I don't think we're being persecuted yet.
I think we've been inconvenienced, but what happens
if we are going to be persecuted for our faith?
What are we going to do? And how we going to respond?
Will we ever be persecuted by the law who stands outside the
building and keeps us from entering to assemble?
The worship? Will there ever be a time that
that will happen? How many times have we prayed
over the years? And we've said that God would
never allow a law to come in. That would keep us from
worshipping according to the Divine pattern.
And then we have always said but if there is such a law to give
us the courage and the strength and the conviction to do what
God has said and nothing else. Well, you know, there's been a
great discussion throughout the Brotherhood this last week and
it's been over. What do you do?
If the law says you cannot assemble, what do you do?
Some people have said, well, if the law says that you can't
assemble, we have to obey the laws of the land.
So, therefore, we will not assemble and it's not true.
We obeyed God, instead of man. If man's laws interfere with
what God has instructed us to do, now, there are things that
we can do. We can assemble at a different
location. There are other things that we
can do. We can assemble at a different
time. Somebody even said, you know, we
could meet even earlier and I know that 8 a.m. is awfully
early, but we could meet earlier than that.
There are things that we can do and I don't have time to go into
that. In fact, I wanted to preach a
sermon on these scriptural assembly.
And what are the rules for assembly?
And what would we do if we couldn't all gather together in
one place but I don't have time to go into that and 10 minutes
maybe that's coming soon but I want to talk about being
persecuted for just a little bit you know the Hebrew Brethren
that were found in written to and the book of Hebrews they
were undergoing. Going such persecution.
They were going undergoing, great persecution.
In fact, as they were looking toward, are nearing the
destruction of Jerusalem, there were great persecutions around
them and that's why the Hebrew writer.
And I believe that to be Paul said, not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but
exhorting, one another and so much, the more as you see the
day, approaching historically speaking those Jewish Christians
were The going such persecution that many had turned their back
on Jesus and had gone back to the ways of the Old Law.
They said, listen, it's easier just to go back to Judaism and
not be persecuted anymore. And Paul said no, don't forsake
the assembly as some are doing. So, but you encourage one
another, as the day is approaching that day there, I
believe to be the destruction of Jerusalem because they were
going through great persecution. What did Jesus say though about
person? Duchenne in the Beatitudes, in
Matthew chapter 5. Jesus said, these amazing things
in verse 10. Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness sake?
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed? Are you, when they revile and
persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for
my sake rejoice and be exceedingly?
Glad for great is your reward in heaven for.
So they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Well, very briefly. Now I want to talk about three
things. There's Reasons that the child
of God can have Victorious optimism in the face of
persecution. Number one, because of the
Christians relationship to God. Number two because of the
reality of Truth. And number three because of the
reward of the righteous, these are things that we can have
Victorious. Optimism through the
persecutions that come our way. Number one though, because of
our Christian, because of the Christians relationship with God
when Jesus talked about the be E Attitudes.
By the way, the Beatitudes the Latin form of that word means
blessed. The Greek form of that word
means happy or content. So when you look at the very
idea, Jesus is saying, is happy or content are you when you're
persecuted for righteousness sake?
And it wasn't saying that you'd be happy for the physical trial
or the outward persecution. But he's talking about the
spiritual blessings that you get when you endure.
So, the first thing that we want to notice is the Christians
Relationship with God happiness is knowing that God is on our
side. I don't think there's enough
said about that. God knows where you are.
Today, God knows that you've assembled with the Lord's Church
to worship God. He knows that God is on our
side. When we pray to God, and we ask
God, that there would be no nothing that would come our way
by way of persecutions, but give us the strength to endure.
He is on our side in Romans chapter 8, and verse 31.
Paul said if God be for us, who can be against us?
Psalm 46, 1 through 3, God. It is our refuge and our
strength, in Jeremiah 20:11. The Lord is with me as an
awesome mighty one. In First John 3 and verse 1
behold? What manner of love?
The father has bestowed on us that we should be called the
children of God. God is on our side, and we have
Victorious optimism. Now, I'm just going to say
something about faith briefly, if you're going to have faith,
and you're going to have increased Faith, you have to
either have faith or Not and you've heard me preach a sermon
about fear and I said a person is either fear-driven or they
are faith-driven. If you're going to be
faith-driven you literally and you got to make good decisions
on our part. Absolutely.
But we have to put our faith in our trust in God, that God is in
control and both Time. And Eternity.
God is on our side. So if we are at some point in
time persecuted for righteousness sake, there's
Victorious. ISM and happiness, being
contentment because God is on our side.
Number two, Because of the reality of truth, that's a
really interesting concept, the reality of Truth, you know,
sometimes when we undergo a persecution or we suffer in some
way or another, sometimes when we go through a suffering, we
met in our mind set on mine might say wait a minute now, is
it my fault? Have I done something that's
caused me to be in the predicament that I'm in and to
suffer what I'm suffering? So happiness comes in the
persecution knowing it's not our fault, knowing the reality of
truth and truth does not change. Happiness comes from knowing
that that truth will never change.
If we are persecuted for our faith, we know it's not our
fault because truth doesn't change, Hebrews 13, and 8, Jesus
Christ. The same yesterday and today,
and forever in Malachi 3 and verse 6.
For I am the Lord, I do not Change.
If we follow the word of God, we understand.
It is the standard. It does not change and happiness
or contentment. Is this to know that God what
God has said is right? It is true and regardless of the
circumstances in our life, God is ultimately in control.
In First Peter chapter 1 verses 22 and 23.
The Bible talks about the idea that the word of God lives and
abides forever. Or and truth will ultimately
Prevail in Romans Chapter 2 and verse 2.
The Bible says we know that the Judgment of God is according to
truth. You know, something about that.
Something about that. We talk about God's word is
according to truth and God's judgment is according to truth.
Sometimes people ask the question, would God do so, and
so, and such and such, well, here's the point, it's not for
me to say what God will do or God will not do God is the
ultimate judge, but I will tell you this, whatever God's
judgment is. It will be right.
It will be just, his judgment is always right number 3.
And finally, and then I'm finished.
We have Victorious optimism because the reward that will
have in heaven one day, but there's so much more to than
that, though. There are things that we're
going to have in our life that we understand.
There are challenges that come our way, but let's talk about
briefly, the Practical benefit of challenges, the Practical
benefit of trials, that come our way.
The Apostle Paul said in second Corinthians chapter 4, these
things are called light Affliction.
And these light afflictions, they do something.
The more, the Affliction, the heavier weight of Glory, that's
an amazing concept. And by the way, Glory there in
that passage means this, it's talking about a person's
capacity to praise serve and honor God.
So, the greater the challenge that's in your life, as you may
suffer some day and you're persecuted for righteousness
sake, the heavier, the trial, the heavier, the weight, the
heavier, the persecution, the greater, the weight of eternal
glory, Your Capacity to serve God.
In other words, we can be better on the other side of the
challenge than we ever were before for the cause of Christ.
What else? It gives us something else.
It gives us patience practical benefit.
It gives Us patience and first Peter, 16 and 7 in this, you
greatly Rejoice that for a time, you may have these manifold
things that come our way. These various things that come
our way, but they're light. They're momentary and one day,
they'll be gone. God gets the praise when we
stand up for him now and we get the reward in heaven one day.
So, Happiness comes from understanding our reward in
heaven. Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 5
for great, is your reward in heaven.
So, are we being persecuted right now?
I don't think so yet, but there may come a time when that's
exactly what we'll have to endure.
And if that is the case, will we stand for?
What's right now? I'll just say this in closing,
if they came the authorities came and they said you must
disband, we would disband And then we'll meet an hour later
somewhere else. But we don't just stand there
and say, throw me in jail, we take the bullseye off the Lord
and we say, OK and then we just go assemble somewhere else.
That's what we do. There may come a time when we're
not able to assemble, what are we going to do?
We're going to keep assembling and as those Hebrew Christians,
underwent all that persecution, because of their faith will do
the same thing if that is the case.
So, pray hard, pray hard that we won't have such a circumstance.
But also pray for the Courage, the conviction and the strength
to do. What's right in conclusion,
Christians can be happy when persecuted if that is the case
because of our relationship with God, he is our refuge and our
strength realizing the reality of Truth.
It does not change and it's not our fault.
We're following the pattern that God has given.
And number three, because of the reward of the righteous one day
in heaven. We thank you for listening to
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