A bronze medal in the British Museum bears the inscription: "To
Diocletian, who destroyed Christianity." This is certainly grotesque,
almost amusing, considering the historic fact that Christianity has since
become in the world a power, second only to Omnipotence. Now the question
arises, What has become of Diocletian? --Evangel
Remember
who you are. Who am I as a
Christian? If you can remember who you are then you will know what you are
not. You will remember what you
have and what you have not. You
will remember who your Father is. You
will know where you came from and where you are going and what you are
supposed to be doing these years and days of your life. These be-attitudes
describe the characteristics of the person who has become born again into the
kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
These are the keys, principles, or laws of Christ’s new kingdom.
Where is the kingdom? The
kingdom is the domain of the king. If
He is King in your house then these principles apply.
The kingdom was inaugurated by Christ and will culminate at the end of
the age. These principles of the life of the Christian are for each one who
has allowed Him to rule in their life. This
is a description of the spiritual life of the follower of Jesus.
The
Purpose of this message is to show why it is good to be persecuted.
Scripture Text:
Matt 5:1 (KJS) And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain:
and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth,
and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted. 5 Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6
Blessed [are] they, which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they
shall be filled. 7 Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed [are]
the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed
[are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and
persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for
my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in
heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
World’s
Standards: Blessed are those who
refuse to follow any moral standards, for they will avoid getting caught in
the middle, Blessed are you who avoid conflict at all costs, for you will be
liked by everyone.
I.
What is persecution?
Godly persecution comes when a person or groups of people suffer
because of the stand that they take with the Lord.
These are personal attacks on you because you are living with God.
These can be silent attacks or outright attacks on your life.
People will not support you or help you.
They will not come to your aid when you are drowning.
They will despise you and curse you.
They will accuse you falsely and try to destroy your reputation.
The evil one will try to stop you from living your life to effectively
lead people to Christ. He will do
this through well “meaning” individuals that will attempt to cause you or
yours harm. But we have to
remember the reason for this persecution.
It is because we suffer for righteousness sake.
II.
Where does persecution come
from?
It comes from the world, family church.
It is designed by satan to knock you out of your Christian life.
“I remember being with a church member in the hospital while I was
visiting her sick mother. While
we were talking this church member went through the list of the pastor’s
that she had known, and she described to me the problems that each one of them
had. As I listened to her
complaints I was saddened by the fact that I knew one day I would be added to
that list, and I was.” The fact remains that none of us are perfect and we must
realize that pastors, fellow church members, and Christian friends are just
like we are. We are all trying to
make it in this life with the Lord. Although
some may make choices we wouldn’t have made we can’t persecute them for
it, but we are to love them and try to help them.
III.
Who has been persecuted?
We will be
persecuted for righteousness sake. Jesus
was persecuted and crucified. The
Prophets were imprisoned and murdered. Paul
and Silas were imprisoned. Matthew
suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia.
Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the
streets of that city. Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of
Greece. John was put in a caldron
of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterward
branded at Patmos. Peter was
crucified at Rome with his head downward.
James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem.
James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and
then beaten to death with a fuller's club.
Bartholomew was
flayed alive. Andrew was bound to
a cross, whence he preached to his persecutors until he died.
Thomas was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel in the East
Indies. Jude was shot to death
with arrows. Matthias was first
stoned and then beheaded. Barnabas
of the Gentiles was stoned to death at Salonica.
Paul, after various tortures and persecutions, was at length beheaded
at Rome by the Emperor Nero.The disciples were all martyred save one for their
testimony. Modern Christianity has been censored and ridiculed by much
of our society.
IV.
Who will be persecuted?
The enemies of their Master insulted all of the apostles.
They were called to seal their doctrines with their blood and nobly did they
bear the trial.
a.
All those who live Godly lives and take a stand for the right.
II tim. 3:12
b.
All who are willing to pay the price and go M.A.D. for the Lord.
Those who live out these inner beatitudes in life.
c.
Those who have found something to live.
No one lives until he has something to die for.
d.
Are you willing to die for him? Would
you live for Him? If it meant a
Wednesday night?
V.
What is the result of
persecution? Fear,
Hurt, and pain are some of the results of being persecuted for righteousness
sake. This too will pass.
Also, joy or happiness and singing can be a result of what God is doing
in your life. After the testing
you will become very strong. Because you have been through the fire and now your faith has
been strengthened.
VI.
How can we deal with the
persecution?
Realizing who we are in Christ is the beginning of understanding the
persecution that we may suffer. We
will be despised because of who we represent and the way we live for him.
“When a Hindu woman became
a follower of Christ, her unsaved relatives tried to make her life miserable.
One day a missionary asked her, "When your husband is angry and
persecutes you, what do you do?" She
replied, "I just cook the food better and sweep the floor a little
cleaner. When he speaks unkindly,
I answer him mildly, trying to show him in every way that when I became a
Christian I also became a better wife."
That husband resisted all the sermons of the missionary, but he could
not withstand the practical preaching of his wife.
The Holy Spirit used that woman's gracious testimony, and eventually
the man received Christ.”
Donald Cargill was a bright star in history of Scottish persecutions.
He was condemned by the government and sentenced to the gallows.
When he came to the scaffold, Cargill said these moving words, although
it was said that the drums were beaten in an attempt to drown out his voice:
Now I am near to getting to my crown, which shall be sure; for I
bless the Lord, and desire all of you to bless Him that He hath
brought me here, and makes me triumph over devils, and men, and
sin -- they shall wound me no more.
I forgive all men the wrongs
they have done to me, and pray the Lord may forgive all the wrongs
that any of the elect have done against Him.
I pray that
sufferers may be kept from sin, and helped to know their
duty -- farewell reading and preaching, praying and believing,
wanderings, reproaches, and sufferings.
Welcome joy unspeakable
and full of glory.
VI.
Will you be persecuted? Have
you been persecuted? You
can fill in the blank.