Intro
We have been discussing the final, eighth, beatitude found in Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”i
Last week we addressed two preparations for potential persecution.
First, expect it. It will happen in the believer’s life. It can come in various levels of severity. But it is a fact of life for the followers of Christ. In John 15:20 Jesus told his disciples, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Therefore, persecution should not take us by surprise.ii We should expect it to happen and not be dismayed when we are opposed in that way.
Secondly, we should know the benefits of persecution. Why would an omnipotent, sovereign God allow the world to persecute his people? He allows it because there are benefits that can come to us in no other way. We explored five of those last week:
1. It confirms the authenticity of our faith.
2. It results in rewards in heaven.
3. It can enlarge opportunities for witnessing.
4. It Purifies the Church.
5. It Serves as a Refining Process for Individual Believers.
Knowing those benefits enables to rejoice when experiencing persecution.iii It lifts our eyes above the immediate discomfort to God’s eternal purposes for us.
Today we will process five other preparations for potential persecution. Next week we will conclude the series by using what we have learned as a basis for prayer. We will use the Beatitudes as a template of prayer. That activity reinforces our understanding of the text and is one way to apply these truths to our own lives.
This list of seven preparations for persecution is not exhaustive. More could be said. But these preparations help us embrace a biblical mindset on the matter. And having a scriptural mindset about persecution is foundational to managing it well. The first two we have already explored:
1. Expect Persecution.
2. Know the benefits of persecution. (Now we will consider preparations three through seven.)
3. Know the character of God and his plans for you.
When trials come into your life, Satan will whisper in your ear accusations against God.iv If God really loved you, he would not let this happen. If the Lord were pleased with you as his child, none of this could occur. He has abandoned you. The Accuser will try to get you to question the goodness of God.
He did that to Eve in the Garden. Listen to what he said to Eve when tempting her. Genesis 3:5: “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” God does not have your best interest in mind. If he did, he would not be withholding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from you. The suggestion that God could not be fully trusted weakened her in her hour of temptation. Verse 6 records the result: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.”
Knowing God and the reliability of his character strengthens us to trust him in the hard times. God is good all the time. There is never a moment when he is not good. He reminded Israel in Malachi 3:6, “. . . I am the Lord, I do not change.” A change in your circumstances does not mean that God has changed. A change in your emotional state does not mean God has changed. Jesus is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). His heart of love toward you does not change. He loves us with an everlasting love.v The NLT paraphrases James 1:17 with this declaration: “he never changes or casts shifting shadows.” We must know the immutability of God—a fancy way of saying, “God does not change.” God always has our best interest in mind. He is always seeking our highest good. He is always working all things together for our good (Rom. 8:28). The more we are rooted and grounded in these truths, the better we will fare in times of persecution.
How do we know the character of God and his plans for us?
We know it through revelation in Scripture. In the Bible, God not only declares these truths, but he confirms it through events in other people’s lives. Joseph suffered persecution but God was working all those events together for the ultimate good of Joseph and all of God’s people.vi Daniel was persecuted and thrown in the lion’s den. But God used all that to promote Daniel and to spread the good news of Jehovah.vii
We know God’s character and plans through intimate communion with him. Along with our study of Scripture, we draw near to God in our personal relationship with him. In our daily walk with God, we become familiar with his voice.viii Knowing the voice of God enables us to respond in wisdom to any situation we find ourselves in.
The Holy Spirit will tell us when to flee persecution and when to boldly stand our ground. On one occasion Paul escaped persecution by being let down outside the city wall in a basket (Acts 9:25). On other occasions, Paul walked into persecution and stood his ground (Acts 21:10-40). Early in his ministry, Jesus avoided being captured by his persecutors (John 8:59) because he knew his time of death had not yet come (John 7:6-10). But when the time was right, he willingly submitted to being arrested (John 18:1-12).ix If we cultivate intimacy with God and obedience to his leading now, we will be prepared to follow his leading during times of increased persecution. He will not only tell us what to do, but he will also tell us what to say (Matt. 10:19-20).
So, the third preparation is to know the character of God, his faithfulness, his love, and his plans for us.x No amount of persecution can thwart his plans to bring us into eternal glory (Rom. 8:35-39).
4. Embrace the crucified life that Jesus calls us to in our walk with him.
In Mark 8:34 Jesus says to his followers, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” In our water baptism, we are declaring death to the self-life and a spiritual resurrection into service to the Lord.xi Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (KJV). He had died to his old desires, no longer living for his own pleasure, allowing Christ to live through him. The person with that mindset is prepared for anything. Paul was not afraid to die because he had already died to self. Instead, he was looking forward to his arrival in heaven (Phil. 1:19-21).xii
But a love for this world and the things in this world will make a coward out of a man facing death.xiii If I have not laid my treasure up in heaven, I will not respond to persecution the way Paul did.xiv Persecution takes from you the things of this world. It may take friends away. It may cost you your job. It may cost you your reputation. It may take houses and money from you. In martyrdom it takes every worldly possession from you. Only that which is eternal remains. Do you love the comfort of your home enough to compromise your Christianity to keep it? Do you love the security of your job enough compromise godly principles to keep it? If Christ is not supreme in our hearts, we are vulnerable to compromise under the pressures of persecution. But if our carnal affections have been crucified, and we live to please God, then we can offer those things on the altar for the glory of God.
