The Beatitudes (Part 5) | Joy Teh

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

And today we're going to look at the final and

the eighth and the final be attitude. All right, So

I hope you're all good, yay, all right, So the

previous one I did the previous time, and I spoke.

I did two be attitudes. I did the blessed are

the pure and heart. But they shall see God and

blessed other peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Okay, So today the.

Final be attitude is taken from Matthew chapter five, verse ten,

but verse eleven and twelve continues to also explain or

exmount verse ten as well. Okay, okay, so let's read

again from Matthew chapter five, and if you want to

recap on the previous bettitudes from the first one, go

ahead and listen to.

The messages again. Okay.

Sometimes I had to listen and remember my own message

to reach the next message, right, okay.

Because we are all limited in our brain, isn't it. Okay?

Yeah, So med Deal chapter five, verse ten to twelve,

and I believe I have the scripture here.

But please turn to your physical bibles. All right.

So this is a lifestyle that we have, is we

bring our Bible to church. Yeah, we turn to the Bible,

and it's okay, even if you are a little bit slower,

and sometimes if I go too fast. That's why the

scriptures are on the screen. You can read yours, you

can look at the screen, and it's the aim is

to help you, all right, But let's all turn to

our Bibles and it's okay. Sometimes you have to go

to the table of content, Pate right when you want

to find.

The Book of hyperk and you know where is it? Right? Yes,

it is okay, Okay, I do that too.

So Matthew five verses ten to twelve, I'm reading mainly

from the New king James, and sometimes I'll refer to

the New Living Translation. So it says, blessed are those

who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the

Kingdom of Heaven.

Verse eleven.

Blessed are you when they reviolve and persecute you and

say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.

And Jesus said in verse twelve, rejoice and be exceedingly glad,

for great is your reward in heaven for so they

persecuted the prophets who were before you. Now, in new

living translation, I'm just going to read it, it says,

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, not

for doing the wrong things, but for the right thing.

For the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you

and lie about you and say all sorts of evil

things against you, because you are my followers, be happy

about it. It's almost impossible, but Jesus said, be happy

about it. Okay, be happy when people say not nice

things about you. Be very glad. Why for a great

we awaits you in heaven. Okay, but I find it

very hard. Okay, we'll get there, okay. And remember the

ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. So meaning

he's reminding us you're not alone. There were those who

also been through the same thing, and we are going

through it now.

Okay. So do we all agree that persecution is not outdated?

Now? If I ask you today, or if someone asks

me joy, are you persecuted? What would be your answer?

Do you feel or do you think you are being

persecuted now. Now, of course, if we define persecution as

we cannot meet together openly, freely as a church, Okay,

that's all a persecution, then maybe not yet yet, no,

because never we never know, We never know when we

will lose this privilege or being able to gether together.

We cannot take it for granted, right, So we thank

God for the peace that we have in Malaysia. But

they are, as we know, brothers and sisters around the

world who are not able to, not allowed to. They

can't freely do that. They had to go underground, they

had to hide. So are you being persecuted today? So

something to ask ourselves, right or in the Bible when

Jesus explained verse ten, he also mentioned in verse eleven

and twelve, he says, He's giving us a glimpse of

what persecution is, of course, in what we have in

minds right now, not allowed to meet together.

As a church.

But it also means when people mock you, when people

lie about you, they say all sorts of evil against you.

I say, sound a bit more familiar, because you are

my follower. That's the distinction persecution and you tarry passal,

you know, that's Jory passel. Okay, you find trouble for

yourself because you go and do wrong things for people

and people say you bye. Now, okay, So besides those things,

because of your stand, because of your lifestyle, your message,

your life that stands for Jesus, and people don't like

you for that.

That is persecution, all right, according to the Bible.

So it is not outdated because I believe seated among

us here we do face persecution.

One way or another in our lives.

But if not yet, then data I'll talk about it

or so if not yet, it will come. But maybe

some of us are somewhere there all right, So it

is not outdated now. Paul mentioned in Second Timothy chapter three,

verse twelve. So let's turn to Second Timothy, just the tree,

verse twelve. And what did Paul said. Paul said in

Second Timothy three twelve. He said, yes, and everyone in

a New Living Translation who wants to live a godly

life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Okay.

So Paul was telling Timothy that as long as you

want to live for God, you want to live a

godly life in line with the world of God, walking

in that obedience to the Lord, you will suffer persecution.

So turn to your neighbor now and say you will

suffer persecution. Not so good news on the Sunday morning,

Isn't it so not so good news? It won't be

my choice of topic to preach about ur, But it's

what Jesus pitch about.

