The Constitution of God’s Kingdom Part 8

The Beatitudes (Persecution)

The Sermon on the Mount - Jesus starts this incredible sermon by listing specific characteristics that are essential to the subjects of His Kingdom. Each Beatitude includes; (a) a pronouncement of blessings, (b) a description of the ones considered as blessed, and (c) an explanation of the blessing itself. Note, none of these characteristics can be found in the world system.

For instance, a large number of people in today’s society don't like, or are very uncomfortable around, those who are pure, mild, peacemakers, and are principled or honourable in life. But we must understand that such people (those who are uneasy around ‘Christlikeness’), will act on these negative emotions and try to make themselves feel better by mistreating the “righteous.” However, persecution comes in many forms, and some of the persecution may come from people claiming to be Christians. Satan has cunningly placed people in all areas, ready to bring physical, material or emotional harm to anyone who is faithfully following Jesus.

What’s more, there is also a danger of us causing our own persecution, by being annoying, self-righteous, judgmental, or pushing over our beliefs. People will always react when treated in this way. God made us all with unique personalities. We all have different ways of doing things, different ways of seeing things, and each individual’s beliefs will translate differently. God never intended us to be carbon copies of each other. So it’s important that we accept each other's distinctiveness, and love each other as He loves us. Otherwise, we bring persecution upon ourselves, and will likely end up persecuting the people whose differences we refuse to accept. God is not glorified when we try to force our beliefs or religious standards onto someone else. The Spirit of Truth is a perfect gentleman.

Jesus' answer to any persecution is for His people to “rejoice and be glad.” Why? Because whenever you allow persecution to cause anger or depression, you are allowing yourself to be pulled away from God and into the grip of the devil. But if you keep your eyes upon Jesus, and stay in communication with Him (remembering that you have the Host of Heaven backing you), you will be able to rise above the negative actions of others and ‘rejoice’.
“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)

In this Beatitude, Jesus was not referring to someone who is being looked down upon because they wear a cross. Nor was He speaking of someone who has been picked on because they happen to listen to Christian music. But Jesus is hitting at the core of what it means to be a follower of Christ (a subject of the Kingdom of God). He is warning those who are sold out completely to living a life for Him and His cause. Such people will have a distinct aroma of the Spirit of God on their lives, and this scent is the smell of death for those who are dying spiritually. For this reason, true followers of Christ will probably be rejected by the immoral and politically correct. But in contrast, believers who do not hold to their faith typically are not persecuted - for there is no reason to be. They are not making a loud enough stand against the systems of this world to merit being silenced.

Unfortunately, when Christians lead this kind of life, they may not be experiencing adversity for the sake of the Gospel, but neither are they experiencing the blessings of living a life of genuine righteousness. Satan has no need to harass anyone who has strayed from the Word of God; for such a person has already been rendered ineffective as witnesses for Christ, and therefore, is no longer a spiritual threat to God’s enemies. In contrast, should you who choose to take a stand against the world system and its evils you are guaranteed to experience opposition, abandonment and rejection. But Jesus said to “rejoice and be exceedingly glad!

Strong, uncompromising Christians who are not afraid to speak the truth of God's Word may not be martyred for their faith, but they will certainly not be considered a guest of honour at a pro-abortion gathering either. To be rejected by the world means to be accepted by Christ, and honoured by the Father - just as Christ was accepted and honoured for His obedience.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Exceedingly fortunate are those who are victimized for righteousness sake” The word persecuted means; ‘to be pursued’ or ‘chased after’, ‘to stalk with hostile intent’ or ‘hunt down’. Persecution and all the variations of this word are used in the Bible approximately 76 times. The word signifies “being chased after”. It is like a continuous, ruthless chase to hunt down prey.

1 Peter 4:12-14;16-19 - “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you… However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name…. So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”
With regards persecution, here are a couple points to note:

For the first century Christians, persecution was a norm rather than the exception. For it’s not the suffering but the Cause that makes a martyr.
You may not necessarily go through violent persecution or suffering but you should still have a sense of being constantly chased after by the enemies of Christ. When you pursue righteousness, you are always running or fleeing from antagonistic spiritual forces. These evil forces are chasing after you to knock you down and get you to give up the Cause of Jesus Christ.

But ‘the gates of hell will not prevail against the church’ (Matthew 16:18), and ‘the violent will seize it by force’ (Matthew 11:12). Whenever you are persecuted you are to plunder hell - and populate heaven! For the spiritual conflict is never lost. Jesus offers those who are persecuted for His name, an inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven. And heaven is where the blessings and promises of God are housed. We’re exceedingly fortunate whenever we are being persecuted for righteousness sake because we have access to every blessing of God in heavenly places. And whatever is loosed in heaven is loosed on earth!

Let me explain… Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It’s as if the Lord is giving us something - “for theirs is.” That is, “the kingdom of heaven.” Therefore, if we have the kingdom of heaven we must also have the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Now let’s read Matthew 16:17-19 - "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

This Beatitude may appear at first to contradict itself by saying “blessed are those who are victimized,” however, if you read it in the context of Matthew 16:17-19 you will see that the church is blessed because it has all spiritual authority. Therefore, whenever you are ‘being hunted down’ for the Cause of Jesus Christ, you must remember that you are blessed! “Blessed” because you have the keys of authority in the spirit realm; “blessed” because your enemy has already been defeated. “Blessed” because you can take it by force! “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). The idea is that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, so it requires of us an equally strong and radical reaction! To be forcefully antagonistic!

In the later part of this passage, Jesus went on to say that we are the salt of the earth and a light to the world. If the salt loses it's flavour or the light is hidden, it is of no value. Therefore, no follower of Jesus should pull away and hide from the world out of fear of persecution. It is good to spend a little time, each day, away from everyone, to commune with God. To be encouraged and strengthened for each day. No one should stay in isolation or cut off from the world, or they become flavourless salt, and a hidden (secret) light. "Just so let your light shine before all men, in order that they may see your holy lives and may give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." Matthew 5:16 (Weymouth New Testament).

This ends the eight part bible study series on the beatitudes. I hope that you would have enjoyed this series as much as I have and I pray that it would bring new and fresh perspective in your personal walk with Christ.

Chris Demetriou, 29/11/2009