Worth Repeating

 Matthew 5:10 (KJV) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

      As we approach the last Beatitude we find perhaps the greatest paradox of all the statements that Jesus made in this discourse, “Joyful Persecution.” That’s what He is telling us. We are blessed and should count it joy when we are persecuted for Christ’s sake.

      This statement is so shocking that Jesus felt like He needed to repeat it. So He continues in verse 11,

     “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

     Notice that in verse 10 the discourse is kept in the third person, “Blessed are they” but now Jesus changes to the second person, “Blessed are you”. There is no mistaking that this blessing is meant for each and every one of us. It’s personal.

      We like having a personal savior, a personal salvation, a personal healing, a personal blessing but I haven’t found any that enjoy real, up-close persecution. When it comes it seems the first thing on our mind is how to make it go away. But Jesus is telling us that it is a blessing when men insult us, persecute us, lie about us, and say all kinds of evil things about us. I can tell you. I have had my share of all those things and it does not come naturally to count them blessings. We think of how to get payback, how to make it stop, how to get even, or how to defend ourselves but the farthest thing from our mind is “Wow! I am really blessed.”

     If you are under attack today, your good is being spoken of as evil, your reputation is being maligned, and lies are being told about you, remember that all those things were done to Jesus. Stop for moment, lift your head and count it a blessing that you have been chosen to walk in His footsteps.

The Broken Way

Matthew 5:3 (NIV) - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

As Jesus gathered His disciples around Him on the mountain that day they were intently listening to every word from the Master. As Jesus began to speak he did not reason or explain but instead spoke truth. That is what Jesus does, He speaks the anointed truth to the darkness of our lives and the light of His words illuminate even the farthest corners of our soul. There are no “I thinks” or “maybe we should considers”. These are not given as opinions but as the way to live and find entrance into the glories that are prepared for God’s people.
Blessed, (μακάριος) makarios, many translate it as happy but that doesn’t do the word justice. It means supremely blessed or fortunate. The happiness that comes from living and walking God’s way brings the blessings of God upon our lives. This brings a joy that is beyond comprehension. Happy is fleeting but “blessed” is eternal. It is positional! The poor in spirit are blessed because they are poor in spirit. They have humbled themselves before the Lord and realized the bankruptcy of their sinful state. They have cried out in the sackcloth and ashes of a broken spirit and found the place of repentance. They walk daily in the knowledge that God is their source and every provision comes from Him. The poor in spirit are not poor for a moment or a day but they are daily dependent on God because all things come from the overflow of His love towards them. This battle is one that must be fought daily. When we are blessed and good things begin to happen in our lives it is natural for the flesh to forget our brokenness and even to think we somehow earned our good fortune but then we begin to lose the very thing that positions us to receive His blessing.
Jesus did not say you are blessed no matter what it is up to God who He blesses. He said “Blessed are the poor in spirit” God has predestined a way. It is written – settled that the way to our inheritance begins with a poor (broken, contrite) spirit. The world today and even some in the church will tell you that God’s way of brokenness is no way to be happy. You have to seize the moment and take what is yours. But Jesus sits us on the hillside and speaks truth to the darkness, Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit.