Matthew 5:10-12

morning we'll be taking as our text verses 10, 11, and 12. The Lord Jesus

speaking to those who are gathered on that day, he said, blessed are those who

are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil

against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is

your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before

you. Let's pray.

Our God this morning, Lord, we pray God for your help. We pray that your spirit

would work and open our eyes. Lord, let us see the glory of Christ and the futility

of living life for this world. And Lord God, I pray, Lord, as I prayed for my

family and I pray for this church, would you fill us with courage to stand in the

evil day when the floods of affliction and the trials of fire come upon us. Lord,

let us not retreat in fear or cowardice, but Father Lord, we pray strengthened by

your spirit that we will stand and suffer if need be for the testimony of

Jesus Christ our Lord. Lord, he is the glorious one. There is no one else to go

to. There is no other kingdom worth living for, but alone the eternal kingdom,

the one that is made without hands. And Lord, we look forward to that day. Lord,

help us by faith as Abraham did. Look for that city whose builder and maker is God.

Oh God, we know that we can't do this on our own, so Lord, we pray for the

spirit's help. God, help us Lord to hear clearly and once again very soberly, Lord,

this difficult passage that you have given to us as the people of God. And we

pray, Lord, for your help now in Jesus' name, amen. For about two months now, we've

been in the study of the Beatitudes. They've been a real comfort to my soul,

but they've also been a real challenge to my soul. And I think it's an important

reminder that we keep before us that these Beatitudes are not a list of

virtues for you to achieve. That would be the wrong way to think about them. We do

see their high and noble calling. There's no denying that, but then once we see how

high and how noble they are, we start to realize you and I are absolutely unable

to achieve them on our own. We can't do it. But here's the blessing. If we take

our weakness to Christ, the blessing's already begun because the very first

Beatitude pronounces a blessing upon those who are poor in spirit. So it is a

blessing when we take our spiritual bankruptcy, our spiritual impotence, our

inability, and we take them to the feet of Christ. Now as we look at each of these

characteristics, we have a composite picture of what a Christian is. These

Beatitudes, they're really character qualities of those who are already in

the kingdom. This is not how you enter the kingdom. This is not how you gain

access to the kingdom. This is the type of person who has already been

transferred into the kingdom. And we see that. So the Beatitude, the first one, you

are poor in spirit. You're a spiritual beggar, a spiritual pauper. Beatitude two,

they mourn. They mourn because they understand they're so bankrupt

spiritually, so they mourn and weep over their sin. As a result of that, they are

humble. They become meek before God and humble before man. Their appetites start

to change. There's now a hunger and a thirst for righteousness because they

have gone to the Lord to satisfy that hunger and thirst. Having received mercy

from God, they become merciful to other people. And God has given them a new

heart and they are now pure in heart. They're given this and their promise is

they're going to see God. And then as we looked last week, they want others to

know this wonderful peace that they alone have received in Christ. So they

seek to be peacemakers. They want to bring resolution between people who are

at odds with each other, but also they want to be ambassadors for Christ,

preaching peace to those who are at odds with God. And today we come to the very

last Beatitude, the eighth one, and this is the one that makes the least sense

from a human perspective. Now listen to what Christ said. Blessed are those who

are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Now

I've been just saying as a side note, this is not one of my central texts, but

this ought to put a nail in the coffin of the false prosperity gospel. I mean if

anyone thinks following Jesus is going to make you healthy, wealthy, this ought

to be the death nail right here. Blessed are those who are persecuted because they

get heaven. Now what does it mean to be blessed? Blessed is to be favored by God,

it's to be spiritually prosperous. God's favor is upon the blessed man or the

blessed woman, and here he says his favor rests upon those who are being persecuted

for the cause of righteousness. Now that's not the way you and I think. We

think or we assume the man who is blessed, the favored of God, is the one

for whom life goes very smoothly. We would say, yeah God's blessing is on

that man who has a good family, he has a network of friends, he has good health,

and he has enough money to enjoy it. That man has been blessed of God. But Jesus

that day, he looks about the people who are suffering, and he says God's favor is

upon you if you're being treated terribly for the righteousness stand that

you're taking. Now like each of the Beatitudes, there is a promise that is

given and attached to each one of them. Here those who are persecuted for

righteousness, it says theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Now if you look back to

verse 3, that's the same promise that was given to the poor in spirit. So put them

together, they're like bookends of the Beatitudes. Heaven belongs to those who

sees themselves as spiritual beggars and having no righteousness on their own. You

don't hope to enter into heaven because you were somehow very righteous. But

heaven belongs, now look at verse 10, heaven also belongs to those who

prove or demonstrate their salvation, their faith if you will. How do they do

that? They're willing to stand for righteousness amidst great suffering

and great persecution. So what we're saying is we should not be surprised to

live godly lies in a fallen world and then invite warfare, to invite distress,

and as the text says to invite persecution. I mean can you imagine

American soldier going into the Afghanistan into the Taliban stronghold

and then being surprised that it's being shot at? We would say no, what did you

expect? You're in enemy territory, you're in hostile territory right

there. You and I, according to this text, will be persecuted because we are exiles,

we are pilgrims, we are sojourners, we are ambassadors for Christ all the while

living in enemy territory. And we're reminded of this truth. This is not an

isolated text. This is how I don't even understand how the false prosperity

gospel gained traction. I mean you cannot be looking at the New Testament in any

serious way and come up with that gospel. Only Americans could export a gospel

prosperity. It's absolutely damning. But if you look at 2nd Timothy 312, Paul

writing, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Jesus in his high priestly prayer says I have given them, his apostles, his

disciples, I've given them your word. The world has hated them. Why? Because they're

not of the world just as I'm not of the world. Acts chapter 14, listen to what Paul

Acts 14 · chapter mention

said, and when they, that is Paul and Barnabas, had preached the gospel to that

city and made many disciples, they returned, they went backwards to Lystra,

Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to

continue in the faith, and here's what they said, we must through many

tribulations enter into the kingdom of God. That's the message Paul was

preaching. Hey listen, this is going to cost you something. And then finally Paul

writing the church at Philippi chapter 1 verse 29, for to you has been granted,

it's a grace gift, on behalf of Christ. Not only believe in him, faith is a gift,

the divine gift of faith has been given to you, but God also blessed you with an

another gift. You're going to suffer for his sake. So as we read these texts and

put it together, we should not be caught off guard when adversity comes our way. I

don't mean before we begin to even believe that somehow following Christ

is going to make life easier, we have to seriously deal with texts like this. Now

I do want to get into what the text says, but I want to begin what it does not say.

What this verse does not say is blessed are they who are persecuted. There are

many people throughout the world who are persecuted and it has nothing to do with

the favor of God resting upon them. Our Lord never says persecution is blessed.

He says those who are being persecuted for righteousness sake are blessed.

There are people who through foolishness or poor decisions on their part invite

persecution into their own lives. That's not persecution. So I think about,

let's say a person today in our culture here and they said, well I'm just being

persecuted at work because I'm sharing my faith. Well no, he's not doing his work.

He's taking company time and he should be working and he's not. That's not

persecution. That's not being blessed. That's being foolish. There are some, and

I appreciate zeal. We need to be zealous. That's a command. But there are some who

are fanatical in a way that is not godly and they invite the scorn and ridicules

of others. They push themselves. They force doors open. That's not the

persecution that our Lord is discussing here in this text. He says, he doesn't

say blessed are those who are persecuted because they're foolish, difficult in

personality, or unwise in their choice of actions. Some people have a martyr

complex. They bring on persecution because they're obnoxious in personality.

And we need to understand that. Martin Lloyd-Jones says this. He said, we can

bring endless suffering upon ourselves. We can create difficulties for ourselves

which are quite unnecessary because we have some rather notion of witnessing

and testifying or because in a spirit of self-righteousness we really do call it

down on our heads. And I don't need to give examples because I think we've all

met this type of person. I've been around Christians and I told someone, I'm like,

I'm a Christian and if I weren't I'd be so off put by them. That's not what our

Lord is talking about. So having seen what it is not, now we do need to take a

look and see what does the verse say. Blessed, God's favors resting upon those

who are persecuted for righteousness sake, which means they are being

persecuted for living like our Lord Jesus Christ. Happy, merkadias in Greek,

happy, rejoicing for those who live Christ-like and dare to live like our

Lord and suffer for it. I think of John chapter 15. In John 15 Jesus said this

John 15 · chapter mention

and it's such a helpful text. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me

before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet

because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world, this is what

the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not

greater than his master. If they persecuted me, well they're going to

persecute you and if they kept my word they will keep yours also. Being

persecuted for righteousness sake is a sign that you have been chosen by God

out of this evil world system. The fact that you don't walk in step with a

culture is an evidence of your salvation. I mean you go through the whole Bible

and there are so many examples of people being persecuted. At the very beginning

Cain kills his brother Abel. Why did Cain kill Abel? And we are told because

Abel was more righteous than Cain. He didn't like it. Oh God will accept your

offering, I'll kill you. That's the way it went down, Genesis 4. You go through the

prophets, Jeremiah, he had many attempts made on his life. He was ridiculed.

Mocked endlessly. He was called the weeping prophet, that's what we know of

Jeremiah. He also wrote lamentations. He was put in prison. Why? He was preaching

the message that God said go preach. And all of this came down upon his head.

The same thing happened to a prophet that many of y'all will not know but it's

the prophet Micaiah. I like Micaiah. He's found in 1 Kings 22 and I wanted to

actually show this because I think this is a little bit funny as well. In 1 Kings

22 you have Jehoshaphat is the king of Judah, southern kingdom. Ahab is the king

of Israel, northern Israel. Okay they're usually not at peace with each other but

they're trying to make peace and have an alliance here. So in Jehoshaphat, he's a

good king, he said to Ahab, is there still not a prophet of the Lord here that

we inquire of him? Before we go out and make war shouldn't we ask God? So the

king of Israel, that's Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, yeah there's still this one

Micaiah, the son of Imla. Yeah we can inquire the word by him, he's a true

prophet, but I love this. But I hate him. I loathe him. Why? Because he does not

prophesy good concerning me but evil. He never tells me what I want to hear. Okay

look down verse 14. So they bring Micaiah and by the way some other prophets said

hey go along with what we've already told him. Micaiah says as the Lord lives

whatever the Lord says to me that's what I want to speak. That's a good prophet.

Verse 18. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, because by the way Micaiah

then finally said Ahab I've got some really bad news. First of all he tries to

trick Ahab and says no go it's going to be peaceful and he said don't lie to me.

He said yeah you're right you're gonna die. So then verse 18. He said didn't I

tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me but evil? And so Ahab's

just like this whiny baby. And then verse 26. So the king of Israel said well take

him take Micaiah return him to Ammon the governor of the city and to Joashah king's

son and say thus says the king put this fellow in prison and feed him with bread

of affliction and water of affliction until I come in peace. He's going to pay

for what he just said to me. And I love verse 28. I think this is actually funny

here. Micaiah said can I raise my hand say one thing if you ever return in peace

the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said by the way take heed all you people.

It's kind of like he said I've done what I'm supposed to do peace out I'm done

with you guys. And by the way exactly what Micaiah said comes to pass. You see

but why he's speaking he's suffering what's he doing? Telling the truth.

Elijah we know him as a great prophet he suffered under Ahab and Jezebel that

same king there. Most of the Old Testament prophets were far too familiar

with suffering for preaching the message of truth that God had sent them to

preach. So here's what I'm saying to the church today there has always been

hostility between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. From

Genesis 3 forward there's always been the hostility. The seed of the serpent

that is the line of Satan has always tried to stamp out the seed of the woman

the godly line that comes through Christ. I mean think about when Pharaoh had

ordered and gave an edict that all the male Hebrew boys be killed upon their

birth. But the author of Hebrews he also he recounts so much suffering on the

part of God's people. And friends we are not going to be the first generation

that are exempt from this. In Hebrews 11 and 36 to 38 he goes and gives that

great litany of people who did valiantly and they delivered people and it was

just wonderful. Verse 36 and others had trials of mockings and scourgings yes

and a chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawn in two that's Isaiah by the

way, tempted that's tested, slain with a sword. They weren't about in sheep skins

and goat skins being destitute afflicted, tormented, tormented of whom the world

was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the

earth. I mean just look at that list they're enslaved, they're beaten, they're

scourged, they're imprisoned, they're stoned, they were literally drawn and

quartered, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword, they were left

homeless and poorly clothed and the Bible says they were

destitute, afflicted, and tormented. And Jesus says they're blessed. They're

blessed. Why? They all lived for righteousness. Go to the New Covenant you

see the same dynamic at play. All the Apostles everyone in face persecution

they all died as martyrs except the Apostle John. The first martyr the church

that we see record in the book of Acts was Stephen and he is stoned to death.

Why? Because he's preaching the truth about Christ and they didn't like it. You

go over to Acts chapter 12 James the brother of John he's beheaded by the

Acts 12 · chapter mention

order of King Herod. Why? King Herod didn't like what he was saying. Go through

church history and time would fail me. Fox's book of martyrs. History is

replete with examples of men and women who were persecuted simply because they

took a stand for truth and righteousness. The reformers many of them were

seriously persecuted. Many martyrs throughout the time of the Reformation.

Today right now currently in other parts of the world we have brothers and

sisters in Christ who are being hunted down and killed because of their

faithfulness to Jesus Christ. And then there's us. Now we are not in danger

right now of being persecuted physically. Most of us don't sit and worry that

we're going to have our lives taken from us because we are Christians. But I will

say this to you. If you are faithful to Christ it will cost you something. If you

just think if you stand for biblical morality right now in our own culture

here in the United States that bastion of freedom may cost you a promotion at

work. You may not even get the job in the first place. In some states you won't be

able to adopt a child. In some states like Indiana, the Midwest, children are

being removed from their parents home because their parents refuse to give

their children gender-affirming care meaning they're not going to go along

and allow their child to be transgender. There's court case in Indiana. Many forms

of persecution become. Many Christian parents being denied access to adoption.

Why? Because if you can't espouse the LGBTQ plus movement you're not going to

adopt. But why are the righteous persecuted? I mean if they're doing what

is right and they're doing what is good why would anyone want to harm them? That

doesn't make sense. And here the answer. Because there's something different

about them and there's something in them that condemns other people. You and I

live in a world of darkness, fallen world, and you are light and you're light

exposes their darkness and people don't like it. I love what Alexander McLaren

says, a true Christian ought to be a standing rebuke to the world and

incarnate conscience. Your life you don't have to say a word sometimes a rebuke to

those who are living evil. I think about the Pharisees. They looked they were the

most righteous upstanding citizens of their day and yet they hated Jesus

because his righteousness showed them their lack of. Darkness hates light. John

3 19 Jesus said this is the condemnation this is why men are condemned. Light has

come into the world that's Christ. Men love darkness rather than light. Why?

Because our deeds were evil. It's the same today. Paul talking to the

Sainte-Cédière Ephesus there he says for you were once darkness you and I

once darkness but now you are light in the Lord. You are light in the Lord and

the world doesn't like light because it exposes them for what they are. That's

why they love the cover of darkness. I mean just even naturally if you're in a

completely dark room in the morning and I have to have pitch darkness I can't

stand any light so ever but someone comes in when my kids we have there's

strong LED lights and they turn it on do I love the fact that light just suddenly

came on in the solid dark room? No of course not. If our lights are going to

shine a dark world you and I will stand out. You will be conspicuous and while

you are you're stirring up the anger of the world against you. Now let me just do

a little caveat here. Here's a little statement. Don't seek to be offensive.