Is Yes, it's so important for all of us, right, yeah, now.

And Jesus also said in Matthew chapter ten, verse twenty two,

he said you will Jesus said that.

Jesus said, you will be hated, but all for my

name's sake.

But he who endures to the end will be saved.

So remember Jesus said it to his disciples, you will

be hated, So don't be too surprised when people hate you,

people talk bad about you, people don't like you.

La da da do things behind.

Your back because you love Jesus, all right, Jesus already

warned us. So how could Paul earlier on to Timothy

make such a statement? Everyone to know it's like no

one is exempted who wants to live a.

Godly life in Christ. Jesus will self persecution.

Now, I believe when Paul's made that say that he

is saying on the basis of a very deep conviction

that he knows about the true nature of Christianity and

the nature of the sinfulness of men. Basically, it is

too opposing lifestyle. Correct, You either follow Jesus or you

follow the world, all right, So he's convinced that there

will always be attention, meaning there will always be this

war within your sinful man and your spiritmn. There will

always be okay, there's a tension between the message and

the way of life that a true disciple of Christ

will have on the one hand, and against the mindset

and the way of.

Life of the world. There will always be that tension.

And that's why Paul stated with such conviction that they

as long as everyone who wants to live a godly

life will truly face persecution, the conflict you cannot avoid

is unavoidable, all right.

Okay.

So this convey is rooted again in the nature of

fallen man and the nature of the new creation in Christ.

So if I'm a new quation, you and I are

new quation in Christ because we are born again, we

come to know the Lord, we are working with Christ,

we're having a holy spirit in our lives.

We are new creation.

But it goes directly against the nature of our fallen man.

And we know that, okay.

And therefore from the Bible Old Testament all the way

the New Testament, you can see that the persecution never ends.

Pasamad preached on the Book of axt this morning, and

he was talking about X nineteen about the church in

Ephesus and how Paul was preaching there, and how after

that when he preached, then there was a great riot

because the people there were so.

Angry with Paul.

Right, So persecution will follow the preaching of God's work,

and when they see the miracles happening, lives are changing,

persecution will come will follow, all right, Okay, So I

believe we all know that.

Okay.

So the words of Jesus of our persecution are relevant

for all of us today if we've forgotten the word

persecutioner okay, okay, yeah, because millions of Christians in our

global in our global village now are being persecuted for

their faith every day, okay, to one degree or another.

And all of you and I.

Who are earnest about putting God first in our work,

in our home, and our school, in our leisure time,

in everything that we do, we will bump into some

form of opposition, if not now later a ride.

Okay.

Now, so let's look into the first thing that we

want to look at this morning. Why does persecution come.

Let's look into the Bible, into the world of God

and to sturdy and understand why persecution comes. Okay, okay,

So this is important so that we understand the context

of what Jesus is trying to say. Okay, and then

later on we'll look into the blessing part. Because Jesus

didn't stop there and say that you will be persecuted.

He said, blessed are those who are persecuted.

Amen. Amen.

So let's recall again the struct the beratitude. So I'm

just going to wrap up the structure. So there's two groups.

If we can divide the eight beatitudes into two main groups, right,

each group ends with a reference to righteousness as we

as I've mentioned before. So the first group ends with

verse six that says, Blessed are those who hunger and

thirst for righteousness.

For they shall be filled.

And the second group of the beatitudes ends with the

eighth beatitude that says, Blessed O those who are persecuted

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

So the three be attitudes that lead to the hunger

for righteousness, which is the first one.

Blessed are the.

Poor spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, right

are Those are descriptions of a kind of holy emptiness.

So blessed are the poor and spirit, those who mourn

over their needy condition, and the meek who hand their

cause over to God. And it's natural that these three

descriptions of emptiness and need should be followed by a

description of hunger, because they don't have They hunger for righteousness, immen.

And the next tree be attitudes, which is the last

tree before today's one, are descriptions not of emptiness, but

of fullness. The ones that we talk about blessed other merciful.

Blessed are the pure and heart, and blessed other peace makers.

The hunger is beginning to be satisfied by an overflowing mercy,

a pure heart, and a power to make peace. Because

God feels us right when we are hunger and thirst

thing for righteousness, and when we are filled, we are merciful,

we are pure, and we make peace.

And the result of.

It is the last be attitude that persecution will come

when we have this kind of righteousness. So let's look

at so Now this ras is a question first before

we look at scripture, right, okay, don't you think that

the last tree be attitudes? Being merciful, being pure and hard,

being peaceable? Isn't it doesn't sound very offensive, isn't it?

