Well, good morning everyone. Welcome to The Edge Church online. My name is Neil Schori and I’m one of the pastors here at The Edge. Wherever you are watching this from, we welcome you. You might be in a house church. You might be with your family. You might be alone. However it is, we’re so glad that you chose to spend time with us as we honor the Lord.
Today is the last day in our series called Blessed, which has been a walkthrough of the Beatitudes and just a reminder, the Beatitudes are the first part of Jesus’ most famous sermon called The Sermon on the Mount. The series mainly speaks to the character that exists within the kingdom of God and under God’s reign and we’re going to just review it really quickly. These are all the things that we’ve talked about so far:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
And finally, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Some people don’t really count the next two verses, the final two verses in this section, as officially part of the Beatitudes but I’m going to share them today for the sake of context.
Matthew 5: 11-12, it says:
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I think it’s really important to take note that for all of the other Beatitudes, that all the other Beatitudes before today, Jesus either speaks to the character or something that’s internal, which is meant to flow from each of us. But in the last Beatitude, there is a very intentional shift as it moves to speak to things that happen to us, that happen to people in the kingdom of God.
We should really start by taking note of what this doesn’t say. It’s very, very important to take note that it doesn’t say that you’ll be blessed when you do wrong and then you’re punished for it. It doesn’t say that you’ll be blessed when you are on the receiving end of consequences, whether those are relational or legal or otherwise. It doesn’t say that you’re blessed when you’re negligent and then you pay the price for it. And it doesn’t say that you’ll be blessed when you’re persecuted for using a mean-spirited tone with others while kind of cloaking it in religious lingo.
There are a whole lot of things that we can feel as though we’re being persecuted for, right? Some people have even complained over the years about this kind of, in America, this war on Christmas; that different businesses supposedly have gone out of their way, not to say “Merry Christmas” and they say “Happy Holidays” instead. But if we’re being really honest, at least in America, we know that we haven’t had persecution that even registers on a scale that resembles what Jesus is talking about in this final Beatitude.
We also need to really check our hearts and we need to make sure that we’re not trying to act in a way that causes us to have a martyr complex. You’ve heard that before, I’m sure, but basically, it’s this psychological concept that means that we sort of feel valued when we think and choose to act like a victim. Like we get some sort of a satisfaction and it often comes from learned behavior from childhood and it’s very healthy and often codependent, and it has nothing to do with the biblical accounts of persecution.
So as with everything in the Bible, we need to have a really good understanding of what the author’s intent was. So we need to know what this persecution actually means and looks like. Verse 11, it tells us there are three paths to blessing and those are, it looks like this. When people insult you, that means actually to your face, they actually insult you to your face. When they persecute you and the word persecute here, it means to chase you or harass you — it’s legitimate, physical intimidation, maybe assault — or falsely accuse you of things to get you in trouble, maybe at work or with the government or just to ostracize you from your family.
So persecution as defined in the Bible is a little bit different than how many of us tend to think about persecution. Sometimes we think about persecution, it’s sort of like, we didn’t get the presidential candidate that we wanted so that we feel persecuted for it, or we’re worried that we’ll be persecuted for it. Persecution though, biblically, is very, very specific.
According to the organization called Open Doors USA, which is a group of people that serve persecuted Christians worldwide:
8 Christians are killed every day for their faith.
Every week, 182 churches are attacked.
Every month, 309 Christians are falsely imprisoned.
That’s a very different view of persecution, isn’t it? And that’s what biblical persecution looks like as it’s played out today, in real life and in real time. This is the persecution that costs believers a whole lot around the world and countries like North Korea — the number one country with the most persecution of Christians — followed by Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Iran and India. Those are really dangerous places for you to claim the name of Jesus. If you don’t lose your life, you’ll often lose your livelihood. You’ll often have so many issues in your families you might lose your families.
It’s also probably the reason that there aren’t Christians in those places that would be described as “cultural Christians” or people that would say that they’re Christians, even though they really don’t know Jesus. There are people who go to church in our country and we’re not quite sure where they stand with the Lord. It may be, they have different reasons for going other than to follow Jesus. But in countries where claiming the name of Jesus might cost you everything, there aren’t going to be too many people that say that they are Christian, that they follow Jesus in those countries, when it costs them everything.
But as Jesus said in Matthew 16: 24-26, he said:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
The truth is following Jesus will demand everything that we have. It’s a costly faith, but the rewards are forever.
Let’s take a moment and look at the story of Stephen in the New Testament. In Acts 6, we’re told that Stephen was chosen to be one of the very first deacons. Now deacons, the word deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos and it means servant. So just as in the New Testament, in The Edge Church, we have deacons that serve the physical needs in the church. So Stephen was one of those first servants in the church. We’re told about Steven’s character. Verse 5, it says that Stephen was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and then in verse 8, it says Stephen was a man full of God’s grace and power and we’re told that he performed great wonders and signs among the people through the power of God that worked through him.
Immediately after learning this about Stephen, we’re told that opposition arose among the Jews and they didn’t like this man, Stephen, who seemed to have this authority and he developed a following. He was so full of wisdom and the spirit of God that they couldn’t win arguments with them and they didn’t like it. So they decided, they got together and they decided to falsely accuse Steven of blasphemy against Moses, the most revered prophet and God himself. So Stephen was arrested and he was brought before, what was really the equivalent of the Supreme Court of the Jews, called the Sanhedrin and then Stephen spoke in court in Acts 7. It was interesting because his defense sounded a whole lot more like a biblical survey as he walked the audience through the Old Testament all the way to present day.
Ultimately he really made it an indictment of his accusers, that they were the ones that were guilty of doing the very things that they were accusing him of doing and he ended by saying that you always resist the Holy Spirit and that they had always persecuted the prophets of God. People don’t like to be accused of things like that. In Acts 7: 54-60, we learn what happened immediately following, it says:
54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
Can you get a picture of that? I mean, that sounds terrifying. It says,
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Let’s be clear here about something first. Let’s be really clear. Not one of us wants to experience persecution that leads to our deaths. If you are someone who sort of feels like you might want to do that, I highly encourage you to get mental help, because that’s not normal. We should never seek this sort of martyrdom but when I read this story, I don’t see Stephen as someone who sought after this end of his life. But I have this sense of this Holy resolve that rises up within me that lets me know that if I am ever in a situation like this, the same God that saw Stephen sees me and he sees you and that is empowering and comforting to know.
Right before they attacked him, it’s clear from the story that he knew what was coming so we’re told he looked up to heaven. He didn’t focus on the angry men that were yelling and screaming and refused to listen, they’re gnashing their teeth and they started to chase towards him. We’re told he looked up to heaven. It makes me think of Psalm 121, when David wrote this:
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Here’s the truth. No matter what, while we’re on this earth or in transition to our next life, our help does not come from people. Ultimately we might receive care from people, but when we are at these crossroads, these crossroads in our lives, these pivotal moments, we know that our help is not from people. Our security can’t be placed in other mortals like us. We recognize that there is nothing that another person can do to us, other than destroy our body, but our spirit remains and that spirit lives forever.
Here’s something else that is just wildly encouraging to me, that in this moment of Stephen’s greatest trial, when he was facing the very end of his life, the whole Trinity of God showed up in that moment for one man who was being persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ. That one moment, God’s beloved son Stephen was about to go home and God took note of it and he showed up fully.
In Psalm 116:15 we get confirmation of how much God cares about his children in that moment of their death. It says:
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
That might sound weird to you and me but in that moment when we are facing the very end, we know that God sees us and he cares. God cared so much for Stephen in that moment that he showed up in all three persons of the Trinity. He showed up in the form of the glory of the father. He showed up in the form of Jesus, standing, awaiting Stephen to come into heaven, all while Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit.
