Persecuted: Why? Series

Intro

In our study of the Beatitudes, we come to the eighth beatitude. It is recorded in Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”i The reward declared in this final beatitude is the same as declared in the first beatitude: “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

That brings us full circle to the importance of being part of God’s kingdom. Satan has a kingdom that is operating in this world. It is a kingdom headed for destruction.ii God has a kingdom that leads to life everlasting. Nothing is more important than being a citizen of the right kingdom. Nothing is more important than the transfer of citizenship that occurs when we surrender our lives to Christ. The new birth transfers our citizenship from the fallen world system to the “kingdom of heaven.” “You must be born again,” Jesus told Nicodemus.iii In John 3:5 Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” No amount of religion, no amount of moral effort can substitute for that. “You must be born again,” Only those who have surrendered to Christ and received that internal transformation can expect to go to heaven. That is foundational to everything else. Then as children of God, we are to cultivate the qualities set forth in these beatitudes. We are to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit as he conforms us to the image of Christ and prepares us for an eternity with God.iv

The Beatitudes reveal the qualities God wants developed in you and me. They paint a beautiful picture of the consecrated follower of Christ. These characteristics begin with being “poor in spirit” which depicts a person who realizes his need for God and walks humbly with the Lord. He mourns over his sins and sincerely turns from them. In his submission to the Lord, he becomes meek in his dealings with others. He wants to be right in all his relationships. He hungers and thirsts for rightness. He hungers and thirsts for righteousness. He is merciful toward people and has a pure heart. He is a peacemaker, not only seeking peace in his own relationships but actively helping others live peaceably with one another. What a lovely picture of a loving person.

With that description, we might expect the final beatitude to say something like this: "Blessed are they who are applauded by the world for their benevolent kindness toward others. For they are successful, and everyone speaks well of them.v Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your success in life; for anyone who treats others this way will be very popular. People will really appreciate their unselfish efforts to help them know God and ultimately enjoy eternal life."

But the 8th beatitude predicts a very different experience. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In the next two verses, Jesus explains the blessing more fully. Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Persecution is a major theme in Scripture. We will need more than one sermon to explain this beatitude.

Today we will focus on one question: Why is the result of living according to the first seven beatitudes persecution? Why wouldn’t people appreciate and esteem those who are characterized by the Beatitudes? Why would they harass and oppose them?

I want to suggest three reasons why persecution logically follows the previous seven beatitudes.

1. The hunger and thirst for righteousness conflict with the world’s love for unrighteousness.

2. The peacemaker’s pursuit of God’s kind of peacemaking confronts the sinners’ rebellion against the Creator.

3. The peacemaker’s passion for biblical peace motivates him to take the gospel of peace into hostile territory.

We get some insight on the answer to our question in this phrase found in Matthew 5:10: “for righteousness' sake.”

I. Righteousness in the believer provokes the persecution.

You might think righteousness would provoke admiration. Instead, the response is opposition: “for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” History has taught us that. And this truth is supremely evident in the life of Christ.

The Beatitudes are a magnificent description of Christ. He perfectly personifies the Beatitudes. He came with humility, meekness, and mercy. He came with a pure heart. He as the ultimate peacemaker, providing eternal reconciliation between God and all those who receive his provision. Surely the world would celebrate this loving Savior. No, the response was to crucify him! Isn’t that an amazing historical fact?