Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer. “Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Matthew 5: 1-12 NASB
“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
What the Word is Saying
Today marks the last of the series on the Beatitudes. I believe the placement of this Beatitude is not by chance. It is last because for many Christians this is the hardest one to live up to. The reason is that the push back from the world is often those related to you, people you have trusted, and people who you once looked up to. Let’s read it again and then we will dive into what I think the Lord is saying to us here:
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The first thing that comes to mind is that this is not focused on only those who are facing death for their faith. While that is certainly the most violent form of persecution. Persecution is not limited to that. The next thing that comes to mind is that these forms of persecution are valid. I think as Christians we sometimes gloss over the impact that being mocked and ridiculed for our faith is having on our emotional health. Sure, Jesus said to expect to be persecuted and if we are living a Christ centered life we will be persecuted. However, we are not robots when people say mean and awful things about us, especially those whom we love, it hurts.
We need to bring that hurt to the Lord and ask Him to heal us. Then at that point our joy is restored to us. Jesus is our model. We can expect to experience everything He experienced when He was here. There are times when, like Jesus in Gethsemane, we are pouring out heart out to God asking him to help us. There are times when the people we have come to speak the truth to, the very people we love and are related to will treat us unfairly because of our faith. Jesus was sent to His people, and they rejected Him. I think we can expect no less. It is difficult looking upon the hurt and suffering of those unsaved and wanting to shake them so they can see the truth. We feel like we have somehow failed God when we are unable to do so. The enemy is often at the door pointing out how we lived less than a godly life and are “responsible” for them not coming to Jesus. The good news is that we are not the savior, Jesus is, and we need only speak our faith and it is the Father that must reveal the truth about Jesus to them. “REJOICE FOR GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN.”
Jesus is saying “see your doing it right, I told you this is what would happen, therefore be glad.” I think that it is often the plan of the enemy to use that persecution for the purpose of removing our voice. Let me explain. When we are injured, the natural response is to seek shelter. When lightning strikes, we seek cover, when a storm billow’s we run for safety. It is no different with hurtful words. We run for cover, to shield ourselves from the pain. However, in the case of persecution we must pray for those who persecute us. Why, you say? Because the Lord then shows us what to pray for. We begin to see how that person is spewing hate not because of their disdain for you. But, because of their enmity between them and God. Satan brings the hurting to persecute us for the purpose of harming us. God allows it because it allows us to see them as He sees them and then to pray so that they can be opened to the truth. Instead of silencing our voice it makes our voice louder in the darkness.
I was just thinking of the great men who stormed the beaches of Normandy, France in the second world war. For most of the first ones out of the boats they did not even reach shore. But wave after wave kept coming and eventually the beachhead was secured by the Allied Forces. Persecution is like that, especially when we witnessing to those who knew us before we got saved or know the mistakes we have made after salvation. We get knocked down by their angry words. But we get back up and keep moving forward. That is how we overcome, we don’t stop, we keep storming the strongholds of the enemies in our lives. Unlike the men who lost their lives in Normandy, Jesus already won the victory for us. We need only follow His lead and know that when they spew hate at us it is not us, they hate, it is the one who sent us. Therefore, we get back up and keep coming so they can see that the one they hate is in fact the one who loved them enough to lay down His life for them.
To follow the Lord means to give up your rights and do what He has asked you to do. Do not fail to do as He asks. Maybe you have been convicted by this message. I implore you to repent and really seek Jesus and ask Him how He wants you to live your life. Then do it! No matter the cost, because great will be your reward in Heaven. Maybe you bear the hurt of being persecuted in the past. I intreat you to bring it to the Lord, for He longs to heal your pain and get you back in the battle.
If you have not received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I implore you to do so now. All He asks for is for you to accept the free gift He gave you. Therefore, humble yourself and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all. He alone is all powerful and you submit to His authority. Next you must believe He did what He did. That is; die on a cross and rise again from the dead. These are both actions of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for with evidence not seen. Meaning you believe even though you don’t have physical evidence to prove it. I know you made it to this page for a reason and the Holy Spirit is working on your heart. The Father has drawn you and He alone can reveal to you the truth of what I am saying. I know that He is now, and you need to take a step of faith and pray these words with me.
Right where you are; say these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord of all, I yield my will to your will for you are greater than me. I believe you came to this world and lived a sinless life; I believe you suffered and died on cross for my sins, I believe they put your lifeless body in a tomb, and three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I also ask that you send me your Holy Spirit to give me power to live a sanctified life and to lead me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, I urge you to contact us here so that we might come beside you and hold you up in prayer as you begin your journey with Jesus. I assure you that we have all been where you are. We may have committed different sins, but we are just as guilty, nonetheless. We all needed forgiveness and someone else supported us as we began our Journey with Him.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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