Those Who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake

1Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2He opened his mouth and taught them, saying, 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. 10Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Charles Spurgeon said that working for Christ may cost us a great deal, but a person of faith will never lose anything by Christ. That those who lose time for Christ gain eternity by Christ probably means that Jesus will keep, to the end, those who devote themselves with thankful hearts. For believers to fulfill the role of salt and lamp and live by faith without wavering is by no means easy. In a world where the rich in spirit are respected, living as one who is poor in spirit is hard unless we die with Jesus Christ on the cross. God gives comfort to those who mourn, which means that believers who devote themselves for souls that have not been saved receive God’s comfort. The gentle inherit the earth; this is the reward received by those who believe that there is an eternal world, throw away their own righteousness, stubbornness and pride, and obey God. Believers who believe that the eternal kingdom of God is real must preach the truth for the salvation of souls, even if they are persecuted for it. Believers who hunger and thirst after righteousness will do what pleases God, paying no attention to bad circumstances or to people who get in the way of their devotion. Such believers are humble people, full of the Holy Spirit, who have truly met God.

Galatians 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control. These nine fruits of the Spirit are God’s gift, which grows a person into a complete believer. When believers are full of the fruit of the Spirit like this, evil spirits cannot stop their good conduct or make them stumble. He said that the merciful will obtain mercy from God, and no grace is as safe as receiving God’s mercy. Even in a dark world where no one can tell from which direction the world and Satan will attack, believers who have received God’s mercy are safe, because they can receive the grace of God, who lets them see every situation as though they lived in broad daylight.

Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a peace offering to save souls who had fallen into death through Satan’s temptation, has not let the souls of believers who confessed their faith be locked in darkness. Now you who have received that love must have mercy on souls and preach the gospel with a mourning and gentle heart. If you devote yourselves in love, God will establish you with power so that you do not become Satan’s tools. The conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus preached is that if we throw away human righteousness, greed and cravings and live for the righteousness of God, the kingdom of God and the glory of God, we can receive God’s absolute protection. The salvation of us who believe in Christ is an astonishing blessing: we can receive great peace from God every day. The peace God gives means the blessing that comes from being with God, beyond any circumstances. If you keep training yourself to throw away human righteousness, you can receive heaven fully and enjoy the peace God gives. Then you will inherit the earth and enjoy, spiritually, in Christ, the favor and generosity of God.

Matthew 5:11-12

11“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

He said that those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are blessed, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the believers who have lived for the truth. The light of the Holy Spirit that believers of faith shine is a light the world hates. The light exposes the dirty and ugly sin people wanted to hide, so believers will be persecuted by a world that tries to stop it. But he said that even if they are persecuted, their reward in heaven is great, so they may rejoice and be glad in that great hope. The prophets who lived out the life of faith sacrificed themselves and were persecuted. The world and human nature naturally reject the truth that Jesus, the prophets and believers preach, so people do not want to hear the word. This word says that the Kingdom of Heaven becomes ours when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, so we can tell that the life of faith is never easy for believers. Not many people rejoice in the truth, and not many are thankful when they hear rebuke and counsel, so living by the truth is not easy. But those whom God approves were able to become prophets and believers because, though they were persecuted and mocked, they sacrificed themselves and devoted themselves.

2 Timothy 3:11-12

11persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all. 12Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

The history of Israel is a trail of love that God planned in advance so that it would run toward its peak, the cross Jesus carried. Paul was persecuted severely as he preached to the Jews the gospel shown in the love of the cross, which goes beyond our reason and forgave even all sin. He was persecuted by those who rejected the gospel, but at the same time an astonishing miracle took place: the Gentiles who heard the gospel confessed their faith and received the Lord. The apostle Paul met Jesus Christ face to face on the road to Damascus, and as he preached the gospel in great grace, he also showed miracles, healing the sick. The crowds who saw those miracles called Barnabas Zeus, that is, the god Zeus, and called Paul Hermes, the god who speaks, and tried to offer sacrifices to them as gods. But Barnabas and Paul, who had truly met Jesus Christ, firmly stopped these foolish people. Miracles surely happen wherever the word of God is proclaimed. But we must not forget that along with miracles comes persecution from those who reject the gospel. Jews who had followed them all the way to Iconium to stop the gospel stoned the apostle Paul without mercy. Thinking the apostle Paul was dead, they dragged him out of the city. At that point the apostle Paul, unconscious, crossed back and forth over the line between life and death, and had the astonishing experience of his spirit going up to heaven and seeing the throne. Even in such suffering he never once regretted believing in Christ. He only grieved, with compassion, for the souls that had not received the Lord. God saw Paul’s faithfulness and let him meet many fellow workers who would be with him all his life.

