Blessed Are the Persecuted, Pt. 5

Jesus gives three blessed rewards to those who are
persecuted for righteousness' sake and His sake...

Blessed Are the Persecuted, Pt. 5

"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."

(Matthew 5:10-12)

Jesus gives three blessed rewards to those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake and His sake: they receive a blessed status, a great reward, and a righteous association.

A. Blessed Status

In verses 10-11, two times the word "blessed" (makarios) is used to describe those who are persecuted. Only the eighth Beatitude has the word "blessed" used two times. When believers are persecuted, they have joy, peace, and contentment, knowing that they are suffering for the Lord and following in His footsteps.

B. Great Reward

Jesus said that the persecuted have a great reward in heaven. The Greek word translated "great" is polus, which can be translated as many, much, and large. They shall receive many crowns in heaven, and I believe will gladly lay them down at the feet of Him who endured great hostility from sinners so we can live forever (Hebrews 12:2). A proper understanding of future glory enables us to endure present pain.

C. Righteous Association

Jesus said in verse 12, "For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." When we are persecuted for the Lord and for righteousness, we are in great company; we are associated with the prophets of God who have gone before us. This fact gives us assurance of salvation as we "belong to a righteous line" (MacArthur, p. 215).

May the following from Pastor Randy Smith inspire and bless you:

"The story is told about a missionary named Henry Morrison who was returning to America after faithfully serving Christ for forty years in Africa. The same boat also bore home the wildly popular President Theodore Roosevelt who was in Africa on a safari. As they entered New York harbor, the President was greeted with a huge fanfare. Morrison felt rather dejected. After all, he had spent four decades completely denying himself in the Lord's service while Roosevelt only went there to hunt some animals. The crowds were cheering, and the bands were playing. There were signs, banners, and billboards everywhere for the President saying, 'Welcome Home.' The dear missionary and his wife with their luggage in hand quietly made their way to the deck of the ship to exit. No one had come to welcome them back home. There were no bands playing or banners flying in their honor. Henry Morrison went to his hotel room with a rather heavy heart. As he sat there on the bed, he asked his wife, 'Honey, for forty years we poured our lives into ministry and service. And yet we come back to America and not a single soul comes to welcome us home!' His wife came and sat down next to her husband. She put her hand on his shoulder, and said to him, 'Henry, you have forgotten something, you're not home yet!'"

(Source.)

I have been greatly challenged by this last Beatitude where Jesus commands us to rejoice when persecuted. I am grateful for you. Be strong. The Lord is with you. Jesus is worthy!

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Podcast of the Week

The Beatitudes, Pt. 7

Pastor Danny continues his series about the Beatitudes of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5-7. In this episode, he examines Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

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