Attitudes of a True Disciple Part 3

Introduction:

Good morning and welcome to anyone who is just now logging on. We are thrilled to have you with us. Go ahead and open your Bibles or devices to Matthew chapter 5. We are gong to be focusing on verses 10-12 but will be reading from verses 1-12 in just a moment. A few weeks ago we began a walk through the sermon on the mount, which is Jesus’ best known block of teaching. At the beginning of this block of teaching we find the Beatitudes. For the purposes of our series we used three divisions of these verses to help us take them in smaller bites. The first one was God Centered Humility, the seocnd was Others Centered Love, and the final one, which we will walk through today is God Centered Trust Amid Opposition. As we get into this I want to remind you that the word that is translated blessed in these verses could be translated as happy as in the condition of life, not the emotion. It could also carry the meaning of fortunate. The word in Greek is markarios. Part 3: God Centered Trust Amid Opposition

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. Let’s read what is written in Matthew 5:1-12.

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.

The main idea that we want to pull out and dig into today is:

You are fortunate with persecution that will come for following Jesus, knowing that you will receive a reward and that you are in good company.

Even the 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.

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 likely be persecution.

I. Reasons for 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.

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 but we must make sure we are adhering to actual Biblical doctrine and not simply preference when we do so.

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 for Jesus’ sake

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

Persecute you

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

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.

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.”

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.

Of note on rejoicing in the f 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”)

BONHOFFER ILLUSTRATION

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

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 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 transform. It’s what Thielicke calls a “transvaluation of values.”

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 trough persecution.

At the beginning of this message and back at the beginning of the series I mentioned the meaning of the Greek word markarios which is where we get the translation, “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.

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 themselves not to be true believers.

Most of us watching this live 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