The Beatitudes (Sermon Series) – August 14, 2016
Happiness Is…Being Persecuted For Him
Of all of Jesus’ statements of blessing that we have looked at, this one seems the most contrary to our human experience and reason. While it’s true that our world doesn’t associate happiness with meekness or humility or gentleness or serving others or promoting peace or admitting we’re miserable sinners – even less does our world associate happiness with persecution. But make no mistake, Jesus very much says to you, to me, to all true Christians today: Happiness is being persecuted for him.
Matthew 5:10 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
So, what is your reaction to that statement? How does it make you feel? It would be interesting to know how many of our hearts in church this morning began to beat faster the moment we heard Jesus’ words - because we shamefully know just how much we’ll do to avoid being persecuted for following Jesus!
We’ll go places, laugh at jokes, and do things we shouldn’t just so the world around us won’t pick on us. We’ll slink off into the shadows of silence instead of speaking up for what his Word says. We’ll go along with the crowd so we don’t have to lose friends or family members. We’ll even pull back when he asks some service or offering from us, lest we be inconvenienced. How often we’re hesitant to stand up for Jesus, much less suffer for him! How easily we can see ourselves in the unknown dreamer of this illustration!
There was a man who in his dream found himself in heaven. There he was among the great multitude of believers no one could count, from all countries and peoples and times and ages. Somehow he found that the saint who stood next to him had been in heaven more than 1,800 years. “Who are you?” the dreamerasked him. “I,” said he, “was a Christian living in Rome; I lived in the days of the Apostle Paul, I was one of those who died in Nero’s persecutions. I was covered with pitch and fastened to a stake and set on fire to light up Nero’s gardens.” “How awful!” the dreamer exclaimed. “No,” he said, “I was glad to suffer for Jesus. He died on the cross for me.”
The man on the other side then spoke: “I have been in Heaven only a few hundred years. I came from an island in the South Seas. There a missionary came and told me about Jesus, and I too learned to love Him. My fellow-countrymen killed the missionary, and then they caught and bound me. I was beaten until I fainted and they thought I was dead, but I revived. The next day they knocked me on the head, cooked and ate me.” “How terrible!” the dreamer said. “No,” he answered, “I was glad to die as a Christian. You see the missionary had told me that Jesus was scourged and crowned with thorns for me.”
Then they both turned to the dreamer and said, “What did you suffer for Him? Or did you sell what you had for the money which sent men like that missionary to tell the heathen about Jesus?” The dreamer was speechless - and then he awoke. It was a dream! But he lay on his soft bed awake for hours, thinking of the silence he had kept while his friends disrespected God; of how he couldn’t muster the courage to tell that stranger about the church he attended. He kept pondering the money he had wasted on his own pleasures. And he realized that henever really grasped what the words of Jesus meant, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
Dear friends, Jesus doesn’t talk about us taking up a pillow and following him. He mentions a cross. Jesus doesn’t promise that the road of discipleship will be without bumps or dangers. No, he describes our lives as a race that requires every ounce of faith’s endurance and every minute of faith’s concentration and every fiber of faith’s strength.
Oh sure, in this life it might appear to cost us nothing to live like the world, to mimicits standards,or to never criticize its sin. It might appear to cost us nothing to keep quiet about the gospel or go along with the worldand enjoy its entertainment, and smile when it mocks God and takes his name in vain. It might even seem that to be ashamed to take a stand for Christ and his cross isn’t that big of a deal. But it will cost us everything. For Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
Jesus isn’t telling us to deliberately antagonize people and invite persecution, but we don’t want to flee from it when we are called upon to endure suffering for the sake of God’s truth either. And yes, while it is true that we have been blessed to live in a country and during a time when physical, life threatening persecution has been very minimal, might it not also be true that we haven’t found the world to be such a severe enemy because we’ve been too much of a friend with the world?
