http://www.unlockingthebible.org/blessed-are-the-persecuted/ "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 ESV) We come today to the last message in our series on the Beatitudes. Many of you have spoken of how the Lord has been using these Scriptures in your life. I also have been stretched and searched by these words of Jesus, and never more so than in this last Beatitude we come to today. IN THE BEATITUDES, CHRIST GIVES US A... Seven-Fold Description of a Godly Life 1. To be poor in spirit, recognizing that before God I do not have what it takes, and that all my good is in him. 2. To mourn over my own sins, seeing their cost so that I move beyond feeling sorry to a place where I actually change. 3. To meekly submit to the will of God, whatever the cost. These are the roots of a godly life. There is no true Christianity without them. But out of these roots, comes: 4. A life that hungers and thirsts for righteousness. This deep longing and commitment is the soul of a godly life. And where this life grows, it will bear wonderful fruit: 5. Out of this life will come a tenderness of heart—mercy, compassion, forgiveness—beautiful fruit. 6. Out of this life will come purity of heart—to will one thing, to move beyond the spiritual stagnation of double-mindedness that holds half to the world and half to Christ. 7. Out of this life will come a peaceable spirit. Peace in your own heart that makes it possible for you to be a peacemaker in this troubled world. Here are the things I am to cultivate. Here is the life that God calls me to pursue, the pathway of sanctification. Here is the path on which God's blessing is to be found. What comes of such a life? If I pursue this life to which Christ calls me, what should I expect? What lies ahead of me? To that question, Jesus gives two answers: 1. You will be persecuted by the world, and 2. You will be blessed by God. "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 Three times Jesus uses the word "persecuted," which means: Harassed, opposed, or ill-treated. Jesus says, "If you pursue this life, this is what will happen to you. You should expect it." The world will not thank you for being a Christian. The world will not love the church. It will tolerate the church with suspicion at best, and will show it open hostility at worst. Jesus says that everyone who does wicked things "hates the light" (John 3:20). They love darkness because it shrouds evil. If the light is in you, expect to be hated. If you pursue this life, the light of Christ shines from within you. A sinner has to suppress his own conscience to sustain what he's doing. A godly colleague or neighbor brings the light that sinners are trying to avoid. So, don't expect to be thanked for living a godly life in business, industry, school or education. Sinners will be suspicious of you for living a godly life—at best, and hostile towards you for living a godly life—at worst. Today, I want to remind you of the pattern of persecution, the forms in which it comes, and the blessing and reward that come with it. The Pattern of Persecution Opposition is a normal experience of the Christian, and I should expect it. Let me remind you of this briefly in four ways... Think about individual people in the Bible...Continue reading at http://www.unlockingthebible.org/blessed-are-the-persecuted/