This is powerful to me. This same God loves each of us, in that exact same way. No matter what you’re going through and know that what was true for Stephen is true for you and any trials and any struggles, any persecution you go through in your life.
I’ve witnessed this sitting with elderly hospice patients as they’re getting ready to take their last breaths. I’ll never forget watching a very elderly woman on the Southside of Chicago. She had been quiet for days and suddenly she lifted her arms up and she started praising the Jesus that she’d heard about her whole life as she saw him getting ready to welcome her home. Singing praises to the King, as she was getting ready to meet the King, in his kingdom, face to face, in this kingdom that never ends.
So ultimately, why are we blessed when we are persecuted? Here’s why, because persecution isn’t actually about us at all. You might think it is but persecution, biblical persecution, is all about the spirit that lives within us. That spirit that you received when you repented of your sins and you turned to Jesus and were baptized into the faith. It’s the spirit that guarantees us transition into the kingdom that never ends. People won’t ridicule you for you if you’re seeking after the Jesus of scripture. They may not know it and they might not understand it, but they hate the presence that you have within you. It’s not about you. So when you’re persecuted, no matter the form, know that every prophet of God before you, and Jesus was obviously, and all the martyrs that have gone before you, they experienced the same thing, but Jesus has won and because he won, you will too.
He promises that in John 16:33, he says:
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Let’s be honest, this is hard for us to swallow. This is hard when there are so many things that are unsettled in our lives and we hear about persecution and we go through hard times. The devil will roar and he will try to scare you, but he’s ultimately toothless. He can’t steal your true life and he can never touch your real identity. He can only rattle your cage. So when you’re persecuted, and know you will be persecuted, it may not come in the form of you being killed for your faith, hopefully, it won’t, but know that it will come. Rest in the picture of Jesus standing to welcome you home. He is with you.
That depiction of Jesus is essential for our encouragement today because in Hebrews 10, we’re told that after Jesus died for the sins of humanity, that’s all of us, and he was resurrected, that he sat down at the right hand of God and there is great significance in that. It was significant that he sat at the right hand of God because it meant that he finished his work and then he was enthroned in power. Jesus sat down to show that he was finished. But in this story of Stephen, we see something else. We see the attentiveness of Jesus to his people. The God who rested in power was now standing to welcome his son home.
We know that Jesus one day, for all of us who meet him face-to-face for the first time, who have committed our lives to him, we know that he’s going to say, “well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share in your master’s happiness.”
It’s really important to us, to make sure that you haven’t gotten the wrong idea from this sermon series that being blessed, in the context of the Beatitudes is not about what you do to get blessed. It's about the character that comes from being a part of the kingdom of God, so that you may enter his kingdom one day. There’s nothing that you can do to get there on your own, absolutely nothing, so don’t even try. There’s only one way, and that is to die to your own ways and to your own wants and to turn over the keys to your own personal kingdom, whatever that looks like, turn your life over to the creator of all things because he is a good God. He’s an attentive creator. He sees you and he wants to welcome you home.
Acts 2:38. It tells us exactly how we can make sure that we are in that kingdom today and forever. The apostle Peter said to another crowd of Jews, at the end of another difficult sermon, they asked him, what should we do? And he said, very simply:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Let’s be really clear about this as we close out this series, there is no enduring blessing that exists apart from knowing Jesus. It doesn’t matter how good your life is. If you don’t know Jesus, there is nothing that you take with you when you go. So don’t just try to work on character development but receive a new character. If you haven’t done that, receive a new character today by submitting to him.
We like to end by giving you questions before we go into our last worship song, before we say goodbye today. So here’s the first question. What is your personal takeaway from today? What is God speaking to you today?
Here’s the second. What scares you the most about persecution because of your faith? How does Stephen’s story change your view of your own persecution and why?
And finally, how has your view of blessing changed in this sermon series?
Take a little time in your house churches or on your own, connect with someone this week about that. We’re going to come back in just a minute and do a closing worship song. God bless you.