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'Blessed are those who are persecuted'
Jesus demonstrated absolute dependence upon God the father, hated sin and its effects, submitted his strength to be used in God's work, passionately pursued what was biblical and right, extended forgiveness rather than revenge, was absolutely pure and holy, and fought to make peace between God and man by reconciling them to the truth of holy scripture. And for all of this, he was named "Man of the Year" by the Jerusalem chamber of commerce, right? Of course not. For all of this he was hounded and persecuted until the very last day of his life. If you will embrace these beatitudes by making a genuine profession of Jesus Christ as lord, then you can expect the very same treatment. But, to one degree or another ... Blessed are those who have been persecuted ... To receive this blessing, it is not enough to be persecuted. You must be wrongly persecuted for the right reasons. Persecution, like discrimination, can be justified and unjustified. "For the sake of righteousness" (vs. 10) is one of two qualifiers for this blessing. The other is "because of me." True Christians pursue true righteousness because we have found the true Christ. We believe in him, we love him, we want to obey him, and we want to be like him. And if we are, like him, we will be persecuted. (vs. 11). Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "Formal Christianity is often the greatest enemy of true faith. The real Christian is a man who is not praised by everybody." If you are just going through the motions of nominal Christianity you will make no waves. But if you are sincere and serious about your faith in Jesus Christ, you will not have to look for persecution. It will look for you. God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves. And when persecution finds you, you will be blessed. You will be blessed with the assurance that belongs only to true believers (John 15:18; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 1:6-7). You will be blessed with the spiritual growth that comes through trying times (Romans 5:3ff). You will be blessed by being the kind of witness that brings other people to Christ (Hebrews 11, 12:1). And, you will receive the greatest blessing of all: Christ and his kingdom. "... for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Jesus also said, "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great" (vs. 12). In this expanded beatitude there is a twofold reward. Like the others, it is a future reward with present implications and benefits. For the "kingdom of heaven" is a present reality and future gift. The present blessing is living a life that matters. Don't you want to live in the company of the prophets, the gospel evangelists, and the true Christians who are making a true difference for Christ today? The set your sights on Jesus Christ, follow him no matter what the cost, and believe that the rewards are far greater than any kind of persecution that may come your way (Hebrews 12:2). The men who killed Matthew, Mark, Luke and John thought they were wiping out men who did not matter. Two thousand years later, they still do. If this planet were to exist in another 2,000 years, will anyone speak of our contemporary movie stars, NFLquarterbacks or Wall Street tycoons? That future reward is a perfect place with the perfect person. Clement of Alexandria interpreted the reward in this beatitude this way: "for they shall have a place where they shall never be persecuted." In heaven there will be no godless people to persecute the godly. But the even greater reward is that the godly will get to live with God. In John Piper's book God is the Gospel, he writes: "Could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?" There is a right heavenly mind set that makes us much good on earth. We do not exist for God and people to make much of us. We exist to join with people to make much of God. Philippians 3:7-11. The sermon on the mount is the great adventure of the Christian life. It begins with these eight beatitudes which classify the characteristics of true believers and the blessings that will follow them all the days of their lives and beyond. But the road will get bumpy before the streets turn to gold. Jesus was criticized, condemned, and crucified.
His followers must be prepared to walk the same road. But, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
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