Series: The Sermon on the Mount
Title: Blessed Persecution?
Text: Matthew 5:10-12
INTRODUCTION: This morning, we are concluding our series of sermons on the Beatitudes. (We will be resuming on the Sermon on the Mount after the New Year)
The beatitudes are the “Blessed” statements which precede the famous Sermon on the Mount.
Blessed are the poor in spirit...
Blessed are those who mourn...
Blessed are the meek...
and so on...
And over the past weeks, we have learned a lot about these important statements.
Probably the most revealing thing we have seen is that they are not describing different groups of people.
It is not as though some are “poor in spirit” and others are “meek” and others “mourn”.
The reality is that these all describe one person - the “Blessed Man”.
The blessed man understands his spiritual poverty.
He mourns over his sin.
He is humble before God.
He is desperate for righteousness.
He is an agent of mercy.
His heart is purified in regeneration and desires to follow Christ.
He is an ambassador for Christ, carrying the Gospel of peace.
Here is an important reality...
- This is not some super spiritual believer.
- This is not some special level of sainthood only squired by the ultra sanctified.
- This is supposed to describe the experience of ALL believers.
Which is why today’s beatitude, the last beatitude, can be a bit frightening.
This is the one wherein Jesus promises a blessing to the persecuted.
And if what we have seen so far... that these qualities should mark all believers... then the truth is that persecution is something we will all experience as well.
So how do we understand and respond to the persecution of our faith? - - - Jesus tells us in our lesson today.
READ: Matthew 5:10-12
It is safe to say that all of the beatitudes are contrary to human wisdom.
- Self confidence and self reliance is exalted among men, so poorness of spirit is rejected.
- People try to justify their sins, rather than mourn for them.
- The prideful and forceful get what they want, and the meek are trampled upon.
- Men lust for fleshly passions, rather than hunger for righteousness.
Men desire vengeance and not mercy.
- Men see a pure heart as being less important than an exterior goodness.
- And war - not peace - seems to be the natural inclination.
So the beatitudes are opposed to the natural mind, and human wisdom... and even the religious ideas of Jesus time.
The Jews were set on seeing the Romans fall under the mighty hand of a warring Messiah.
And all of these about “meekness” and “mercy” were not the desire of the religious people of the day.
They wanted a mighty warrior messiah!
Now, if the other beatitudes were opposed to the common beliefs of the day, this last one is even more so!
They believed the Messiah was going to bring untold wealth, honor, prosperity and peace.
Isaiah had called the coming Messiah the “Prince of Peace”, so they believed He would overthrow their oppressors.
Thus, His warnings of coming persecutions would have been difficult to accept.
Also, this is the first Beatitude which Jesus actually elaborates on.
Each week, as we have examined the beatitudes, we have had to look at a very pithy statement.
But in this beatitude, Jesus actually gives us more information than in any of the preceding ones.
Furthermore, in this beatitude, we have a MAJOR CHANGE.
We have the introduction of the “second person plural” into the beatitudes.
Jesus goes from “blessed are they”... to “Blessed are you”
The immediate audience, of course, are his apostles.
It is almost certain that when He was saying these words, He was looking directly at His chosen 12.
The reality is that this did come to pass; all of the apostles, save Judas, suffered severe persecution.
- Peter was crucified head down in Rome.
- Andrew, was crucified on an X-shaped cross.
- Bartholomew was beaten and then crucified in India.
- James was beheaded in 44 A.D. in Judea.
- James the Less was beaten, stoned, and then clubbed.
- Jude, brother of James, was crucified.
- Matthew was cut and stabbed to death.
- Matthias was stoned and then beheaded in Jerusalem.
- Philip was scourged, imprisoned, and then crucified.
- Simon was crucified in 74 A.D. in Britain.
- Stephen was stoned to death in 34 A.D. in Jerusalem.
- Thomas was thrust through with a spear in India.
Even the last apostle, Paul, was beheaded with a sword in Rome.
But, it is important to note that the “You” is not limited to the apostles.
Certainly they are the immediate audience, and the focus of Christ.
But they are not alone... all believers are encapsulated in the “You”.
So, here is the outline which we will look at in regard to this beatitude:
1) THIS BLESSING IS NOT FOR ALL PERSECUTION
2) THE PERSECUTION OF BELIEVERS STEMS FROM HATRED OF GOD AND HIS WORD
3) THIS BLESSING BRINGS THE BEATITUDES FULL CIRCLE
1) THIS BLESSING IS NOT FOR ALL PERSECUTION
In this beatitude, Jesus makes it clear that the persecution he is referring to is for a specific type of persecution.
It is persecution for RIGHTEOUSNESS sake.
Thus, we can deduce that this is not all types of persecution.
Here are some examples of persecution which are not in view:
It is not persecution for the purposefully objectionable and obnoxious.
The Gospel by itself is offensive... we do not have to add to that offense by making ourselves objectionable as well.
Those who do bring on themselves a type of persecution which is unnecessary... and NOT blessed.
Example: “Westboro Baptist Church” There is a church up north that has made a name for itself by protesting the funerals of fallen soldiers. They believe they are standing for the truth, when really they are demonstrating their own depravity. They are being intentionally obnoxious to get attention.
Naturally, as result of their behavior, people react very negatively.
- They are denied hotel rooms.
- They are denied entrance into restaurants and stores in places where they protest.
- And some have even experienced threats of physical violence.
And it is without doubt that they go hoe rejoicing that they have been “PERSECUTED” for their faith.
But such persecution is not in line with Jesus’ commendation because they are not being persecuted for righteousness, but for their own obnoxiousness.
