Overcoming Persecution

Overcoming PersecutionLiving Above the Storms of

Criticism and Hatred

Overcoming Persecution

• What is persecution?• Why Are We Persecuted?

• How to Overcome Persecution:– Storing Your Joy in the right place– Avoiding the Distraction of Criticism– Walking like our Father– The Power of Undeserved Blessing

What is Persecution?

Matthew 5.10-12• Blessed are they which are persecuted for

righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

• Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

What Is Persecution?• Persecution for righteousness’ sake:– to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away– to pursue (in a hostile manner)

– harass, trouble, molest one– to persecute

Greek = diōkō

What Is Persecution?• Persecution for righteousness’ sake:– Can be physical: stoning, beating, pushing– Can be mental: name calling, discrimination

– It’s the sense of being hounded, chased, and pursued.

– It always involvesreviling Greek = diōkō

What Is Persecution?• Persecution for righteousness’ sake:– 1 Peter 4.12-16– Persecution is suffering for righteousness.

We are redeemed from sin, sickness, poverty! We are not redeemed from persecution.

Rightly divide the word!

What Is Persecution?• Paul’s thorn in the flesh was persecution, not

sickness! (2 Cor. 12.7)

• cf. Numbers 33.55, Joshua 23.13, Judges 2.3

Why Are We Persecuted?

• For righteousness’ sakes:– We are righteous: and when that righteousness

manifests, it upsets the world.

– Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. (2 Tim. 4.12-13)

Why Are We Persecuted?– Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is

not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. (John 15.20)

– But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. (John 15.21)

– They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the One who sent me. (John 15.21, NLT)

Why Are We Persecuted?1. We are persecuted because manifest righteousness

always provokes a response.2. We are persecuted because Jesus lives inside us, and

some people hate Jesus.

3. It is not persecution if people attack us due to our lack of love and lack of manifest righteousness!

4. We are persecuted because the devil does not want us raised to our rightful place (2 Cor. 12.7ff)

The Threefold Attack of Persecution

I. Persecution attacks your peace of mind.II. Persecution attacks your destiny.

III. Persecution is a satanic tactic to destroy the persecutor as he is destroying a Christian

Keeping Peace and Joy

• Isa. 26.3: peace is not to do with circumstances but with what you think about!

• Don’t store your joy in the wrong place!

Keeping Peace and Joy

• Perspective:– Burning in a shirt covered in naphtha– Fed to lions

– Crucified– And in their deaths they were made the subjects of sport;

for they were wrapped in the hides of wild beasts and torn to pieces by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set on fire, and when day declined, were burned to serve for nocturnal lights.

Keeping Peace and Joy

• Perspective:– 1.5 million Christians killed in Sudan since 1984

– In Pakistan, grenades and “random” gunfire into churches is normative.

– In August 2009, four women and a child were burnt alive for disrespecting Qur’an.

Keeping Peace and Joy

• If people facing life and death persecution can keep their peace and joy, you can!

• So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Cor. 4.18)

Avoiding the Distraction of Criticism

• All persecution is designed to stop you following your destiny.

• Christ on the cross – “come down” (Mk. 15.30)• The apostles (Acts 4.16-18)• Paul (2 Cor. 12.7)

Avoiding the Distraction of Criticism

• Following your destiny is like running a race (Hebrews 12.1-2)

• Quitting your race to argue with your critics is foolishness of the highest order.

Walking Like Our Father

• “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

• (Matthew 5.43-45, NLT)

Walking Like Our Father

• If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

• (Matthew 5.46-48)

Walking Like Our Father

• Love everyone!• Not a feeling – an action of power and faith!

• Not just in prayer closet – practical and helpful.

Walking Like Our Father

• Failing to walk in love means that you will never have victory over persecution.

The Power of Undeserved Blessing

• To bless is to empower to succeed• Anyone who is empowering you to fail,

empower them to succeed.

• Stephen and Paul (Acts 7)• Jesus and Peter (John 20)

The Power of Undeserved Blessing

• Undeserved blessings is what gains us everything and enables us to live days of heaven on earth.