For The Sake Of Righteousness And Me
Matthew 5:10-12
SO – Maple Grove are you ready?
OKAY THEN – let’s do this!
It’s Thursday night… the night of His arrest.
• Jesus’ has washed their feet in the upper room, telling them to, “go and do likewise”
• HE - has given them a new command to love each other just as He had loved them… telling them that by this all men will know that they are His disciples
• HE - tells them to not let their hearts be troubled despite all of the… hard, difficult and troubling things that were coming their way… BUT - instead to trust in God and to trust in Him. AND - to trust in the truth that one day He is coming back to lift them from this world of troubled to live forever in the fathers house
• HE - tells them that HE… IS… the way the truth and the life…
• HE - reminds them that they are simply branches and that He (not them) is the vine…
THEREFORE - all they need to do… IS…
to remain, to stay connected to Him… AND IF – they do, they will bear much fruit to the Father’s glory.
UNDERSTAND B/S – Jesus shared some… some awesome things, encouraging things, empowering things, on the way from the Upper Room to the Garden on that Thursday night.
BUT LISTEN – not only did Jesus on that night share encouraging, empowering and awesome things…
HE ALSO – shared with His guys some very troubling and not so fun stuff that was going to happen to them.
LIKE – check out what we read beginning in John 15:18…
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world…
IF YOU – were of the world
IF YOU – were a son of the world
IF YOU – had the same values, beliefs, behaviors, mind and spirit of the world
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. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.21 They will treat you this way because of my name,
Because of My purpose, My Person and My ways
for they do not know the one who sent me.
All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.
BTW – that is exactly what the Apostle Paul at the stoning of Stephen and the persecution of the church.
They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. – John 15:18-21, 16:1-4
AGAIN – troubling, not so fun… that they are going to experience.
FAST FORWARD – to Acts chapter 5…
The apostles are in the temple courts teaching the people about Jesus, despite being ordered to stop this activity.
SO - the captain of the guards arrests them and brings them once more before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the High Priest.
"We gave strict orders not to teach in this name," he shouted.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. – Acts 5:29-33
HOWEVER – they settled to simply have them flogged.
SO - they beat them with a whip, lash or a rod 39 times.
YEAH – the words of Jesus in John 15 were already being fulfilled. THEN – they ordered them not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus.
QUESTION…
WHAT - would be your reaction if you just experienced...
• Being arrested
• Threats from those in power, and
• Had just had a severe bloody and bruising beating?
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. – Acts 5:41,42
SERIOULSY – are you kidding me.
I am not sure that I would have responded that way.
BUT – I’d like to think I would.
ONE MORE PASSAGE…
PETER - is writing a letter to believers who were being severely persecuted by Nero and the Roman Empire for following Christ…
MANY - had to flee from their own homes.
MANY – were arrested and killed.
IT – was an extremely difficult time for the church and for Jesus followers.
SO – Peter writes to them…
Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you15 If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs.
But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!... So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you. – 1 Peter 4:12-16,19
Prayer
OKAY MGCC - let’s do this!
NOW THIS MORNING - we are going to unpack the 8th and final beatitude that Jesus shared from the hillside along the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
AND B/S – believe me when I tell you, this one is about as counterintuitive and radically upside down as you could possibly get.
BUT BEFORE - we read this Beatitude let me point out some unique things about it…
THINGS - that should move us, move you and move me to want to lean into it, so that we can drain all of His life from it.
#1 - It’s the last beatitude
SO IT’S - Kind of the wrap up… the conclusion of what Jesus has been saying. I MEAN – like it where the road that living out the first 7 beatitudes will eventually take us…
#2 - It’s the longest beatitude
AND THAT - in itself merits our attention this morning
I MEAN – whenever God through His Spirit breathes depth about a particular subject, it’s worth our time and effort to dive in deep, AMEN?!
#3 - It’s the only beatitude with a command
AND – what is that command. To rejoice and be exceedingly glad. Which btw, is a pretty counterintuitive response to be persecuted or mistreated.
# 4 - It’s the only beatitude with an explanation
YOU SEE - Jesus understands that persecution will cause us to immediately want to withdraw and turn back from following Him.
I MEAN - psychology teaches us, that most of the reasons (we do what we do) is to avoid pain whether it is physical, mental, or spiritual. SO – Jesus give an explanation.
#5 - it’s the only beatitude repeated by Jesus
AND LISTEN - anytime the bible repeats itself, it’s worth digging into and praying over… SO THAT – we are sure ‘to get’ what Jesus is trying to tell us.
#6 - It’s the only beatitude directly addressed to the person who is reading
YOU SEE - all the other beatitudes are statements of fact and instruction to the crowd. BUT IN – this beatitude Jesus switches it up (and in verse 11 He changes the pronoun from the 3rd person ‘they,’ to the 2nd person ‘you’)…
AND – is so doing, Jesus is looking every person who wants to take up their cross, and follow after HIM right in the eye,
OKAY – here we go… Beatitude #8, and a conversation called, “For The Sake Of Righteousness And Me.”
AND LISTEN – as I read these words of Jesus, spoken on that hillside, you will see a definite connection between them and the words we read earlier from John 15, Acts 5, 1 Peter 4.
IBlessed are those who are persecuted
Seriously Jesus… happy… joyful… satisfied and fulfilled are the persecuted… talk about radical, counterculture and upside down.
for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:10-12
OKAY… here is how I want to attack our conversation today, by unpacking 2 statements… Persecution Is A Given, and Persecution Is A Gift
I. Persecution, Is A Given
YES B/S– I had to be the bearer of bad news, but persecution is a given. AND LISTEN – here is why this 8th beatitude is so hard for us/you/me…
BECAUSE - we like to be liked… liked by everyone, right?
I MEAN – raise your hand if you want people to dislike you, think bad of you or to hate you.
BUT REMEMBER – what Jesus told the disciples in John 15…
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first…you do not belong to the world…that is why the world hates you. – John 15:18,19
If the persecuted me, they will persecute you also
– John 15:20
In other words persecution is a given.
IN FACT – Jesus when speaking to His guys about their futures, in Matthew 24:9, said that they would face incredible struggles: “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”
NOW WHILE - we can’t verify all the facts, church history and tradition tells us that this is exactly what happened to the disciples fared no better than their leader…
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 killed with a sword.
James son of Alphaeus was stoned to death.
Matthias was stoned and then beheaded.
Andrew was crucified and then left hanging on the cross for three days… where it is said that he continued to preach Christ until he died..
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.
Jude (Thaddeus) was crucified.
Bartholomew was beaten with clubs and then crucified.
Thomas was speared to death.
Simon the Zealot was crucified.
John was exiled to an island called Patmos where he died as a prisoner.
YES B/S – persecution… is a given
IN FACT – God breathed these words in 2 Timothy…
NOW PAUL – is telling Timothy how rescued him after He had endured sufferings and persecutions in: Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. AND THEN – Paul says the following to Timothy and to us…
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. – 2 Timothy 3:12
And Paul writing to the church in Philippi from a prison cell wrote…
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him. – Philippians 1:29
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection
AND THEN - the part we like to leave out when quoting or teaching on this verse.
and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death… - Philippians 3:10
AND WHEN - Paul wrote to the young church in Thessalonica, he reminded them why, Timothy was sent to them
So that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. - 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4
AND – as we read earlier Peter, writing to believers who were suffering under Nero wrote…
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. – 1 Peter 4:12
YES B/S – Persecution is a given…
IT – has. IT – is. AND IT – will happen to those who follow after Jesus.
UNDERSTAND – the bible knows nothing of the Gospel of prosperity, but it does know the Gospel of persecution.
IN FACT – the persecution of God’s people… the persecution of those living their lives out loud for Him… is like, all over the Old Testament.
Abel, Noah, Moses, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Daniel, Shadrach – Meshach – and Abednego, Esther, Mordecai, Jeremiah, Nehemiah…
ALL suffered persecution…
IN FACT – the writer of the book of Hebrews after talking about the Old Testament heroes who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, conquered kingdoms and became powerful in battle and routed foreign enemies… wrote.
There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.
They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. – Hebrews 11:35-38
YES – persecution is a given.
