Jesus' sermon on the Mount covers a variety of teachings that provide valuable guidance for believers in their journey of faith. In Matthew 5, Jesus starts with the Beatitudes and in this account by Matthew, our focus will be on the last beatitude.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Persecution can take many forms, and we may not always recognize it for what it truly is. To persecute means to persistently harass, oppress, torment, afflict, torture, annoy, or cause trouble for someone.
But Jesus says "Blessed are you" when they do these things to you for My sake.
The word blessed means to be divinely favored, to have good fortune, and to be worthy of deep reverence and respect. We as believers are blessed when we are reviled and persecuted for Jesus' sake.
There are stories of people in other parts of the world who are continuously tortured and killed for declaring Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Some people are unable to pray as they would like just like the early Christians who were killed for believing in Jesus and declaring His word. For those of us who have the freedom to serve the Lord and worship him freely, we are blessed. Let us continue to pray that the same freedoms are given to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
There are stories of people in other parts of the world who are continuously tortured and killed for declaring Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Some people are unable to pray as they would like just like the early Christians who were killed for believing in Jesus and declaring His word. For those of us who have the freedom to serve the Lord and worship him freely, we are blessed. Let us continue to pray that the same freedoms are given to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Being persecuted comes in all forms. It may even come from those who claim to love us. I know a friend whose family turned against him for speaking the word of God. They oppressed, tormented, and degraded him in any way they could because they did not want to hear him preach the word of God. Those same family members almost cost him his life, reputation, and sanity because of the many evil things they did to him and said about him. Looking back he said, he never thought his own family would do those things to him but he loves them nevertheless because He realizes that Jesus was persecuted and we too will be persecuted for His sake. He's happy he went through that, for now, he has a testimony that encourages others going through the same thing.
Jesus said, "A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also" John 15:20. Jesus' persecutions are comparable to what we have to go through. It is not too much for us to bear, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ!
In verse 12 it says, Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Rejoice! Be exceedingly glad! How many of us can say that when going through persecution? Not an easy feat! But it is attainable! We have to remember that great is our reward in Heaven. The Prophets, Jesus, and The Disciples were all persecuted before us, so if we are partakers in the faith, declaring the word of God, we too are subject to the same decree.
Continue to persevere brothers and sisters in Christ! When going through those turbulent times, if you need to cry, scream, vent etc. do so in a way that honors God and pray continuously. Pray your way through it all. In the end, our reward is greater than what we have to endure.
May God continue to bless you!
Jesus said, "A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also" John 15:20. Jesus' persecutions are comparable to what we have to go through. It is not too much for us to bear, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ!
In verse 12 it says, Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Rejoice! Be exceedingly glad! How many of us can say that when going through persecution? Not an easy feat! But it is attainable! We have to remember that great is our reward in Heaven. The Prophets, Jesus, and The Disciples were all persecuted before us, so if we are partakers in the faith, declaring the word of God, we too are subject to the same decree.
Continue to persevere brothers and sisters in Christ! When going through those turbulent times, if you need to cry, scream, vent etc. do so in a way that honors God and pray continuously. Pray your way through it all. In the end, our reward is greater than what we have to endure.
May God continue to bless you!
