January 26 & 27, 2008
For the sake of Righteousness (Part 1)
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10)
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12)
Looking back, you will notice that the first four beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-6) focus on one’s dependence on God. The following four (Matt. 5:7-10) show us the proper outworking of that dependence on God. In other words, as followers of Christ we should see our own depravity and acknowledge that we are poor in spirit, broken, and meek, which leaves us craving Christ’s righteousness. When this brokenness has come upon us, it will manifest in our lives as outpourings of mercy and peace. This purity of heart, or single-mindedness, allows us to persevere through persecution because we know our reward is great.
Persecution comes in many forms. In America we might not be persecuted in the same manner as the early church, or even in the same manner as churches in closed countries, but we still face some kinds of persecution. Persecution is what happens when you are spiritually right before God, and living upright before men. Others will insult you, and others will make all sorts of false accusations against you.
Jesus warned His followers in Luke 6, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets”.
It is a blessing to be persecuted as a result of righteous living (1 Peter 3:14; 4:14-15).
As a last thought, notice that there is a shift between verses 10 and 11. Jesus goes from using third person to second person (from ‘they’ to ‘you’). Jesus moves from speaking to the whole crowd to his most intimate followers. Not only does Jesus become more personal in this transition, he also adds that they are persecuted ‘on His account’.
Written by Matthew Capps