A pseudo-Christianity that feeds the flesh and uses God for one’s own desires, will not fare well in times of persecution. If I love the world, then the world can exercise control over me.xv If I have died to all that the world offers and am truly living for the glory of God, then God’s glory will be supreme in the hour of persecution.
5. Know the value of God’s honor.
The honor/glory of God is of supreme value. To the degree in which I value the honor of God and the will of God, to that degree I will sacrifice other things to uphold it. The value system of most Christians has been corrupted by the humanistic philosophies of this word. Humanism exalts man to the highest place of value. Man, made in the image of God, is of great value. But the value of all humanity is meager compared to the infinite, eternal Creator of all things. The honor and glory of the Eternal One is more important than my comfort, more important than my reputation, more important than my personal fulfillment.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). Inherent in the fear of the Lord is a revelation of God’s power and worth. To fear God is to respect his authority and might. It includes a recognition of his holiness.xvi It is a reverential regard for the value of who he is and the worth of his person. Our worship of God flows out of an understanding of his worthiness. The modern English word “worship” derives from the combination of the old Anglian -scip which means the "state, condition of being" combined with the old English weorþ which focuses on recognized value. It means "significant, valuable, of value; valued, appreciated, highly thought-of, deserving, meriting; honorable, noble. . . .”xvii Your worship will only be as rich as your revelation of God’s worth. And your fortification against the fear of man will only be as strong as your fear of the Lord.
“The fear of man brings a snare” (Prov. 29:25), but “in the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence” (Prov. 14:26).xviii The glory and honor of God is of supreme importance. Would you lay down your life to uphold his honor? The strength to do that begins with a revelation of how valuable that honor is.
Jesus laid down his life for the salvation of mankind. But at a deeper level he laid down his life for the honor of God. Out of love, the Father desired the salvation of people.xix That desire could only be fulfilled honorable by the punishment of sin. The Father’s honor was upheld when Jesus redeemed lost humanity by suffering the just punishment of that sin on the cross.xx Consider the price Jesus was willing to pay to uphold the glory and honor of God. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. But wrapped up with that is his ultimate objective to do the will of the Father and uphold his glory.xxi What are you willing to suffer in defense of his glory and honor? In times of persecution, that question gets answered by our response. Do you have a jealously and zeal for the honor of God? That passion will serve you well in times of persecution. Nurture that zeal.
In Numbers 25, Phinehas demonstrated his zeal for God’s honor when he confronted the idolatry and debauchery that had infiltrated the nation of Israel. We do not have time to rehearse that event. But God richly rewarded his zeal for God’s honor. In his commendation of Phinehas, God said, “. . .he was as zealous for my honor as I am . . .” (Num. 25:11 NIV). God is zealous for his honor, and he wants that same zeal in us. It is altogether appropriate that it be there. And it enables us to stand strong in the face of persecution.
6. Practice faithfulness to God now.
Establish a resistance to compromise even in the little things so that you pass the big test if you encounter it. If you study Abraham’s life, you will see a progression in his capacity to deny self and obey God. It was a test of faith for him to leave the comfort and security of Ur and go into an unfamiliar land (Gen. 12:1). Passing that test equipped him to pass the next test. It was a test of faith to trust God for the conception and birth of Isaac. Both Sarah and Abraham struggled with that test. But they believed God for the birth of the promised child.xxii Those past experiences prepared Abraham for the big test that would come. The big test came when God told Abraham to offer up Isaac on the altar. Experiencing the faithfulness of God through the previous tests equipped him to pass this test. He knew the voice of God, and he was able to trust God with the outcome.xxiii
Now is the time to cultivate a resistance to compromise. Now is the time to develop a mindset that is firm in its faithfulness to God.xxiv If we excuse laxity in the little things now, it is likely that we will rationalize compromise under the pressure of persecution.
The person who will not bear a little social rejection for the cause of Christ now, will not hold up to martyrdom in the future. Jeremiah was complaining to the Lord about the persecution he was experiencing for his testimony of God. God answered him in Jeremiah 12:5 saying, “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” Instead of assuring Jeremiah that he would remove the persecution, God told Jeremiah to brace himself for a more severe persecution. Running with the footmen was challenging, but to run with horses would be even more taxing. God’s grace was sufficient for Jeremiah to successfully do that. But it took a tough mindset. God was equipping him for the challenge.
