers of Jesus, their persecutors will claim they are haters, speaking hate speech, guilty of genocide, and crimes of terrorism.

Jenny Adams is a missionary in Peru.

She has been there for 34 years, ministering faithfully as a teacher at the mission’s Bible school and in several remote villages.

* She drives her own van and often gives passengers rides into town.

* One day she offered a ride to a young woman who had previously attended the mission school, the daughter of a village pastor.

* Little did Miss Adams know that this young woman’s brother was a cocaine processor who frequently used his sister to transport the drugs.

* This missionary, Miss Adams, was arrested with more than 3 kilos of cocaine in her vehicle, and under Peruvian law a person is guilty until proven innocent.

* In her case, the press was quick to exploit the story to discredit foreign missionaries.

* The newspapers dubbed her “the cocaine missionary,” and her long years of service were ignored.

* After 20 days of imprisonment, Jenny Adams was released, but not until the work of her mission had suffered from false witnesses.

* She was innocent of all charges, but that didn’t matter. She was persecuted anyway.

* Jesus said that people will tell lies on you if you live for God. Lies that will hurt and destroy you.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Don’t get discouraged because of persecution.

* There is a film about a football player whose coach was always on him.

* Every time he turned around, the coach was barking at him about something.

* When the player finally complained, the coach told him, “Son, thank the Lord I’m after you.

* I don’t have any plans for all those other guys I don’t yell at.

* But I’m on your case because you’ve got potential.

* And I’m going to stay on your case until you fulfill the potential I see in you.”

* Persecution is working in us for our benefit.

There is a promise associated with persecution

Matthew 5:10–12 (KJV 1900)

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

* Jesus tells us to rejoice in persecution, for “great is your reward in heaven.”

Hebrews 12:1–2 (KJV 1900)

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Philippians 2:5–11 (KJV 1900)

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Conclusion:

* The apostle Peter evident understood exactly what Jesus was saying that day as he sat there on the side of the mountain because he later repeated what Jesus preached that day in I Peter 3:14

1 Peter 3:14 (KJV 1900)

14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

* Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:12 “If we suffer with Jesus, we shall also reign with Him”.

* There is something involved in persecution that identifies us with Jesus Christ and is the criteria for blessing here on earth and in eternity.

* In the process of being Godly person, we start to find persecution happening to us.

* Remember that the persecuted are happy because they are being prepared for heaven.

* Persecution brings rewards that God has in store for those who love Him. “If indeed we suffer with Him,” it says in Romans 8:17, “that we may also be glorified together.”

* To suffer persecution is to be an eventual partaker of Jesus’ joy.

Romans 8:16–18 (KJV 1900)

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;

if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.