Peter told believers not to be astonished at the fiery trial that comes to test them, as though something strange were happening to them, but rather to rejoice that they share in the sufferings of Christ. This earth is ruled by Satan, so wherever we are and whatever we do, we cannot help suffering hardship because of the spiritual war. A fiery trial means melting metal down to purify it. So think of this world itself as a furnace for making us into pure gold: we are being refined so that we can stand before God. If God’s people hate suffering and struggle not to melt in the furnace, God has no choice but to raise the heat of the fire to get pure gold.

You must overcome by faith the trials that come to you. If you run away to escape a trial, God has no choice but to raise the intensity of the training, if only to save a believer he has chosen. He raises the intensity of the training by working through your children, your money and the world, so I hope you will not choose to avoid the place of devotion yourself. He is the one who can do anything at all if it is needed for you. Is it easy for a speck of gold mixed in stone and soil to become useful pure gold? Seeing how Job suffered so much that he begged to die, we can tell that to be reborn as pure gold we must endure to the end. Peter said that the persecution was a shock severe enough to paralyze a person, yet he told them not to think the trial strange. For the trial was permitted by God from the beginning, so the Holy Spirit will help them overcome it. Christians who endure by faith the great trial of the furnace are reborn as holy children of God, like pure gold. Heaven is a place so good and beautiful that it cannot be defined in a word, so no one has ever described heaven in the language of this earth.

Jesus, who was persecuted and bore suffering to carry out his mission, did not die forever on the cross. The glory and victory Jesus received after the resurrection were so great that Christians may well have expectation and hope. People may find it hard to understand by common sense, but if you are persecuted in the name of Christ, you are blessed. The world persecutes those who preach the truth, so if you who preach the gospel are being persecuted, it is evidence that you are going rightly on the way of Christ. The Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, is with you. Persecution and suffering are not borne by you alone; the Spirit of God bears them and endures them with you, so the blessing is greater than words can say. Satan brings fiery trials on us and tempts us to sin as Adam did, but when the last day comes, that fire will cover the world instead. Just as the martyred prophets and disciples entered heaven and enjoy rest, those of us who live for faith will live on this earth as those who possess heaven, and then enter eternal rest.

Revelation 18:9-10

9The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her, will weep and wail over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning, 10standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For your judgment has come in one hour.’

People mistakenly think the world is a strong city that will never fall. But when we see people growing more evil and holding life ever more cheaply, and a world racing toward its end, we can tell that the last day is drawing near. Without fear they even put souls God loves among their goods for trade and pursue profit, so on the last day the world will receive the wrath of God. As the world became this corrupt, false prophets came to preach a false gospel openly, and since the day has drawn near when the abomination stands in the holy place, Babylon will be destroyed. Everyone whose thinking has become one with the world like this has taken part in the sins of Babylon. If you live for yourself, you will push God off the throne and commit the sin of taking all of God’s glory for yourself, as Solomon did. You must live humbly so that you never commit such a sin.

Isaiah 6:6-7

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. 7He touched my mouth with it, and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.”

