Latest / CCC West Covina / Blessed are the Persecuted

Transcript

Blessed are the Persecuted · CCC West Covina

0:00
Father, we thank you for today and just the opportunity to to
0:03
be here tonight. Lord, we realize that there's so
0:06
much that we do not understand about you and your Kingdom, and
0:10
yet you've given us your word that explains things to us.
0:14
And we want to be students of the word.
0:16
We want to learn about you and we want to know our God, our
0:21
prayer. Father is like the apostle Paul
0:24
that we might know you and the fellowship of your sufferings.
0:27
He was a man who who wrote so much of the New Testament, yet
0:31
was always longing to know you even more.
0:36
I I pray that that would be us, that Lord, we would never get
0:39
enough of you and that we would always be longing to know more
0:44
of who you are. And that Lord, as we get to know
0:47
you, you rub off on us in such a way it transforms everything
0:51
that we say and do and think and act.
0:55
So it is to ask, Lord, that tonight, as we come to
0:57
understand more of who You are, that You would shape us and mold
1:01
us into Your image, that we might better glorify Your
1:03
precious name. I pray for the downtrodden this
1:07
evening, or that You encourage them.
1:09
I pray, Lord, for those who are discouraged that you'd uplift
1:12
them. I pray for those who are
1:14
hurting, that Your word would provide some some remedy, some
1:19
comfort for them during this time.
1:21
And pray that Lord, we learn to minister to one another even
1:25
more so as you see the day of Your coming drawing near.
1:29
Pray this in Jesus name, Amen. Take your Bible and turn with
1:34
me, if you would, to Matthew chapter 5.
1:39
Matthew chapter 5 is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount
1:43
simply because the Lord went up on to a mount, sat down and
1:47
began to preach the sermon in Matthew chapter 8.
1:52
When he's done preaching, he descends the mount, and so we
1:57
know that this is a place where our Lord would ascend to teach
2:01
people the truth about Kingdom living.
2:05
Where that mount exactly is, no one really knows.
2:09
There is a traditional place. It's not necessarily the actual
2:14
place, but people go there and reminisce about what Christ said
2:20
in Matthews 5-6 and seven. It's not so much the place where
2:25
he said these things, it's the it's the person who said them.
2:29
It's not necessarily the mountain that's important.
2:32
It's the message that Christ gave on that mountain which is
2:36
so important. And the message he gives is all
2:39
about learning to live like a child of the King.
2:43
Have you ever wondered what a child of the king looks like?
2:48
Well, wonder no more, because in Matthew chapter 5, verses 1 to
2:53
12, he describes to us the children of the Kingdom.
2:59
He teaches us what it means to grow up in the Kingdom, how to
3:04
get into the Kingdom. He explains to us what it means
3:08
to live like a child of the king.
3:12
And so you can easily see someone as a child of the king
3:19
if they understand the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, verses
3:24
1 to 12, you can understand those people who are children of
3:29
the king because they're merciful, they're meek, they're
3:36
peacemakers, they hunger and thirst for righteousness.
3:42
They are the ones who have mourned over their sin and over
3:44
the judgement that awaits them, so much so that they give their
3:48
life to Christ. They recognize that they are so
3:51
poor in spirit, they have nothing to give toward their
3:55
salvation. Those are people that Christ
3:59
describes as those who have come into His Kingdom, and they're
4:03
growing in His Kingdom. So if you want to know whether
4:08
or not you're a child of the King, match yourself against
4:12
what Jesus says. He says these words in Matthew
4:17
chapter 5 verse #3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
4:23
is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for
4:28
they and they only shall be comforted.
4:31
Blessed are the gentle or the meek, for they and they only
4:35
shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and
4:38
thirst for righteousness, for they and they only shall be
4:43
satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for
4:47
they and they only shall receive mercy.
4:51
Blessed are the pure heart, for only they shall see God.
4:56
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of
5:03
God. You could imagine what it must
5:07
have been like for all these people, scores of them,
5:10
thousands of them on the mountainside, listening to the
5:14
words of Jesus. He preaches his sermon and he
5:18
begins with blessedness, happiness, true inner joy and
5:25
contentment and inner and inner contentment that's non affected
5:32
by circumstances around them. Because there is an inner joy,
5:38
there's an inner peace, there's a inner contentment, there's an
5:42
inner blessedness, a, a blissfulness about their lives.
5:48
And so they, they, they are sitting there listening to Jesus
5:51
speak and, and he begins by talking to them about true
5:57
blessing. And the words that he uses are
6:00
probably contrary to anything they had ever heard simply
6:04
because Jesus never quotes a rabbi.
6:09
He never quotes the Mishnah. He just speaks at the end of the
6:16
sermon. They are, they are astounded
6:19
because never a man spoke like this man.
