“Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake” Yea, What? Wait.

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 men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. 12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matt 5:10-12

The eighth beatitude seems to be out of place until we see the logical order of the Beatitudes:

1. Recognition of need: the poor in spirit, they who mourn, and the meek.

2. Satisfaction of need: they who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

3. Indications of satisfaction: the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. The poor in spirit are the most likely to be merciful, they who mourn become pure in heart, and the meek are the peacemakers.

4. Outcome: living the Christian life without compromise, and therefore being persecuted.

The first seven beatitudes describe the Christian directly, and the eighth describes the Christian indirectly. The eighth indicates what is sure to happen to the Christian in whose life the other seven are evident. The same promise is given for the first and the last beatitude: “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” From the first to the last, they describe the kingdom citizen.

I. Only persecution for righteousness is blessed.

        A. Different kinds of persecution that are not blessed.

               1. Some suffer persecution because they are difficult. They are,    

                   so to speak, born with “a chip on their shoulder and an I dare you

                   to knock it off,” attitude.

                2. Some are persecuted because they are foolish. They lack the

                   ability to manage, and they have poor judgment.

               3. Others are persecuted because of self-righteousness.

                      a. “Praise God! I haven’t sinned in fifty years,” cried the self-

                           righteous saint in testimony meeting. No wonder she suffered

                           persecution!

                        b. There is a vast difference between being offensive by self-

                          righteousness and causing an offense because of

                          righteousness.

              4. Some are persecuted for wrongdoing. Peter admonished us not to

                  suffer persecution “as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or

                  as a busybody in other men’s matters” (1 Peter 4:15).

                      a. Many dedicated Christians suffer persecution because they  

                          are “busybodies.”

                      b. No one suffers more than the person who cannot seem to

                          keep his or her nose out of other people’s business. The

                          person from whose mouth the venom of criticism flows freely

                          is usually persecuted by the world.

       B. Persecution for righteousness. But what kind of persecution is blessed?

             1. When a person is persecuted for being like Christ Jesus. “If they

                 have persecuted me, they will also persecute you,” said Jesus to his

                 followers (John 15:20).

                      a. Paul said, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer

                          persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).

                             1) Christ Jesus was reviled. Some said He was mad (John

                                 8:48; 10:20). He was mocked on the cross, but He did not

                                 retaliate (1 Peter 2:23).

                     b. Christ Jesus was persecuted. Even as a child He suffered

                         persecution from Herod.

                              1) Throughout His public ministry, the Pharisees, scribes,

                                   Herodians, and Sadducees persecuted Him.

                                 2) At His crucifixion they scourged Him, spit on Him,   

                                  slapped Him, and cursed Him.

                         c. All manner of evil was said against Christ Jesus falsely.

                             1) Throughout Christ Jesus’ ministry the Pharisees accused

                                  Him falsely, even to the point of claiming that He had cast

                                 out demons by the prince of the demons.

                                   2) Before His crucifixion He endured illegal trials by both

                                   Jews and Romans. False witnesses testified against

                                    Him.

                  2. When a person is persecuted because they are willing to live by

                     faith. Paul spoke of the apostles’ persecution in these terms: “we

                    are made a spectacle unto the world. . . . We are fools for Christ  

                    ...despised. . . . we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are

                    buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place . . . being reviled. . . .

                    we are made as the filth of the world, and are the off scouring of

                    all things” (1 Cor. 4:9 – 13).

                        a. When reading the early accounts of persecution, we are

                            prone to ask, “Does the modern Christian suffer persecution

                            at all?”

                                   1) In the first century, Christians were flung to the lions or

                                     burned at the stake. Nero wrapped some Christians in

                                     pitch and set them afire to use as living torches to light

                                     his gardens.

                                     2) Hot melted lead was poured hissing down the backs of

                                     some. Others had their eyes torn out. Hands and feet

                                      were burned while cold water was poured over their

                                      bodies.

                   3. When a person is persecuted because they are willing to

                     die for their faith. It is no accident that the Greek word for martyr 

                     is also translated “witness.”

                        a. When one is willing to live their faith even to the point of

                           death, they are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

                       b. Again the early Christians challenge us at this point. Accounts

                           reveal that some were shut up in sacks of snakes and thrown

                            into the river, some were tied to huge stones and thrown into

                            the river, some were hanged from trees and beaten with

                           rods, others were tied to catapults or wild horses and           

                           wrenched limb from limb, still others were tied to the horns of

                           wild beasts or tied up in nets and charged by bulls.

                           c. They were not only willing to live by their faith, but also to die

                             for their faith.

II. Why persecution is blessed.

A. Because it tells the Christian who they are. “Sacrifice to Caesar or die,” the Roman

judge told Polycarp, the aged bishop of Smyrna. His reply was classic:

“Eighty and six years have I served Christ, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

a. When Christian suffer persecution, they are assured that the same treatment was given to Christians of other ages.

b. Persecution is a painful reminder to the persecuted that they are numbered with the saints of all ages who have suffered because of their righteousness in Christ.

B. Because it tells the Christian where they are going. Their dwelling place is “in heaven.” Such a realization brings joy in persecution and makes it blessed (1 Peter 3:14 – 17).

C. Because it tells the Christian what is waiting for them in heaven; their reward will be great.

Conclusion: During the Depression years, a lonely Christian who had lost his job, his fortune, his wife, and his home was aimlessly walking the streets. He had continued to live the Christian life even in the face of persecution by his friends. He happened upon some masons who were working on a large church. He was particularly interested in one man who was chiseling on a triangular piece of stone that just did not seem to fit anywhere in the building. When asked about it, the workman replied, “See that little opening way up there near the spire? Well, I’m shaping this down here so that it will fit up there.” Tears filled his eyes as he walked away, realizing that his persecution on earth was shaping him for heaven.