Why would why would we be persecuted when we are nice?

Okay?

Okay, So let's look at scripture right now, right, so,

because if you think of it logically, why would anyone

want to persecute that? It doesn't seem very offensive. Now,

let's look into Luke chapter sixteen, Okay, Verses thirteen to fifteen. Now,

I'm going to first read what I flash up here

is a new living translation, okay, and later we will

compare as well with the new King James.

Now verse thirteen, what does it say?

Jesus said, no one can serve two masters, for you

will hate one and love the other. You will be

devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve

both God and money. Now verse fourteen. The Pharisees, who

dearly loved their money, heard all these and scoffed at him.

Then he said Jesus said to them, you like to

appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What

this world honor is, this is detestable in the sight

of God. In the New King James, it says Jesus

said to them, you are those who justify, justify yourself

before men. That means you have a reason, and you

always give a reason of why they do something. Okay,

but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed

among men is an abomination in the side of God.

So Jesus said to them, no servant can serve two masters.

You only have one master's natural You will either hate

one and love the other. You will be devoted to

one and despise another. So God, Jesus was talking about

God and money when he said that, then, and what

when Jesus said that, don't you think it's in line

with the beattitudes that he was talking about. But the

are the pure and heart right that you only you

put God first? Correct, So you love God and not

serving two masters for example. Okay, Then comes the persecution

by the Pharisees, the mockery part in verse fourteen. So

if you look at verse fourteen, the Pharisees who were

lovers of their money. When they heard all this, then

they started to scoff at him. And the scoffing was

a kind of persecution. Okay, So there is the persecution,

and then in verse fifteen the sorry and then in

the verse itself, in verse fifteen, Jesus explained it by

saying that because they were lovers of money and they

were trying to justify themselves, got it. So, in other words,

Jesus's attitude towards money, because he is saying that money

is not first God is first mine, right he stand

Jesus stands on money, is an attack on their.

Love for money, and that's why the persecution came.

Okay, So then comes the rest of the explanation of

their mockery. So in verse fifteen Jesus explained, and he

said to them, you are those who justify yourselves before

men because you love money. Then you then, in other words,

they are trying to say that Jesus is wrong, but

because they are trying to justify their own love for money.

So here's the root of persecution. The rut of persecution

we can see in verse fourteen and verse fifteen is

the love of something evil or untrue. All right, So

the love of something evil or untrue, evil means something

against God, that's not of God, that's not going towards God, right,

is going the opposite way of God.

So the love of.

Something evil or untrue and the need to justify that love,

that is the root cause of persecution. So Jesus comes

on the scene and is teaching them a way of life,

and he is giving them a message that implies to

them that the love of money actually is treason against God.

But they cannot accept them because they love their money

and because of the evilness of their heart, and they

choose to justify themselves. They persecuted Jesus. Okay, so that

is the root of persecution.

Okay.

So when jesusaid you can't serve to masters, Jesus was

speaking the truth.

Okay, So this is truth.

But the truth went against what the Pharisees love, which

is the love of money.

So to justify themselves.

The Pharisees put Jesus down by mocking Jesus. So this

is like s OP or standard operating procedure of persecution. Okay, again,

it is for self justification because they of the evilness

in their heart, and they self justify that love for

that evil, and it is the root of all persecutions.

So that's why we can see a life of righteousness

devoted to righteousness. Okay, so we hunger and thirsts for

righteousness and a life of righteousness, as we can see

in the beattitudes, as we mentioned, if you can see

in the the tree be attitudes before this or a

life of godliness will be persecuted or revived or spoken against.

Examples.

If you pursue self control in our lives, okay, because

we honor God, we love God, your life will indict

excess eating.

You will make those.

Who excessly those who have to eat excessly. They might

be offended because you exercise self control. If you live

happily and with contentment, you will show the folly of luxury.

If you cherish chastity, your life will be an attack

on people's love for free sex. If you embrace temperance,

your life will be a statement against the love of alcohol.

If you are punctual and terror in your dealings, you

will lay open the fiority of laziness and negligence. If

you walk humbly with your God, you will expose the

evil of pride. If you are spiritually minded, you will

expose the worldly mindedness of those around you. It's just

like that, as long as you walk God in godliness,

you will expose the ungodliness of others. Okay, So there

are too responses, as we can see in the Bible.

So we'll look to the Word of God, and I

hope that we of course, no, this is the word.

This word is for us as believers, because this is

what we will be facing in.

Our world that we live today.

