REVIEW
FLIP CHART: SOM’S KEY VERSE, GOAL, MOTTO
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ….” (Mt. 6:33a).
The law sends us to Christ for justification; Christ sends us back to the law for sanctification.
FLIP CHART: Show “window pane” of the 8 beatitudes.
FLIP CHART: Show new “Perfect Righteousness” chart explaining steps to coming to Christ (As a worm, mourning, meek, spiritual hunger/thirst with the result of legal righteousness). Explain moral righteousness, immediate moral change at conversion, gradual change through life’s challenges and speeding up moral change via CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection and Confession/Thanksgiving).
INTRODUCTION:
OUTLINE FOR TODAY:
1. There Are Different Levels of Persecution
2. Persecution That Meets Specific Criteria Receives Heaven’s Applause
3. God Provides Motivation to Rejoice When Persecuted
4. Our Chief Consolation in Persecution is God’s Presence
READ THE BEATITUDES:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
APPLAUDING AND REWARDING THE PERSECUTED
INTRODUCTION:
FLIP CHART ACTIVITY: Have the class discover contrasts between the first seven beatitudes and the eighth beatitudes. List those contrasts on the Flip Chart. Have the 8 beatitudes on a transparency and then have a class member write the contrasts on the Flip Chart.
Beatitudes 1-7 Beatitude 8
Third person plural Second person plural
The Blessed are active The Blessed are passive
All are short, no illustration Illustration added
“Blessed” one time “Blessed” two times
One reward Two rewards
Short Long
Internal qualities External
Direct blessing Indirect
Righteousness praised Righteousness punished
Difficult Incredible
“One of the Puritan commentators believed the reason Christ repeated himself was because the statement was so incredible! And he was probably right” (Hughes, 69).
Note that both Beatitudes # 1 and # 8 end with the same promise, “…theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This phrase brackets the 8 Beatitudes in their short form.
“Bonhoffer (the German theologian that was ordered to be shot by Himmler just a few days before the end of the II World War) … believed that suffering is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his master. Following Christ means 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’ …” (Stott, 53)
Paul states in II Tim. 3:12, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
I. THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PERSECUTION
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” (Mt. 5:11)
The word rendered “persecuted” bears the root idea of pursue, chase. A good translation is “harass.” You could say blessed are the harassed.
This harassment can be as minimal as being insulted or as great as being put to death.
Barclay writes about the persecution of the early Christians as follows: “The penalties which a Christian had to suffer were terrible beyond description. All the worlds knows the Christians who were flung to the lions or burned at the stake; but there were kindly deaths. Nero wrapped the Christians in pitch and set them alight, and used them as living torches to light his gardens. He sewed them in the skins of wild animals and set his hunting dogs upon them to tear them to death. There were tortured on the rack; they were scraped with pincers; molten lead was poured hissing upon them; red hot brass plates were affixed to the most tender parts of their bodies; eyes were torn out; parts of their bodies were cut off and roasted before their eyes; their hands and feet were burned while cold water was poured over them to lengthen the agony. These things are not pleasant to think about, but these are the things a man had to be prepared for, if he took his stand with Christ” (Barclay, 112).
Jesus certainly means that persecution could lead to death because he uses the prophets as an illustration:
I Kings 18:4 we read that Jezebel cut off the prophets.
I Kings 22:8 we read that the King of Israel hated the prophets because they did not prophesy good things.
II Chronicles 36:16 we read about the prophets of God being mocked.
Nehemiah 9:26 says that they slew prophets which testified against them.
Matthew 23:31-37: Jesus charges the Jews with killing the prophets.
Paul testified of himself in II Corinthians: “I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once.” (II Cor. 11:23-25).
Slander ….“…falsely say all kinds of evil against you …”
Slander is defaming a person, making false statement about a person’s character, generally behind their back so that they cannot defend themselves, ruining their reputations.
The enemies of Christ tried to make Jesus appear an evil person:
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ‘(Matthew 11:19).
Slanders against the early Christians according to Barclay (Pg113):
(1) Accused of cannibalism because of the words of the
Lord’s Supper.
(2) Accused of immoral practices because their weekly
meeting was called the Agape, or love feast and thus
were to include orgies.
(3) Accused of being incendiaries because they talked of the
coming of the end of the world in apocalyptic pictures.
(4) Accused of tampering with family relationship because
conversion sometimes split families.
(5) Accused of being atheists because they would not pray to
pagan deities.
Persecution … “,,, when people insult you.”
The high priests, along with the religion scholars and leaders, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: “He saved others–he can’t save himself! King of Israel, is he? Then let him get down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then! He was so sure of God–well, let him rescue his “Son’ now–if he wants him! He did claim to be God’s Son, didn’t he?” (Matthew 27:41-43, The Message).
TABLE ACTIVITY: Count off so that we will have 4-5 at a table. Discuss the following question: If persecution is the mark of a Christian according to the 8th Beatitude, why is it that American Christians experience so little persecution?
(1) Many Christians are cut off from the world … our friends, schools and often work is all with believers; (2) We live in a democratic, free society; (3) We live in a pluralistic society.
After sharing results of discussion read Hughes as follows:
“The greatest reason there is so little persecution is that the church has become like the world. If you want to get along, the formula is simple. Approve of the world’s morals and ethics – at least outwardly. Live like the world lives. Laugh at its humor. Immerse yourself in its entertainment. Smile benignly when God is mocked. Act as if all religions converge on the same road. Don’t mention hell. Draw no moral judgments. Take no stand on moral/political issues. Above all, do no share your faith. Follow this formula and it will be smooth sailing.” (Hughes, 74)
II. PERSECUTION THAT MEETS SPECIFIC CRITERA RECEIVES HEAVEN’S APPLAUSE
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:9-12).
