Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12
Sermon Series: Vote! King Jesus – Sermon 08

Who has more freedom? Russia or Great Britain? In 2022 how many people do you think were arrested in Russia for what they posted on social media (400 people)? That same year how many people do you think were arrested in Britain for what they posted on social media (3,300)? And that’s just those who were arrested, not those who were visited by the police.

Our Constitution’s 1^st amendment says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…But that didn’t protect Christian photographer, Emilee Carpenter (picture) from New York’s Human Rights Law for refusing to do the photography of a same-sex wedding ceremony. Or Baker Jack Phillips (picture) from being charged under Colorado’s anti-discrimination law when he refused to design a custom wedding cake for a gay couple based on his religious beliefs. The State of Washington tried to enforce laws to prevent Yakima Union Gospel Mission (picture), a ministry to the homeless, from only hiring employees who share their Christian beliefs. These are just the tip of the iceberg. This week there was a report of a proposed law in the Caribbean Island of Barbados that threatens citizens with up to seven years in prison for causing “emotional distress” through online posts.

If you don’t believe we’ll face persecution in the US, you’re wrong. It’s already here. It may not always be government, but you’ll be labeled hateful if you dare to speak out against the LGBTQ culture. Christian colleges are under pressure to change their codes of conduct for students and teachers.

Is the day coming when churches like ours will lose their tax exemption because we’re on “the wrong side of history”? The 8^th Beatitude speaks to our day, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

Today we’re concluding our series, Vote King Jesus on the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are a description of those who’ve fully submitted themselves to God. At salvation when the Holy Spirit indwells an individual these character traits begin to show up and increase as one walks with the Savior. Before we study this final Beatitude let me make some comments by way of review:

First, all of these character qualities were embodied by Jesus Christ. For example, He was poor in spirit, always trusting the Father. He mourned (not for His own sins because He didn’t have any) but over the sins of others. The Beatitudes are a call to be like our Savior and example, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Second, they form a unit. They’re not a smorgasbord to pick and choose but they’re a composite description of a Christ-follower. They build on each other. Once we understand our spiritual poverty before God, we’ll be poor in spirit, realizing our spiritual bankruptcy and grieving over our sin. After grieving over our own sinfulness, we’ll be gentle with others. We put off sin and hunger and thirst to be more righteous with a merciful and pure heart. These growing traits of Christlikeness, make us peacemakers, seeking to win others so they too can be reconciled with God. Lastly if we do all these things, the world will take notice and…persecute us!

At first, you’d assume the opposite. A gentle and merciful person, a peacemaker—is exactly what our world needs! They should be appreciated and applauded. But we find just the opposite. Why? Christians living out the Beatitudes bring conviction to a world entrenched in sin. A world that prefers the darkness will seek to douse even the smallest rays of spiritual light.

For a lost world only two options exist. They can repent and submit to God asking Him to rescue them from spiritual bankruptcy by Christ’s cross, or they can continue in rebellion, doing all they can to silence the messengers.

This last beatitude is The Blessing No One Wants. It’s the blessing that comes to those persecuted for living for Jesus. But how many truly want persecution, especially for living righteously? Yet here it is. We can’t pretend it’s not there. In fact, there are six facts that make this beatitude impossible to ignore: 1. It’s the last beatitude. 2. It’s the longest beatitude (three verses). 3. It’s the only one with a command (“rejoice”). 4. It’s the only one with an explanation. 5. It’s the only one repeated by Jesus. 6. It’s the only beatitude addressed directly to the reader – “you.”

The command and explanation only emphasize its importance. The transition from 3^rd to 2^nd person forces us to consider what these verses are saying to us individually. If you’re taking notes…

1. Persecution for Christ-followers is normal

John Stott (picture) writes, “Persecution is simply the clash of two irreconcilable values systems.” It’s that of the believer and the unbeliever. The true church of Jesus Christ becomes the conscience for the world. How do you deal with a guilty conscience? You either repent and fix it, or you try to silence it.

Jesus’ kingdom has arrived and is breaking into history here and now. As His kingdom breaks into the world, there’s a clash. As these two kingdoms clash, members of Christ’s kingdom will be caught up in the conflict.

