"If you are a beacon of Christian light, be ready-- the sharks are coming, and they are hungry for Christians."
[This sermon is one of a series entitled "Sermon on the Mount, Concentrating on the Beatitudes," which is being preached on Sunday mornings by Pastor Tim Senter.]
It is good to be back with you all and to renew our study in the Beatitudes. If I were to choose a place for a break, then a re-introduction this would have to be it. This beatitude, the last in those provided by Christ, is one that marks a very unique separation. This separates the attributes that mark the occupants of the Kingdom of God from the attributes of those without the kingdom, those destined for eternal damnation.
By way of reminder and refresher, we studied true biblical peacemaking last time. We differentiated between the world’s ideas concerning peace, and that of God. We talked of whole nations seeking peace, but using great violence and hate to exterminate others. We found that man’s peace is always centered upon himself and his own personal desires. It, therefore, is a relative peace – a peace relative to one person’s ideals or concepts. True peace on the other hand, godly peace, places God first, and the giver or maker of peace subordinate to all else. True peacemakers, then, are not those in charge, but those willing to submit themselves to God and therefore subordinate their personal aspirations and personal ideas of vendetta or passion to God’s will in their life, and for others. This is a true peacemaker, one given wholly to God and to His will, not bent upon fulfilling his own will. This peacemaker is a child of God.
Now we turn to consider another godly characteristic – persecution. Not perpetrated by the Christian, but enjoyed by them.
Please look at Matthew 5:10. Our “Tim’s Translation” for today reads,
“Contented are the ones persecuted for the sake of righteousness, because they exist as (are) the kingdom of the heavens.”
When we first consider this passage, we might think that this is not necessarily a Beatitude, in the sense that all those before are characteristics, while here we find what might be considered a repercussion. The fact of the matter is, whatever you believe, whatever you are characterized by, whatever you commit yourself to has repercussions. If you commit yourself to the stage, or to glamour on television or in movies, you forfeit much of your personal life in the process. If you commit to a life of politics, you forfeit both personal life, and any presumption or association with honesty or integrity. If you commit to serving the wicked one in all things, you forfeit any possibility of being in heaven with the Savior. If you simply deny Jesus, or God, you do the same. Everything has a consequence.
More generally, if you determine to let others supply all your needs, you forfeit any rights you could retain otherwise. For instance, when we have government take care of all our problems, we forfeit rights to govern ourselves, and stand on our own two feet. Equally, when we stand for our own rights, which involves struggle, we place ourselves in a position of scrutiny in struggles against oppression.
Every person exhibiting specific characteristics, even being a Christian, therefore has attached to their activities to a level of persecution. For this reason, and many others, this is certainly a Beatitude – an attribute of the Godly as seen and, in this case experienced here on earth. Even if we do not exhibit this characteristic (by persecuting others) but instead receive this Beatitude (receive persecution), we are recognized as children of God and receive the kingdom of Heaven. The question is, which persecution is righteous and which is not?
We hope to answer this question today. For the persecution mentioned in this passage there are requirements and rewards. There are also specific things Christians endure that are true persecution. There are also those that false Christians (or those who claim Christlike persecution) endure for their own devices. We will look at both of these issues.
While considering these things, we should keep in mind; “True Christian persecution is for Christ alone, only that persecution receives the promise.” This is a continual reminder to anyone who thinks they are suffering for Christ that, “Man considers persecution on his personal level, however persecution is personal only to God.”
We will consider Christian persecution, the people who perpetrate it, and the people that receive it, the reasons for it, and the result of it. When discussing Christian persecution, we must consider some examples as well. Finally, we will consider pseudo persecution. We will consider when bad things happen to people, but they happen for reasons other than true persecution. First, Christian persecution.
I. Christian Persecution
First we should note that persecution for faith, true faith persecution, is found in many passages both in the Old and New Testaments. People as meager in position as a peasant, and those who are kings or rulers suffer it. True persecution is found in Peter’s, and James’ epistles. Actually, the way the Holy Spirit organized scripture, the record of persecution begins in the last chapter of Hebrews (13:, 3, 6, 12, 13) where we are given some doctrine concerning the subject, and is carried through both first and second Peter and James. Some of this persecution is also found in 1 John. If you remember, we studied the secessionists and their attempts to berate and call down believers. The secessionists wanted to believe in Plato and Aristotle as well as other philosophers, therefore, they saw this raw faith displayed by the believer in Christ as ignorant and uneducated (See sermon on 1 John 5:16,17). Sounds familiar – Satan’s tactics never change over time, they are just presented by different people under different circumstances. In 1 Peter 4:14-16, which also contains stern warnings concerning persecution, we find the answer – to glory in Him. Looking at verse 19 of the passage, we are found faithful while doing good for God.
You might ask why these things happen. Why cannot people just live and let live? Mainly, because people hate those who are different. Different is bad. Unless it is a different that is devious, or a different that furthers a personal goal, or a different that coincides with the world as a whole. This is one reason Christian contemporary (CC) rock, pop, jazz, or any other CC music should receive a “thumbs down” – because it is not different – it is not persecuted or called out by the world. Christian contemporary music is instead accepted by it and embraced. The very reason that unbelievers can listen to this type of music and it does not stand out as different or unique is a confirmation of its worldliness.
Persecution happens because people see others doing good things, while they know they themselves are bad. People doing the will of God are different, act different, sacrifice differently, and are all around different people – in a good way. Their efforts are focused upon others and not self. This focus is honest and has no hidden agenda – it is brought about by the love of Christ within the believer, not by the believer themselves. The world sees this selflessness and desires to have it for themselves. When they realize it is impossible to achieve this selflessness, because the very act in this case is an act to make one look better (a selfish act), it cannot be selfless. Therefore, the worldly have to endeavor another way to make themselves look good. Many times this results in attempting to destroy the character or appearance of the believer. This is as if to say – “See – they are not as perfect as they appear either, therefore I should be seen as righteous, just as they are.”
This type of distraction happened to me before I was saved in another fashion. A young lady, a watch section supervisor, who reported to me was sneaking out during her duty periods on watch. She was going to the Library to study her college courses. Because there are regular log entries that had to be made, the assistant supervisor was entering them. When this individual returned, she would backspace delete the log entries, and place her name at the end. This is falsifying logs, leaving your post, and a host of other things that are infractions in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
When I found out about this, I placed her on report and was going to see to it she was appropriately dealt with. In the interim, one of the other individuals who worked for me wanted to learn how to snorkel. He asked if I could help him. I told him I was taking my family to Shark’s Cove and would be snorkeling with Sean, my son, there. If he wanted to join us, he could. He did. Technically, if I had invited him out and shown him favoritism, it would be fraternization with a subordinate. However, since I was already going to be involved in the activity, it was rather coincidental. I showed him the basics, and he left. Sean and I went snorkeling. This young lady filed counter charges against me for favoritism and fraternization to defray the focus from her investigation – she wanted to make me look bad so she did not.
So begins the reasons for persecution, some of the whys. The ultimate reason – no human truly wants to believe they are accountable to God. When they see people acting with accountability, and showing that there is accountability, they attack the person because no one can attack God and win, and they know it.
That brings us to the first point under true Christian persecution – the people. Who are these persecuted Christians, and who is it that will persecute them?
A. The People
We have discussed their characteristics already. They are poor in spirit. Those who would be persecuted know their true position, empty without God. Therefore, knowing they have God, because their spirit is filled, they know man only attacks that which he does not understand, he only attacks out of ignorance. The Christian then mourns for these souls to be enlightened. They are gentle in their representation, meek in their appearance, and tender toward those who persecute them because the Christian knows the empty soul that is confronting him is helpless to do nothing else except lash out angrily.
The Christian seeks righteousness at every turn, and this draws persecution. Christians seeking righteousness do not participate in many worldly events such as having a beer Friday night after work with the guys from the office. They do not waste valuable resources on senseless and selfish things that involve only a select and secular group of friends, which exclude their families. Christians seek righteousness in God and when extra funds come, they seek ways to serve Him with this gift. They seek wholesome and spiritually invigorating activities, family camps, family mission trips, and family events centered on instructing the soul in righteousness. The persecuted Christian has a heart that is being purified by God in a variety of ways, and is seeking this purification, excited about admonition and exhortation. The persecuted Christian seeks ways to attend Bible conferences and family Bible camps, father and son retreats, mother and daughter retreats, and other things that develop purity of heart, instead of going on shopping sprees, drinking binges, or extended hunting/fishing trips purely for themselves.
The persecuted Christian is merciful in their approach to every endeavor – not immediately blaming someone or something for their own shortcomings. They exhibit mercy in dealing with anyone understanding that true mercy was shown to them at the cross on Calvary. Ultimately, they are peacemakers – individuals seeking to glorify God in all they do places them in a position to understand that any attack is really aimed at God and His word, not personally at the believer. The true Christian realizes that persecution is part of what will take place, because they exhibit these characteristics, and things, events, and actions will happen, take place, and be perpetrated against the believer. This is persecution for the sake of righteousness.
The worldly see efforts at righteousness and developing purity as foolish brain washing endeavors. After all – you worked hard and deserve to be spoiled a little. They continually attempt to convince the believer that the worldly way is the right way. That “Jesus, and God mumbo jumbo” is just a bunch of hooey – go have some fun. Once this simple appeal to the senses and self-servitude does not work, the unbeliever begins to feel uneasy around the Christian. This brings about more open attacks against the Christian’s behavior. Eventually, the unbeliever openly mocks the Christian and may play practical jokes upon them to get them to see how “foolish” they are and how much they are wasting their time in this religious stuff.
There are Christian persecutors who are political in orientation. In this country, they see Christianity as a threat to their liberal satanic agenda, which involves infanticide – known as abortion. They debate when a child actually is a child in order to give themselves justification for murder. They also attempt to give the mother complete power over the child because they believe no mother would destroy their own child. I am reminded of Susan Smith, who, in 1994 intentionally rolled her car into a lake with her children strapped in their car seats in the back seat – a 3 year old and a 14 month old – in order to free herself to be with a man. I did an Internet search to find this story and found multiple stories of children being left to die in overheated car interiors, or women going off and getting drunk while their children were strapped in their car seats in the parking lot. Whenever people are given the power over life and death, they choose the death of others for their own devices. The same individuals who would give power to mothers to murder their own children, want to strip the rights to free speech from Christians who are called by God to witness Christ – because Christ makes them uncomfortable and they know they will some day be accountable to Him.
We also find that persecutors make and gather power and importance to themselves to give legitimacy to ungodly lifestyles. We find this in elected congressmen and women who wantonly break sodomy laws in prostitution, drunk driving laws, national security laws, and take bribes– yet all get away with these things without a single day in jail, a fine, or a single black mark on their record. Only in the liberal political profession can these events become a positive. They are resume’ enhancements. These individuals fight against Christian politicians by asking if they can truly represent the people with “Christian values.” They are fearful of a “theocracy” developing, and push as strenuously as they can to remove any semblance of God from the schools, and all public buildings and property. The 10 commandments cannot be displayed on courthouse walls. Prayer cannot be had in school, because some may not feel “comfortable” when others pray to “God” and especially if the name “Jesus” is mentioned. These religious things are born purely of ignorance. Man is the reasonable being and man must be the one who polices himself, not God. This way, what is good for you is good for you, but what is good for me is good for me, and you cannot tell me what to do.
We have considered some reasons that people persecute Christians. What is the reason that the Christian, then, continues to follow Christ?
B. The Reason
The reason is found in our verse. For the purposes of righteousness. The Christian changes boldly because it is righteous to do so. The Christian has a testimony that convicts the world, because it is righteous to do so. The Christian acts like Christ, because it is righteous to do so. We bring enough pain and suffering upon ourselves every day. We spend too much money, we get a loan for too big of a car, we treat others poorly, or we make poor decisions concerning our direction in life. Either way, we make these choices without God and suffer endlessly for them. However, the reason we suffer true Christian persecution is out of righteousness.
Now, although this beatitude is not specifically discussing politics, we do understand that the political world has placed themselves squarely in religion today. Dare we never mix our politics and religion? I say the mixture is such that we do in politics what glorifies God. I use many political examples, and have done so in this sermon. However, persecution for politics is certainly not the discussion here. Where a believer is persecuted for their politics, their persecutory suffering is purely political and has nothing to do with Christ. What we are talking about is the righteousness of God that brings about persecution. We are talking about being persecuted because we believe in Him, not because we oppose some political policy. Therefore, we would say that in righteousness, we are not persecuted for our belief that abortion should be illegal. However, in righteousness we are persecuted because we believe God knows every individual in the womb at conception as God binds bone and sinew to create a human. We are persecuted because we believe God and not man, and we lean to His understanding and not that of man.
Our righteousness is born from our concern for the soul of man, which is dark, evil, corrupt, worthless, and unredeemable without Christ. Our righteousness is not born from some sense that we have to shun the sinner in every avenue. It is not some ultra separatist view. We find our persecution coming; therefore, because we stand for the principles in the Word of God and forego–not engage in–prejudice. We make discernments concerning our associations, not judgments on the character of individuals. We make discernments concerning the purity of our spirit and what things will encourage this, not judgments concerning the motives of individuals. We know, therefore, that that woman who would destroy the life of the innocent is doing so out of an evil heart. This bereft soul has no way to control the evil that can pour from her. One of the most misunderstood and quoted passages deals with this where scripture says, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” This is a portion of the Sermon on the Mount at the end in chapter 7 of Matthew. The scripture here is contextually not discussing discernment of whom you might associate with, nor any actual authority you might have to determine the judgment meted out upon a guilty person. This deals with a sanctimonious – a chin in the air – attitude toward others. This statement is directed at the likes of the Pharisees who would say, “I am glad I am not that publican.”
We confront these great errors of judgment on biblical grounds not to say we are any better than the next person is. We have principles to follow that subordinate our personal desires to that of Christ and His will.
There is a point to be made here too that the world regularly holds up the good, noble, and honorable ones. They would just as quickly destroy them as well, however they do recognize these traits. If we look at their recognition though, each instance is directed at what man considers good, noble, and honorable. In no instance is the righteous ever recognized positively. More frequently, they are seen as a threat. In our world today we find this taking place with respect to our brave military men and women. They are often held up as heroes, however in the next breath where true righteousness is found in Christ they are vilified as if to say, “Look at this Soldier, a brave lad, unfortunately he’s a Christian.” This is as if to say his nobility is tainted because he has a skewed view of life – one that serves a pure and righteous God rather than man. Poor ignorant lad.
There is much more that could be said about those who persecute and the reasons for their persecution of the Godly. All instances ultimately boil down to the fact that the persecutors want man to subject himself to man. The persecuted suffer for the righteousness of Christ because they reject man’s flawed suppositions. One must ask, What is the result of this?
C. The Result
First we should recognize that this Beatitude is on par with those preceding. Though it is a received action instead of a characteristic inherent (arguable, yes) in the Christian, it is still an aspect of Christianity as it is lived here on earth among man. Being persecuted is a result of existing in Christ among pure satanic hatred toward Christ. Jesus Himself suffered this persecution from the day He was born, where kings were sent to kill Him. Satan especially targeted Jesus when He began ministering to the people. Since His resurrection and ascension, Satan has targeted Christians themselves because Satan knows he can do nothing against God. Therefore, just as Job was viciously attacked without provocation and severely persecuted by Satan, Satan’s minions which run rampant on earth today will continue to attack every God-fearing, Jesus-professing, and righteous individual who walks the face of the earth.