6:23
He spoke differently than everybody else spoke.
6:26
And so there would be scores of people that would follow him
6:30
down the mountain, probably as many as have followed him up the
6:36
mountain. But when you come to the
6:39
Beatitudes and you come to the next one, I'm sure it must have
6:45
caused people to pause, because listen to what Jesus says next.
6:52
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of
6:58
righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
7:02
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and
7:08
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
7:12
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.
7:18
For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
7:24
before you. I'm sure that there were people
7:28
on the mountain that would scratch their heads, maybe begin
7:33
to snicker or sneer or even begin to scratch their heads and
7:40
look to their friend and say this can't be true.
7:45
Blessed are they persecuted? How?
7:50
How can that possibly be? How can those who are persecuted
7:53
rejoice and be glad? How can they be exuberant?
7:59
How can they ever receive a blessing if they are persecuted?
8:07
But that's what Jesus says as he concludes the first part of a
8:13
sermon. Verse 10 is the beatitude.
8:17
Verses 11 and 12 are the explanation to the beatitude.
8:21
And so in order for us to understand it, we will go
8:25
through the same outline that we've gone over the last several
8:28
weeks. And that is what we will define
8:30
the condition persecution. Then we'll describe the
8:35
consequences of those who are persecuted, detail their
8:40
characteristics, and then determine which course we will
8:43
follow as a result of what Christ has said.
8:46
Very simple outline. We've used it for all the
8:49
Beatitudes. But let's first of all define
8:52
the condition. You can define it several ways.
8:55
You can define it #1 personally #2 that which is promised and #3
9:04
that which is painful, and you can add a fourth one, that which
9:09
is purposeful. But this persecution is that
9:16
which is personal. Listen to what Jesus says.
9:21
He says blessed are those. He continues in the same way of
9:28
the other Beatitudes until he comes to verse 11 and then he
9:32
personalizes it. He says blessed are you when
9:38
people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of
9:44
evil against you. So he wants to personalize the
9:50
persecution and take it away from that which is generic, the
9:56
populace to the individual. And the question would come,
10:01
well, how? How is it the meek person is
10:04
persecuted? How is it you just said that
10:08
the, the peacemakers are, are called the sons of God?
10:11
Why would peacemakers be persecuted?
10:16
Are peacemakers really troublemakers?
10:21
Are peacemakers the ones who cause the most strife?
10:24
How can that possibly be? How is it that those who hunger
10:29
and thirst for truth and righteousness, why is it they
10:33
are persecuted? And those who show mercy, why
10:40
would they be persecuted? And those in the audience would
10:45
have to ask that question. Whether or not Jesus pause, I
10:50
don't know. Text doesn't tell us, but but he
10:55
repeats it to make sure that you get it.
10:58
Blessed are those who are are persecuted for righteousness
11:02
sake for for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
11:06
And then he reiterates it by saying blessed are you when men
11:10
insult you. Blessed are men when you when
11:13
people abuse you. So he he, he wants to double
11:17
down on the persecution to make sure that you understand it,
11:22
because the question would be, are you kidding?
11:26
How can that possibly be? So Christ makes it very
11:31
personal. But the persecution is that
11:34
which is also promised. It's promised.
11:38
It's going to come. It's the natural outflow of
11:43
living like a child of the King. Listen carefully.
11:49
If you are not being persecuted, it's because you are reflecting
11:58
the world, not rebuking the world.
12:03
It's that simple. If you're not being persecuted
12:07
for righteousness sake, it's because your lifestyle more
12:12
reflects the things of the world instead of rebuking the things
12:20
of the world. You see, if you're a peacemaker,
12:24
we started this last week, you, you're committed to, to
12:27
righteousness and truth. Psalm 85, righteousness and
12:31
truth have have kissed each other because they're one in the
12:34
same. And so if you're a peacemaker,
12:36
you are a truth teller. If you're a truth teller, all
12:40
those who don't want to adhere to truth are going to be upset.
12:45
They're not going to like that. They're going to become very,
12:49
very angry. It would be the apostle Paul
12:54
said in Second Timothy 312 that all those who live godly in
12:58
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13:03
So if you don't want to suffer persecution, live ungodly, but
13:08
if you live godly, you shall suffer persecution.
13:12
Paul tells that the young Timothy, so he understands the
13:14
fact that when you live for Christ, it's going to cost you.
13:20
It was Moses who chose to suffer affliction with the people of
13:29
God than to choose the passing pleasures of sin.
13:37
Moses made a choice. He chose to forego the passing
13:42
pleasures of sin, that which the world would give him.
13:48
And he was Nixon line to to be the Pharaoh.
13:51
He was educated in the greatest educational system of his day.
