JSM | Identity .7 | Persecuted (7/21/2024)
JSM | Identity .7 | Persecuted
Heb. (נּט רּקהץ מּןביםךשד דּטנרם'דלט)
Gk. (Βψ Ρεω. Νιξηολασ Σψβροωσκψ)
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Invocation:
Observe Live Stream online.
Opening Word & Reading for Worship:
The New Testament in Contemporary English by Eugene H. Peterson known as the Message Translation (MSG):
Mt. 5:1-12
“When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed by him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said: ‘You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule [(aka. ‘poor in spirit’ or ‘humble’)]. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you [(Mourning)]. You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought [(Meek)]. You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat [(hunger & thirst for righteousness)]. You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full’, you find yourselves cared for [(Merciful)]. You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world [(Purity)]. You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family [(Peacemakers)]. You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom [(Persecuted)]. Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. ~Jesus I.A.W Mt. 5:1-12 (MSG)
The Kingdom of God has come to the least likely people. Beatitudes, blessings and what it means. The standard ideal character traits of a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Intro:
Today we finish our heavily concentrated focus upon the Beatitudes with number 8 of 8. Blessed are the persecuted.
Main Text: Mat 5:10-12 KJV - 10
"Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." ~ Matthew quoting Jesus the Christ our Lord Mt. 5:10 (KJV)
Jesus goes on to somewhat expound upon the “persecuted” and summarize the beatitudes. A Sub-summary if you will.
"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." ~Mat 5:11-12 (KJV)
Now the true or larger summary of this identity subject within the sermon on the mount introduction will be next week regarding Salt & Light. But,
in my opinion if you have any of these beatitude identification character attributes in the following of Jesus, you will be persecuted.
John 16:33 Jesus is quoted as saying,
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." ~Jhn 16:33 (KJV)
“These things” were of the subjects of Jesus warning of persecution during the ‘tribulation’, the Holy Spirit Promised as help and comfort, Jesus’ Death and Resurrection Foretold and Prayer Promises being fulfilled to the children of God.
Here he tells His disciples that their grief will turn to joy.
Luke put what Jesus said here in this section of the beatitudes as
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company], and shall reproach [you], and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward [is] great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” ~Luk 6:22-23 (KJV)
1. Persecuted for righteousness sake.
Simplified: You do the right thing and then get in trouble.
What is tribulation?
(Syn. Misfortune, Trial, Suffering, Pain, Ordeal.) -a cause of great trouble or suffering. ~OxfordDictionaries Oxford University Press
In example “the troubles of being pregnant and bearing a child.”
What is persecution?
(Syn. harassment, oppression, maltreatment, pursuit (antagonistic targeting), discrimination, bullying.) -hostility and ill-treatment, especially on the basis of ethnicity, [lifestyle], religion, or political beliefs. ~OxfordDictionaries Oxford University Press
Here in this passage, Jesus is referring to religious persecution. Outside of destiny the prophetic fulfillment of the first coming and preparation for the 2nd coming which is the perfect plan of God; Jesus was crucified because he practiced the Torah (Law-Pentateuch) differently than the religious leaders of Jewish Antiquity.
Jewish tradition rejects Jesus as the Messiah. To this day Traditional Judaism religion believes that Jesus was a failed Messiah, among other reasons they crucified him as a “false prophet”.
If you love Jesus and consider yourself to be a warrior for Christ; if you consider yourself Christian, then you may experience maltreatment because of your identity as a disciple.
In my opinion this is one reason Paul writes in Romans 1:16 -
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."~ Rom 1:16-17 (NKJV)
In the face of adversity Paul was willing to die for the Gospel and wouldn’t allow others to bully him causing him to turn from the good news of Jesus Christ thereby causing others to perceive him as ashamed to the power of the gospel.
Along with Paul and the earliest disciples of Jesus, there are many examples of religious persecution throughout history. Some of which we have access to observe their story. The Voice of Martyrs serves persecuted Christians in the world’s most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. Pastor Richard Wurmbrand and his wife Sabina founded VOM after being imprisoned for their Christian witness in Communist Romania.
Since 1967, VOM has been dedicated to inspiring all believers to a biblical faith by telling the stories of persecuted Christians, thereby inspiring a deeper commitment to Christ and the fulfillment of his Great Commission, no matter the cost.
Persecuted Christians Since 1967 | The Voice of the Martyrs
With our tithes and offerings we’re able to engage to support 7 Missionary contacts on our Missionary Roster. You can see more about them here on our church blog
We can increase our financial support of our existing roster and engage new contacts such as VOM with the growth of our church body. Remember our Mission’s Campaign Motto:
“We grow as we go!”
The VOM map (follow link for a similar online view) posted in our foyer reveals Bibles on the Front Lines and the VOM mission give a Bible to every Christian believer in Dangerous and/or difficult places. The map also shows places that are illegal and/or highly restrictive and places where only covert operations can occur.
Richard Wurmbrand invites us to help with this mission but warns us
“If you are not willing to die for what is in the Bible, you should not give money for Bibles. Because if you give, we will smuggle more Bibles. And if we smuggle more Bibles, there will be more martyrs.” ~Richard Wurmbrand
I would love for our church to contribute support to VOM, but for now we’ll accept a subscription to their free magazine. For now, we focus on “going” with what and where we can at this time and “growing” to spiritual maturity to promote greater engagement with increased body and treasurer.
“We grow as we go!”