Don't seek to be foolish but by mere virtue of you being a light bearer you

will invite the hatred and scorn of the world system because they don't like the

light that condemns them and they'll try to snuff it out. They hated our Lord. Jesus

they hated me. They're going to hate you but some some don't want to stand out.

They don't want to shine brightly. They go along with the culture and they try

to live in both worlds. Vance Havner a lot of you my generation older remember

Vance Havner. He said one of our biggest problems today is that most of our

church people have never really made up their minds to follow Jesus Christ. They

are like Mr. Looking Both Ways in Pilgrim's Progress or they are like Lot's

Wife looking back towards Sodom. They're like the man in the Civil War who wore a

blue coat and a gray trousers and who shot it from both sides. They're like a

donkey between two bales of hay undecided as which to eat. They're like

the son in our Lord's parable who said I go sir and yet went not. They receive the

word with joy but they have no root nor depth and they soon fall away. They never

really make up their minds and are like the man who was asked do you have trouble

making decisions and he replied yes and no. To live for Christ, to stand for

righteousness will cost you but this is the question. Who are you going to serve?

You cannot serve Christ in culture. You cannot serve Christ in the gods of this

culture. If you want to avoid persecution it really is pretty easy. Live as a

cultural Christian. Oh yeah you may say you're a follower of Christ but you live

in the same manner of the world. Just be quiet about Christ and him being the

only way of salvation. That won't cost you anything. Don't say anything about

sin and certainly less about eternal judgment. You won't be hunted down. Just

embrace the philosophy of the world. Religious pluralism. Live and let live.

Live and let live. That won't cost you anything. To be ashamed of Christ don't

take a stand for him. No persecutions come in your way but when and if you

stand for Christ and you let your light shine for Christ you will pay a price

but it's worth it. For Jesus said for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The

kingdom of heaven belongs to those who stand amidst great persecution. This

doesn't earn you a spot in heaven. This is an evidence that you are a citizen of

heaven. Look at verse 11. We're going to go through this lesson quickly. Bless are

you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you

falsely for my sake. Really? That's blessed? Yeah he said there's three types

of persecution in the verse 11 there. There's physical persecution. This is

obviously unjust treatment on a physical level. We think of martyrs or imprisonment.

People who are beaten for their faith. Today that still happens in many

communist countries and the church is forced to be underground. They can't meet

openly but you know what the churches in those places like China and North Korea

they're vibrant and they're growing in places where there is persecution. From

what I'm told there's like revival happening in Iran. Just hordes of Muslims

converting to Christ. Persecution always purifies the church because persecution

will always separate the weak from the chaff. It separates the saints from the

inks is how one person put it. Jesus said this there are people who receive the

word with joy and they're not a Christian. They received the word the

gospel with joy and they're not a Christian. Jesus said he who received the

steed on stony places he hears the word he immediately receives it with joy but

there's no root there's no depth there. He springs up he endures for a while but

when tribulation or persecution arises because of that same word they received

a joy immediately he stumbles and the word there it means it is scandalitsa

it means he falls into apostasy. He falls away. There are Christians who are

Christians in name only and they may stand around when things are smooth but

when you are called to suffer for Christ they're nowhere to be found because

there's no depth in there there's no root holding them there. So persecution

the trying of our faith as Peter said serves to purify our faith and show our

resolve. It's good. Secondly there are verbal insults. When men shall revile

you. Literally in Greek it's to cast in your teeth. This is when someone speaks

about you in a very critical insulting way. When others mock you viciously or

hurl abusive words toward you. Now it's what's interesting the rabbis of Jesus

they considered reviling such a terrible sin on the level of murder because they

said when you revile someone what you do is you defame their character and when

you defame their character you lowered their status in society and you can make

life unbearable for them. Think of today just think with me I mean you can think

of examples of times when someone is attacked when he takes a stand for

Christ in the public square. To stand up let me just give you a few examples even

in the church. When someone stands up for male headship in the home he's called a

