Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (5.10)

++ People are persecuted on account of their righteous and Godly actions which in turn brings upon them the hatred and enmity of the world.

.+Don’t forget the main idea of the Beatitudes.

+The sermon showed how a person who is in right relationship with God should conduct his life.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted”: For what sake are these blessed ones persecuted? For righteousness’ sake and for Jesus’ sake (for My sake), not for their own stupidity or fanaticism.

+”Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake”: Jesus brings insults and spoken malice into the sphere of persecution. We cannot limit our idea of persecution to only physical opposition or torture.

+”Rejoice and be exceedingly glad”: Literally, we could translate this phrase to say that the persecuted should “leap for joy.” Why? Because the persecuted will have great reward in heaven, and because the persecuted are in good company: the prophets before them were also persecuted.

+In this beatitude Christ pronounces a blessing on those who are being persecuted. But the persecution that they are suffering is not for misdeeds or evil acts. These people are persecuted on account of their righteous and Godly conversation and Godly actions which in turn brings upon them the hatred and enmity of the men of the world.

+Why is there persecution in the world and why is God so offensive to so many? Because the Word of God is a stumbling block to ungodly people. The unbelievers that don’t know Jesus enjoy sinning, in fact they revel in it. They enjoy partaking in as many sins as possible. Sinning is what gives them pleasure.

+The world hates Jesus because he is light, righteousness, and truth. They hate him because he reveals the wickedness of the people of the world, and they hate him because he exposes their evil.

B1+What does persecution look like in DuPage County?

B2+There is much evidence that proves that more Christians around the world have been martyred for their faith in this century alone than in the combined previous nineteen centuries of the church’s history. In many countries today it is a crime to be a Christian. If you live in the United States, you may think that the idea of persecution of Christians is not very relevant today. Persecution in the United States at this time, frequently comes verbally, via the tongue, usually in the form of cruel mockings and reproachful language, or by deeds such as confiscation of goods, banishment from a group, or even in the workplace where one may be fired, demoted, or spoken against because of one’s Christian faith. In today’s society to tell others that you are a born again Christian who has put his entire faith and trust in Jesus Christ, is to bring on smirks and laughs, rude and disgusting comments, and alienation and retaliation.

How is this true/untrue for you?

BB1+How is this experience been different than you originally thought it would be?

BB2+How has studying the Beatitudes changed your perspective on this experience?

AA1+If you are not being persecuted, you should ask, “Why?” And the answer just may be that you are not living a Godly life. It is our Godly life that causes the other person to get heated up, upset, and unhappy. The truth is, everyone who lives a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. If no one is persecuting you, it is because you are not living the Christian life and shining as lights in the world.

It is very true that persecution is the cost of being a Christian, because the believer must reckon upon hardships and troubles much more than other men.

Respond.

AA2+At first glance persecution looks to be a truly horrible experience. But even though persecution usually isn’t pleasant, it does have a great many rewarding advantages, for when persecution comes into our lives then we must conclude the following:
That we have put our complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
That we can truly call ourselves Christians.
That we belong to the kingdom of God.
That we are righteous.
That we have been chosen by the Father and the Son.
That ours is the kingdom of God now and in the future.
That Jesus is truly our Lord and that is why we are being persecuted.
That our salvation is sure and certain.
That we are not false prophets.
That we are not worldly for the people of the world are not persecuted.
That we are in the very good company with many other saved Christians.
That we can know that we are truly born again.
That eternal life is ours.

Which areas do you need to work on?

Experience.

I’M BLESSED WHEN, BECAUSE OF MY LOYALTY TO JESUS, OTHERS LOOK DOWN ON ME, VIOLATE MY GOD-GIVEN RIGHTS, LIE ABOUT ME WITH EVIL INTENT OR HURT ME. PERSECUTION BLESSES ME BECAUSE IT IS A REMINDER OF THEKINGDOM OF HEAVE THAT AWAITS ME NOT SO FAR AWAY.