The Pilgrim’s Path Part-8, Mathew 5:1-12
The Persecuted
Introduction
One hundred Puritans sail across the ocean on the “Mayflower” and in New England find a home where they can serve God according to the dictates of their conscience. Persecution in England being continued, men cross the Atlantic to join the Pilgrim Fathers, in a land where religion and liberty have found a sure home. In ten years twenty thousand persecuted Englishmen find a refuge in that Western land. A Protestant colony is founded by sturdy, resolute men; not only were they religious men, but they were the noblest class of emigrants who ever left the shore of any land, and in that new land God’s Church prospered, and today Protestant America is the result of men flying from one land to another for liberty to serve God. He guided the Mayflower across the sea and watched over the infant colony and founded His church on free American soil.
You and I stand as direct heirs to the legacy of those men and women who fled from Europe in the hopes of finding a place where they might worship God according to the mandates of their own conscience as they followed after Christ according to God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible alone and by the leading of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.
It occurs to me that we are living in a day and in an age when the roots of our heritage are either ignored or simply misunderstood. We have all heard that the Puritans fled Europe because of religious persecution and subsequently established colonies in New England where they could worship freely.
But what was it for which they were persecuted? Why was it that they had to flee to be able to worship freely? The Puritans are more specifically not those who fled but are those people who stayed and sought to purify what was a corrupt Anglican Church. The Pilgrim Fathers of this land are more rightly referred to as Separatists. Perceiving the Church in England and elsewhere to be beyond reform, they fled to America to establish a place of pure worship.
They and the other reformers were persecuted by a corrupt church that had seized political power and for centuries kept the Bible out of the hands of the people. They were persecuted, among other reasons, for translating the Bible into the language of the people and for denouncing papal authority in favor of Christ authority over His Church alone.
But perhaps most grievous of all, they were persecuted, hunted, exiled from their homes, branded as heretics, even tortured and killed, for declaring that each man and woman can go to God directly through the blood of Christ according to the grace of God as made available through the gift of faith alone. Grace alone, Faith alone, the Bible alone, Christ alone, to the glory of God alone!
Transition
The Pilgrim Fathers laid the foundation of our great nation as well as the foundation of The Congregational Way, that is, they built not only a means of national liberty by way of an elected government and free society, they also were used of God to reestablish the autonomous nature of the local church as found in the Bible and practiced by the early Church.
In the Pilgrim Fathers we see but one among countless examples of those faithful followers of Christ who have been persecuted for their faith. Throughout the history of the Church God has used persecution to build His Church.
The early Church Father Tertullian said that, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” This statement has a depth of insight which is all too often lost on believers today. We have no trouble thinking of persecution and martyrdom as a great obstacle to the spread of the gospel which will not, however, be successful in hindering Church growth. We would have no problem affirming that the blood of the martyrs is a hurdle which, by God’s grace, can be overcome. But to say that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church is an altogether different concept.
Church History affirms that in fact persecution does build the Church. Whether in ancient Rome or in modern day Communist China, when the Church is persecuted it grows. It is as thought the pressure of persecution is necessary for the Church to truly flourish. When the Church becomes too comfortable, Christians become complacent and the Church loses intensity.
This morning we will wrap up the Pilgrim’s Path with the last principal of the beatitudes. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Exposition
From the very foundations of the Church persecution has built the Church. In Acts 5:41 we read that the Apostles rejoiced that they had been counted worthy to share in the sufferings of Christ. The Apostles had the perspective that when they were persecuted it is an honor to be counted worthy of such persecution.
What would give the Apostles such a strong and abiding conviction that they would not only be willing to suffer for righteousness sake, to suffer for the name of Christ and not recant, but would actually count it joy to be counted worthy of such suffering? Why would anyone glory in persecution?
I would submit to you that at the very center of their conviction were the power of the resurrection giving them the strength necessary to boldly proclaim the Gospel in spite of violent opposition. It is a great testimony to the trustworthiness of their message that save for perhaps one, every one of Jesus disciples allowed themselves to be persecuted and even killed for the sake of Christ.
Perhaps you, like me, have asked yourself the question, “Why would these men, who history affirms died for their faith, give their lives for Christ?” The Bible records that after Jesus had been crucified the disciples were terribly afraid and lacking courage. They went to a house in Jerusalem to hide. Peter had already denied Christ, the disciples had fled in hear for their life.
You see, the power of Christ teaching was not enough to fill them with courage. The power of Christ miracles was not enough to give them total and complete faith in Him. But O the change in their hearts that occurred after they saw Jesus resurrected! The fire in their hearts that was quenched by the crucifixion was ignited hot enough in the resurrection to charge a light that burns to this very day!
Where fear had taken up residence faith took over! What is it that gives a man or a woman the courage to face persecution and even death? It is faith; faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus had died on the Cross and not risen from the dead the disciples would probably still be hiding in that house in Jerusalem! It was faith in Christ because He had risen from the dead that empowered them.
Faith in and of itself is powerless. The modern concept that faith alone is the answer is nonsense. To suggest that what you have faith in matters not is absolute rubbish. It is trite philosophy at best to suggest that faith in anything has the power to provide meaning and purpose and power for one’s life.