misogynist. If he stands up for male headship in the church he's called a

misogynist. To say that the man is the head of the home and only mentioned

service pastors and elders is to invite scorn and derision. You're backwards

you're not progressive. To stand up for biblical sexuality you will be called a

bigot, homophobic. When you say that marriage is reserved only for men and

women in a lifelong monogamous covenant that is to invite the hatred of our

sexually permissive and perverse culture. If you say that Jesus Christ is the only

way to the Father and the only way to heaven you will be called arrogant,

narrow-minded, and again a bigot. If you want to say Christ is not just a way but

the way, the only exclusive way, they hate you. They don't like it. You and I live in

a cancel culture where they're going to seek to cancel your any influence. If

you're out of step with them maybe your job. There have been people we know on

TV that's been removed. Why? Because they said something that the culture didn't

like. I think about the medical community. I think about Christian OBs right now,

obstetricians, gynecologists, doctors who raise their voice over concerns with

abortions and some of these medicines and the transgender movement and gender

reassignment surgeries particularly upon minors. There are states where these

doctors and nurses are in real danger of losing their job and their medical

license. But remember what are you going to do? Our Lord promises great blessing

to those who are treated this way if it's on the count of Christ. I will say

this, if you're loyal to Christ it may even cost those closest to you. You may

have family and friends who turn their backs on you. Jesus said, I have come to

set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law

against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be those of his own

household. What's he saying? The allegiance that we naturally feel toward

our families cannot supersede the allegiance we have to our Lord. He can't.

Thirdly, and he said there's false accusation. They're going to say all kinds

of evil against you falsely for my sake. So insults, well those are abusive words

but at least they're said to your face. False accusations are abusive words

but they're said behind your back. These are hurt harder and they hurt more

because you can't protect yourself because you may not even be aware that

they're being said. But here's the truth, unbelievers will try to personally

discredit you and lie about you to remove any influence you may have. They

secretly lie about you. Think about what do they call Jesus? They said, it's King James, a

wine-bibber and a glutton. He's a drunk. He's a wine-bibber. He's a glutton. The

guy has no self-control. It's a lie. They said about Jesus. What do you think

they're gonna say about you? If your ways please the Lord you can be sure that you

will expect difficulties to arise. 1st Peter 4, we read it earlier. If you

are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you. The Spirit of glory and

of God rests upon you. On their part he's blessing but on your part he's

glorified. How do we endure then? You focus on the promises of God. Look at

verse 12. Rejoice, be exceedingly glad. For great is your reward in heaven. For so

they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Persecution takes many forms

but we don't hide from it. Let your light shine. Literally when he says rejoice and

being seen glad, this literally means to skip and jump with happy excitement. You

ever seen a child like promised Disney World and they're skipping around and

jumping with excitement? That's what he's saying there. Why? Why would you do that?

You're getting pummeled. Two reasons. For great is your reward in heaven. I'm like

okay. So here's how you do that. I go back to the Hebrew believers. They endured

persecution because they believed that God was telling the truth. They took him

at his word. This is one of my favorite passages and every time I read it I'm

convicted by it. The author of Hebrews writing to believers he says, recall the

former days in which after you were illuminated you endured a great struggle

with sufferings. Partly why you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and

tribulations. So some of you really suffered. Partly why you became

companions of those who were so treated. Some people got put in prison and you

decided to identify with them. But look at verse 34. For you had compassion on

me and my chains and I can't believe it's here but it is. And you joyfully

accepted the plundering of your goods. This is where you lose homes and lands.

Knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in

heaven. Now this doesn't make, I can understand. I mean what choice do you

have? The state comes and takes your home, takes your horse, takes your

livelihood. Okay. I mean I can't do anything about it. He said no. Here's what

you did. You joyfully accepted that. You rejoiced. You're plundered. You're left

bereft of all property and you rejoiced in that. They knew they had a better and

an enduring eternal lasting possession in heaven. And listen that's so good.

