Matthew 5:10-12
I hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas. This year for Christmas, my brother took me out to a nice buffet style restaurant. I know that I ate way too much, but the food was excellent.
2012 is just about over, and I for one am glad to see it go. This has been a very difficult year in many respects. I've been seriously under-employed most of the year, and I'm still looking for more work. I've had a lot of financial and physical hardship this year. Through it all, the Lord has seen me through with a true awareness of His presence.
I'm especially glad to have the Lord with me in the really hard times. This past week, I found out that one of my Dad's friends passed away. He was just a young man. Just yesterday, one of my Internet friends passed away.
Hopefully, 2013 will be a much better year. In the coming year, I'm trusting that the Lord will supply me with enough so that I can get everything I owe up to date. I'm also going to sell my house this year. Living there is just a painful reminder of loss. It's time to move on.
One of the highlights of the year that I hope to continue in 2013 is this blog. I truly enjoy posting these messages and interesting items about dogs and other animals.
It is my hope that each of you will have a truly wonderful and happy New Year. In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul said, "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." This is a great verse to meditate on as we move from 2012 to 2013.
Last week, we focused on peace and how that as believers in Jesus, we should be a people who pray for peace and seek to be peacemakers wherever the opportunity arises.
In today's message, we come to the end of the beatitudes section of the Sermon on the Mount. The words that Jesus speaks in today's verses are words that truly must be viewed with an ultimate and eternal perspective.
In Matthew 5:10-11, Jesus says that blessed are those who are persecuted and blessed are those who are reviled when they do what is right and pleasing to the Lord and when they stand up for Jesus. In Matthew 5:12 Jesus says to, "Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
No one likes to be persecuted whether it is for serving Jesus or not. Persecution is never pleasant.
Those of us in the Western world, for the most part, don't suffer any great persecution for naming the name of Christ. However, in some parts of the world, if a person converts and becomes a follower of Jesus it can cost him his life.
I have a great deal of respect and admiration for my brothers and sisters in Christ who stand for Jesus and the Gospel in the midst of persecution and tribulation. Great will be their reward in Heaven.
No matter where we live, those who stand for Christ and seek to live a holy life will suffer adversity. Paul states this in II Timothy 3:12 where he says, "All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." In fact, persecution is the way a believer knows if he is truly following the Lord. It is a test to know if you are truly in the faith.
If we are really living in accordance with the commandments and teachings of Jesus, our lives will be different from the lives lived by those who are apart from Christ. We will be walking in the light while they are still in the darkness. As we saw in our study of I John, the darkness despises the light.
I'll give you an example. When my Dad became a Christian, many of his old friends ridiculed him because he wouldn't go out drinking and gambling with them like he did in the past. These guys constantly made fun of him for being a Christian. My Dad wasn't the type to let that kind of thing bother him, but it is an example of how the world treats those who desire to follow Jesus.
Persecution really comes when a believer tries to go full out for the Lord in proclaiming the Gospel and Christian values. Even many who claim to be Christians will harass the one who seeks to bring others to Jesus.
I know that this is true in my own life. When I was working in evangelism, I often went out in the neighborhoods sharing Christ. The most negative reactions I received were from church people.
Jesus is telling us in this passage that no matter what level of persecution we may face from insult to death, the important thing is to always follow Him. No persecution, no matter how severe, can compare to the glory that awaits those who long to see Jesus face to face.
You may be facing persecution for following Jesus. Don't be discouraged. It is a sign that you are a follower of Christ. Ask Jesus for strength, and keep following His teachings and keep sharing His love with others.
I would like to thank everyone who has read this blog this year. I hope that you have a good 2013. May God bless you. Amen.
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