The Commands of Christ-12-i-2
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10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Last Week:
Last Week:
Last week we studied a more general topic than the persecution spoken of in our text.
We talked about suffering.
While all persecution is suffering, not all suffering is persecution (unless you are paranoid!).
We explored how suffering can cause some to turn away from Jesus.
We used a term for it: TFI (Traumatic Faith Injury)
If you were not here last week you can listen to the study on Facebook
Or, if you don’t like Facebook, I have posted it on RightNow Media (get it from our Website)
But tonight let’s go back to that last Beatitude and think about persecution:
For the sake of Righteousness
For the sake of Jesus
That looks like the persecution the prophets experienced
The Persecuted— Matthew 5:10–12
1. In spite of our efforts at peacemaking, what does Jesus say we will experience (Matthew 5:10-12)?
Why? Doesn’t EVERYONE love a peacemaker? Jesus said they will be called sons (and daughters) of God.
Actually, people might call them derogatory names.
Why?
Because even though a peacemaker may be working towards a good end, not everyone desires that conclusion to a matter. They want to hate, strive, get revenge, etc.
BECAUSE THEY ARE JUSTIFIED TO FEEL THAT WAY.
Why should this cause us to rejoice?
So, we live out the beatitudes — and that pleases Jesus, but it doesn’t necessarily please others, even those who proclaim they are Christians.
So unbelievers and believers alike may persecute us.
Many times (not always!) persecution will PROVE we are living out the life of Jesus (the Beatitudes) in our lives.
2. Why would the world hate the kind of people described in the beatitudes? Or people who are salt and light? Or people who keep and teach the Law and the Prophets? (as Brother Jay taught?)
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Our light is God’s light shining through us. And that light will bring glory to God from some and persecution from others.
19 And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. 21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.”
20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 “He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
I’ve never really thought about it before, but what is the difference between the Law and the Prophets?
The Bible Sense Lexicon says that, at the time of Jesus, 3 sections made up what was considered the scriptures: the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets
The Law (in 1st 5 books of OT, The Torah, the Pentateuch)
The prophets start at Isaiah and go through the end of the OT
Is there a difference in the teachings of the Law and the Prophets?
I thought about fasting.
The Law is almost (if not completely) silent about fasting.
One reference (very obligue) concerning Yom Kippur:
26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord. 28 “You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. 29 “If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people. 30 “As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
In the Prophets:
3 ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. 4 “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. 5 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? 6 “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
14 Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis because of his faith, wrote:
"With every beatitude the gulf is widened between the disciples and the people."
How do the beatitudes challenge us to be different?
Because they are so-o- contrary to the flesh.
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
These verses talk about the Law, but does it also refer to the teachings of Jesus?
From: LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies - Sermon on the Mount.
Concerning Persecution, this beatitude explodes several myths:
1. The myth that Christianity is a means of deliverance from suffering.
As we become more like Jesus, we should expect to be treated like Jesus!
2. The myth that God loves his children too much to allow them to suffer at the hands of unbelievers.
God does indeed love us, but that does not mean we will be insulated from the pain of persecution.
3. The myth that those who suffer persecution are being chastised for their sin.
But remember: the persecuted are also the pure in heart! Often it is precisely because of one’s success in manifesting the characteristics contained in the other beatitudes that provokes persecution.
4. The myth that suffering is always the sign of God’s displeasure or anger.
5. The myth that suffering can separate us from the love of Christ. But see Romans 8:35.
6. The myth that suffering or persecution at the hands of the unbeliever is a sign of the latter’s victory. See Rev. 12:11.
7. The myth that suffering is selective, restricted to a few special saints. Says Stott:
“The condition of being despised and rejected, slandered and persecuted, is as much a normal mark of Christian discipleship as being pure in heart or merciful. Every Christian is to be a peacemaker, and every Christian is to expect opposition. Those who hunger for righteousness will suffer for the righteousness they crave.”
People may speak highly of these virtues, but they often despise the person in whom they appear. “The only homage that wickedness can pay to righteousness,” noted Spurgeon, “is to persecute it.”
Several other things to note:
Jesus does not pronounce as blessed those who suffer for any reason whatsoever.
The beatitude applies to those who suffer for the sake of righteousness.
See esp. 1 Pt. 2:18–21.
In this passage we are told that to keep our mouths shut and patiently endure when suffering for some sin we have committed is no great virtue (Peter’s words are: “what credit is there …”).
But to restrain ourselves from retaliation and self-vindication when we are unjustly wronged is especially pleasing to the Lord. Some suffering and persecution is deserved and therefore disgraceful. But we have actually been “called” (1 Pt. 2:21) to endure unjust, undeserved persecution. Again, Peter encourages you to “keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong” (3:16–17).