John Piper says whatever measure of material and physical loss that God may

call you to in this world, one thing is certain. Being a Christian means being

willing and ready to let it all go for the sake of Christ and his word. Are you

willing and ready if you lose it all? Do you see this Christ is greater? I might

lose everything I have but I can't lose him. I see we're not prepared like this.

Parents prepare your children. Our days are growing darker. Suffering may come.

They're not going to come with little tiny devotions. They're not going to cut

it with cute little Bible stories. Our Lord he tells you rejoice when you're

slandered. Rejoice when you're attacked because you have a great reward in

heaven. Now some people brag about gifts but they never live up to the hype. But I

would say this when the Lord Jesus Christ says your heavenly reward is

great, it must be great. I mean can you not get excited about that gift? What

does a great reward from great God look like? There's no promise here. You can

lose it all. Earthly possessions, yep they can go. Eternal dividends, they're

there. Now some of you are very falsely pious. You're saying well I don't think

we should serve God for reward. Well it's true we serve him because we love him

but the Bible often speaks of motivation reward for faithful living. I don't want

to be more spiritual than the Bible. It is not unscriptural to look for reward.

God speaks of it so many times. Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was

set before him. The Apostle Paul told believers to labor for that crown and

reward which is and the crown and reward which is imperishable. He said labor for

it. Jesus said God knows how to give good gifts to his children. I bet he does.

Christ says your reward is great in heaven if you suffer from him on the

earth. And secondly, we're closing here. You and I are in good company. They also

persecuted the prophets who are before you. It's a mark of your faithfulness. It

confirms that we are members of the righteous line. It confirms that you and

I are members of seed of the woman. When the world can't tolerate you and seeks

to silence you, rejoice. Remember who Israel accepted? They loved the false

prophets but they couldn't tolerate the righteous ones. They were persecuted. It's

not easy and I think it's even harder to stand alone. That's why church you and I

need each other. You and I will not stand isolated as isolated believers. We need

the community of the church if we're going to stand in perilous times

especially with the looming threat of persecution. You don't know if any of

y'all ever heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Many of y'all probably have. He was the

famous German martyr, died under Hitler. He was in a Flossenburg prison cell and

he wrote this, 1937. Suffering is the badge of the true Christian. The

disciples not above his master, Luther, that is Martin Luther because he's

Lutheran, reckons suffering among the marks of the true church and one of the

memoranda drawn up in preparation for the Augsburg Confession simply defines

the church as the community of those who are persecuted and martyred for the

gospel's sake. Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ and

it's therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to

suffer. All right so now what? What do we do? The Holy Spirit lives in you

believer. He's going to begin to produce these character qualities in you, poor

in spirit, mourning, meek, hungry for righteous living, merciful, pure in heart,

peacemaking, and a willingness to suffer for the cause of Christ. That's going to

show others that you are indeed a follower of Christ. Everyone's going to

know you follow the word Jesus but not everyone's going to like it. It's foolish

if you seek it out. Don't do it but it will seek you out. Simply be faithful to

the Lord and be faithful to his call and he will give you all the persecution you

can handle. I'm gonna leave you with these last words that the Apostle Paul

gave to Timothy. These are Paul's some of his last words before he goes and has

his head cut off by the king. Youth, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace

that is in Christ Jesus and the things that you've heard from me among many

witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Verse 3. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus

Christ. Just endure it. No one engaged in warfare and tangles himself with the

affairs of this life that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. As a

good soldier make it your aim in all things to live a life pleasing unto the

Lord Jesus. But rejoice you get the kingdom. Be exceedingly glad because you

have a great reward. Do you believe that? Do you believe Jesus was telling the

truth there? Do you believe that Jesus is better than all the lands that this

world has to offer? If you lose everything you have tomorrow but you

can't lose him, you put it in the scales, there is no comparison friends. Do you

see Jesus as the all-glorious Son of God that he is? If you do, ask the Holy

Spirit to help you to stand for him whatever it may cost you. Let's pray.

Father we thank you Lord. It's a difficult word.