AND – in this beatitude Jesus gives us 2 reasons why this is the case, FIRST…
A) Because of the life we live
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. – Matthew 5:10
Persecuted because they…
• live the right way,
• do and stand up for the right things…
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
NOW – sometimes those who ‘claim Christ’ suffer persecution, but it’s not because of righteousness.
BUT INSTEAD – it’s because they are… hateful, unloving, mean-spirited, judgmental, loud, obnoxious, rude, self-righteous, offensive, jerkish…
LIKE – the ‘Westboro Baptist Church’ that is known for their inflammatory hate speech and for showing up to funerals of serviceman who died overseas.
NOW – when they feel and say that they are being persecuted for God, but that is not true.
They are being persecuted for being hateful, rude and
un-Christ like.
If I get in trouble because I talk too much or because I meddle or because I try to force my faith on other people, that is not persecution. If I am promoting my own cause and men reject me, that is not persecution. If I am arrogant and abusive in my attempt to witness for Christ, and people want nothing to do with me, that is not persecution. But if I seek to do His will and honor His name and I suffer, then that is persecution.” - Warren Weirsbe
Live Like A King, Developing a Royal Lifestyle from the Beatitudes
AND PETER – put it this way…
If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. 1 Peter 4:16
UNDERSTAND – there is no blessing in suffer for those kinds of reasons.
OKAY – here’s the deal, here is what the 8th Beatitude is teaching us, that sooner or later…
Living the right way, living God’s way, living as a sold-out, beatitude embracing, Jesus-follower will cause us to experience persecution. Why?
BECAUSE – darkness hates the light.
I MEAN – Jesus said as much in John 3.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. John 3:18,19
UNDRSTAND - If I’ve been sitting in the dark for ten hours and you come and turn a big spotlight on me that’s not comfortable. IN FACT - that’s very uncomfortable.
IN LIKE MANNER - when you’ve been living in the dark all your life and somebody comes and turns on the light of Jesus’ way of living, guess what?
IT - doesn’t feel good at first. AND - on top of that, you see what a mess your room is in.
B/S - Jesus said I am the light of the world and He also said this, that we are the light of the world.
UNDERSTAND MGCC – the Bible says that people will love darkness more than light, because their deeds are evil.
THIS - was true when Jesus spoke in John 3, and it is still true today.
IN FACT – if Jesus came and walked on the earth today, our world still crucify him. Why?
BECAUSE - darkness cannot stand light, evil cannot stand goodness.
AND LISTEN - what that means is this. Even if you were perfect there are still people who are not going to like you.
NOW - some of us may have this myth in our mind.
THAT IF – we were just more winsome, more likable, more kind, loving and compassionate….
THEN - everyone will love us. Not true.
One commentator I read this week wrote…
There was never anyone more loving than Jesus Christ. There was never a greater peacemaker than Jesus Christ. And for some people, they responded to that love, and for some people, they entered into that peace.
But even though Jesus was the most loving, magnanimous, gracious, kind, peaceful person who ever lived, everywhere He went, He created antagonism.
Why? Because He was confrontive about the issues. Chart the course of the righteous throughout history, and it becomes very clear that they have always suffered for their godliness. Always.
It started when righteous man Abel was murdered by an ungodly brother who simply could not tolerate his righteousness, and it’s been so ever since. There was always a price to pay.
HOWEVER – this writer did say that there is a way to escape and go through your whole life and never get persecuted.
• Approve of all the world’s standards.
• Accept the world’s morals and the world’s ethics.
• Live like the world lives.
• Laugh at its jokes, enjoy its entertainment, smile when it mocks God
• Don’t tell people they’re sinners.
• Don’t tell people they’re lost without Jesus Christ.
• Don’t preach and teach that Jesus Christ is the only way and that every other system of religion is a lie, and
• Whatever you do, don’t mention hell.
• Just be ashamed to take a stand for Christ, and I’ll promise you you’ll never be persecuted.
SO – we are persecuted because of the life we live, and…
B) Because of the Lord we love
In Verse 11 Jesus says…
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
UNDERSTAND B/S – much of our world finds Jesus to be very offensive…
AND HERE – is one of the primary reasons, Jesus said…
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6
UNDERSTAND…
The Gospel is an inclusive, exclusive message
AWHILE BACK – I googled ‘why is the name of Jesus so offensive…’ And 2 stories popped up.
