Thesis: those who's life is an example of Christian character will receive true happiness despite having to deal with satanic suffering
I. The Reason For Persecution
-verse 10...blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
-this verse clearly states that not everybody who is persecuted can be considered blessed...only those who are persecuted for righteousness sake will be blessed
-this verse suggests that we will be persecuted for being just like Jesus
1. persecuted for being united with Christ - suggests the closer we get to Jesus, the more we will be persecuted
2. persecuted because the Holy Spirit is at work in us - ever since we got saved, the Holy Spirit has been working in us to transform us into looking less like the world and more like Jesus
II. The Requirements For Persecution
-verse 11...blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account
-we are persecuted not only because of righteousness but also because of Jesus himself
-not only because of our desire to be like him, but also our desire to submit to him
how do we know we are being persecuted for our faithfulness to Jesus
1. mocked because of Christ...says blessed are you when others revile you
-this word revile means to throw something in one's face...they mocked and ridiculed Jesus and if we are faithful to Him they will mock and ridicule us
2. marked because of Christ...when others revile you and persecute you
-this assures us that we will be persecuted...they will come after us for being faithful...because we follow Jesus we will have a bulls eye on our backs
3. maligned because of Christ...when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account
-because we are faithful to Jesus, there will be people who will flat out lie on us...and just make up all types of stuff against us
-but there is a blessing for those who can endure the lies of this world
III. The Reward For Persecution
-verse 12...rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you
-the good news about persecution of the saints is that all of this struggle is not for nothing...there will be a reward for those who suffer for Christ
-how we respond to our persecution will determine if we receive this reward
1. cheerful attitude...rejoice...word means to express joy as a direct result of the grace of God
-in other words, when we think about the fact that we are going through this period of persecution only because of the grace of God it should give us joy
2. celebratory approach...rejoice and be glad...means to show joy by leaping and skipping or to have ecstatic joy
-making through our suffering should do more than cause us to smile but it should make us want to jump for joy
2 comments:
Thank you for reminding us who the real homiletician is among us.
Good look,
Ron
Pastor Lance, reading the post brought some painful memories, and some rejoicing. As a very young woman walking in the way of the Lord before my peers, on the job and socially, brought some days full of sadness. I experienced persecution from them since most were childhood acquiantances who had not fully given their lives to God. All of the things mentioned in your post happened to me. I truly felt like I had a bulls eye on my back, especially on my job.
All of the above, didn't hurt nearly as bad as it did when I was Persecuted by family members. They uttered all kinds of evil against me falsely. Although very painful, God brought about a valuable lesson and complete deliverance. So, no longer do I get weary in well doing and uplifting the name of Jesus. I do have complete joy, and it's totally because of the Grace of God. I have seen where God has literally prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies. I know I have been blessed and for this, my cup runneth over. Love you
Momma V
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