So there will be two responses to a life of righteousness.

So when we desire to be godly in all our

affairs and our relationships, when we follow the righteousness of

Jesus in his strength or his glory, there are two

possible responses that people can have around us, and we

can see in scripture. So now turn with me to

the next portion of scripture found in John chapter three. Okay,

so we're going to study a little bit about possible

responses from people, because those other responses that.

Jesus was talking about.

So in John chapter three, Versus twenty and twenty one.

So John Tree twenty it says for everyone practicing evil

hates the light and does not come to the light

lest his deeds should be exposed verse twenty one. But

he who does the truth comes to the light, and

that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have

been done in God. So Jesus was contrasting two possible responses.

Those who practice evil will hte the light, they will

go away, they will not come. But those who are

walking in the truth will be drawn to you. Okay, okay,

So in verse twenty for everyone practicing evil hates the light,

doesn't come to the light. It's again parallel to the

verse ten that we read in our beratitude today. The

today's beratitude, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake,

for DEAs is the King of Heaven. It's parallel to

what Jesus is talking about in regards to persecution, because

when you walk in righteousness, you will be persecuted because

the people around you will not let you. Okay, parallel,

So that is one possible response from people around us.

They will hit the light and not accept it persecution.

So don't be surprised. Jesus is talking about it already

to us, they will hit the light verse twenty one

is the other, the other opposite of the response. But

he who does the truth comes to the light that

he seeds may be clearly seen that they may have

been done in God. This will be later on when

we read in chapter five of the chapter five of

the Sermon of the Mound, Matthew chapter five.

In verse sixteen. So in Matthew.

Five sixteen I have If not, you can turn to

Mattew five sixteen, and it says, let your light so

shine before men, that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father in heaven. That is such an

option of response, meaning there will be people who will

hate the light and persecute you, but there will be

people who will come to the light drawn to you,

and then when they see your good works, they will

glorify the Father. So there's two possible responds. So this

is the other possible response, doing the truth and coming

to it freely, admitting that all good in earth.

Is accomplished by God. Conversion.

So we will have two responses when we live a

godly life, persecution or conversion. But again it's not all

bad news, no, right. Persecution is when they choose not,

they choose not to follow. They prosecute you, but your

life of faith and godliness will draw other people to

him and to glorify the Father. And that's what Jesus

is saying, all right. So two options are persecution or conversion.

Now I'm not sure whether you have this in your

mind or not, but we may ask which I also

ask this question?

How Okay, So let's say think.

About it right now, the people around in your life,

the unbelievers are, okay, are pre believers that you have

in your life. So I'm speaking to us as believers

this morning. Think about the unbelievers or pre believers in

our lives. Are they in either one of the responds

or the group? Okay? Some of you are nodding, okay,

but maybe some not yet fully persecuting you and maybe

not yet fully converting or so okay, okay, So.

Does it mean that?

Yeah, it might mean something, okay, So let's look at that,

all right. So what about unbelievers in our lives? They

are neither converting, need of persecuting, but they're civil, they're polite, they're.

Nice people, right, Okay.

But there are possibly two explanations to this, okay, which

Jesus talk about as well, first of all, your life

could be your light.

You're like you and I we are the sortain lie.

Do we know that?

Tell your neighbor right now, you are the salt and

light of the world. Just don't lose your saltiness. Okay,

just don't lose our saltiness.

Are we are? We are?

Jesus said you are? Okay, it's not. Maybe it's you are.

Just don't lose the saltiness.

Okay.

Now, but what could happen is do you know that

you can hide a light?

One? You can?

I have a lamb in my room because my girls

were younger. I didn't want the light to be too

bright yet I want it to be a night lamb,

so I take a pillow, a cushion cover, and a

darker color one to cover the outside. So that is

a bit demer You know that you and I can

do that to our light, that we can cover our light.

We are light and salt and light, but we can

cover so one possible explanation think about it now. It's

a bit of self reflection for this message today. If

we know the pre believers around us are neither converting

nor persecuting us, maybe our light.

Is under a basket. Okay.

So we are keeping the stumbling block of the cross. Now,

remember the cross is like a stumbling block, but we

are keeping it well concealed. We are not trying to

offend anyone. We're trying to be nice, okay, and we

don't really show our values. We are just being cool.

Okay.

So there's possibly one one one of the explanations. Let's

do Galations before we move into the other possible explanation.

Galations two scriptures in Galations one is Galations five and

one is Scalation six, Galations five eleven. So if you

can quickly turn or actual if we can help me, yes,

in a new living transition, it says, dear brothers and sisters,

pause writing to the Galations.