Never forget that Christian ministry begins in the home and right here in our Dove Creek Community. Whenever you leave this campus ‘You’re entering the mission field’.
Persecution is closer than one might recognize.
Widow's Joy: He Didn't Deny Christ When Beheaded
This news report from CBN is from 2015, only nine years ago. In my opinion this is one of many symptoms of the “beginning of sorrows”(Mt.24:8) in the end of times as Jesus himself describes in Mt. 24.
2. Reward in heaven for Christian Martyrdom.
Revelation of John Rev. 20:4
"I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years." ~Rev 20:4 (NIV)
More from John’s Revelation Rev. 7:13-17.
"Ye that endure will have White Robes of purity washed in the blood of Lamb. Live before the throne of God serving him day and night in the temple and he that sits on the throne will dwell with among you (See Rev. 3:21). No hunger or thirst any more no more sun or heat, fed by the lamb and living fountains of waters and no more sorrow and no more tears of sorrow." ~Rev. 7:13-17 Paraphrase (KJV)
What should we do if we discover we’re experiencing persecution?
A) Focus not on pain and suffering, but on that promised reward.
List of rewards:
- Reign with Christ 1,000 years (Rev 20:4),
- Avoiding the second death in the lake of fire (Rev 20:6),”…The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death (Smyrna. Rev 2:11),
- “…To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” ( Eph. Rev. 2:7).
- “...To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna.
- I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it (Pergamum. Rev 2:17).
- 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 27 that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'--just as I have received authority from my Father.
- 28 I will also give that one the morning star (Thyatira. Rev 2:26-28).
- 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels (Sardis Rev 3:5, 7:13).
- The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name (Philadelphia. Rev 3:12).
- 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne (Laodicea. Rev 3:21, See 7:13-15).
This reward is relevant to our church's core value: "V" in Dove for Victorious Living.
B) Obey the Lord Jesus Christ’s Instruction and follow his example & the example of the Apostles.
Lk. 6:23.
"Rejoice on that day and jump [for joy,] for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to treat the prophets the same way. ~ Luk 6:23 (NASB20)
Mt. 5:44.
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on [the] evil and [the] good, and sends rain on [the] righteous and [the] unrighteous." ~Mat 5:44-45 NASB20
Luke reports it as:
"Woe [to you] when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to treat the false prophets the same way. 27 "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you," ~Luk 6:26-27 NASB20
Mt. 10:16-28 Mat 10:16-23, 28, 31
"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves. 17 "But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to [the] courts and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings on My account, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour. 20 "For it is not you who are speaking, but [it is] the Spirit of your Father who is speaking in you. 21 "Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father [his] child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 "And you will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23 "But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish [going through] the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. ... 28 "And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ... 31 "So do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows." ~Mt. 10:16-28 Mat 10:16-23, 28, 31 (NASB20)
C) Follow the Apostle Paul’s Example.
"Up to this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed and roughly treated and homeless; 12 and we labor, working with our own hands; when we are verbally abused, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure [it;] 13 when we are slandered, we reply as friends; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, [even] until now."~1Co 4:11-13 (NASB20)
"But we have this treasure in earthen containers, so that the extraordinary [greatness] of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 [we are] afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being handed over to death because of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you. 13 But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written: "I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus, and will present [us] with you. 15 For all things [are] for your sakes, so that grace, having spread to more and more people, will cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner [person] is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." ~2Co 4:7-18 NASB20
D) Listen to Job’s story and be inspired to endure hardship.
3. Next Week JSM | Identity .8 | Salt & Light
Conclusion:
Expect and trust in the rewards: (See list of rewards☝️) Rejoice, pray and love them by making peace with them and doing good to them.
Just like Paul said in, Rom 8:16-18
"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” ~Rom 8:16-18 (ESV)
“…Glory…” An inheritance! What was Paul doing? Fixating his eyes upon the Lamb of God. Fix your eyes upon His suffering and acknowledge Jesus as the only begotten Son of God (See Deu 11:18, Job 14:3, Pro 4:25, 2Co 4:18, Heb 3:1).
The OT Prophecies fulfilled in Christ: Messiah experiencing hatred for no reason, the beating of God’s servant, the spitting on God’s servant, the suffering Lamb of God, Betrayed by His very own people. Mocked, reviled (Despised, Condemned), slandered. Looking on the pierced Messiah. Crucified for our transgressions.
Exhortation: Keep your hand to the plow!
Heb 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." ~Heb 12:1-3 (NIV)
Gal 6:9-10
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." ~Gal 6:9-10 (NIV)
Altar Call to Action/Suggested Response:
Close your eyes. Envision the words of him that are to come when you meet your maker.
“well done my good and faithful servant”(Mt. 25:21, 23).
Rev 2:3, 10, 13 NIV - 3
"You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. ... 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. ... 13 I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas [(great tribulation), (when)]my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives. Come now and receive the Crown of life" ~Rev. 2:3, 10, 13 (NIV).
Prayer & song.
If you need prayer for strength to endure an ongoing sense of persecution or suffering, come to the altar for prayer now &/or Wednesday nights at 7. You can join us for the new Bible Study this evening at 7p; Thriving in an Angry World.
Prayer of endurance in the face of adversity and through trials and tribulations. Prayer for our Nation.
Does your Anchor Hold?
Benediction:
"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." ~Jude 1:24, 25
Credits & Citations:
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