Rejoice and be glad, for you are being persecuted - Matthew 5v10

Sermon from 13 May 2012 17:45 @ Christ Church (Come Together)

Matthew 5v10

Introduction

What Jesus? What did you say? Did I hear you right? “Blessed are those who are persecuted ...” … really. How does that work then?

I don't suppose that interactive preaching was that common in Jesus' time, so I doubt if they asked questions – but I'm sure they thought them. It was probably the looks, perhaps even the murmurs that resulted in the next two verses. Just to underline, expand and enforce the point.

It is not popular teaching, and we still react to it in the same way. Right! Who'd like to receive a blessing? [mime a punch]

None of you – thought so!

So what is Jesus getting at, and how can persecution be a blessing?

Causes of Persecution

Before I try to answer that it would be a good idea to understand what counts as persecution, where it comes from and to understand something of its causes.

If we look back over the beatitudes we will see a progression – a series of changes that have taken place in our lives as we have moved away from the world and closer to God.

• First we recognize our poor spirit, that may lead us to conversion, or a greater commitment.
• Then we mourn our past failures and wasted life, this leads us to meekness – an openness to lean from the Holy Spirit and accept the ways of God.
• We will then begin to have a greater desire for righteousness. A desire for righteousness will change how we respond to events and people.

This is usually the point at which we 'get noticed'. Now we can no longer turn a blind eye to the immoral practices in our society. We try to do the right thing, and that will include not covering up for others. We have become a threat because we are no longer willing to compromise our standards.

I was once asked at work whether I wanted to be right or to win. My answer was 'Both' – why would it be anything else? But that is the wrong answer. The winning answer is 'win'. They were really asking “do you do what's best for everyone, so they can have an easy life and get on with their job, or do you insist on doing everything the right way?”. Yes, I can see what they mean, but I still want both.

Let's take a hypothetical example. My team has certain targets, which are worded slightly vaguely. If we meet them we are guaranteed a bonus at the end of the year. We are close, but not quite there. The team leader looks at the wording and spends a little effort re-interpreting the meaning – so that it now looks as though we have made the target. If I then make it clear to more senior management that we haven't made it, none of us are winners, and I especially am a loser (in the eyes of the team). I may be persecuted as a result, but the loss of the bonus cannot be considered part of the persecution – we shouldn't have been eligible for it in the first place.

Look at it another way. There is a war on. The forces of God and Satan are fighting over humanity. The war is almost won – Jesus has beaten Satan and now its only a matter of time until the mopping up operations are completed and time comes to an end. There is of course still much to do and recruits are still needed. When I gave my life to Jesus, I switched sides:
– from the loosing side to the winning side
– from the wrong side to the right side.
See I CAN have both!

Seriously though, the changes in your life mean you are easily seen as a traitor – and we all know how traitors are treated.

Persecuted, but not blessed

That gives a flavour of the causes, but before we can claim we are being persecuted, we must be sure that it is for Righteousness.

Righteousness simply means doing the right things (God's things) in the right way (God's way).

Things like sickness, redundancy, or being the random victim of crime are just the result of living in a fallen world and are not persecution at all.

If you're being obnoxious, arrogant, jumping on people and forcing them to listen to your testimony and are persecuted as a result, you are simply getting what you deserve, that will not get a blessing.

Some people may deliberately put themselves into a position where they know they will get persecuted. This is usually because they have failed to take Jesus advice about not throwing pearls to pigs. If you do Jesus says “they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6).

Levels of Persecution

But there Will be persecution.

Lk 21:12 “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.”

Persecution can be trivial or serious.

Perhaps you have noticed that some of your colleagues are a little less friendly once they've found out that you're a Christian, perhaps you're excluded from the inner group.

There is one person at work, who is sympathetic privately, but cannot resist the occasional jibe at my faith I public. It's not serious – water off a duck's back to me – but it is an example of what we may all be facing.

Christian organisations can also find that more is asked of them when they are trying to get funding, or update their building.

I was struck by Riding lights – Monsieur de Corbatans amazing Opymlic feat – which told the history of the birth of the modern Olympics was refused funding as part of the cultural Olympics. Some of the things they read out that did receive funding did not seem remotely connected to the Olympics as far as I could tell.

Sometimes persecution can be more serious. Earlier this month we heard reports of a Canadian student sent home from school for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “life is wasted without Jesus”. He was suspended for 5 days. William Swinimer said “Some people say you're not supposed to have religion in school. Well, every other religion is in that school and they constantly put Christianity down.” He has since been allowed back to school and to wear the T-shirt. It's been a big deal in Canada, but is just an example of the trivial level of persecution Christians face for standing up for their faith.

Heb 12:4 reminds us that “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Many of our forebearers have, and have ended up as martyrs. In many places in the world today Christians are regularly arrested and put to death for their faith. In the latest edition of the Barnabus Persecution Update we read that “Kuwait’s Islamist-dominated parliament has passed a bill that would make insulting key Islamic figures and the Quran punishable by death.”

and

Christians in Northern Nigeria are refusing to let the threat of attack keep them away from Sunday services as security is stepped up after a spate of deadly bombings.

Going to church on a Sunday has become a highly dangerous activity for Nigerian Christians, who are being targeted by suspected Boko Haram militants. The Islamist group in March declared “war” on Christians, and since then a number of church attacks have left dozens dead.

History teaches us that persecutions are usually local and come in phases. Our church history records three great persecutions in the Roman Empire. Persecution was not at high levels all the time, and we have no information on what was happening to Christians in India and other places out side the Empire.

Blessings

We are on the right path – we are growing as Christians

Jesus clearly expected his disciples to suffer persecution, when he said in

Jn 15:20 “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

So if we are the victims of persecution it proves that we are doing something right – the things that Jesus expects of us.

If we don't give up at the first sign of opposition it means that we are growing in the Christian life and are well rooted in the good soil.

Rejoice & be glad

Rejoice & be glad, we are in good company – the prophets of the Old Testament were almost all persecuted.

It's for our good

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

We cannot see all of reality, only a small part. So we have to trust God when he says that ALL things work together for our good.

Reward (we can't see the full story)

The reward, may have noticed is the same as the Poor in Spirit. Belonging in the Kingdom of Heaven means having a close relationship with Christ. How better to have a close relationship than having shared the same experiences.

Prize is worth it (store up in heaven …)

So the prize we are hoping to attain is worth the pain we experience now -

Mt 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Its a great witness – also Paul

I read Luke 21:12 earlier. There Jesus promises there WILL be persecution. Verse 13 says “This will result in your being witnesses to them.” So our persecution does the work we are here to do.

How should we respond?

When Paul was in prison in Rome he wrote this to the Philipians:

Phil 1:12-30