Part 8: Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake
(Matthew 5:1-12)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most well known peacemakers of all time. We must realize, however, that King didn’t become a well respected peace maker simply because he constantly wrote and talked about peace. He became a well respected man of peace by practicing peace in the face of persecution. In this way, King was following in the footsteps of the Prince of Peace Himself, Jesus Christ. For example, during the Montgomery Bus boycott, his house was bombed and his family was threatened. Many people gathered around King’s wrecked house brandishing knives, clubs and guns. At that moment, King told everyone to go home and put away their weapons. He reminded them that it was a peaceful movement based on God’s love.[1] In the face of extreme intimidation, King never backed down and continued to preach, teach and demonstrate the loving peace of Jesus Christ.
The example of Martin Luther King illustrates the eighth and ninth beatitudes, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you”
As you may recall, the beatitudes combine to give us a transformational process that makes us more like Jesus. We go through this process by humbly surrendering to God’s love. As we humble ourselves and become more like Jesus, God uses us as peacemakers. We become God’s instruments of peace.
If we are God’s peacemakers, then we should expect to find ourselves in the midst of violence, animosity, hatred, discord, and tension. How can we expect God to use us to bring love where there is hate if we never face hate? How can we expect God to use us to bring goodness where there is evil if we never face evil? How can we expect God to use us to bring truth where there are lies if we never face the lies? Lastly, how can we expect God to use us to bring peace where there is violence if we never face violence? If you seriously want God to use you for His purposes, then expect to face the dark & seedy side of life. It will not always be a pleasant experience.
As you face the dark & seedy side of life, you will be persecuted. The intensity of this persecution may cause minor irritation, moderate to extreme suffering or even death. God, however, will redeem the persecution, no matter how intense it may become. In other words, God will use the persecution to fulfill His purposes. For example, the Apostle Paul faced persecution when the authorities threw him in prison for preaching the gospel. Paul, however, used that time in prison to write letters to various churches. Many of these letters now make up most of the New Testament. In this way, God redeemed Paul’s time in prison. To illustrate this truth, Paul wrote, “I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.” (Philippians 1:12-14)
The cross is the greatest example of how God redeems persecution. Satan sought to kill the Messiah on the cross and gain victory. God, however, used the cross as a means to pay for our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins. With our sins paid for, we can now receive God’s forgiveness and experience a loving and transformational relationship with God. Jesus proved this to be the case when He rose from the dead. In this way, God redeemed the persecution of His only son, Jesus Christ. He’ll do the same for you and me.
As a pastor, I often face the dark & seedy side of life when con-artists visit the church masquerading as people in need. When I recognize their scams, I confront them and ask them to leave. They don’t always respond kindly to that. On more than one occasion, I’ve been in some rather uncomfortable situations.
Often times, however, I’m unsure if the person asking for money is legitimate or conning me. In those cases I err on the side of grace and help as much as I can. I buy a grocery gift card, purchase gas, pay for a bus pass etc… (I almost never give people cash.) Each time I give assistance, I’m able to say something about the love of Jesus. There’s no doubt I’ve been the victim of many con artists but that is the chance I’m willing to take as I seek to serve God by helping others. I trust that God will somehow redeem the scams that have been directed at me. It’s a small, small way I endure persecution for righteousness sake.
Are you willing to become a peacemaker? Are you willing to humbly submit to God’s love and become a tool in God’s hands? Are you willing to become the hands, feet and mouth of Jesus as you face down sin and evil? This is what we’ve been created for. God doesn’t save us just so we can go to heaven when we die. God saves us to use us for his loving purposes. Consider Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
If you are ready to fulfill your life purpose, then go back to the first beatitude and go through all the beatitudes over and over again. Every day, we must choose to humbly surrender to the love of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The beatitudes teach us that we are saved by God’s grace (God’s love), nothing more, and nothing less. If we are saved by God’s grace, then let’s surrender to that grace and become peacemakers.
[1] http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_montgomery_bus_boycott_1955_1956/; http://rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/january-30-1956-%E2%80%93-martin-luther-king-jr%E2%80%99s-home-was-bombed/;