One from June of 2016…
Lawson Perdue, pastor at Charis Christian Center, has advertised on bus stop benches with the phrases “Celebrate Jesus,” or “Experience Jesus” for years. Now, the Mountain Metro Transit has decided this will no longer be allowed, The Colorado Springs Gazette reports.
Perdue said the city’s transit told him that when his contract expired in July, he could no longer use the name “Jesus” because someone complained.
“I asked them why we could no longer use the name of Jesus “They said it’s because, ‘If you use the name of Jesus, we must allow hate messaging.”
And the other article was from this December 2017 it told how Mark and Lynn Wivell of Adams County Pa received a letter from their HOA that they had to take down the name Jesus from their Christmas decorations because it is offensive…
YES… persecution is a given
Because of the way we live and the Lord we love…
AND – according to verse 11 (and remember this is where we have the pronoun shift from 3rd person to second person)… from they to you…
The persecution that we will face is played out in 3 different ways.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Matthew 5:11
1) Verbal Insults
The word means to revile, to cast one’s teeth against.
And it carries the idea of criticizing severely and publicly with the goal of destroying, discrediting, defaming and degrading a person’s name, character and reputation.
AND IF – you have ever been on the receiving end of verbal insults… not very fun, right?
2) Physical Attack.
The word, “persecute” means, “to chase away or pursue with hostile intent, to be hunted down as an animal.”
It can be defined as repeatedly raiding another, or as continually attacking someone.
One writer described the persecutions that early Christians have faced in these words:
“All the world knows of the Christians who were flung to the lions or burned at the stake; but these were kindly deaths. Nero wrapped the Christians in pitch and set them alight, and used them as living torches to light his gardens. He sewed them into skins of wild animals and set his hunting dogs upon them to tear them to death.
They were tortured on the rack; molten lead was poured hissing upon them… eyes were torn out, parts of their bodies were cut off and roasted before their eyes; their hands and feet were burned while cold water was poured over them to lengthen the agony.
These things are not pleasant to think about, but these are the things a man had to be prepared for, if he took his stand for Jesus and followed after Him.
AND UNDERSTAND – physical persecution still happens today… (open doors USA website)
• A woman in India watches as her sister is dragged off by Hindu nationalists. She doesn’t know if her sister is alive or dead.
• A man in a North Korean prison camp is shaken awake after being beaten unconscious; the beatings begin again.
• A woman in Nigeria runs for her life. She has escaped from Boko Haram, who kidnapped her. She is pregnant, and when she returns home, her community will reject her and her baby.
• A group of children are laughing and talking as they come down to their church’s sanctuary after eating together. Instantly, many of them are killed by a bomb blast. It’s Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka.
These people don’t live in the same region, or even on the same continent. But they share an important characteristic: They are all Christians, and they suffer because of their faith.
While Christian persecution takes many forms, it is defined as any hostility experienced as a result of identification with Jesus Christ.
From Sudan to Afghanistan, from Nigeria to North Korea, from Colombia to India, followers of Christianity are targeted for their faith. They are attacked; they are discriminated against at work and at school; they risk sexual violence, torture, arrest and much more.
In just the last year*, there have been:
• Over 360 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination
• 5,898 Christians killed for their faith
• 5,110 churches and other Christian buildings attacked
• 4,765 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned
Several years back… I went to Bangladesh and met many pastors who had been kidnapped and beat.
3) False Accusations.
After verbal assaults and physical attacks, followers of Christ will also face those who “falsely say all kinds of evil....”
I don’t know if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of someone saying something false and hurtful, but it doesn’t feel good. Especially when people choose to believe them without ever talking to you.
Some people like to say things behind our backs, but remember they did the same to Jesus as His enemies tried to destroy his good name.
Persecution is a Gift
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:12
NOW – I am sure that most of us can agree that persecution is a given, but to say that it is a gift is a stretch for us.