13:58
He had wealth that had no limits and yet he chose to suffer
14:06
affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the passing
14:11
pleasures of sin for a season. The Bible also says in
14:16
Philippians 129 these words for to you it has been granted for
14:26
Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, but to suffer
14:32
for him. For Christ's sake it has been
14:39
granted to you. For the sake of Christ's name,
14:44
for the sake of who Christ is, it's been granted you not just
14:51
to believe in his name, because we know that belief is a gift.
14:55
And if you believe in God, it's something that God has granted
14:59
you, but also to suffer for his name.
15:04
That's also a gift that God gives.
15:08
That's why persecution is is promised.
15:13
Acts 18 When you receive the Spirit of God, you will become
15:20
my witnesses, literally motor race, my martyrs.
15:26
When you receive the Spirit of God, you will be martyred for
15:30
me. And is it not true that all the
15:35
apostles were martyred in some brutal kind of way except for
15:43
the apostle John? He was exiled to the island of
15:45
Patmos, but all the rest were were martyred.
15:50
Church history tells us that Peter was crucified upside down
15:54
because he wasn't worthy to be crucified right side up like his
15:59
Lord. Andrew was crucified on an X
16:02
shaped cross. And you go down through church
16:06
history and you read about these men that everything that was
16:10
promised to them came true because persecution is the
16:14
promise given to the Son of God, to the child of God.
16:23
It makes you, makes you pause for a moment, doesn't it?
16:26
And ask yourself the question, how is it I'm being persecuted?
16:33
How is it I'm being insulted or abused?
16:38
Or am I, am I just fitting into the the the fabric of society?
16:47
Do I fit in so well that my whole Christianity is
16:50
camouflaged that no one really knows my stand on the truth?
16:57
Even in your own family, right? A lot of you have unsafe family
17:02
members. Some of you have unsaved
17:03
husbands or wives. Or are you just fitting into the
17:08
framework of the family? Or you standing strong on the
17:11
truth of the gospel and your husband or wife are persecuting
17:15
you because of your stand on the truth, your unwillingness to
17:21
compromise? See, you can avoid persecution
17:25
by compromise. You can avoid persecution by
17:29
being tolerant. You can avoid persecution by not
17:33
saying anything. You can avoid persecution by by
17:39
accepting and affirming all the things of the world and not
17:43
going against the things of the world.
17:46
We, we so many times just want to fit in and, and, and just be
17:50
silent and just go through life on a bed of ease.
17:56
Except the Lord said, blessed are you when men persecute you,
18:03
when they insult you, when they speak all matter of evil against
18:09
you, for my name's sake. Very important.
18:17
Jesus also said, I think it's important to note this, that
18:21
those who are shamed of me and my words, I will be ashamed of
18:29
them before my Father who is in heaven.
18:34
He says my words because you can't be ashamed of what God
18:38
says. Christ says don't be ashamed of
18:41
me nor nor my words, my truth, my gospel.
18:48
Don't be ashamed of that because you run the danger of me being
18:54
you being ashamed before my Father who is in heaven, which
18:56
means that the Lord has no part with you.
19:03
You see, persecution is a great thing.
19:06
We don't see this great, but it really is.
19:07
It's it's the greatest purifier of the church.
19:13
Nothing purifies the church greater than persecution.
19:17
Think about the Tribulation. Revelation 69 to 11 speaks about
19:22
those martyrs who have been killed during the Tribulation.
19:25
And they, they're asking how long the Lord, how long the Lord
19:29
And the Lord says it will happen until others like you have been
19:34
killed as well, because Christians will be martyred
19:38
during the Tribulation period. We don't, we don't face much of
19:43
that today in our society. We will, but not now.
19:48
We don't face being beheaded as those in Revelation 20 will die
19:54
in this tribulation. They'll have their heads cut
19:56
off. We don't face that today in
19:59
America. And yet I wonder how how we'd
20:05
fare if those who speak against us would threaten our lives and
20:14
they could actually carry it out.
20:17
The early church was was a purified church because they
20:21
really suffered persecution. If you were a Jew and and you
20:25
gave your life to Christ, you were you were excommunicated
20:29
from the synagogue. You are excommunicated from your
20:32
family. So if you're a Jew in the days
20:37
of Jesus, to be committed to Christ would be you lose
20:42
everything, everything. So Jesus says in Luke 9, if any
20:50
man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and
20:54
follow me. And the cross of course, was a
20:57
symbol of derision. It was a symbol of of pain and
21:00
suffering. So Jesus made it very clear that
21:04
if you want to follow me, do so, but you must deny yourself then,
21:13
and then only can you take up your cross and be a disciple of
21:17
mine. He spoke very clearly.
21:22
He didn't want anybody to have a mixed message about
21:26
Christianity. See, the problem in our day is
21:29
that we've we've downplayed Christianity, we've downplayed
21:32
the gospel. We've diluted the gospel to such
21:35
an extent that anybody who hears it can believe it.
21:42
That's why in our churches, when we we downplay the gospel and we
21:45
we seek to accommodate the unbeliever.
21:47
The church was never designed to accommodate the believer, to
21:51
make the church a place where the unbeliever is, is
21:55
comfortable. If an unbeliever walks through
21:59
our doors, they should be extremely uncomfortable.
22:03
But isn't it interesting that the church today has changed all
22:06
that to make the unbeliever so comfortable in our setting?
22:11
They just feel right at home. That's not true Christianity.
22:19
That's not what Jesus said. You want the unbeliever to come
22:24
and feel convicted because they've heard something that
22:28
goes against their life and they get so mad they never want to
22:31
come back. Or they truly repent of sin and
22:34
say, right, I need the Lord. That's what you want to see
22:38
happen. The worst thing you can do is
22:41
make the unbeliever feel comfortable in your church.
22:47
That would not be a church. That would be a whole bunch of
22:52
people pretending to be churches or pretending to be Christians
22:55
in a church. The church was never designed to
23:00
do that. The church is the pillar and
23:01
foundation of the truth. First Timothy 3, right?
23:04
And if we don't stand for the truth, who will?
23:10
So Christ comes out and says, look, if you're going to live
23:13
like a child of the king, this is the end result.
23:16
This is where it's leading you. If, if you come into my Kingdom
23:20
because you're, you're poor in spirit.
23:21
If you come into my Kingdom because you mourn over your sin,
23:24
because that's the only way to get in.
23:26
And you demonstrated a meek and gentle spirit and you hunger and
23:30
thirst for that which is true and righteous.
23:35
And you're merciful to others because you've been shown mercy.
23:39
At the same time, you, you desire to have a pure and holy
23:45
heart that you might get a clear glimpse of the Lord, and you
23:51
seek to make peace with those who are at odds with God.
23:55
The only natural result is persecution.
24:01
That's it. Now look, I, I didn't make this
24:04
up. These are not my words.
24:07
These are Christ's words. I'm just quoting what Jesus
24:10
says. And so we need to understand
24:14
that persecution, persecution is that which is #1 personal #2
24:20
that which is promised #3 that which is is painful, painful.
24:32
The difference between persecution and punishment is
24:34
huge. You are punished by good men for
24:41
doing evil, but you're persecuted by bad men for doing
24:48
good. There's a big difference there.
24:55
And the reason you're persecuted is because of Christ's sake, for
25:02
righteousness sake. You're not.
25:06
You're not persecuted because you're belligerent, That would
25:09
be wrong. You're not persecuted because
25:11
you're egotistical. That would be wrong.
25:15
You're not persecution for any other reason other than for
25:17
righteousness sake because you're acting in accordance with
25:21
the law of God. Peter says that this way over in
25:25
first Peter chapter 4. He says these words.
25:33
First Peter 4 verse 14. If you are reviled for the name
25:38
of Christ, you are blessed. Peter picks up on this.
25:42
Peter understands it was was Peter there on the mountain
25:47
side? How how long did it take Peter
25:50
to get this? If you are reviled for the name
25:53
of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and
25:57
of God rests on you. That's just a an incredible
26:04
statement. This is this.
26:06
Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, thief,
26:11
evildoer, or troublesome meddler, that that's not being
26:17
persecuted for righteousness sake, he says.
26:21
But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be
26:25
ashamed, but it's to glorify God in this name.
26:34
Jesus would say it again differently in John 15 verse #18
26:41
He says it this way. If the world hates you, you know
26:45
that it has hated me before it hated you.
26:50
If you were of the world, the world will love its own.
26:56
So He makes it very clear, if you're of the world, the world
27:00
loves you. If you're not of the world, the
27:03
world hates you. Does the world hate you or love
27:07
you? Then he says this, but because
27:13
you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
27:18
because of this the world hates you.
27:23
The world hates you because of Christ, because you bear his
27:29
name. You're a child of the King, and
27:34
you live like a child of the King.
27:37
It says, Remember the word that I said to you, A slave is not
27:41
greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will
27:44
also persecute you. In other words, if they
27:50
persecuted the sinless Son of God, they're certainly going to
27:57
persecute you because you're not sinless.
28:02
And so Christ makes it very clear to his men on the on the
28:05
eve of the crucifixion that don't don't expect to be loved
28:09
by the world. You're going to be hated by the
28:13
world if you stand strong on the truth.
28:19
That's why Solomon says Proverbs 2328 Buy truth.
28:23
Never sell it. Do all you can to obtain the
28:26
truth. Once you get it, never
28:28
compromise it. Never let it go.
