Blessed are the Persecuted

“Blessed are the Persecuted...”

8th in a series of studies on theSermon on the Mount

Poor in Spirit

Mourn

Meek

Hunger for Righteousness

Merciful

Pure in Heart

Peacemakers

Persecuted for Righteousness OU

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1. Every Christian should expect to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

2. There is an equal reward in heaven for any suffering for righteousness’ sake we go through on earth.

TRUE 2 Timothy 3:12; Philippians 1:29

FALSE Romans 8:18; Luke 16:19-31

“Blessed are the persecuted...”

3. Just as Jesus, the Son of God, was separated from God, the Father, on the cross, we experience similar separation when we suffer for righteousness sake.

FALSE? Romans 8:35-39; Philippians 3:8, 10

“Blessed are the persecuted...”

4. Whenever Christians suffer at the hands of non-Christians, they are being persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

FALSE 1 Peter 2:20; 4:14

“Blessed are the persecuted...”

5. I should expect persecution from those who call themselves “Christians”.

True John 11:49-50; 16:2-3

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1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

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4 “Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.”

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5 “Blessed are the meek, for they

shall inherit the earth.”

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6 “Blessed are those who hunger and

thirst for righteousness, for they shall

be filled.”

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7 “Blessed are the merciful, for

they shall obtain mercy.”

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8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for

they shall see God.”

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9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for

they shall be called the sons of God.”

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10 “Blessed are those who are

persecuted for righteousness’

sake, for theirs is the kingdom

of heaven.”

https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/

According to The Pew Research Center, over 75% of the world's population lives in areas with severe religious restrictions (many of these people are Christians). Also, according to the U.S. Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ.

Each Month

10 Great Persecutions Against The Church

A.D. 100 to A.D. 314The “Age of Martyrs”

μάρτυς (mártys) = “witness”

2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

1 John 3:13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;

John 15:18–20 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

2. Greek: διώκω (diōkō) = pursue, persecutechase, seek after, harass, persecution, respond antagonistically

1. Latin: persecutio (per – “through” + sequel –“follow”) = start a legal action, hunt down

“Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Defined:

Greek: (δικαιοσύνη) dikaiosynē

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

• The Poor in Spirit• Those who Mourn• The Meek

• Those who Hunger & Thirst for Righteousness• The Merciful• The Pure in Heart• The Peacemakers

John 3:19–20 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

μάρτυς (mártys) = “witness”

“Before Jesus leads His disciples into suffering, humiliation, disgrace, and disdain, He summons them and shows Himself to them as the Lord in God’s glory.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

John 16:8-11 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

John 15:21-27 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.

John 15:21-27 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

A. That you are chosen of God

John 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

B. That Christ’s character is recognized in you

2 Corinthians 4:8–11 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

C. That you are a threat to Satan’s kingdom

Acts 4:17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

D. That you are not conforming to the world’s system

John 17:14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

E. That you have brought conviction to those who persecute you (Acts 7:54)

Acts 7:54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

H. To the Martyred:

רי אש = “deeply happy or

blessed”

(ʾašrê)Hebrew:

(makarios)Greek: Μακάριοι = root – “great”;

“happy, blissful, fortunate”

A. To the Afflicted:

1. Gain a deeper understanding of God and his word (Psa. 119:71)

2. Develop stronger character (Rom. 5:3; Jas. 1:2-4)

3. Attain a clear perspective (2 Cor. 4:17-18)

4. Enlarge ministry (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

James 5:10–11 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11

Indeed we count them blessed who endure.

James 5:10–11 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11

Indeed we count them blessed who endure.

“Blessed are those who are Persecuted...”Part 2

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