What persecution is not:
The text doesn’t say, “Blessed are the persecuted ….”
Christians can be rejected (persecuted) because they have unpleasing personalities, are rude, insensitive, thoughtless, piously persecution for a cause or for following Christianity.
This is not persecution for being good, noble, self-sacrificing. obnoxious, proud, lazy and irresponsible, objectionable, difficult, foolish, a nuisance.
It is not for incompetence mixed with piety which is sure to bring rejection.
This is not persecution for a cause or for following Christianity.
Persecution that is applauded by heaven is persecution “because of me (Christ).”
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:18-20).
“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.” (Luke 6:22).
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“All men will hate you because of me ….” (Mt. 10:22).
“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.” (Mark 13:9).
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” (Mt. 24:9).
“For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.” (II Cor. 4:11).
ILL: Once a year a man had to go and burn a pinch of incense to the godhead of Caesar and say, “Caesar is Lord.” And that is what Christian refused to do. For them Jesus Christ was the Lord, and to no man would they give the title that belonged to Christ. ….. When a man had burned his pinch of incense he received a certificate, a libellus, to say that he had done so, and then he could go and worship any god he liked, so long as his worship did not interfere with public order and decency.” (Barclay, 114).
ILL: Equivalent would be the school children that were killed if they walked around a cross drawn at the gate of a school during the Boxer Rebellion but were spared if they walked across the cross.
Persecution that is applauded by heaven is persecution “because of rightousness.”
We will be persecuted for the righteousness hungered after in 6 and described as merciful, pure and peace loving in verses 7-9. It is the same problem that Paul re-stated in II Tim when he wrote to Timothy that if you live a godly life in Christ Jesus you will be persecuted.
ILL: Aristides the Just was banished from ancient Athens. When a stranger asked an Athenian why Aristides was voted out of citizenship he replied, “Because we became tired of his always being just.’ A people who prided themselves in civility and justice chafed when something or someone was too just” (MacArthur, 228)
People don’t like Christianity and maybe many in this age would agree with Friedrich Nietzsche who wrote that Christianity was ‘mankind’s greatest misfortune’ (Stott, 55).
Persecution tempts us to sacrifice the very righteousness that we have hungered for.
QUESTION: Did the five men who died in Ecuador die because of their testimony for Jesus? Did they die because of righteousness?
Would they have killed five gold miners or five oil exploration officials?
ILL: In Kedongdong children followed and harassed me? Why? Because I was a foreigner. In Ketapang people put nails in my tires, rocks across the road … because I was a Christian.
Are we insulted because of our Christian testimony or is it because of the way we present our testimony? Are we insulted because of Christ or because of part of our belief system?
III. GOD PROVIDES MOTIVATION TO REJOICE WHEN PERSECUTED
“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:9-12).
“We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever, nor to sulk like a child, nor to lick our wounds in self-pity like a doug, nor just to grin and bear it like a Stoic, still less to pretend we enjoy it like a masochist. What then? We are to rejoice.” (Stott, 52)
Glad means to skip and jump with happy excitement. To be exceeding glad (MacArthur, 231). It is the gladness that leaps for joy.
But remember – the persecution itself is never joyous nor are we commanded to rejoice because of the persecution.
The miracle of the joy here is the miracle of faith, the confidence that the reward in heaven will far outweigh the misery and suffering that we experience because of our love for Christ and righteousness.
Serving Christ for rewards, enduring persecution for rewards is not crass. In Hebrews we learn that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before him (Heb. 12:2).
Think of all the verses on rewards in the Sermon on the Mount — loving your enemies, a reward (5:46); giving to the needy, a reward (6:4); praying in secret, a reward (6:6); fasting, a reward 6:18) etc.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:17-18).
“He is no fool to give what he can not keep (this body, things of this earth, peace and security) to gain what he can not lose.” Jim Elliot
IV. OUR CHIEF CONSOLATION IN PERSECUTION IS GOD’S
PRESENCE
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mt. 5:10-12).
FILM CLIP: Show the film scene from “The Passion” on the resurrection.
QUESTION: What does the resurrection have to do with persecution referred to in this text?
QUESTION: Where do we get intimation of the resurrection in this text?
“Blessed” means “applause.” It means someone is watching.
“There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10).
“Reward” means God is keeping records.
Christ is alive, He is with us, He is watching over us and He knows exactly what is happening.
We live in a “God-bathed” world.
ILL: Krismanto in Pamekasan when we were experiencing real opposition said that God spoke to him through a verse given to Paul in the city of Corinth when Paul was experiencing much opposition to the Gospel, “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9-10).
Dr. James Montgomery Boice writes, “We may be certain that God sees the little martyrs as well as the great ones, and that He is pleased – – sometimes more pleased – – with the small sacrifices and small insults patiently borne for his sake as he is with the far more spectacular persecutions. (Pg. 53)
Christ not only has gone to heaven to prepare a room for us (John 14:6) but also to prepare a reward for us. Now, when persecuted, we can expect the applause of heaven; but only in heaven will the awards be given out.
If there was no resurrection there would be no applause, no awards.
SO WHAT!!!
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Persecution, as much as love, is the mark of a Christian.
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Only persecution because of Christ, because of righteousness as he describes it deserves a heavenly reward.
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Because of the resurrection we know that heaven is watching closely, applauding if we are persecuted because of following Christ, preparing to greatly reward us when we suffer for His name.