Did you see The Lord of the Rings (picture) or read the books? There was a battle of kingdoms between the dark lord Sauron and the hobbits and everyone else. There are some spectacular battles as these kingdoms clash. At one point, Sam (picture) asks, “I wonder what sort of a tale we’ve fallen into?” For Frodo and Sam to understand what’s happening to them, they have to understand the bigger picture, this war between kingdoms.

This also applies to us. Once you’re under the kingship of Jesus, you’ve fallen into a larger story. It’s a clash of kingdoms. Jesus isn’t saying we should go looking for persecution, but that we’ll experience it as citizens of His inbreaking kingdom. You’ll be the brunt of cruel comments and actions.

Persecute in the original comes from the root idea “to pursue.” It means to chase after something, like hounds chasing a fox. To chase them, to run them down into the ground, and then go in for the kill. A good translation would be the word harass – “Blessed are they which are harassed.”

Recent statistics show that Christians are the most persecuted group on a global scale. Each month it’s estimated 322 Christians are killed and 214 churches are destroyed. Each month 722 forms of violence are committed against Christians—atrocities like beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests and forced marriages. Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from either government or neighbors because of their belief in Jesus.

Nik Ripken (picture), writes in his book, The Insanity of God, how he was listening to some Eastern European pastors tell their stories of persecution, and he asked, “Why haven’t you written all this down; this would make a great book!” One of the pastors was talking to him outside and said to him, “Do you see that sunrise? Ripken said “yes.”  The pastor said, you aren’t taking a picture of it, are you, because it’s just a commonplace sunrise; it happens every day. Then he said: “Those stories of our persecution; we don’t think they’re anything to write down, because they are commonplace. They happen here every day. It’s just like the rising of the sun.”

We are blessed if we’re persecuted for righteousness. The root meaning of the word righteousness is “to divide, to be different.” Jesus said, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19). Why do we have laws about discrimination? Human nature abuses those who are different. Christ-followers, because they live under a new government, the one of King Jesus, are to be distinctly different.

But are we righteous? You can’t work it up. It’s Jesus living through you because of the new birth. There are distinguishing marks of this authenticity. We think and behave differently because of committing our lives to Christ. He changes us from the inside out. When professing Christians live a compromised life, the world ignores them. True Christians are serious about pursuing righteousness, mercy, purity, peace and won’t compromise. That gets under the skin of lost people. It often brings an angry reaction. When people are living in sin, they despise those living in righteousness.

To be the honest person in a classroom where everyone is cheating provokes persecution. To live as a Christ-follower at work where others gossip, trash talk management, get drunk after work, sleep around, practice dishonesty, and be the one who won’t participate stirs up resentment. It may lead to being harassed, passed over for promotion, or even fired.

Daniel’s co-workers got him tossed into the lion’s den (Daniel 6) because he lived for God. You may not face lions, but persecution will increase as you, like Christ, expose sin simply by living biblically. Harassment, ostracism, and persecution are the lot of committed believers. Our persecutors won’t say, “I’m persecuting you because you’re such a good person” but that’s the motivation.

John Piper (picture), “If you cherish chastity, your life will be an attack on people’s love of free sex. If you embrace temperance, your life will be a statement against the love of alcohol. If you live simply and happily, you will show the folly of luxury. If you walk humbly with God, you will expose the evil of pride. If you are punctual and thorough in your dealings, you will lay open the inferiority of laziness and negligence. If you speak with compassion, you will throw callousness into sharp relief.  If you are earnest you will make the flippant look flippant instead of clever. If you are spiritually minded you will expose the worldly-mindedness of those around you.”

This is anti-prosperity gospel. There’s nothing new about today’s so called “prosperity gospel.” It promises if you love Jesus and have faith, you’ll have nearly instant solutions to your physical, material and economic problems.

Jesus never taught the “prosperity gospel,” He taught a “persecution gospel.” He didn’t teach that following Him would be a picnic. He taught that to follow Him we’d have to deny ourselves and take up our cross. A cross was an instrument of torture and death. He said it so often and so plainly I could “barrage” you with scriptural support. Listen to these words of Jesus: “If the world persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). “You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death and you will be hated by all nations because of Me” (Matthew 24:9). Then, in 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul sums it up with, “everyone who lives a godly life will be persecuted.”

We are blessed if we’re persecuted for the right reasons. 1 Peter 4, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed…But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name” (1 Peter 4:14-16).