If I was still preaching.

That you must be circumcised, as some say I do,

why am I still being persecuted?

If I were no.

Longer preaching salvation to the cost of Christ, no one

will be offended. In other words, when you preach the

cost of Christ, people will get offended. So don't be surprised,

but are offended when you preach Jesus to them. I'm

just giving you an example from Scripture in chapter six,

verse twelve. Next chapter, verse twelve, it says, those who

are trying to force you to be circumcised want to

look good to others.

They don't want to be.

Persecuted for teaching that the Cross of Christ alone can say, Now,

we're not going into the teaching to the Galatians now

about the circumcision and all, but.

We are talking.

I'm just drawing that when we teach the course of Christ,

people get upset offended. All right, So maybe people around

us are not offended. It's because we are not preaching, okay,

all right, or we are hide we are hiding our line.

Okay, okay.

Now now the other possible explanation of why maybe but

Jesus only gave us two possible responses of people. Yeah,

but how come the people around me are not yet

showing the responses. We are letting our values show, and

the people around us are moving towards one.

Or the other direction.

Either they're going to prosecutre us soon, but maybe they're

going to convert soon. People take heart, all right, Your life,

your message, your life that you live, your message that

you give every day, not just your word that you speak,

but the life that you live.

Someone is watching you, and they.

Are moving it closer to Jesus because of you, all right,

But neither does all this need to happen immediately, okay,

And there are all kinds of factors that can hinder expressions.

And of persecution.

Again, so we see this often in the Gospels as well,

when a lot of times in the Bible the Pharisees

were angry with Jesus, but they didn't immediately strike up

on grant not they didn't. So in the Bible also

you can see a lot of it. Even in the

Book of Acts, there were times that the people were angry,

but they also were afraid. They didn't you know, persecuted

and all these things. So persecution and conversion will have

its timing and God knows all right, okay, So it does.

Not always happen immediately.

And usually the people us, the pre believers, they're also

torn inside. Partly they don't like it when we talk

about God and talk about God leaders and.

All right, because sometimes out it feels out for them.

But at the same time they are drawn to your life,

do you know that, Yeah, so that they are also

torn inside as well. So we must not assume that,

oh you know, that that is our fault, and no, no, no,

we just got to let God move, all right, and

we've got to move with the Holy Spirit and allow

the Holy Spirit to lead us even as we continue

to reach out to those around us.

Immen a man, hallelujah.

So but the point here is we should all examine

ourselves to see if we are cowardly concealing our Christian identity.

All right.

If we are, we need to repent, immen, and we

need to resolve in our hearts to be sincere in

expressing who we really are. Because Jesus said, if you

confess me before men, I will confess you before men.

But if you deny me before men, I will also

deny you. So I'm cheering all of us on because

same all of us. We have our times and we

are afraid. Right So the storm in our lives, the

storm of persecution, just might be ready to break against you.

Be ready for it.

Jesus already warn us all the good news is a

new birth or soul may be coming soon through your life.

Hallelujah.

Someone whom you have been trying to preach is trying

to reach, trying to love on them, and all praying

for them, and all is on her way or his

way into the kingdom. Can someone say, Amen, Amen, hallelujah.

So now as we hear and understand about persecution and

even the root of it and some of the possible

responses of people around us, let's look into the blessedness

of persecution. But this is the part that I find

personally their heart because persecution and blessedness. M I'm like that, Okay,

all right, So let's go back to the original scripture,

the main text for today nine till five. Now Versus

as we know, we read a they bressed are those

who are persecuted for righteous sake, for there is the

kingdom of Heaven. Let's to evers eleven and twelve again,

blessed are you?

Okay?

When they revolve and persecute you, and see all kinds

of evil against you falsely for my sake, rejoice and

be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven

for soul. They persecuted the prophets before you, So Jesus specifically,

besides mentioning an example of persecution in verse eleven, he

is actually telling us how.

To deal with persecution.

In verse twelve, he is saying, you've got to be

rejoicing and exceedingly glad.

And again he.

Thank God you didn't stop there, because therefore stopped a

bit hard. How do you want me to be exceedingly glad?

Then Jesus explained, for the for great is your reward.

It's like Jesus is reminding you and giving us the answer.

The only way that you can rejoice and be exceeding

glad is you remember that your reward is in heaven.

So you got to take your eyes off the world

for a moment, take your eyes off on the temper

wary things and look to what is eternal. That is

the only way you can be rejoicing. Okay, And yes,

God help us, God help us.

Okay and and uh.

And he also said the ancient prophets were persecuted in

the same way. Jesus said, why did he say that.

It's also reminding us. Don't forget you're not alone. There's

a cloud or witnesses there chilling you on. Okay, And

every time you feel down and feel discourage and you

feel you're alone, read the story of all the previous

prophets and martyrs and all who went before you.

They can do it. You can do it. Okay.

I believe that's what Jesus is saying to us A man,

a man, a man. So when you when when Jesus

said this, do you think Jesus is talking about death

when you talk about persecution? Absolutely, because you all know

what happened to all his disciples, right kayeah? So if

you read right, I try to read a bit, but

I know, don't have time to talk a lot. But oh,

it's disciples or in all died a martyred, that meaning

they died for Christ. They died because of their faith.

They were martyred. So Jesus was already telling them that

you are going to die for me. Persecution is not

just like I don't like you, Johanne, because you love Jesus.

I don't like you.

I don't know Jesus, or I don't be your friend. Okay,

it's not just dead one. It's death that he's talking about.

So let's look because Jesus said, remember the prophets. Okay,

So now let's go into going into the second half.

Blessed are you? But just reminding us why we are blessed?

Okay, Okay, So let's look at what they you're not

so blessed?

What did they did to the prophets? Okay?

So we're gonna look at some old testaments examples, okay,

and also what did Jesus say?

Okay?

Now let's turn to First Kings chapter eighteen. How am

I doing it?

Time? Okay?

Ken, quick, quick, First Kings chapter eighteen. Now, shot the

long story, right, This is when Jesus bell okay, was

she's the queen now, okay, she's the queen. Ahab was

the king, and she she killed all the prophets, and

she's like the champion for the what the god bel

or bio? Right? Okay? So in uh verse four and

we'll skip to verse the teen. Okay, So just look

at verse four in chapter eighteen, it says, so it

was well, Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord that

Obadiah he was the prophet, had taken one hundred prophets

and hidden them fifty to a cave, and had fed

them with bread and water.

I'm just drawing out the.

Fact that she killed all the prophets in the in

those days, okay, and there were another prophet who saved

the one hundred prophets.

Now, verse the tin.

Was it not reported to my Lord that I did

when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I

hit one hundred men of the Lord's prophets fifty to

okave and fed them be bay and water.

Okay.

So the prophets in the old times were killed, okay

in NII Maya, chapter nine, verse twenty six. So that's

why Jesus mentioned about the ancient prophets, because they were persecuted.

Why, I'm just trying to tell you.

When Jesus said ancient persecution, he's talking about death, all right.

So when Jesus mentioning it in the mettew five, when

he's mentioning it, when we are if we don't know

what happened to the ancient prophets, they died, all right, okay.

So Nee Maya chapter.

Nine, verse twenty six, as he says, nevertheless, they were

disobedient and rebelled against you, cast your law behind their backs,

and killed your prophets who testified against them to turn

them to yourself.

And they work great provocations.

So basically, if we read the Old Testaments, the prophets

were used by God in those days because they don't

have Holy Spirit yet to speak to the people of Israel,

to turn them away from their wicked ways, to warn

them that you're not working in the right way. No,

you should stop your evil ways, repent and turn to God.

So the prophets were like the mouthpiece of God. But

instead of listening to them and repenting, they killed the prophets.

So all those who stood for what it is right,

those who preach about God or preach about godliness and

obedience were all marked.

Okay. So that was in the Old Testament.

Jesus also says in Metthil chapter twenty four, verse nine,

Jesus himself said, then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed.

You will be hated all over the world because you

are my followers. Okay, I think we all are very clearly.

So when Jesus talk about persecution, he had death in

view when he was talking in the context of the

be attitudes. So my question is, how can Jesus say,

blessed are you when you are persecuted for your faith?

How can he say rejoice and be exceedingly glad. How

do you tell someone who is in pain and someone

who is going to die for their faith that do rejoice. Okay,

but we know of many stories and we don't have

time to look at if we look at those people

who have given up their lives, and they were praising

God all the way until the end, even while they

were being burned right at the sticks. So this is

what the Lord says, right, So he says to his disciples,

most of whom he knew, but the disciples didn't know

at the time that they're all going to drink the

cup of martyrdom. And he's telling them, rejoice and be

glad when you are prosecuted. Okay, So how can Jesus

say that? So Jesus say it because he is the

only one who has seen something and tasted something and

knows about something about a reality that all of us

have never tasted or have any glimpse.

He said it.

Because Jesus knows, beyond any shadow of doubt that the

reward of heaven will be more than compensate any of

our side thing that we must suffer now for the

service of Christ.

Because Jesus knows.

Because he knows, so he's telling his disciples that great

is your reward in heaven.

If you only know. It's almost saying that John.

If you only know Toby, if you only know your

reward in heaven, this is like sub subsolutely nothing, nothing

in comparison to your reward.

Hallelujah, Thank you Lord.

So to the degree that you believe that Jesus what

Jesus sees in heaven. So when Jesus say that to

his disciples, he can see in heaven, see to heaven. Right.

So to that degree that you believe what Jesus is saying,

to that degree you'll be able to rejoice and be

exceedingly glad even in your suffering.

A man a man.

But is it true that if the more we suffer,

the greater our reward will be.

At the end? They got the judge. How gay.

We can't say, Oh, God, God, because so much, you

better give me more. The d is still up to

God to decide. Like okay, but blah blah blah blah.

I take it as an encouragement, So it's not my problem.

Whether it's not in comparison, not comparing with JDJD go No, no, no,

it's not that that one is God's pass out or

God's problem. But it's an encouragement to me. I don't

know whether it is it to you or not? Just

to know that great is my reward in heaven, that

for whatever I go to for God, God remembers and

God sees.

That's all that you need to know, all right.

But in other words, it is the greater your suffering,

the greater your reward, all right, Because if not, then

now you're like, then why do I go to some suffering?

Now?

Might as well I don't go to suffering? Then the

one who never goes to suffering? Also, God Lord, we

want no I believe God knows. Okay, okay, now, but

the Bible seems to tell us that tomorrow your faith

is tested to suffering. The greater will your word, It

seems to tell us. Okay, okay, God, well answer the question.

So in Matthew nineteen verse twenty nine, because Jesus said, okay,

in Matthew nineteen verse twenty nine, what Jesus say, everyone

who has given up houses brothers or white brothers and

sisters are But yeah, brothers because family are basically brothers, sisters, father, mother, children,

or property. New living translation, for my sake will receive

a hundred times as much in return, and will inherit

eternal life that means one time, two times, three times,

four times, five times, six times, seven times, one hundred times.

Maybe anyway you get me, Yeah, you're following me or not.

Jesus said, we will receive a hundred times that it's

got other type of times.

Okay, maybe all right, okay, but.

Jesus promise those who given up houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother,

or children or property for my sake will receive a

hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.

I don't think those of us really love Jesus and

die for Jesus.

Will. We border about how many times are, but it's

just that comforting h knowing that God will be ward us,

imen that God has not forgotten us a man a man.

Now in Second Corinthience, now this one, we're going to

look at it and see what and learn from the

word what Paul said. Second Corinthians, chapter four, verses seventeen

to eighteen. So let's turn to Second Corinthience, chapter four,

verses seventeen to eighteen. And what does it says. It

says here for our light affliction. Okay, this is the

new King James. It says, for our light affliction, which

is but for a moment is working for us a

far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we

do not look at the things which are seen, but

at the things which are unseen not seen. For the

things which are seen are temporary, but the things which

are not seen are eternal. In a new living transition,

it says, for our present troubles are small and won't

last very long. Amen, highly atturn to your neighbors, said,

it won't last very long. So whatever suffering you are

suffering for Jesus, it won't lie very long. But what

is the amazing thing about the suffering that you suffer

for Jesus? They produce for us a glory that vastly

outweighs them and will last forever. That means Jesus, wais

it okay? I think okay. So it's working for us

a far more exceeding and eternal glory. So in verse seventeen,

it says the word produced. I have a slight that

says this produce for us or working for us, some

transition you produce for us. Working for us basically just

means prepares us, or it brings about. That means there's

some form of equation your suffering that brings about understand, okay,

that eternal way of glory.

All right? What is it is to God's to judge?

All right?

So in other words, rejoins and be glad in the

midst of suffering for righteousness sake. Member, Jesus say, for

righteousness sake for gus, because that very suffering will receive

a very great compensation and a very great reward. And

only God knows what is that reward, right, I mean

as in how great yes, God.

Will give us.

And the greater the suffering of your faith and yours,

the greater the reward you will receive in heaven. So

rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

So we're going towards the close right, drawing soon soon,

So let's focus our heart on heaven. So that's what

Jesus wants his disciples to do. He wanted his disciples.

He's trying to steer them to desire the reward that

is in heaven, much more than the reward of the world.

So Jesus wills for you and I to have our

treasures in heaven, not on earth. All right.