For faith to have meaning it must have an object. In other words, it is not faith that changes things; faith is the means of connecting to the power of Jesus Christ who changes us. Not the early Church Fathers, the Early Church, the Pilgrim Separatists, nor the scores of modern Christians who are persecuted around the world are empowered by the simplicity of faith. They are empowered by the presence of the resurrected Christ in their lives!
Courage is not the absence of fear but the presence of trust in God. It is not possible to negate fear by forgoing it; it must be demolished by faith – trust. The early Church had power to face persecution because they were full of faith in God; we have access to the same power to conquer fear. It was the resurrection power that enabled the Early Church and the Apostles.
In Romans 8:17 the Apostle Paul writes, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17 NIV) In First Corinthians 4:10 he writes that we are “fools for Christ!”
It is a matter of perspective and I would suggest that the American Church in general could stand to receive a healthy dose of that perspective.
Illustration
When Christina and I were recently in Florida we visited Disney World for a few days. It was a great time though we did have a few interesting experiences. On the first day at Disney we awoke early to dine with several of the characters. After breakfast with Goofy we headed to Hollywood Studios to see some live productions of some of the boy’s favorite Disney shows. Then we headed to Wild Animal Kingdom so that Christina could get in the new Mount Everest roller coaster ride. Then, just when we were really getting warmed up – about 8 hours into our day – we decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom so that we could get Mickey Mouse’s signature in the boy’s character signature collection book. When we finally wrapped up our adventuresome day we headed for the bus station to catch a ride back to the Disney resort where we were staying. As it turns out we were not the only one’s who had taken advantage of the Caribbean Beach resort’s very good discounts that were being offered in the month of February! We waited for nearly an hour just to get on the bus to get back to resort after the park had closed. We and most everyone else on the bus I suspect had endured a very full day at the parks. I was the last person to get on the bus and as such I stood at the very front of the bus with a diaper bag slung over one shoulder, a collection of stuffed animals under the other arm, and a large double stroller to boot. Before the bus could leave the driver announced loudly enough for all to hear that anyone who was standing and holding a child or baby must be seated. The bus was completely full and of course this meant that some people were going to have to give up their seat in order for these people holding children to be seated for safety reasons. Perhaps you have already guessed it. Even after his saying this three times nobody budged.
Forget the fact that some of the people standing with children were mothers obviously exhausted from the day; the bus wasn’t going to leave until someone gave up their seat! One woman nearby buried her face further and further into her little hand held electronic device each time the bus driver said this while others obviously pretended not to hear; apparently assuming that surely someone else would do it. Finally a couple of people stood and rather grudgingly gave up their seats. Nearby where I was standing and Christina was sitting holding both our one year old and our three old, one woman stood to give up her seat and made such a dramatic event of it that I thought to myself, “what tragic persecution we must suffer and endure to give up our comfortable seat for another person on a bus!”
The American Church, I would suggest, has to a very large extent grown overly comfortable in our seats. The world is crying out all around us that it can not go on unless we get up out of our seats. The Apostles were fools for Christ. Should we be any different? The early Church was so full of the resurrection power of Christ that they were willing to abandon everything for the righteousness sake. Have we been called to anything less?
The truth is that we do not do well to measure our commitment to Christ by way of the level of persecution that we receive. We live in a land that was founded and so heavily influenced by the Church that it is not likely that any of us have or will have the kinds of stories of Christian persecution that come out of places like China, Northern India, or most of the Middle East.
The point is not that we ought to seek persecution. The point is that in our relative comfort let us not grow complacent. Our mission is to reflect the radical love and grace of the Cross to a world in desperate need of forgiveness, hope, and love!
When the Church is persecuted it grows. Why is this so; because the weight of persecution presses the church together, binding believers closer and closer to one another and to Christ! While we need not to seek persecution to test and strengthen our faith we do well, Dear Saints, to hear the voice of the martyrs crying out to us to live in the power of the resurrection of Christ.
I would also point out that in these increasingly secular times it is imperative for genuine followers of Christ to live bold lives which proclaim the truth that Christ is raised from the dead and reigns. The pressures on the Church of Christ is from scandals within to the rise of secularism from without, from the devaluation of the Bible within and a denial of the miraculous power of Christ to the increasing skepticism of any claims to truth from without.
These pressures are mounting and will likely continue. It is up to each one of us to live our lives as a witness to the power of Christ to impact, indwell, and infuse us with the radical grace and mercy of the Cross. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Blessed are those who live lives just as committed as those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for they can be used of God!
Conclusion
Dear Saints of God, I want to encourage you today that as we walk along the Pilgrim’s journey through this life we have not been left without a compass.
In the Beatitudes God has given us a clear path to follow. Our journey is not without obstacles. It is not without rough spots along the way. At times we feel like we have lost our way but alas God has given us the strength necessary for the journey as well as a way of walking which, if lived out in genuine commitment to Christ, brings honor to God, peace to our hearts, and fulfills Jesus command that we ought to live lives which reflect the love of God for His creation!
Blessed are the humble that wrap their calloused hands around the walking stick of repentance and meekly tread out the gospel of peace as each step taken is a step toward showing mercy and compassion to humanity. Blessed are those whose hearts hunger and thirst for righteousness because in seeking God they will apprehend His pure love which will in turn flood their souls; enabling them to face any persecution, trial, or affliction that may be thrust upon them. Blessed are those who take each dusty step along the trail, planting their worn sandals firmly on the foundation of God’s Word that they might be instruments of the peace of Christ!
Amen.