We’ve probably all met them. Some Christians believe they’re suffering for righteousness when they’re really suffering for being a jerk. They’re harassed because they’re weird or rude and obnoxious. They’re such poor testimonies you wish that they’d tell everyone that they’re an atheist.

You’re not being persecuted if you’re rude. The reason you’re being mistreated is that you asked for it. You can’t ignore the other beatitudes and then hide behind the 8^th one. It’s a package deal!

At Grace, we work at being good neighbors. We want to be the best church as far as kindness that we can possibly be. There was a “Christian news report” about how a house church in a neighborhood was being “persecuted” by local authorities who didn’t want people meeting for church in a home. Everyone was up in arms about this “violation of the freedom of religion.” It turned out the city wasn’t opposed to these people worshipping Christ in a home. The real problem was that there was an ordinance against too many cars parking in a neighborhood with limited parking. There were so many cars parking for the church in this home it clogged up the neighborhood for blocks and blocks. They weren’t being persecuted for worshipping Jesus; they were cited because they violated the city’s parking ordinance and were a nuisance to their neighbors which was terrible witness. It didn’t matter if they were a church, a mosque or an AMWAY meeting. It was the parking situation the city was against.

2. We are blessed if we’re verbally abused or physically attacked for Jesus’ sake

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:11).

The word martyr is a transliteration of the Greek word that means “witness.” When the world sees a believer rejoice in persecution, it realizes the Christian life is much more than a mere religion. Often the greatest opportunity we have to be a witness is when the rocks are flying.

Notice the change from the 3^rd to the 2^nd person. We move from “those” persecuted to the more personal “you.” God applauds you from heaven when people insult you, persecute you, or falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Christ. Jesus says that this will have three forms.

Verbal Insults.“Insult” means to chide, taunt, or defame. To be insulted speaks of misrepresentations that degrade your reputation and is related to slander. It takes the form of verbal abuse. The early church was accused of cannibalism as it gathered to observe the Lord’s Supper. Christian friend, when you are insulted for what you believe, you’re on the right track!

Physical Attack. One of the most famous early martyrs was Polycarp (picture). He was dragged before the Roman authorities and given the choice to sacrifice to Caesar or be burned to death. His response: “Eighty and six years have I served Christ, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” He was then brought to the stake where he prayed: “Oh, Lord God Almighty, the Father of Thy well beloved and ever blessed Son, by whom we have received the knowledge of Thee…I thank Thee that Thou has graciously thought me worthy of this day and of this hour.”

Christians were thrown to lions or burned at the stake; but those were gentle deaths. The Roman emperor Nero (picture) wrapped Christians in pitch and set them on fire, using them as torches to light his gardens. He sewed them into skins of animals and set his hunting dogs on them to tear them to death. Molten lead was poured on them. Their eyes were torn out. Parts of their bodies were cut off and roasted before their eyes. Their hands and feet were burned while cold water was poured over them to prolong the agony. That’s what a believer had to be prepared for if they took a stand with Christ.

But it’s not only back then. Intense persecution still takes place in our world. Check out websites like The Voice of the Martyrs. In places like Nigeria and India, Christians are continually attacked or killed. Amazingly, these believers don’t ask for release, but for strength. One mission agency asked believers in America to pray this way: “Please pray that they will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to withstand whatever pressure and pain inflicted on them. Pray God would empower them to witness for Jesus Christ to the authorities, other prisoners, and whomever they come into contact with. Fervently pray that this present crisis will cause the house churches of China to grow in grace and in number.”

False Accusations. This is what we face the most in America. Most of us have been on the receiving end of someone saying something false and hurtful. It cuts into your heart. The psalmist cried out in Psalm 35:11: “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.” Jesus faced false charges but according to 1 Peter 2:23, “He did not retaliate.” Some people like to say cruel things behind our backs. Remember they did the same thing to Jesus, and we must love them just as our Lord did.

Christians today have to work through what it looks like to be faithful in an increasingly anti-God environment. For many of our brothers and sisters in Christ who work at large corporations, there are constant questions of conscience. They struggle with when to speak up and when to be quiet. And we need Christians present to be the salt and light. The Church must equip God’s people to live out their faith Monday through Friday. Not only are we urging them to be witnesses, finding appropriate opportunities to build relationships to share the gospel with coworkers, we also must help them avoid being conformed by the false ideologies surrounding them. Christian employees should be model employees, exhibiting the fruits of the spirit and avoiding the temptation to be confrontational for confrontation’s sake. Yet, like the three young exiles in Babylon, who didn’t seek martyrdom, sometimes trouble finds us, simply because of our faith. Like them, we must refuse to bow to the false gods of this age. It’s what John Stonestreet (picture) calls “a theology of being fired.” This kind of courage comes with costs. Christian employees in hostile environments need a family of faith providing support when they must make a hard choice to fight or go public, risking their job for their convictions.