Isaiah, who was called as a prophet, had lived sure that he had devoted himself and given his life for the salvation of the people. But just seeing himself standing before the glory of God, and the seraphim singing praise, he realized that his lips were unclean. The moment Isaiah met the perfect and flawless God, he realized that he was a sinner beyond forgiveness. No one had taught him, yet when he saw the God of glory he broke down and confessed that he was a man of unclean lips. Comparing his own faith with the seraphim, who praised God with their whole hearts, he repented of how false the faith he had shown until then had been. He came to see that all the things he thought he had done so earnestly were complaints and unclean words. Though we live in this world, we must live honestly and with fear, as though, like Isaiah, we were hearing with our own ears the praise coming from the mouths of the seraphim. That is why our lips must be clean. The words that come out of our mouths as we preach the truth must be honest, and a life used as God’s tool must have nothing to be rebuked for. However hard you think you have worked for God, when you stand before God it will be laid bare whether it was an honest sacrifice or a devotion for your own sake, so you must look back at yourself every moment. Are you devoting yourself sincerely to the work of God? Isaiah saw his own ugliness before Yahweh. He came to see that what he called sacrifice to God was nothing but form, and what he called devotion was also offered as a formality, only as far as it cost him nothing. When he thought of himself and the people, he fell into deep despair. He knew the false faith of people who longed for God’s grace more than they were willing to sacrifice, so it must have been hard for Isaiah even to face God. Even so, Isaiah had to be forgiven his sin, so he repented on the spot, and God forgave him. If we too stand before God, we will see how wrong our faith now is. Right now we cannot see it and do not hear the voice of rebuke, so it does not feel real, but when we stand before God one day there will be no chance even to repent, so we must realize now how unworthy we are and devote ourselves.

Jesus and Adam were both tempted by Satan. Satan always tempts with the world; Jesus drove him off boldly with the word, but Adam could not let go of his greed and fell. This is the very difference between God and humankind. Jesus knew that the world is not eternal, so he did not compromise with people but chose to be persecuted, but humankind, even knowing grace, could not overcome greed and cravings and abandoned faith. God took Isaiah up into heaven to show him that even while he spoke God’s word on God’s behalf, he too needed God’s forgiveness and mercy. If until now you have spoken unclean words that God does not want, repent, and if you have not lived an honest life, I hope you will turn back from the road you were on. If only you repent sincerely, God will forgive all your sins. After seeing the throne, Isaiah repented sincerely, worked to be reborn as an honest and faithful believer, and gave his whole life to God. Those who have received forgiveness of sins from God will enjoy freedom from sin like this, and will become people large enough to receive God’s inheritance. You who have been forgiven your sins through the sacrifice of Jesus, are you ready to devote yourselves to God? God is watching closely to see how true your faith is, so I hope you will devote yourselves whenever you have the chance. You must always look for God’s work and do it, and only by being faithful beyond your strength can you receive a reward from God.

So far I have spoken about the eight blessings of the Sermon on the Mount. It is not easy to fulfill the role of light and salt in a dark world, but as you obey, you will realize that, without your noticing, you have received answers even to things you did not pray for, and that you are enjoying peace. That is because God is not one who takes our devotion for nothing; he always gives peace and rest in overflowing measure, as much as we have devoted. Perhaps our devotion is really for our own sake. Friends, as I finish the Sermon on the Mount, what I want to ask of you is this: if you know Jesus Christ, be faithful beyond your strength. If you are not as faithful as the word you know, then the reward God has to give you can only grow that much smaller. If you love your children, you as parents must devote yourselves and store up grace, and if you want peace for your home, your church and your nation, you must carry out your mission in proportion to the grace you have received. Then he will give the earth as an inheritance to the gentle believer, and if you throw away your own righteousness for the righteousness of God, he will give you heaven. If you put God’s mercy into practice, he will give you greater mercy, and if you work to live honestly and cleanly as Jesus did, he will grant you the blessing of seeing God face to face. When you have worked to show the righteousness of God, like Jesus, who sacrificed himself, one day you will look back on your life and know that you have received the highest blessing a child of God can enjoy.

Friends, without doing God’s work there is no way to throw away your own righteousness, and not even a chance to receive a reward. The prophets who lived by faith were persecuted, but God saw their devotion and protected them before anyone else. The heaven God has prepared cannot be compared with the peace the world gives, and the present suffering cannot be compared with the reward God gives. If you love God, the church and your children, I hope you will live for righteousness. When the Pharisees tried to stop the praise, Jesus said that if they were silent, the stones would cry out; in the same way it is only natural that the Lord’s people should praise him and devote themselves. If we believers do not lift up God, praise him and devote ourselves, who will? Through the Sermon on the Mount you will have come to understand the heart of Jesus fully, so I hope you will keep your place in the work of God’s righteousness by faith, and never leave it. I hope you will become believers who carry out to the end the mission given you in the world, and then enjoy peace and rest in the kingdom of God as well.