We finish up the Beatitudes today with: 11Blessed are you when men reproach you, and persecute you, and, speaking falsely, say all manner of evil against you, for my sake. 12 Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in heaven were before you.; for so did they persecute the prophets who were before you.
Christ gives us the last Beatitude with, what we find is common in our society today. In our social circles, at work, at play, formally or informally, we are reproached. It is common practice to talk about and gossip about the habits and behaviors of other people. We see it in our favorite programs on TV and on cable. We find it in our social networks. We read it in the news. We live it within ourselves and think nothing about what we do. It is only when our talk results in serious harm or detriment to others, that we give what we say some thought. A young boy hangs himself because his secret of his sexual orientation is spread all over the internet. Children hang themselves because of the fear of the talk in school. We live on reproach, we thrive on persecution, and we love to speak falsely about anyone that will win us favors within our circles of influence. Did you see, did you hear about, what happened last night at the...?? All, are our common compulsions and obsessions in society today.
Christ says that those who know him and suffer for his name sake are blessed. It is not popular to be a christian. If we profess our faith at work, in social circles, at play, we are labeled as freaks, and no one likes being labeled as a Jesus freak. Christ congratulates those who suffer. He says that they should rejoice and be glad because they have a great reward in heaven. They are the blessed ones. They are the ones who can walk with their heads held high because they know that the word of God is truth and God does not lie. So anyone who suffers reproach for Christ, who suffers persecution for Jesus' name sake, who suffers false gossip behind their backs are blessed and rewarded. They did the prophets the same way that they are doing you today. You will be rewarded. Rejoice!!!
Suffer with knowledge. Suffer with dignity. Suffer with truth, for the name of Jesus Christ. Persecution for Christ is a blessed thing. It is bitter, yet it is sweet, for it brings great rewards.
Christ gives us the last Beatitude with, what we find is common in our society today. In our social circles, at work, at play, formally or informally, we are reproached. It is common practice to talk about and gossip about the habits and behaviors of other people. We see it in our favorite programs on TV and on cable. We find it in our social networks. We read it in the news. We live it within ourselves and think nothing about what we do. It is only when our talk results in serious harm or detriment to others, that we give what we say some thought. A young boy hangs himself because his secret of his sexual orientation is spread all over the internet. Children hang themselves because of the fear of the talk in school. We live on reproach, we thrive on persecution, and we love to speak falsely about anyone that will win us favors within our circles of influence. Did you see, did you hear about, what happened last night at the...?? All, are our common compulsions and obsessions in society today.
Christ says that those who know him and suffer for his name sake are blessed. It is not popular to be a christian. If we profess our faith at work, in social circles, at play, we are labeled as freaks, and no one likes being labeled as a Jesus freak. Christ congratulates those who suffer. He says that they should rejoice and be glad because they have a great reward in heaven. They are the blessed ones. They are the ones who can walk with their heads held high because they know that the word of God is truth and God does not lie. So anyone who suffers reproach for Christ, who suffers persecution for Jesus' name sake, who suffers false gossip behind their backs are blessed and rewarded. They did the prophets the same way that they are doing you today. You will be rewarded. Rejoice!!!
Suffer with knowledge. Suffer with dignity. Suffer with truth, for the name of Jesus Christ. Persecution for Christ is a blessed thing. It is bitter, yet it is sweet, for it brings great rewards.