What is the result of persecution? As Tertullian said, “Their blood is as seed.” Today in countries located within what is known as the 10/40 window, Christians are regularly persecuted, beaten, and killed. Young people, this happens, most times, after a Christian has been baptized. I was privileged to go to college and meet some of these individuals. They are natives of their own countries such as India, Sudan, Northern Africa, and other places. One individual told me he was with his wife and children standing at a street corner when he was viciously attacked by three men, beaten to within an inch of his life, and left. All because the three Muslims are permitted by law to do so in order to elicit conversion of the infidel to Islam. Islam puts government in power over people. The god of Islam, Allah, uses men to force other men to worship him. This god needs man. In truth, Allah is Satan, and he is certainly no god.
What happens is that either man submits to the things of man (the ways of Satan), or man submits to God. It is that simple. One who is persecuted for righteousness is persecuted because he has submitted himself to the God of heaven, forsaking the god of this world. This is persecution for the sake of righteousness in Christ.
We should also remember that this persecution is the other bookend of the Beatitudes. In verse three we found the poor in spirit are promised the Kingdom of the Heavens just as the persecuted are given this same promise in verse 10. What a great promise this is. We find here Stephen again looking up at Christ in heaven, standing at His Father’s right hand out of love and praise of Stephen’s faith. We find the promises of Abraham in His faith being counted unto him for righteousness. In Job, two words are used together to describe this wonderful man of God. They are “tam” and “yashar.” We know them as “blameless” and “upright.” Taken individually they indicate completeness and integrity of the utmost description (tam). Yashar indicates an individual who is very meek, humble, gentle, merciful, highly ethical, pleasing, and just of God. Yashar is also seen as a level of rightness or uprightness. Taken together we get the picture of a righteous man before God. Being persecuted by man, as a minion of Satan is one thing, being specifically stricken by Satan himself is wholly different. Job suffered persecution from the chief of persecutors, Satan. When Job was proven through these trials, he received back 10 fold what he lost. He kept the favor of God, and Job will be in glory with us – he will inherit the kingdom of the Heavens.
With man persecuting man, and Satan influencing and overseeing all of the persecution, what descriptions, or examples do we find of these specific influences?
D. The Example
Though we have briefly discussed the examples of persecution we can look to, I thought we should look at a rather graduating scale of persecution over time. Being persecuted always meant and will always mean we face obstacles of varying degrees when we obey God in the face of man.
Interestingly, the first believer to be persecuted for righteousness in scripture, suffered bodily to the point of death. Abel was killed by Cain because Abel was righteous.
The righteous persecution of Noah was much the same as it is here in the United States today. People would ridicule him for believing that it was going to rain, and above all that so much rain would fall as to engulf the entire earth. The people of the world ridiculed as if to say, “Why are you wasting your time doing what God tells you to do; come with us have fun, enjoy life to the fullest.” Noah saved his family and man as a whole by submitting to God. We find Daniel in many ways persecuted for obeying God. Saul chased David because David was righteous and Saul was filled with the evil of jealousy.
In more recent times, Ulrich Zwingli, one we would consider a reformer, certainly preached and taught against Catholicism in Zurich, where he taught directly from the Greek and Hebrew translations when it was tradition for the church to teach sermons drafted in personal interpretations from the Vulgate. Zwingli’s followers broke from Catholic traditions and were arrested for their separatist beliefs. However, Anabaptists challenged Zwingli’s teachings on baptism, which still coincided with Catholicism. Anabaptists believe that only the regenerate, only the believer was to be baptized. It was Zwingli, then, who presided over the drowning of an Anabaptist – this reformer persecuted believers in Christ.
We find our most specific and direct description of acceptance in the heavens through persecution in John 15:18-20 where we read:
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 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.”
If man is brazen enough to persecute God, what makes us for a moment consider we are any more valuable, any less prone to persecution? The world hated our Savior, they hate Him now. How can they hate a believer in Christ any less? We are admonished toward tolerance by the world. Our Savior told us there is only one way to Heaven, and we are to tell the whole world about that. Whom, then, do we obey? Do we tolerate the world’s skewed views, or do we boldly stand for Christ, knowing the repercussions?
The question for you Christian is, Where do you stand? With whom do you stand? Do you stand with man, or with God? Are you seen as a Christian, or as a man who claims Christianity? Which is it?
A man who claims Christianity – what is that anyway? Pseudo Christian persecution is rampant in our world today and we should consider some examples.
II. Pseudo Christian Persecution
We should note that when the world makes someone a saint, you can bet there is unrighteousness involved in the act. The world making someone a saint or calling someone a saint is simply a worldly act.
In the group of pseudo Christian persecutors are those who preach tolerance in the name of Christ, when in fact they are intolerant in their representation. You cannot have tolerance without intolerance. You are attempting to get people to accept one thing over another. Therefore, what one is saying by, “be tolerant,” is that what you are proposing is actually intolerable to them. This is the world’s response to righteousness – a perfect display of satanic intolerance through the preaching of tolerance to the Christian. These worldly tolerances include immorality – we are to accept that humans are sexual beings and need to express themselves in this way. Homosexuality – we are to accept it as a natural occurrence that God would make a man, really a woman, or visa-versa. It is a choice to be an affront to God, to be abhorrent to Him, and the change the natural thing to an unnatural thing (Rom 1:26-27). Faith – what you believe is good for you, but I want to believe something else therefore do not tell me of this Jesus (Rom 1:18-23). Submitting to the whims of man denies our obedience to the Great Commission. Persecution for power is another aspect of pseudo Christian persecution. Christians give up their rights to preach and teach the Word of God in order to have greater power over more people. This is not necessarily political. People tell the mega churches and other organizations that if you eliminate all this talk of blood, sacrifice, submission, and the sin-filled heart of man, we will attend your church. We are just tired of hearing what wretches we are. Contending with the truth is a great challenge.
There are pseudo Christian persecutors in science, in personal choices, in legalism, and in fundamentalism’s separatist movements. All of these organizations claim persecution in one form or another. However, it is simply for their own devices and not for the righteousness of Christ. It is a false persecution.
If then man and God are opposed one to another, how then are we to say anything we do is righteous? How can anything done by man be righteous enough to earn man the kingdom of heaven? First, we must be in Christ. We must be in Christ to be a Christian. You cannot claim Christianity, you cannot claim righteous persecution, you cannot make any false claim of any sort if you first identify with Christ in all you are, all you do, and all you focus upon. We cannot be what we do not have within us. Just as we cannot love without His love in us (1 John 4:7-12), we cannot expect to be Christians without Christ.
We are to display the light of Christ in us to dispel the darkness of Satan’s world. We are to be so much a beacon of righteousness that no darkness, no black spot of evil or corruption will be unrevealed (Matt 5:16). Our pure, Christlike righteousness should expose any false claim to righteousness. This also means that, just as predators are drawn to light in water, we draw predators of persecution to us. One young lady told me once how they caught sharks off the dock in the Cayman Islands. You put a light out at the end of the dock faced down into the water. Then you hook a chain to the dock with the bait on a hook at the end and set it just inside that light ring in the water. The sharks are drawn to the light because smaller baitfish is also drawn there. Where there is light, there is food. Just as the predator knows where to find baitfish, Satan knows where to find the children of Christ – look to the light. If you are a beacon of Christian light, be ready– the sharks are coming, and they are hungry for Christians.
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