In 1 Peter 4:12 we are told that we should “not be surprised at the fiery ordeal” of persecution and suffering that comes upon us, and that for 3 reasons. (1) The suffering of persecution plays an essential role in our sanctification. It is, says Peter, “for our testing” (4:12). Suffering is critical to the formation of Christian character: it hones, refines, purges, and purifies us, as well as compels us to rely more wholeheartedly on the all-sufficiency of God’s grace. (2) Suffering now will only serve to intensify the joy of our glorification (“to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation,” 4:13). (3) Finally, there is a special, unique anointing of the Spirit on Christians who suffer for Christ’s sake and bear his reproach. Indeed, “if you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (4:14). The word “glory” here has the definite article, lit. “the glory,” thus pointing (most likely) to the “glory” of v. 13, the “glory” of Christ to be revealed fully at his second coming. The point is this: to suffer reproach for Christ is to enter into the experience of that glory in advance of its ultimate and consummate display at the end of the age!
Note also in 1 Peter 4:15–16 that, again, some suffering is shameful, namely, the suffering that comes from sinning (v. 15). However, as John Brown says, “there are (also) sufferings to which Christians may be exposed, merely because they are Christians, merely because they profess the faith, obey the laws, observe the institutions of Christ; and that such sufferings, however disgraceful in their own nature, and in the estimation of men, are no proper ground of shame to those who meet with them; but, on the contrary, should be subjects of giving glory and thanksgiving to God” (Expository Discourses on 1 Peter [Banner of Truth], 400).
If you wish to avoid persecution in the world, here is what you must do: mimic the world’s standards, never criticize its values, keep quiet about the gospel, laugh at its sordid humor, smile and keep silent when God’s name is mocked and reviled, and be ashamed of Jesus Christ.
Note also that Jesus broadens persecution to include insults and verbal attacks. For us, in our day, this is often the only form of persecution we experience.
Notice that in v. 10 it is “for the sake of righteousness,” but in v. 11 it is “on account of Me,” i.e., Jesus. Two things to conclude from this: (a) The world not only does not care for these qualities, it cares even less for the person in whom they are found. (b) “This confirms that the righteousness of life that is in view is in imitation of Jesus. Simultaneously, it so identifies the disciple of Jesus with the practice of Jesus’ righteousness that there is no place for professed allegiance to Jesus that is not full of righteousness” (Carson, 28).
Observe carefully how Jesus says we are to respond to such persecution:
“Rejoice and be glad!” We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever would. We are not to sulk like a child. We are not to lick our wounds in self-pity like a beaten dog. We are not simply to grin and bear it like a Stoic. Still less are we to pretend that pain feels good. But even more: we are not only not to retaliate, we must not even resent it. Rather, we are to rejoice and be glad! But how can a sane person do that?
First, by reflecting on the fact that such pain is minimal when compared with the agonies of hell.
Second, by remembering John 15:21 (“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me”). To claim exemption from persecution is to renounce one’s association with Jesus. If you think you are above and beyond persecution, you are above and beyond Jesus.
Third, recall Acts 5:40–42.
Fourth, recall Romans 5:3–5.
Fifth, recall Romans 8:16–17 (suffering is a sign of our adoption as sons).
Sixth, consider 1 Peter 4:12ff. Persecution is not only essential for our sanctification, it also intensifies our glory at Christ’s return!
Seventh, we are promised reward in heaven (Mt. 5:12). See 2 Cor. 4:16–18.
Says Piper: “One way of rejoicing in suffering comes from fixing our minds firmly on the greatness of the reward that will come to us in the resurrection. The effect of this kind of focus is to make our present pain seem small by comparison to what is coming” (Desiring God, 234).
Draw strength in the time of suffering by remembering Jesus.
· Are you poor? “Foxes have holes and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
· Are you opposed? “Against the holy child Jesus … both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles … were gathered together.”
· Do your enemies claim to be religious? Remember who crucified the Son of God!
· Are you suffering reproach? “They bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, and said, ‘Hail, king of the Jews.’ ”
· Are you slandered? Jesus was accused of doing miracles by the power of Satan.
· Are you used and despised? They beat and spat upon the King of glory.
· Do your friends betray you? Remember Judas!
· Have you lost possessions? They cast lots for Jesus’ robe.
· Do you suffer unjustly? Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man.”
From: Storms, S. (2016). Biblical Studies: The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:10–12). Edmond, OK: Sam Storms.