28:31
Never sell it out. Don't sell out the truth.
28:37
Do all you can to obtain it. Once you obtain it, protect it.
28:41
Watch over it because it's priceless, but never compromise.
28:48
But so many times we find ourselves willing to compromise
28:52
for the sake of keeping the peace and all reality.
29:00
You're just pushing off the inevitable.
29:05
Christ never compromised the truth to keep the peace.
29:10
He always spoke the truth because there is no peace
29:13
without the truth. This isn't.
29:15
I think the Prince of Peace knows that really well.
29:23
Remember Matthew 13, the parable of the soul and the soil?
29:28
There was the rocky soil that when they heard the word, they,
29:32
they jumped on the Jesus bandwagon.
29:34
They received the word with joy. They they heard a message, they
29:38
heard the gospel. They receded with joy.
29:41
And they're like, wow, this is great.
29:43
Until affliction and persecution came.
29:47
And because they had no roots, they fell away.
29:54
They were never truly born again to begin with.
29:57
They had no firm roots. They had no foundation.
30:03
And that's what happens with people when when they realize
30:06
that man, I want to follow Jesus.
30:08
I want to live for this is great.
30:10
I'll give my life to Jesus. He forgives my sin.
30:12
That's great. And then all of a sudden the
30:14
persecution comes their way and they're like, oh, I didn't ask
30:17
for this. I don't want this.
30:22
Who bargains for this kind of behavior or treatment?
30:27
They fall away. That's a lot of people.
30:32
That's why persecution is a purifier.
30:36
That's why persecution, and this is a fourth point, is not just
30:41
personal, not just promise, not just painful, but it's
30:45
purposeful. This is what Peter says.
30:50
Peter says this way. First Peter, chapter 3.
30:55
Sorry. First Peter, chapter one, verse
30:57
6. In this you greatly rejoice,
31:02
even though now, for a little while, if necessary, you have
31:04
been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of
31:09
your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable,
31:13
even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and
31:17
glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
31:21
And though you have not seen Him, you love Him.
31:23
And though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you
31:26
greatly rejoice with joy, inexpressible and full of glory,
31:32
obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your
31:35
souls. Again, Peter understands.
31:39
And Peter didn't want people who claim to be a follower of Christ
31:44
to misunderstand Christianity, just like Paul didn't want
31:48
people to misunderstand Christianity, just like Jesus
31:51
didn't want them to misunderstand Christianity.
31:54
But you see, we we have stripped our gospel presentation of the
31:57
bite that it's supposed to have by watering it down, taking out
32:02
the law, taking out repentance, taking out the persecution,
32:06
taking out what it means to be a follower of Christ just so that
32:09
we can win someone to Christ. But what did you really win them
32:15
to just to get them to say a prayer?
32:21
Or did you really win them to the the true Jesus?
32:27
And Jesus is the consummate evangelist.
32:31
I mean, if anybody could evangelize the world to be
32:33
Jesus, right? I mean, he is the gospel.
32:37
He is the truth. So whatever he says is gospel
32:40
truth. He knows how to how to present
32:43
what needs to be presented to people so that they might come
32:46
to follow him. That's why there were so many
32:48
people who believed him or believed in him, but he never
32:51
committed himself to them because he knew what was in the
32:54
heart of man. You and I, we don't know what's
32:57
in the heart of man. We don't know.
33:01
Only the Lord knows. But here our Lord comes along
33:06
and says these words because he wants everybody to know that the
33:11
true blessing, the true blissfulness, the true
33:13
contentment that comes to those who are children of the King
33:17
results in persecution for my name's sake.
33:23
But rejoice and be glad, he says.
33:29
These are the consequences. Let me describe them for you.
33:31
A glad heart, a glorious home and great, great honor.
33:42
A glad heart, he says. Rejoice and be glad.
33:52
The blessing is on the inner part of a man.
33:55
It's it's the heart blessing. It's, it's almost like it's a
34:01
double blessing. Blessed are those who have been
34:05
persecuted and blessed are you when people insult you and you
34:09
can rejoice and be glad. He, he's doubling down on the
34:13
blessing. He's doubling down on the joy.
34:16
He's doubling down because people are not going to believe
34:18
what he says. They're going to like, are you
34:21
kidding me? Who wants that?
34:24
And Jesus said no, the blessing comes this way.
34:26
Believe me, this is what a true blessing is.
34:30
Why? Simply because of a glad heart.
34:34
Remember in Acts 541, I love this.
34:38
Acts 540 they took this his advice and after calling the
34:43
apostles and they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in
34:47
the name of Jesus and then release them.
34:50
So they went on their way from the presence of the council,
34:53
rejoicing that they've been considered worthy to suffer
34:57
shame for his name. Imagine being flogged that
35:05
that's that's 30 times in the back, nine times on the front
35:13
with no shirt on, with a whip, with bone fragments and glass in
35:18
it. And they went away rejoicing.
35:23
It's almost like, man, this is great.
35:26
We're suffering for the sake of his name.
35:31
And they went on and kept preaching the gospel, even
35:34
though they were threatened not to do it anymore.
35:39
Was there any question about their Christianity?
35:43
No, we get told that work don't do that anymore.
35:48
And So what do we do? We don't do it anymore for fear
35:51
of what? Losing our job?
35:56
Not losing your life, losing your job.
35:59
You can always get another job, right?
36:03
There's another job next door, on the side of the street,
36:08
someplace else. And so we, we, we, we fear man
36:13
more than we fear God. Can't do that.
36:16
Can't say that anymore. Really.
36:19
You can tell me what I can and cannot say when it comes to the
36:22
truth of the, of the gospel. You going to try to muzzle me?
36:29
The apostles weren't muzzled. They were threatened with the
36:31
end of their life. And you're not threatened within
36:35
the end of your life just with the fact that you might lose a
36:41
job. I love the illustration that's
36:48
given by that 2nd century Christian leader to Tolian, who
36:56
was approached by a man who said, I, I have come to Christ,
37:01
but I do not know what to do. I have a job that I don't think
37:08
is consistent with what the Scriptures teach.
37:11
What can I do? I must live.
37:17
To which Tertullian said, must you?
37:23
You'd rather compromise and keep your life than stand for truth
37:28
and lose your life. You see, we, we, we so easily
37:36
just acquiesce to the ways of the world.
37:40
We don't want to get in trouble. Will anybody say anything bad
37:44
about us? Don't lose their job.
37:47
Don't want to offend somebody because I'm speaking the truth,
37:54
so I don't do anything. We hide ourselves away.
38:00
That's not what Christians do. Christians always stand for
38:05
truth and on the gospel. Amen.
38:08
They're not afraid of what man can do to them.
38:11
They fear only God, not man. And so the consequences are
38:20
glad, a glad heart. I wonder what Joseph would have
38:27
done. Joseph was falsely accused,
38:32
imprisoned, but because he never lost sight of the God of his
38:37
life, he rose to great power in Egypt.
38:42
Daniel threatened with the lion's den, would not worship a
38:48
false idol, not bow down to anyone but the true God, and was
38:54
thrown in the lion's den. But behold, he was not eaten.
38:59
God protected him. Why?
39:03
Because of their commitment to never compromise the truth would
39:10
it be that every one of us would would be like that.
39:12
Not just a glad heart, but a glorious home.
39:16
Yours is the Kingdom of heaven. That's the same thing he says in
39:19
in the first beatitude. Blessed are the poor in spirit,
39:21
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
39:23
Now he wants to reiterate that now that you're in the Kingdom,
39:26
you're going to be persecuted for the Kingdom.
39:28
But because you are, don't worry, the home is still yours,
39:33
the glorious home, your final destiny, the promise of God's
39:40
glorious Kingdom, his presence, the place where the King dwells.
39:48
And then great honor, Look what he says, Rejoice in me.
39:52
Glad we reward. And heaven is great.
39:55
For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
39:59
before you. Great honor, not just a crown,
40:04
but a company of class. So they persecuted the prophets
40:09
that were before you remember what it says over in in the book
40:13
of Hebrews the the 11th chapter as it speaks about the followers
40:20
of of Christ. It helps us understand it says
40:26
these words verse 35 of Hebrews 11 women received back their
40:30
dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not
40:33
accepting their release so that they might obtain a better
40:36
resurrection and others experienced mockings and
40:39
scourging. Yes, also changed and
40:41
imprisonment. They were stoned.
40:42
They were son and two they were tempted.
40:45
They were they were put to death with a sword and they went about
40:50
in sheepskins in goat skins, being destitute afflicted.
40:54
I'll treated men of whom the world was not worthy, but they
41:00
were worthy of God's Kingdom. They just weren't worthy of the
41:05
world. Why the world hated them?
41:09
What had nothing to do with them?
41:11
Could you imagine being sawn in two?
41:15
That's not with an electric saw. That's what the guys on each
41:18
side doing this. You know what I'm saying?
41:21
Very slowly. That would be very painful.
41:27
Ask Isaiah, because that's what happened to him.
41:32
Wasn't very pretty way to go, very painful way to go.