It is not easy to be a dedicated Christian. Our society is not a friend to God nor is it a friend to God’s people. Whether we like it or not, there is a conflict between us and the world. Yet while it is not easy, our Savior has not left us without encouragement. Recall that the words of Jesus, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” are words spoken to believers. He is not saying, “Suffer for what is right and then you will be a Christian.” Instead he is saying, “My dear child, because you are a Christian expect to suffer persecution …and consider it to be a badge of honor. Consider it to be an opportunity to glorify me. Consider these moments as blessings, because then you find that your own weak and doubting faith is strengthened as you turn to my faithful promises. And when you suffer persecution for righteousness, don’t become dejected and downcast, instead rejoice, because you know the greatest blessingsare waiting for you in heaven.”
It was for these reasons that the Apostles could rejoice, as our second lesson recorded,“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing, because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). The persecution was evidence of their faith. It was a mark of discipleship. It was a badge of honor. They knew that if the Lord had allowed or would allow in the future the blood-thirsty hands of their enemies to take their life, it would be ok, because their life was wrapped up in their Savior. The same is true for us!
Our lives are wrapped up in our Savior. And when with eyes of faith we turn and look to him, what do we see: we see our substitute; our sacrifice; our Redeemer. We see his arms stretched out on the cross as he says, “I do this for you.” We see the agony on his face as he says, “God’s anger at you and your sin has been taken out on me.” We see the blood run down his face as he says, “I pay for your sins.” We see him standing next to the empty tomb as he says, “See, God accepted my payment, your sins are forgiven, your salvation is secured. Don’t worry about those who seek to harm you because of your connection to me. You hold in faith’s hand citizenship papers for heaven.” Then he reaches out, takes our hand, and says, “You can take up your cross and follow me.”
How true it is! To be exiled and driven away from family and friends need not hold terror for us because the entire world is our Father’s house and we can never be separated from him when we are in Christ Jesus. To lose our life is not the end because our life is hid with Christ in God. If all our possessions are taken away we will be alright because our treasure is in heaven.
By faith in Christ weenjoy all the riches of God’s kingdom – pardon for sins, peace with God. And with forgiveness, we also have the hope of heaven, where sin will trouble us no more. But, as long as we live on this earth we can expect trial and tribulation, even in the form of persecution. Jesus tells us that the servant is not above the master. Since our Lord had to suffer, we must expect to bear our crosses after him. But, let us not complain or be fearful. Even though enemies kill the body, our souls are safe in the hands of God. His loving care for us is so great that he will work everything for our eternal good. So let us trust in God, boldly confess Christ before the world, follow where he leads us and know that through faith in him he will welcome us on the Day of Judgment.
Dear Christian friends, today marks the end of our eight weeks ofin-depth study onJesus’ statements of blessing. I pray that these weeks have helped you gain a deeper appreciation for the blessings we already possess as Christians, as well as gaining a deeper desire to grow in our life of thanks-living. Happiness is not wrapped up in the things of this world. It isn’t found in the pleasures of life. True happiness is found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the life he sets before us in the way the saved will live.
May we be filled with the strength and power of Christ, the energy of the Holy Spirit, and the love of the Father that we might strive more diligently to live our lives to his glory. As we do, we can keep in mind word like these:
I gave my life for thee; my precious blood I shed
That thou might’st ransomed be And quickened from the dead.
I gave my life for thee; Come, give thyself to me!
My Father’s home of light, My rainbow-circled throne,
I left for earthly night, Forwand’rings sad and lone.
I left it all for thee; Come now and follow me!
I suffered much for thee, More than my tongue may tell,
Of bitt’rest agony, To rescue thee from hell.
I suffered much for thee; Come, bear thy cross with me.
Oh, let thy life be spent, Thy years for me begiv’n,
As I for thee was sent To bear thee home to heav’n.
I gave my life for thee;Come, give thy life to me.
(Christian Worship – 454 v. 1,2,4,6)