Revival tends to provoke increased persecution. Persecution can set the church on a course toward revival. But revival can set the world on a course of persecution. We want revival. But how prepared are we for the whole package.xxv God’s grace is sufficient. But we need to know how to draw on that grace. We must develop an uncompromising tenacity now so that it comes naturally should persecution increase. God is putting grit into us now, so that we prove true to him in the days ahead.
This little story illustrates what I am saying. It is entitled “Made of the Right Stuff!”
“A little brown cork Fell in the path of a whale
Who lashed it down With his angry tail.
But in spite of its blows It quickly arose,
And floated serenely Before his nose.
Said the cork to the whale: ‘You may flap and sputter and frown,
But you never, never, can keep me down;
For I’m made of the stuff
That is buoyant enough
To float instead of drown!’”xxvi
Practice faithfulness to God now, and that will prepare you for anything that comes tomorrow.
7. Know the community of God.
Do not try to live Christianity by yourself. It is not designed for that level of individualism. We need one another, and even more during hard times. Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together (Heb. 10:25). Cultivate relationships with other believers.xxvii
When Peter and John were under persecution in Acts 4, what did they do when the authorities released them from jail? Acts 4:23 says, “And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.” They were in relationship with other believers, and those people were a support to them in trying times. They all prayed together and were strengthened by the Holy Spirit.
I have only mentioned seven preparations. But implementing these preparations now could make a crucial difference in the future if persecution increases. But what if persecution does not increase? Nothing is lost, for these actions should be taken anyway. This is Christianity 101. This is being a disciple of Christ.
As I state the seven preparations that we have discussed, ask the Lord which ones he wants you to work on at this time. Do you need to strengthen your relationships with other believers? Are there little compromises that need to be addressed? Do you need to meditate on the character of God? Seven actions we can take now that will equip us to deal with potential persecution.
1. Expect it.
2. Know the benefits of persecution.
3. Know the character of God and his plans for you.
4. Embrace the crucified life that Jesus calls us to in our walk with him.
5. Know the value of God’s honor.
6. Practice faithfulness to God now.
7. Know the community of God.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Cf. “ Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13).
iii Cf. Matt. 5:11-12.
iv The Greek word diabolos (devil) means, “prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely.” Strong’s Concordance, NT:1228. He accuses God’s people to God (Job 1:9-11; Rev. 12:10), but he also accuses God to God’s people (Gen. 3:5).
v Cf. Jer. 31:3.
vi Joseph had the kind of perspective we are teaching in this sermon. He said to his brothers who had persecuted him, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen. 50:19-20).
vii Cf. Dan. 6:25-28.
viii Cf. John 10:27.
ix Cf. Matt. 26:18. Consider how David managed Saul’s persecution against him and how Elijah relied on God’s leading when Ahab and Jezebel were persecuting believers.
x God’s plans for his people are set forth throughout Scripture. He has destined us for glory, and he will bring us into glory. Cf. Job 19:25-27; Jer. 29:11; John 14:2-3; Rom. 8:18; Eph. 1:3-6; 1 John 3:1-2.
xi Cf. Rom. 6:4-13.
xii Cf. 2 Tim. 4:6-8.
xiii Cf. 1 John 2:15-17; Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019), 95-110.
xiv Cf. Matt. 6:19-21.
xv Cf. Luke 12:33-34; Col. 3:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:10; Heb. 11:25; 1 John 2:15-16.
xvi Cf. Isa. 6:1-3.
xvii “Worship (n.),” Online Etymology Dictionary. Accessed at https://www.etymonline.com/word/worship#etymonline_v_10853.
xviii Cf. Matt. 10:28.
xix Cf. John 3:16.
xx Cf. Rom. 3:24-26; 5:18-19; 1 Pet. 3:18.
xxi Cf. John 6:38; 7:18.
xxii Cf. Gen. 14:18-21:6; Heb. 11:8-11.
xxiii Cf. Gen. 22:1-19; Heb. 11:17-19. Also see David’s statement in 1 Sam. 17:33-37.
xxiv A soldier who waits until the shooting begins to learn how to shoot his gun is in big trouble. The believer who practices compromise now will not be able to switch to an uncompromising mindset when encountering intense persecution.
xxv Martyrs are sometimes recognized and honored after their death. But during the ordeal, most people are rejecting and reproaching them. If the professor of Christ can bear no reproach now, he will surely crumble under more severe persecution. If his reputation is a secret idol, he will draw back from losing it.
xxvi Pameii, “Made of the Right Stuff,” in Knight’s Master Book of New Illustrations, Walter B. Knight, compiler, 1956 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 470.
xxvii Cf. 1 Pet. 2:17; 1 John 3:11.