41:38
But the world was not worthy of them, but God was worthy of
41:43
them. So what are the characteristics
41:49
of those people who abuse you? Well, there is a verbally verbal
41:54
abuse, there is a physical attack and there is false
41:58
accusations. First of all, verbally abused
42:05
people insult you, revile you. It's it's a word that means to,
42:12
to, to cast in the teeth. It's a face to face
42:15
confrontation. It's what happened with with
42:18
Christ when they reviled him before the Sanhedrin, when they
42:22
said prophesied to us, you Christ, who's the one who hits
42:25
you. If you're a prophet, tell us
42:27
what is the name of the person who hits you?
42:29
And they insulted him, they slapped his face and they mocked
42:33
him. And Paul would talk about it in
42:37
First Corinthians chapter 4. We said these words about what
42:43
his life was like. First Corinthians 4.
42:49
He said we are persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but
42:55
not destroyed, always caring about in the body the dying of
42:59
Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our
43:04
body. For we who live are constantly
43:06
being delivered over to death for Jesus sake, so that the life
43:11
of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
43:16
So death works in us, but life in you.
43:21
There there was a man who took no account of his own life but
43:25
the life of other people. There is verbal abuse, insults,
43:31
reviling and there's physical attacks being persecuted.
43:35
The word Diyoko it's it's a word that means to pursue to to chase
43:39
down and that's what happened to early Christians.
43:43
They they were chased and haunted fact it says in act
43:47
seven that Stephen was was haunted down and stone.
43:50
Acts 14 Paul was haunted, down and stoned and Acts 16 Peter and
43:57
Paul Acts 12 Peter Acts 16 Paul and Silas were in prison because
44:02
they were chased down, haunted and thrown to prison.
44:07
People will go after you, take you down.
44:12
Acts 752 Stephen says which of the prophets have your father's
44:16
not persecuted? Paul says in Romans 836, For thy
44:22
sake we are killed all day long. So there will be verbal abuse,
44:30
there will be physical attacks, and there will be false
44:35
accusations. It says that they will speak all
44:42
kinds of evil against you falsely because of my namesake.
44:49
They they will not say things to your face, though they'll say
44:52
things to others about you, but they won't be true.
44:55
Like of our Lord in John 9 when they accused him of being the
44:58
illegitimate son of a Roman soldier, or in John chapter 8
45:05
when they charged Christ with being a devil when he would cast
45:13
out devils. Matthew 11, 19 That says of
45:21
Christ, Behold, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a
45:27
friend of tax gatherers and sinners.
45:33
They would falsely accuse him. They could find nothing against
45:38
him, so they falsely accused him.
45:45
Luke 626 has these words which probably you should memorize and
45:51
live according to. It says beware if all men speak
45:57
well of you. You ever talk to somebody, say
46:02
this is a friend of mine and and everybody has something good to
46:06
say about him. That's not a good thing to say
46:10
about anybody. That's an indictment against
46:12
them. Beware, if all men speak well of
46:16
you, that that means you're not saying anything to upset the
46:21
apple cart. That means you're not standing
46:23
on truth. You're not speaking the truth
46:26
because truth always opposes those who live in error, who
46:29
want to live in sin. And they don't want to hear
46:33
that. They don't want to follow that.
46:39
So it's important to understand, as Peter says in first Peter
46:46
chapter 4, these words, first Peter 4 verse one.
46:56
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm
46:59
yourselves also with the same purpose, because He has suffered
47:02
in the flesh, has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of
47:05
the time in the flesh, no longer for the lust of men, but for the
47:09
will of God. But the time already passed is
47:11
sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the
47:14
Gentiles. Having pursued a course of
47:16
sensuality, lust, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and
47:20
abominable idolatry, idolatries and all this, they are surprised
47:25
that you do not run with them into the same excesses of
47:30
dissipation. And they malign you.
47:36
They malign you. Why?
47:38
Because you were this way and now you are no longer that way.
47:42
You don't no longer live according to your lust.
47:44
You no longer live engaging in drunken parties.
47:48
You no longer live the way you used to live.
47:50
Why? Because Christ is in you.
47:52
And because Christ is in you now they malign you.
47:55
They speak against you because you don't run in the same
48:01
circles you ran before with the same people used to run with
48:05
before. You don't do that.
48:08
Why? Because you want to live like a
48:12
child of the King. You have one, an audience of one
48:19
that you want to please, and that is our our Lord.
48:24
So where do we go from here? Well, number one, you want to
48:32
live the life that Christ has prescribed.
48:40
Will you live that life? Will you live a Beatitude kind
48:45
of life? Paul would say it this way very
48:47
simply. For me to live is Christ.
48:50
To die is gain. For me to live is Christ.
48:54
I'm going to live for Christ. I'm going to live as Christ.
48:58
I'm going to please Christ. That's a child of the King.
49:03
I want to please the King. I want to honor the king.
49:07
I want to praise his name. Again, Peter in first Peter
49:15
chapter 3 said these words, verse 13.
