God wants peacemakers in His church. God wants to peacemakers in the workplace. God wants peacemakers in this world.
• If you are a child of God, you are a peacemaker.
We are not called to be peacekeepers but peacemakers.
• All of us must seek to make peace, to help others make peace, and help others make peace with God. God is pleading with them through us today.
• Learn from Abraham: Have a desire to end the conflict. Treasure the relationship. Be generous in heart and not take yourself too seriously.
• The Lord will bless you, the way He blessed Abraham with a more.
We now come to the last of the beatitudes, and most difficult one.
Matt 5:10-12
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This must be difficult for His followers to swallow.
Jesus has to repeat it for emphasis. He said it twice, and even adds, ‘rejoice and be glad’.
Blessed are those who are persecuted BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – in order words, for their faith.
• Obviously not referring to the pain you suffered because of a crime or wrongdoing.
• When we stand by our Christian values and our belief in Christ, and suffer as a result of it, the Lord says you are blessed.
• The very act is a testimony of your faith in God and your determination to stay ‘righteous’.
Adam is a young Christian in India. In his Hindu village, people were opposed to the gospel. One day Adam’s brother and wife became the first believers in the village.
Although Adam wasn’t willing to follow, he observed their changed lives. They began to share the gospel with other villagers, but no one would listen. Then the beatings began. Every time the Hindus beat Adam’s brother, someone in the crowd believed in Christ.
Eventually, Adam believed in Christ too, and began to suffer the same persecution as his brother.
One day the villagers surrounded Adam, his brother, and the small group of new Christians. In rage they had prepared a huge pot of boiling water and were preparing to cook the Christians alive.
Then one of the Hindus calmed the mob and said, "If we do this even more will become Christians," so they agreed to just beat the believers.
As a result, others came to Christ and now theirs is a church of more than 35 families in the village.
Each time you take a stand, you are testifying for Christ.
Each time you compromise, you weaken that witness of the Gospel.
(1) Make a Stand for Christ
Why is this so needed? Why making a stand for Christ requires an EFFORT.
• We need to make an effort to take a stand because this world is not moving in the same direction.
• If everyone is moving in the same direction, we do not need to make a stand. We just flow with it.
• But the world is not going to move in same direction; we are going against the current. Therefore we need to be prepared in our heart to stay faithful to Christ.
• We are determined to move in God’s direction - the opposite direction.
The Lord says in John 15:18-20
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: `No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”
In order words, we must be (2) Prepared for a Challenge
Where does the challenge come from? From the world, the Lord says.
• Which is ultimately from the devil himself, since the world is under his influence.
• We are moving against the wind, flowing against the current.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim 3:12)
• He spoke from experience. He had to run for his life, been stoned, beaten and whipped for his faith in Christ.
• His challenges were more physical.
• Church history tells us that the disciples were all persecuted, just as Jesus said.
Fox’s Book of Martyrs:
James was beheaded. It is said that on his way to be martyred, his accuser was so impressed by his courage and conviction that he repented of his sin, committed himself to Christ, and was then beheaded along with James
Phillip was scourged, thrown into prison, and then crucified.
Matthew was slain with a sword.
James the Lesser was stoned to death.
Matthias was stoned and then beheaded.
Peter was crucified upside down at his own request because he did not feel worthy enough to be crucified in the same manner as the Lord.
Andrew, Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot were crucified. Andrew was left hanging on the cross for 3 days.
Bartholomew was beaten with clubs, skinned alive, and crucified.
Thomas was speared to death.
John was exiled to an island called Patmos where he died as a prisoner.
Today our challenges may not be so physical.
• But the fact remains, every faithful Christian will face some resistance and ridicule at some point in time.
• Don’t compromise – make a stand for Christ and expect a challenge.
Be prepared for it and do not feel sad when people ridicule you for being a Christian.
• This is to be expected and Jesus says you will be blessed.
• The persecution will become a testimony of the reality of Christ and the truth of the Gospel.
• This happened throughout church history – persecution did not kill the church. It got stronger and spread further.
• Acts 8:1 “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.”
• We see that in the first church and in China today.
Stephen was stoned to death by Paul and his men in Acts 7.
• Acts 11:19 “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.”
• And then Paul himself was affected. In Acts 22:19-21 when he was sharing his testimony: “…I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 "Then the Lord said to me, `Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’"
• Paul recalled this event. It made an impression in him.
• When we make a stand for Christ and faces challenges (physical or emotional), God uses it to accomplish His purposes.
We are not talking about suffering for suffering sake.
• Each time we face a hardship because of following Christ, we are bearing testimony that our faith is real.
• When we bear that burden, we are pointing the people to the reality of Christ in our lives.
• We suffer for Christ’s sake with one objective – that men will know Christ and be saved.
In fact, Jesus goes one step further.
• We are called not just to ‘endure’ persecution, but to bless those who come against us.
• Luke 6:27-36
27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even “sinners” love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even “sinners” do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even `sinners’ lend to `sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Franklin Graham tells the following story:
Sámi Dagher had been a headwaiter at the world famous Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut before Lebanon’s terrible civil war. Just before the war broke out he left the hotel to plant a small church in one of the poorest areas of the city. When he approached the hotel manager to inform him that he was resigning, the following dialog occurred:
"God has called me to preach," Sámi told the manager. "I’m leaving the hotel."
"Leaving? You’re a fool! You’re crazy! A man in your position making good money, and you quit?"
"I leave for something more important than money. I’m going to preach the name of Jesus Christ."
"You’re going to give up this good position to preach for some god? You must be crazy. No! I’ll tell you the right thing to do. You stay here and make money, Sámi. I need you."
"No, I can’t stay any longer. I’ve prayed and this is what I must do."
Then the hotel manager grew angry and shouted, "I curse you! One day, Sámi Dagher, you will come to the threshold of my door, and you will beg for a crust of bread, and I won’t give it to you. I will let you starve! Do you hear my words? Not a crust!"
Quite sometime later, during some of the heaviest fighting since World War II, Sámi heard a knock at his door. It was late at night, so Sámi told his wife and children to stay in bed. He answered the door himself. When he opened the door, the hotel manager stood before him.
"I couldn’t sleep," the man said. "I wanted to see how you are doing and talk."
Sámi made coffee and they discussed the old days they enjoyed at the Phoenicia. Sámi sensed the man had come for another reason, but the man wouldn’t say. Finally Sámi said, "My friend, it is late. Why have you come to me?"
"Oh, nothing, Sámi. I just wanted to talk of old times."
The man walked to the door and opened it. As he stood in the doorway with his head hung low, he turned to Sámi and said, "I have no food. I have not eaten for two days. Do you have anything you could spare?"
Sami left a deep impression in this man’s life. When he was in trouble, he remembered him and sought him out.
You can never tell what God can do when we make a stand for him.
1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
• Not in vain, meaning the Lord will remember it.
• Matt 5:12 “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
