Sermon on the Mount - Blessing verse 11-12

^{Matthew 5:1} “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Has someone ever lied about you or said something to hurt you? Insults are tough, but in reality, just words. But in this reality, all of how we react comes back to "who" we are living for and who they are, really insulting. They are insulting the God of the Universe, Almighty God, our Heavenly Father. When we look at it that way, it makes it not so tough because it is not personal to us, but they are insulting God. In the following verses, Jesus teaching is a poultice to help minister to the wounds we get for proclaiming that we follow Jesus. The blessing is that poultice, and Jesus comes right alongside us to encourage us not to be ashamed of the gospel. Paul knew this very well, and he knew that the gospel message was vital to all of his work. Romans 1: ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.”

Here is Paul's list of things he endured because of his preaching the Gospel. 2 Corinthians 11:²³ Are they servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. ²⁶ I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from mycountrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; ²⁷ I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ²⁸ Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.²⁹ Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? Paul went through all of this, and yet he wrote to the church in Phillipi in Philippians 1: 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

When we say we give our lives to Jesus, we make a commitment of service. You don't have to have an official presentation of your call to be in that number, because we are "called." There are just different calls within this system of commitment. When I committed to my call, I committed to go wherever Jesus called me to go and do whatever He needed me to do, and I found out my call was unique to me. Personal in every part. Even though I had the blessing of serving in the church where I answered that call, God sent me to California, then Arkansas, back to West Plains, Missouri, then Alabama, then North Carolina, and back to Alabama. I missed funerals, the sickness of my parents and brother, having a job where I could be some kind of entrepreneur, and staying in one house for over 10 years. Sure, I missed some things others get, but I also saw God move in ways others didn't, so no regrets.

When Paul said in the above verse, To live is Christ and to die is gain, he may have been thinking about the blessing in Matthew 5:11-12. He may have been rejoicing that he was able to follow the personal call God had for his life, knowing his reward in heaven would be great. If you have ever sacrificed for the Lord, keep in mind you are in a long lineage of those who have also sacrificed and been persecuted, which means you are in good company. Praise God for the strange blessing of being insulted and persecuted for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is worth it!!

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren