The Persecuted (2) 3) Being persecuted because you lack wisdom But what you have to remember here is that sometimes, you receive persecutions because you do not have enough wisdom, not because you act in righteousness. Even though you act according to God’s word in one aspect, you are not able to edify others as long as you are not faithful in all God’s house. If a female member does not clean the house or prepare the meal to cause a lot of discomfort to her family members and stays in the church for the whole day on Sunday, then her husband will persecute her. The problem is not that you attend church but you don’t do your house work. But you misunderstand that you are persecuted for keeping the Sabbath. Also, if you don’t work hard and shuffle off your duty to others because of your church works, your colleagues will have discomfort and even persecute you for attending church. So, 1 Peter 2:19-20 says, “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.” I hope you will give thanks, rejoice, and win the victory when you are persecuted for the righteousness, and at the same time, check yourself constantly, so that you will change more completely to give glory to God. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven But in the first blessing, it says for those who are poor in their heart, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Here, the kingdoms of heaven for those who are poor in their heart and for those who are persecuted for righteousness are different. 1) The difference between the kingdom of heaven for those who are poor in spirit and the kingdom of heaven for those who have been persecuted for righteousness. On the one hand, Verse 3 says that those who are poor in spirit will receive the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven for those who are poor in their heart has broader meaning, and it means they will not fall into hell but enter the heavenly kingdom. On the other hand, Verse 10 says that those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness will possess the kingdom of heaven. Namely, the kingdom of heaven for those who are persecuted is in more detail than the kingdom of heaven for those who are poor in their spirit. This means they will go to better heavenly dwelling place to the extent that they are persecuted and their souls are prosperous to give glory to God. When the believers are persecuted in this world, their faith can be firm and they can sanctify their heart. Those who do not go through trials have weak faith of children. But those who win the victory with joy, thanks, and endurance in truth will grow to become a young man and a father in faith. They will find out and cast off the untruth deep in their heart, of which they were not aware before. They have meekness and have peace with everybody to resemble the heart of the Lord to love even enemies. They know more of the Lord’s heart, share love and communicate with Him more deeply. Before, if they were stricken on their right cheek, they got angered and had to strike back, but through hardships, they learn service and love so that they can now turn their left cheek. Before, they used to become saddened and complain, but through persecutions, now they are filled with hope of heaven, and so they praise God with thanks and joy in any situation. Psalm 119:71 says, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.” They humble themselves and rely on the Lord casting away sins. They live by God’s word to become more sanctified. In this way, they gain the right to enter the 1st kingdom, the 2nd kingdom, the 3rd kingdom of heaven, and finally New Jerusalem. Even though you accept the Lord and gain the right to enter the heavenly kingdom, unless you go through trials following the righteousness, you cannot even see God’s face. Only those who have sanctified heart by casting off sins and evil completely through trials will be able to enter better dwelling places in heaven and see God’s face. 2) Persecution for righteousness will not last forever. As you overcome the persecutions and grow in faith to become more perfect, you now receive respect, not persecution, from other people as well as spiritual and material blessings from God. We can see this from the examples of Daniel and his three friends. Daniel kept the righteousness of God and because of this he was thrown into lion’s den. But God closed the mouths of the lions so that Daniel was not hurt at all. He came out from the lion’s den alive and gave glory to God greatly. He was even more loved by the king. Also, his three friends were thrown into the fiery furnace that was seven times hotter than before because they did not worship the idol, but God protected them so that not even a hair of them was singed. The king was very surprised and gave glory to God. Also, he lifted these three persons. In Daniel 3:28-29, King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.” So, they received more blessings and even the king came to acknowledge God completely. Now, they did not have to be persecuted for not worshipping idols. So, if you just overcome the persecutions and give glory to God, nobody will persecute you. It is the same with you. Some believers who used to be persecuted may at some point in time heal those who are sick by praying with handkerchiefs or through sweet water, so they are loved and acknowledged later. Also, even those who used to look down on you come to acknowledge God and that you have led a good Christian life when they see you are receiving blessings in many aspects of your life. Those who used to persecute you before come to receive God’s grace and come out to your light as your faith grows. To the extent that they change and become the light and salt of the world through the persecutions, the persecutions from people around you will disappear. Those relatives who used to persecute you for not attending family functions on Sundays will arrange for some other day than Sunday so you can participate. Your family members and friends who did not like it when you attended church, will recognize the love and compassion in you and go to church with you. It is because, if you dwell in light completely through the trials, there is nothing of which Satan can accuse you. 3) However, even if you fully accomplish righteousness, persecutions will not completely disappear. As said in today’s scripture verse 11-12, there are persecutions that workers for the kingdom of God have to face. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Since long ago, many willingly received hardships to fulfill the will of God. More than anyone else, our Lord Jesus, who is of the substance of the original God, suffered the punishments of sinners, although He Himself was spotless and blameless. With the sole purpose of accomplishing the kingdom of God, He was flogged and crucified with great contempt and mockery. John the Baptist was also jailed and beheaded without commission of any sin. Twelve disciples of Jesus were beaten, jailed, and most of them were martyred while preaching in the name of the Lord. Especially, in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, we can see how much the apostle Paul suffered while he was establishing many churches in Asia and spreading the gospel as far as Rome. “Are they servants of Christ? I speak as if insane I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” For what did he go through this? He took all these for the Lord, God’s kingdom, and His righteousness. It is said that Isaiah was sawn in two by an evil king while he was preaching the word of God. Moses was persecuted by the Pharaoh and his army. He even suffered from his own people whom he had brought out from Egypt at the risk of his own life. He suffered many times, too. The people often complained that Moses took them out of Egypt to starve them to death and not providing them any meat. But, it is not that these people were persecuted because they did not have power. If Jesus had wanted, He had the authority to call more than 12 legions of angels to destroy all the evil people. When Elisha spoke a curse, two female bears came out and tore up children. When Peter cursed Ananias and Sapphira, they both fell and died. Moses, the apostle Paul, Peter, and John were accompanied with the evidence that God was with them. But these people knew that God’s providence would be fulfilled by them accepting the persecutions, so they did not try to avoid them but received them willingly. Men of God preached the will of God with burning passion and fulfilled God’s providence by obeying what God commanded them. In Jeremiah chapter 20, prophet Jeremiah talks about the hardships that the king and the nation will face since the king committed a sin. Because he will testify to the providence, people will ridicule him and mock him all day. Also, he says everyone will surround him to denounce him and even his trusted friends will watch for his fall. If he did not preach the word of God, he could avoid persecutions, but he could not keep quiet. Jeremiah 20:9 says, “But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” If he does not speak in God’s name, God’s word is like fire shut up in his bones, and his heart is burning like fire, so he cannot but proclaim the word of God. To those who know the will of God and love Him, it is more difficult not to do the will of God than being persecuted. That is why you are also preaching and taking care of other members even under persecutions and hardships. The reason why our church proclaimed spiritual messages and God’s power is because it was the will of God. Because we knew the spiritual realm and God’s providence, we had to awaken the churches and believers who were spiritually asleep even though it meant persecution. We must save the numerous souls and awaken the countless souls around the world. 4) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great When we are persecuted and face hardships or are falsely accused because of the name of the Lord, we should not be sad or mourn, but rejoice and be glad, for our rewards will be great in heaven. In the distant past, when the king was in danger in a battle, there were some faithful retainers who disguised themselves as the king or intentionally became the target to save the king. If they escape the dangerous situation, the rewards given to them by the king were great. The king would give the best rewards he could give them and if they died, the king gave them great honor. As said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” they sacrificed their lives to prove their love and faithfulness to the king. It is the same with us. If we are persecuted, face hardships, and even sacrifice our lives for the Lord, how can God, the master of all things just stay calm? He will pour down unimaginable heavenly blessings on us. For example, in assigning the dwelling place in heaven, God will grant greater advantage to this kind of people than to others. There may be a person who was martyred in his love for the Lord, but yet he was not fully sanctified. If you have not cast off all your sins, you cannot go higher than the 2nd kingdom of heaven. But those who become martyrs for the Lord will be recognized for their love of the Lord already, so in that state, they can go to 3rd kingdom of heaven or the above. Furthermore, if you are sanctified, faithful in all God’s house, and become a martyr and reach New Jerusalem, your honor and blessings will be inexpressible. Why would you attain the 3rd kingdom and above if you become a martyr? It is because if you continue your life in faith without becoming a martyr, obviously you would struggle against sins to the point of death and keep the commandments, and you would become sanctified. Also, 2 Corinthians 1:5 says, “For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” God gives us comfort not only in heaven but also on this earth. Many of you have experienced this. When you face hardships without any reason because of the Lord, if you rejoice and give thanks, you will come to receive what you have desired or get what is very necessary. This way, God shows us He is actively with us. Also, as much as you overcome hardships, your faith grows and you receive power and authority so that you will more clearly communicate with God and show greater power over time. Even if you do not have any comfort on this earth and you lose everything and only suffer until your death, it does not matter to you if you have faith. Romans 8:18 says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” As said, no matter what kind of hardships we encounter, they cannot be compared to the blessings and rewards in heaven. So, we can always rejoice. There is one more thing you should remember. It is a blessing for those who stay with the man of God who is going through persecutions for the Lord. When David was going through the trials due to the rebellion of his son, Absalom, God was not pleased with those who united with the evil person. Those who were truthful knew that David was a man of God. Even though it seemed he was forsaken by God in reality, they knew David loved God in his deep heart. So, they did not betray David but stayed with him. They received the trials together with David, even in life-threatening situations. These people, when David recovered God’s grace, received the grace of God together with him. What would you have done if you were one of those who served David? Absalom’s army is chasing you very close, and your life will be threatened if you continue to follow David. You have to leave your home and everything. You have no time to take food or anything. You have to run away immediately. You have no hope. If you just forsake David and hide now, you will be safe. You may enjoy honor if you switch to stand with Absalom. He is the one who is winning the battle. But you will not do that. If you know David’s truthful heart for God and his people, and how much God loves him, you will not forsake your king whom you are serving. Those who participate with truthful heart when a man of God receives hardships, God will let them participate in the glory after the hardship, too. It is the justice of God. In Luke 22:28-30, Jesus said to His disciples, “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” How great the rewards are for Jesus’ disciples who participated in the Lord’s trials! It is unimaginable.