So as you can read later on in the Summon

of the Mound, Jesus talks a lot more about this,

not having our treasures on earth but in heaven. So

Jesus wills for our hearts to be set on heaven.

That to leave this earth right is a cause for rejoicing,

not of tears.

China said.

The more we our hearts are in heaven, than the

easier for us to leave this earth. So remember our own,

our own Lord, Jesus, he sweat blood and on his

knees in Gatsimane, in the face of his own pain.

For what for the joy that was set before him? Correct,

because of the joy of seeing you and I in

the Kingdom of God.

He suffered what he suffered. Amen. Same for the joy

of our we want in heaven.

We suffer our persecution when we live for righteousns Imen.

So Jesus wills for us to have our hearts primarily

in heaven, our hopes primarily in heaven, our longings in heaven,

our joy in heaven, because there's no other way. Again,

I say that we can rejoice and be glad in

our suffering, but only when we look to heaven.

Amen. So Jesus said. Also in conclusion in.

Verse twelve, he said, remember the ancient prophets. So we

are going to close by reading Hebrews chapter eleven. Okay,

So Hebrews eleven, and this is the final portion of scripture.

It says in Hebrews eleven.

Now in verse thirty five to thirty eighth, it's like

a summary of all those who have suffered for the Lord.

And I just want to focus in on two later on. Okay, okay,

So in verse thirty five, let's read Hebrews thirty five.

I'm reading from the new Living translation. But others were

tortured refusing to turn from God in order to be

set free. And this is New testamenta not Old Testament.

They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.

But they were talking about all the profits from the

Old Testament, all right. Some were all the way from

the Old to the New. Some were jeered at their backs,

were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons.

Some died by stoning, some were sort in half. Some

others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing

skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.

They were too good for this world. Wondering over deserts

and mountains, hiding in caves and holes.

In the out.

So whenever we need to, whenever we are facing persecution,

whenever we feel that people are being mean and bad

to us because of our faith and our stand or

our one thing to live for a godly life, we

need to go to these great men and this great

women of all to get again. Go inside their hearts,

learn from them, learn how to love Heaven like them, immen.

So there are fifteen names mentioned in Hebrews eleven. So

if any day when we need the encouragement, I encourage

all of us to go to Hebrews chapter eleven. I

think after reading that, okay, I think my suffering is

nothing compared to what they suffer.

Really, one after you really okay, now my conclusion. Okay,

thank you Jesus, It's okay. You know what I mean. Yeah,

this is what I do. Okay.

So there are fifteen names mentioned from Able all the

way to Samuel right in Hebrews chapter eleven. But I

believe there are many more, and there are those in

a New Testament that we're not mentioned, like even and

all our apostles. Right. So I want to draw out

like Abraham. In Hebrews eleven, verses seventeen to nineteen, it

says it was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as

a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had

received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.

So even though God told him Isaac ould be the

son to whom you're all all the centers were becounted.

Abraham reasoned that if even Isaac died, God will be

able to bring him back to life. Moses, from verse

twenty three to twenty eight, it was by faith. Moses'

parents hit him for three months before when he was born,

but they saw that God had given them an unusual child,

and they were not afraid to disobey the king's command.

So even Moses' parents already took their stanity. And it

was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, he

refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. But

he chose to share in the oppression of God's people

instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. And we

know that he thought it was better in verse twenty

six to suffer for the sake of Christ than to

own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking a

hat the same word.

Again to his great reward.

So all your men of faith that we read in

Hebrews all had their eyes fixed on Heaven on God.

If they were to fix on their own circumstances at

that time, they probably will not be able to endu

all the suffering that they suffered. But they fixed their

eyes and they were looking aheat at a greater reward

that the world cannot give them.

Imen.

So we will need to look at the prophets and

the martyrs to get our heart in heaven and off

the world. Otherwise it's hard to obey the command of

the Lord. Rejoice and be glad, exceedingly glad in our persecution.

Immen.

Now I'm at a close here, and our extreme team

can come. Jim Alert, I've we all heard of him.

I think he's very famous, Jim Alert even and when

I was a teen, I think I was reading about

his story. But it's not just him, you know, is

a group of them, but he was the famous one.

But there's a group of them who also died for Christ.

And he said this very famous statement, he is no

fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what

he cannot lose.

So he is an American missionary, one.

Of five who were killed doing operation or car all right,

So they were oneting to evangelize a certain people group

in Ecuador, but they were then killed by the people there.

But later on their widows continued their work and they

reached many even in that area.

Hallelujah.

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God bless