August 11, 2024
As I have been studying and preparing for the sermon series we are going to start today, I have been pondering on a thought that occurred to me as I was looking at the last beatitude. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all matter of evil against you falsely, for my name’s sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12 KJV). This is by far the longest beatitude, and I think it is longest for a reason. Jesus, of all people, understood what it was like to be persecuted and He wanted His followers to know they, too, would be persecuted. In fact, most of those who heard this sermon of Jesus in person would suffer the worst type of persecution. Most of them died as martyrs for Christ. Christian persecution is nothing new. Before God’s enemies persecuted Christians, Jesus reminded His disciples that they persecuted the prophets as well. Marie and I are finishing the book of Jeremiah in our daily Bible reading. His life is just one example of what it means to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. There is an attitude among many of today’s Christians, especially many American Christians, that seems to think persecution is something other Christians face, but we have the “right” in America to never suffer persecution. Just as technology and other modern conveniences have made life easier for recent generations, this “easier life” has produced some negative characteristics, one of which is entitlement. We think we deserve to “easy life” and get all bent out of shape if it isn’t given to us. If you don’t think all of us have a touch of the entitlement bug, just let AT&T or Verizon go on the fritz for a few hours and listen to the outcry. I’m afraid this entitlement attitude has spilled over into the church. We American Christians have been persecution free for so long that when persecution begins to rear it’s head (and make no mistake, it is rearing its head and will continue to get worse) we get mad and offended when the world says mean things about our faith and beliefs. Don’t misunderstand, we should stand up for our rights as American citizens but, with that being said, we should also expect the world to persecute us. We shouldn’t be surprised when worldly people do what worldly people have always done. We need to do what God’s people have always done. We need to continue living for and pointing others to Jesus and pray the world will see and hear Jesus in us and turn to Him before it is too late.
Be blessed and be a blessing . . . Bro. Andy
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