3. We are to rejoice in persecution

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12). That seems crazy. “Rejoice and be glad?” Remember, it’s Jesus, speaking. It’s not some pastoral novice who blunders into a funeral home slapping people on the back, saying, “Praise God, anyhow.” Our Lord says to His disciples, most of whom will face martyrdom, “Rejoice and be glad” when you’re persecuted.

How can He say this? He knows the reward of heaven will more than compensate for suffering we endure serving Jesus now.  

Kent Hughes (picture) shares the account of a Romanian pastor who was imprisoned and tortured mercilessly, yet experienced joy. Locked in solitary confinement, he’d been summoned by his captors, who cut chunks of flesh from his body. He was returned to his cell, where he was starved. Yet in the midst of this sadism, there were times when the joy of Christ so overcame him that he’d pull himself up and shuffle about the cell in a holy dance. So remarkable was his joy that on his release and return home, he chose to fast the first day in memorial to the joy he’d known in prison.

We rejoice because of our eternal reward. Jesus says that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those persecuted for righteousness and that we should rejoice, “because great is your reward in Heaven!” 

I love 2 Corinthians 4:17 where Paul writes, Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We endure because of those who have faithfully gone before us. The prophets endured persecution. We must make a regular practice of remembering these faithful servants persecuted and killed for God. Follow after these great men and women of old, get inside their hearts. Listen as they say, Abuse suffered for the Christ is greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for we look to the reward (Hebrews 11:26).

Then, remember the martyrs of the faith. Read the testimonies of those who’ve given all for Christ. Consider the children of John Rogers (picture). Rogers was burned alive because of his faith. His children accompanied him to the place of execution and called out encouragements to him through their tears that their father might be strong and not turn back and dishonor Christ.  

Consider the last letter of Vanya Moiseyev (picture), a 20-year-old Baptist soldier in the Soviet Army. He’d been tortured for some time. On July 16, 1972, they went too far, and he died. The day before, July 15^th, he wrote to his brother Vladimir, “Don’t tell our parents everything. Just tell them, “Vanya wrote me a letter and writes that Jesus Christ is going into battle. This is a Christian battle, and he doesn’t know whether he will be back.”

Remember the prophets. Remember the martyrs. Whatever you must do to keep your heart focused on eternity and heaven and off this temporary world. Otherwise, you won’t be able to obey the command of our Lord, Rejoice and be glad in persecution, for great is your reward in heaven.

Let our resolve be even when we face hell on earth be the words of Jim Elliot (picture) who died a martyr’s death at the hands of the Auca Indians: He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Conclusion

The Beatitudes aren’t easy to live. Maybe that’s our problem. We’ve made the Christian life too painless. We’ve gone along to get along.

Let me ask a few questions: What have you done in the last month that has caused anyone to challenge your faith? When have you risked speaking out for Jesus? How have you defended the cause of Christ? Have you identified yourself as a Christ follower? Perhaps you’re not persecuted because people don’t see anything to bother to persecute?

Every Christian who puts Christ first will face flack somehow, somewhere, at some time. Remember, persecution is a given. It’s a gift that comes with blessings. It should bring us gladness because the rewards are worth the risk.

In the early days of the church, a Christian offended the king and was threatened with banishment because of his preaching. He replied, Sire, you cannot banish me, for the world is my Father’s house. The king then said he would confiscate all his possessions. The Christian answered, Sire, you cannot confiscate my possessions because my treasures are laid up in heaven. The king grew furious and told him that he’d make him live in isolation away from all his friends. The believer stated, Sire, you cannot remove me from my greatest Friend, because He lives within me. Finally, the king shouted out, Then I’ll have you killed! To which the Christian calmly replied, You can take my breath, but you can never take my life for it is hid with God in Christ. That’s living out this 8^th Beatitude!

As we close today and end this series, we want to do something a little different. Romans 8 is our anchor for tough times. So, will you please stand and let’s read out loud together Romans 8:35-39:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.