QUOTE: Brian Schwertely “The believer is to be humble, meek, gentle and kind as he presents the truths of Scripture. If unbelievers are to be offended they should be offended by the gospel and not our arrogant or objectionable presentation of it. This point, of course, does not mean that boldness and admonition is to be avoided, but that our own defects, sins and anger must not obscure the message of the gospel that we want to convey. The person who witnesses to the local chapter of the Hell’s Angels and tells them that they are stupid idiots is not using wisdom or discretion.”
We cannot misbehave for the cause of Christ, and then be challenged for that misbehavior, and call it persecution.
It is not persecution for unchristian causes.
There is no blessing in being persecuted for being a mormon, or being a Jehovah Witness, or being a Hindu, or being a martyr for some particular political cause.
If they have rejected the biblical Christ, they are separated from His blessings entirely... this one included.
So though they may receive persecution, and many do, it is not the blessed persecution in view here.
It is not persecution for Christians who have legitimately done wrong.
This is probably the most difficult, but still true.
A Christian who has broken God’s commands, and is experiencing the results from that, is not in a blessed persecution.
1 Peter 4:14-15 “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.”
When a prominent Christian man is caught in adultery, and he experiencing his sin repeated on television and the news, he cannot really say that is blessed persecution.
Christians who suffer because they have done wrong, and they attribute it to persecution, are really just shifting the blame that they, themselves, deserve.
So, it is important to understand that there are many types of persecution in the world...
But there is only one type which is in view here.
Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
1) THIS BLESSING IS NOT FOR ALL PERSECUTION
2) THE PERSECUTION OF BELIEVERS STEMS FROM HATRED OF GOD AND HIS WORD
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus makes the point that people will hate us for our faith.
Luke 6:22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!”
But Jesus also makes this point:
John 15:18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
This is so important because often we take persecution very personally.
We feel like when people reject our faith and persecute our faith, that they are doing so because they hate us.
The reality is that they HATE God.
That sounds incredible, but it is the truth.
NOTE: One famous person once said, “I love Jesus, but I hate his followers”
I have made the point many times that he really doesn’t love Jesus, because this particular famous person rejects the message of Christ. His love of Jesus is actually a love of a false understanding.
Here are two things to consider in regard to persecution:
(1) The goal of the unbeliever is to suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and the believer stands as a reminder of the truth.
The reason why the unbeliever hates the believer is that he/she stands for the very thing that the unbeliever is trying to suppress.
Romans 1:18-23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”
The unbeliever is doing his best to find anything and anyway he can to deny the truth which God has placed in his heart.
The believer stands as a reminder of that truth... a proclaimer of that truth... and thus he must be silenced.
This is why there is such an attempt to silence biblical preaching.
They want to call the Bible “hate speech” because its words offend them.
Its not enough to ignore them, they must SILENCE them!
As a result, much of the persecution which believers receive are attempts to silence them.
(2) Given the opportunity, the unbeliever would just assuredly persecute God as they do His followers.
I know that may sound strange, but it is the reality.
The unbeliever hates God - and thus the unbeliever persecuted God’s people.
But given the chance, he would persecute God just as quickly.
Jesus is the proof of this.
He was God incarnate, and He was beaten and hung on a cross!
Why is this important?
It demonstrates the true depravity of the persecutors.
They hate believers because they hate God and His word.
So what we need to remember is that when we suffer persecution, and we will, that we are suffering for God who is actually the intended target of their hatred.
Understanding this can help us put persecution into perspective when we experience it, and give us strength to endure.
1) THIS BLESSING IS NOT FOR ALL PERSECUTION
2) THE PERSECUTION OF BELIEVERS STEMS FROM HATRED OF GOD AND HIS WORD
3) THIS BLESSING BRINGS THE BEATITUDES FULL CIRCLE
I want to end this series by noting that the first and last beatitude contain the same promise.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Some scholars have noted that there is a structure to the beatitudes, called a chiastic structure.
This is actually a popular structure used throughout the Bible.
It is easier to demonstrate with a chart, but for our purposes here I will just say that there is a link between what is said first and what is said last.
Probably the simplest example is this one: “But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” Notice how the two ends relate, “First” comes at the beginning and the end.
Likewise, we can see a connection between the poor in spirit and the persecuted.
One comes at the beginning, and the other comes at the end.
And they contain the same blessing, the receiving of the Kingdom.
As we know, the poor in spirit are those who recognize their own sin. They understand their spiritual poverty. This we know; but how does this relate to persecution? Why do they both contain the same promise of the Kingdom of God?
Poverty of Spirit and Persecution together demonstrate the DIFFICULTY of following Christ.
Even though Christ said that His yoke was easy and His burden was light (Matthew 11:30), He also made the point that those who follow Him must be willing to “count the cost” (Luke 14).
A life of faith is not necessarily an easy life; and it is not promised to be.
NOTE: This is the biggest failure of the health and wealth movement.
We are called to suffer with Christ (Romans 8).
It begins with understanding our poverty of spirit and ends with a life which is at odds with the world around around us.
CONCLUSION: One of the worst things which has happened in the church is that many have chosen to soften this message so as to make the Gospel more appealing... and in doing so, they have abandoned the Gospel.
Entire movements have been based on prosperity and financial blessings and by achievement and wealth.
And then we hear the mighty and power words of Christ...
Luke 14:26-33 “26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Those are hard words... difficult concepts!
We know that Jesus does not call us to literally “hate” our parents, as this would violate the OT command to honor our father and mother... but rather to be willing to put Him first above all.
To not let anything come between us and our relationship to Him...
To renounce all that would separate us...
To understand that the Gospel can divide families...
The Gospel can bring persecution...
The Gospel can even be a death sentence.
We are to count that cost.
We are to evaluate our fidelity.
We are to ask ourselves, are we willing to suffer with Christ as He suffered for us.
And here is the beauty... the blessing of this difficulty is encapsulated in the promise that we will, indeed, inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