49:20
Who was there to harm you? If you prove zealous for what is
49:24
good, but even if you should suffer for the sake of
49:27
righteousness, you are blessed. Again, Peter talks about
49:31
suffering for righteousness, and you are blessed, he says.
49:35
And do not fear their intimidation and do not be
49:37
troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always
49:41
being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an
49:44
account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and
49:47
reverence. And keep a good conscience so
49:50
that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile
49:55
your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
50:03
For it's better if God should. Will it so that you suffer for
50:07
doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
50:16
Peter knows that. The question is, what kind of
50:19
life will you live? Will you live the life that
50:23
doesn't compromise the truth? Will you live a life that always
50:27
stands on the truth? Will you kind of live the life
50:31
that that doesn't laugh with the the jokes of the world?
50:38
Will you, will you stand against those things?
50:43
You know, so many times we understand what people stand
50:45
for, but what do you stand against?
50:49
Does anybody know that that's very, very important?
50:56
Will you stand on the truth of the gospel without compromise?
51:02
Do you live the life of a child of the king?
51:07
That's the question you got to ask yourself.
51:10
Have you been doing that? Will you do that?
51:15
Number 2, Will you pay the price of the child of the king?
51:23
Are you willing to pay the price?
51:29
John Christendom. He was the godly leader in the
51:34
4th century church. He preached strongly against
51:39
sin, so much so that he offended.
51:44
He offended many church officials, so he summoned before
51:50
the Emperor. He was threatened with
51:55
banishment if he did not cease his uncompromising preaching.
52:04
This was his response. Sire, you cannot banish me, for
52:11
the world is my father's house. Then the emperor said, Then I
52:19
will slay you. He said Nay, but you cannot, for
52:23
my life is hid with Christ and God.
52:31
He said, Then your treasures will be confiscated.
52:34
To which John replied, Sire, that cannot be either, for my
52:41
treasures are in heaven, where none can breakthrough and steal.
52:49
That would drive you from man, and you will have no friends
52:53
left, was the final warning. With that you cannot do either,
53:00
sire, for I have a friend in heaven who has said I will never
53:04
leave you nor forsake you. He was banished, but before he
53:11
got to his destination, he was he was killed, he died.
53:16
But you see the the point is this.
53:19
The things that he valued most he could not lose.
53:25
They could not be taken away. And therefore there was nothing
53:31
the emperor could do to him that would diminish his joy because
53:39
he recognized the price. He's willing to pay the price,
53:43
the cost, because he counted the cost before following Christ.
53:50
How about you? Will you live the life of the
53:54
child of the king? Will you pay the price as a
53:57
child of the king? Then comes the question, will
54:01
you receive the reward as a child of the king?
54:10
Because reward is great. There's a crown of glory,
54:16
there's a crown which is life, the crown of righteousness, the
54:19
the imperishable crown, the reward that God gives to those
54:24
who who live for him and honor him and are never ashamed of
54:29
him. This is so important in a world
54:35
of of tolerance. That's where we live where
54:39
nobody wants to upset the apple cart.
54:42
Nobody wants to say anything that will cause a disruption,
54:46
whether it's in your family or at work or at school.
54:51
Just want to keep the peace. The child of the King will
54:57
always live for the King and never compromise the king in
55:05
public, but will represent him purely and truly and honestly,
55:12
not in a belligerent way, but in a very kind and honest and
55:16
truthful way, as John Christendom did.
55:21
Sir, I can't banish me. I This is my father's world.
55:27
You, you can't leave me alone. My father will always be with
55:31
me. He'll always be there.
55:34
Hit that ironclad assurance. A man who never feared the
55:38
feared man, but only feared the Lord.
55:42
That that's the kind of people we need.
55:44
Why? Because these are the only
55:46
people who can do what's next. These are people that are the
55:53
salt of the earth. These are the people that are
55:58
the light of the world. You want to be salt and light.
56:05
Well, to do so, you got to be child of the king.
56:09
And, and Christ calls us to make an impact on our environment.
56:15
And the only way you can do that is to live like a child of the
56:18
king. And that's the theme of the
56:21
Sermon on the Mount. May God give us the grace to
56:24
accomplish that. Let's pray together.
56:27
Lord God, we thank you for tonight, the opportunity that
56:31
you've given us to study your word.
56:33
I pray for everyone in the room that you strengthen them,
56:35
encourage them, move them to action, to live for the glory of
56:39
your Kingdom. Our prayer, Father, is that we
56:43
would always stand strong, never compromising the truth, the Word
56:49
of God, never been ashamed of the gospel, never been ashamed
56:55
of our God, but always, always standing strong, head held high,
57:03
knowing that our God is the King of all kings, Lord of all Lords.
57:12
We pray in Jesus name, Amen.