But Jesus says that it is… He says that persecution (verbal insults, physical attacks and false accusations) are a reason to rejoice and be glad…
Rejoice and be glad
Rejoice (same word as used in)
• Luke 2 when the Shepherd saw the star
• Luke 15 when the Father rejoices over the return of His prodigal son
Glad (same word as used in)
• Mary’s Song in Luke 1:47 ‘my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
• Philippian 16 – describing the jailer after he heard the Gospel and believed in Jesus
Rejoice and be glad
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. – Revelation 19:7
OKAY - let me suggest a few reasons why
II. persecution is a gift
one that should cause us to rejoice…
Rejoice and be glad…
A) Persecution confirms our identity.
Someone has said that persecution is a certificate of Christian authenticity.
YOU SEE - we should rejoice that people actually see Jesus in us. 1 Peter 4:16 says,
If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear his name.”
THAT - you live out that name.
THAT – you look like Jesus.
If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 1 Peter 4:14
Rejoice and be glad…
B) Persecution moves us to lean harder into God
When we suffer we are forced to lean on God in ways that we have never done before. And, when we do, we see God’s power. Paul experienced this in 2 Corinthians 12:9,10…
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:9,10
AND LISTEN - when we lean harder into God… we will always find Him there.
AND – we will find Him in ways we have never seen before.
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death… - Philippians 3:10
Rejoice and be glad…
C) Persecution refines our faith
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. - 1 Peter 1:7
Rejoice and be glad…
D) Persecution puts us in great company
In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you… - Matthew 5:12
You mean we’re supposed to rejoice because the prophets had the same problems that I have? You know, misery loves company? Man, I'm glad I'm not the only one who had to go through this. LIKE - is that the idea? No.
INSTEAD - the ideas is this: we are in some pretty great company, because they also persecuted the prophets of God. YOU SEE - the world doesn't persecute people who aren't the prophets of God, who don't speak the message of God. YEAH - we are on the same team as: Jeremiah, Daniel, Isaiah, Elijah….
B/S – we are not alone…
We are going through the same things that they went through. And so this great cloud of witnesses surrounds us to encourage us…
Rejoice and be glad…
E) Persecution is a powerful witness for Christ
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,[b] that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
– Philippians 1:12-14
On October 16, 1555, after spending eighteen months in a tower cell in London, Bishop Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley met at an Oxford stake to burned on the order of Queen Mary I.
With Latimer in a frock and cap, and Ridley in his bishop’s gown, the two men talked and prayed together before the fires were lite.
Ridley was the first to strengthen his friend. “Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it.”
As the bundle of sticks caught fire beneath them, Latimer had his turn. Raising his voice so Ridley could hear, he cried, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”
Three years later, Mary I died and passed the kingdom to her half-sister Elizabeth, a Protestant queen. And Latimer and Ridley’s candle burst into a torch.
Rejoice and be glad…
F) Persecution brings us a great reward
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…
AND LISTEN – when God says ‘Great’ He mean great (polys) large, intense, strong, many, abundant. QUESTION… Anybody like rewards? Anybody like great rewards?
Do you think our God knows how to reward His people greatly?
NOW - Paul was a guy who endured a lot of intense persecution in his life… but he knew his reward would be greater.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
– Romans 8:18
NOW - John in Revelation 7 gives is a little glimpse of that glory for those who are persecuted…
Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” - Revelation 7:13-17
Talk about a great reward… constant personal access to God, no more hunger, no more thirst, no more suffering, no more tears, only rest and peace and security and refreshments and living water and God as our shelter.
AND UNDERSTAND B/S - this vision is meant to remind us that in light of eternity it is wise to endure… ‘Suffering’ said one wise old German monk “is short term pain for long term joy…”
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
Philip Yancey tells the story of some Americans in a World War II prison camp who, unknown to the guards built a makeshift radio.
Well one day news came over the radio that the German high command had surrendered, ending the war, but because of the communication breakdown, the German guards didn’t know about it yet. It wasn’t until 4 days later that the Americans woke to find the Germans had fled, leaving the gates unlocked.
NOW – in the 3 interim days, those prisoners still suffered. They were still mocked, still abused, but they were changed. They wave to the guards, laughed at the German Shepherds, told jokes over meals, and in the midst of their own captivity, they sang…
Why? Because they knew their salvation was sure, certain, awesome and soon coming.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:11,12
