Lesson 8 – Blessed Are the Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12 (NIV)
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Here, the attitude to have is one of rejoicing and gladness, though not simply in the persecutions coming from those who oppose Christ, but simply in being found worthy to bear the name of Christ.

If you're like me, you've probably never really liked this part of the Sermon on the Mount. Who wants to have a sunny outlook on life when things are going bad, and in particular when you are being personally attacked in some way or another?

I'm convinced that many of the trials which I see hitting our church's younger families come about because they have recently committed themselves to Christ. And while they may not understand what is going on, Satan does, and he brings these believers into the crucible. Persecutions, whether a direct attack on us for the name of Christ, or in some other indirect way which just seems to be a life of troubles, are Satan's way of trying to get us to turn away from God's promises for our lives.

This is what Satan tried with Job, and no doubt, things haven't changed much since. Whenever we stand for Christ, there will be persecutions.

So that leads to the real question. How is it possible to rejoice and be glad in the face of persecutions? Of course, the Bible is not teaching us to go around saying all is good, even when it is not. And likewise, this isn't an opportunity for us to train our emotions to see things as rosy when in fact, all is not well. Some believers try those roads, but they invariably find themselves feeling guilt when they can't keep up the charade for very long.

What Jesus is telling us to do is to count it as joy whenever we face troubles, for that is an indication that we belong to Christ. That is the real blessing. To be the Lord's, regardless of what Satan would throw our way.