Small Group Discussion Questions
When you hear the word "persecution," what do you think of? What images come to mind?
What are some ways Christians are persecuted today?
Do you think persecution is worse for Christians in other countries than in the United States? Why or why not?
Can you think of a time where you have personally faced persecution because of your faith in Jesus Christ? Discuss.
Blessed are the Persecuted
This morning we’re finishing up a series on the beatitudes.
The beatitudes are qualities or characteristics that should be more and more evident in our lives as we continue to follow Jesus and grow closer to Him.
We said that the beatitudes should be an attitude of people who follow Jesus.
And over the last few weeks, we’ve seen that Jesus likes to make us look at things in new and different ways, and see things in a different light.
The beatitudes are all about seeing things from God’s point of view instead of seeing things from the world’s perspective.
A lot of these things totally go against our way of thinking and the last beatitude that we’re looking at today is no different.
Let’s look at it together. It’s in Matthew 5:10-12, NLT.
"God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."
This definitely flies in the face of how we think.
So to help us really get what Jesus is talking about here, we’re going to look at three different questions and then I want to point out some things for us to remember.
The three questions are what, who and why.
WHAT?
What is Jesus talking about? He’s talking about persecution.
Persecution = being harassed, mistreated or abused
That’s the what, let’s talk about the who.
WHO?
The people that Jesus is talking about here are Christians.
Jesus said that God blesses people who are persecuted or mistreated for doing right, people who are harassed, mistreated or abused simply because they follow Jesus – because of their faith in God.
And that’s an important part of what Jesus is saying here.
Because people can be mistreated for a lot of different reasons – maybe because they are mean to other people, maybe because of who they hang out with, maybe because they’re just different.
But that’s not what Jesus is talking about here. Now don’t get me wrong. I believe that God is close to the broken-hearted. I believe that He hears the prayers of people who are being hurt and mistreated.
But in this passage, Jesus says that God blesses people who are mistreated or harassed because of their faith – because of their belief in God, because they’re not afraid or ashamed to stand up and say I AM A CHRISTIAN!
And here’s the thing. You know we’ve talked a lot about this idea of imitating Jesus, of living like Jesus lived.
Here’s what the Bible says.
2 Timothy 3:12, NLT
"Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."
You could also say that anyone who imitates Jesus, who lives as Jesus lived, will be harassed, mistreated, insulted or abused.
Let’s talk about why.
WHY?
Jesus made it pretty clear in John 15:18-19 (The Message).
"If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you."
Why will you face persecution if you follow Jesus? It’s because you live in a world that doesn’t follow Jesus.
That’s why it says, “If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as its own…but since you live on God’s terms and no longer on the worlds terms, the world is going to hate you.”
As a person who follows God in an ungodly world, you’re going to stick out. You aren’t going to look like everyone else. You’re going to be different. You aren’t going to be accepted.
For that reason alone, people will insult you, make fun of you, harass you, and mistreat you if you are living as a follower of Jesus Christ.
ILLUSTRATION
On New Year’s Eve, Chel and I went to see the now Super Bowl Champions Indianapolis Colts play the Miami Dolphins.
We parked a little ways away from the RCA Dome and as we were walking to the stadium, we passed all kinds of people who were tailgating before the game. They had their Colts tents up, and Colts flags, and everyone was decked out in their Colts apparel. They were drinking from Colts cups and they had Colts table cloths. It was like a sea of blue and white.
And walking just in front of us was a Miami Dolphins fan who was wearing a turquoise and orange Dolphins jacket and hat.
And people laughed at him and made fun of him and cussed at him and told him to go home. And I think it was mostly in fun, but why would people do that?
Because he stuck out! He was a Dolphins fan walking through a Colts world and he was on the wrong team.
And guys, if you are living as a Christian, you are going to be following God in an ungodly world. In a sense, you aren’t going to be on the right team in the world’s eyes. And you’re going to face persecution because of it.
So have you faced any persecution?
Because if you’re truly following Christ, you should expect it! Don’t be shocked and surprised when you are insulted or made fun of or when you face opposition because of your faith. Be shocked and surprised when you don’t!
Because the Bible says that everyone who follows Jesus will face persecution. Jesus told us that in this world we will have trouble.
Listen to what Paul said in Galatians 1:10.
"I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant."
What Paul seems to be saying here is that you can’t always please people and please God at the same time.
You can’t always follow the crowd and still follow Jesus. You can’t live like the world and live like Jesus at the same time.
And when you choose to please God instead of choosing to please people, you will face persecution in one way or another.
So I want to ask you…are you being persecuted?
Are you being made fun of or insulted because you follow Jesus?
Do people say mean things about you just because you’re a Christian?
Are you not accepted by certain people or treated differently because you are a Christ-follower?
I’m willing to bet that the answer to that question for many of you is no. And I don’t say that because I think that you guys aren’t serious about your faith or that you don’t love Jesus – because I know you do.
I say that because all the studies and the surveys and the polls out there say that, overall, Christians don’t live that differently than people who aren’t Christians. For most Christians, their faith in God has very little impact on how they live.
They watch the same movies and TV shows as non-Christians do, listen to the same music, they dress the same, they talk the same, pursue the same things in life.
The divorce rate is the same for Christians, if not higher, than non-Christians.
Christian teens cheat just as much in school, lie to their parents just as much, the stats on premarital sex aren’t that different between Christians teens and non-Christian teens, neither are the stats on drinking alcohol.
Romans 12:2, NLT
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think."
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world! Paul is saying that we are to live different from the world. That’s what God expects, and the reason that many of us will never face any kind of persecution in life is because we look and act just like the world.
Is there any evidence in your life that you are changing to become more like Jesus?
If you didn’t tell your friends that you went to church, would they know you were a Christian just because your life looked different?
There’s a Christian bumper sticker that says, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
We read of stories in places like Nigeria and Saudi Arabia and North Korea where Christians are being beaten and tortured and murdered for their faith in God. Where men are being killed in front of their families, where women are being raped and children are being sold into slavery, where people’s homes are being burned to the ground, because they refuse to renounce or reject Jesus Christ.
People are saying, “I don’t care what you do to me, but I will NOT turn my back on Jesus.”
Those are places where it is illegal to be a Christian.
And I wonder…do we not face much persecution here because we live in a free country where we can worship as we want, or is it because we’re no different than the world who doesn’t believe in God and who doesn’t follow Jesus Christ?
Jesus said, (John 15) “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, (to not be like the world) so it hates you.”
People in other countries are dying instead of rejecting Jesus, and in our country a lot of Christian people won’t even admit they follow Jesus.
And it’s not because they are afraid that they are going to have their house burned down or have acid thrown on their face or have their families murdered.
They’re worried about what people will think. They’re worried that they won’t fit in. They’re worried that people will make fun of them and not accept them.
Let’s be honest. None of us want to be hated. Given the choice, almost every person on earth would rather be accepted by others than unaccepted; they’d rather fit in than be an outcast; they’d rather be popular than be persecuted.
The question we all have to answer here is not, “Do I want to fit in or not?” The real question is, “Am I going to live to please God or am I going to live to please people? Am I going to follow Christ or am I going to follow the crowd?”
The Bible says that everyone who follows Jesus will be persecuted, but here are some things to remember.
#1 We’re blessed if we suffer because of our faith in Jesus.
Jesus said that we should be happy about facing persecution, because there is a great reward for us in heaven.
In Matthew 10, Jesus said, “People will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end, (stays strong) will be saved. Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”
Jesus was basically saying, “You stand up for me, and I’ll stand up for you.”
#2 If you’re being persecuted, you’re doing something right.
The Bible says that everyone who follows Jesus will face some form of persecution. So don’t be shocked when it happens.
ILLUSTRATION
When I first started lifting weights with a friend of mine. I asked, “Is it supposed to burn like this?”
He said, “It is if you’re doing it right.”
I was able to push through the pain because I knew I was getting stronger.
The same is true with us as Christians. If you’re being harassed or insulted or made fun of or persecuted in any way because of your faith in Jesus Christ, you’re doing something right.
So keep at it. Because the Bible says that it will make you stronger and help you grow and make you complete.
As Christians, we should expect some opposition and some ridicule, because it isn’t popular to really live as Jesus lived. You should expect to offend some people and lose some friends if you follow Jesus. Jesus did!
But, at the same time, we can look forward to God’s blessings and rewards as a result of being faithful to Him. No matter how hard it gets to follow Christ, and no matter what you go through, it’s worth it all in the end. It’s worth it.
So stay strong. Follow Jesus…and remember.
You stand up for Him, and He’ll stand up for you.
The Bible says that everyone who lives a godly life and follows Jesus Christ will face persecution. Are you facing any persecution in your life?
If not, maybe you need to start asking, “Why?”
