Blessed Are Those Who Have Been Persecuted for the Sake of Righteousness
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November 10, 2013 |
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 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
Nobody wants to be persecuted. But Jesus said that to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness is a true and eternal blessing. If we give up our everything for the Lord, we will receive the blessing of eternal life together with the persecution. Then, what does it mean to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness? What is the blessing that is to follow? And, why did Jesus tell us to rejoice when we are persecuted for righteousness?
1. What is it to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness?
What does it mean to be persecuted for righteousness? It is the persecution that we face when we live by the Word of God following truth, goodness, and light. Of course, we don't have to face persecutions if we just compromise and do not lead a proper Christian life. But 2 Timothy 3:12 says, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." If we follow the Word of God, we may face difficulties or receive persecutions for no reason.
Then, what is meant by there being persecution for the sake of righteousness? This is the same principle as oil and water do not mix. God is Light, and those who believe in the Lord and live in the Word spiritually belong to Light. But this world belongs to the enemy devil and Satan, the ruler of darkness, so the world hates God's children who belong to Light (Ephesians 6:12).
Therefore, just as the darkness disappears where there is light, when the number of believers, who are like the light, increases, then the ruling power of the enemy devil and Satan will decrease.
2. Persecution resulting from living the life of believers
One day, the king of Babylon had a golden statue made and required every person in the country to bow down before it. The three friends of Daniel refused to do so because bowing down before idols is a sin God hates. So they were thrown into the fiery furnace, but God protected them. Not one hair on their heads was singed. Seeing it, the king recognized God as the true Deity and gave glory to God.
In the same manner, the enemy devil and Satan have the worldly people who belong to darkness persecute God's children and disrupt their believing lives. However, if they rejoice with faith and give thanks, God will be with them, so they can achieve victory. Many prophets in the Bible were persecuted for the sake of righteousness, but instead of compromise they pleased God by showing faith and became great people in Heaven.
On the other hand there are some believers who are persecuted due to their own fault or lack of wisdom and not for the sake of righteousness. They sometimes suffer insult or are faced with difficulties since they fail to be faithful in all aspects and to show virtuous generosity. Suppose a married female believer does not clean her house and doesn't prepare her husband's meal because she is lazy, but she uses the excuse of being busy doing church work. Then, she might well receive persecution as a result.
Some people mistakenly think that she is persecuted because she works faithfully for the kingdom of God, but it is because she has not taken care of her household. The same applies in workplace. If we shift our work on others and work half-heartedly in the workplace to go to church, we can't avoid others' rebukes or reprimands. Therefore, we need to check if it is our own fault or shortcomings that cause the persecution received.
3. Blessing given to those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness
1) They can receive eternal blessings
The persecutions one receives because of his or her own fault cannot result in blessings or rewards. But the persecution for the sake of righteousness is a blessing and there is a reward in Heaven.
When we are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, our faith will be firmer. It's because we can find the evil of which we were unaware before and cast it off. By doing so, we can resemble the heart of the Lord to love even our enemies. Before, if we were struck on one cheek we would get angry and have to strike back. But through persecutions, we come to learn about love so that we can now even turn the other cheek. We now have hope for Heaven and we can give thanks and joy in any kind of situation.
2) They can enter a better heavenly dwelling place
Then, what is the difference between the kingdom of heaven that those who are poor in heart possess and the kingdom of heaven that those who are persecuted for righteousness possess? The former is the whole kingdom of heaven with a general meaning into which everyone who is saved can go. But the latter means that we will go into better dwelling places in Heaven to the extent that we are persecuted for acting in righteousness.
In Heaven are Paradise, the First, Second, and Third Kingdoms of Heaven, and New Jerusalem. The foremost of all these is New Jerusalem. Those who are poor in heart refer to persons who accepted the Lord and gained the qualification just being able to enter Heaven. However, those who are persecuted for righteousness have already cast off evil and sins from their hearts, and their faith increases. They have also become sanctified through the persecutions and trials and served the Lord faithfully so they can enter a better dwelling place—the Third Kingdom of Heaven or New Jerusalem where they will be able to see God the Father.
3) They can enlarge the kingdom of God
Although we have accomplished righteousness by living by the Word of God, not all persecutions may be gone. There can still be persecutions that one undergoes for the Lord, that is, the persecutions that God's workers have to suffer for His kingdom. Jesus is blameless and spotless, yet He was scourged, flogged and was crucified to save us. Apostle Paul was also faithful to the point of death for the kingdom of God, not even sparing his own life.
It's not that Jesus was suffering because He didn't have power. But, it was because He knew that God's providence would be fulfilled greatly through His sufferings, so He took them with joy. He preached the will of God with burning passion and did what God had commanded Him to do. So did the Apostle Paul.
4) They will be given great rewards in Heaven
The reason why we can rejoice and be glad when we are persecuted for the name of the Lord is because great will be the reward in the heavenly kingdom. All kinds of crowns, golden and jewel-decorated mansions, and unimaginable rewards and glory are awaiting us.
To those who rejoice and give thanks while suffering persecutions for the Lord without any reason, God fulfills their hearts' desire, offer things they need, and show the evidence of His being with them. To the extent that they overcome the sufferings, their faith grows up more.
Therefore, we can rejoice from the heart and feel joyful when we are persecuted for the Lord because we long for the rewards that God will give. There is something special here. If a man of God is persecuted for the Lord, blessings will be given to people with him (Luke 22:28-30). So, if we see men of God suffer persecutions for the Lord we have to pray for them, fast, and join the suffering with sincere heart.
Dear brothers and sisters, we delved into the eighth blessing in the Beatitudes. I hope that you will achieve the kingdom of God more greatly by being able to receive persecution for the righteousness. I pray in the name of the Lord that by doing so you will dwell in New Jerusalem that is the most beautiful heavenly dwelling place.
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