A Life Ordered by God's Word

Psalm 119:1-16

Our psalm selection for this week comes from a rather special and unique psalm.  Psalm 119 holds a special position in the Bible, as it is both the longest psalm in the Book of Psalms, and is also the longest chapter in the Bible, containing 176 verses.  In all but about five or six of these verses there is a synonym for God’s law, using words such as: law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, ordinances, word, and ways. Psalm 119 is one of nine acrostic psalms.  The psalm is divided into segments of eight verses, each one beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Let’s take a look at the first two segments of this beautiful psalm which praises God’s Word.

The first segment of eight verses speak of how one is blessed by God when they order their life by God’s Word.  To be blessed is to be highly favored by God (vs. 1).  To be “undefiled in the way” refers to their manner of life.  They don’t have sinless perfection, as none but the Lord Jesus led such a life, but they try to live their life with integrity.  God’s Word governs their whole pattern of life.  Such a person is truly blessed by God.

Our unknown psalmist continues by declaring that God’s blessing is upon the one that not only keeps God’s testimonies, but also seeks Him with their whole heart (vs. 2).  They guard their life and heart, holding fast onto His Word.  They seek after God, having no divided loyalties between Him and the world.  The psalmist repeats that such a person will not commit iniquity or sin, but follow God’s ways (vs. 3).  Again, this is not referring to sinless perfection, but a consistent pattern of seeking to live a righteous life by following God’s ways, revealed in Scripture.  His Word should be what shapes our behavior, not our personal preferences.

God’s commands in His Word are binding, clear, and authoritative (vs. 4).  They are not an option, nor are we to pick and choose what we want to obey or not obey.  A faithful believer will diligently, carefully, and intentionally seek to follow them.  He will cry out to God, seeking His help to obey His Word (vs. 5).  We all know that even when we desire to faithfully follow God, we will occasionally fall, so we pray for His help. On the other hand, when we become lax in our obedience to the Lord, we should be filled with shame (vs. 6).  This includes just partial obedience.  Partial obedience is in truth, disobedience.  The psalmist continues to praise the Lord and resolve to obey Him (vs. 7-8).

The second segment of eight verses highlight the cleansing and transforming power of God’s Word and Law.  It begins with a question that every young person must answer, and that is how to keep oneself clean from the stain of sin in their life (vs. 9).  The psalmist answers this question for us.  Becoming clean from the stain of sin does not happen by self-help, but by taking heed, by careful obedience to God’s Word.  The Bible is sufficient for our moral purity.

The psalmist recognized his own tendency to drift away from committed devotion, so he prayed to seek Him with his whole heart (vs. 10). We need to spend time reading and meditating on Scripture, and most importantly, obeying it.  Spiritual vigilance is necessary to live a life pleasing to God.

One way to keep ourselves close to the Lord is by hiding His Word in our heart (vs. 11).  To do that we need to be reading, meditating, and even memorizing Scripture each day.  Memorization is an important weapon against sin.  When we memorize God’s Word, it is planted into our hearts. That way we can be prepared for temptation, as it becomes our spiritual sword. Even if we stray from Him, those words will play over and over in our mind.  His Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:10-11).  Also, there may come a time when we cannot have a Bible with us.  However, if we have Scripture passages memorized, those verses will always be with us.

As we jump down to verse 14, we see that our psalmist values his Bible more than material wealth.  Given a choice between his Bible or great riches, he would choose his Bible.  Would you?  Many people dream of getting rich.  That is why places like Las Vegas exist.  What if we were more excited about following the Lord’s Word than about winning millions of dollars?  True riches belong to those who walk with Jesus.  True joy is found in God’s Word, not in material prosperity.

The psalmist closes by saying that his delight is God’s Word, and promises not to forget it (vs. 16).  To avoid forgetting something one needs to keep it forefront in one’s mind.  To not forget certain Bible verses, we need to keep repeating them over and over again.

Do you want to be blessed in your life?  I’m sure we all do.  God’s blessing is tied to obeying His Word.  Let’s follow this psalmist’s example with wholehearted devotion and submission to Scripture, and by meditation and memorization so that we can live a life of blessing, peace, and joy.

Are We Hypocrites?

Isaiah 58:1-12

No one really likes being called a hypocrite.  People outside of the church often use that as an excuse as to why they won’t attend.  They say that the church is filled with hypocrites.  Often then, some people in the church will get offended or become even more self-righteous.  And they certainly don’t like it if a fellow church member calls another a hypocrite.  However, what if it is the Lord God who is calling us hypocrites?  In our Scripture passage today, as we approach Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent later this week, we read from the prophet Isaiah when the Lord called out His people for their hypocrisy.

Many of the people of Judah during Isaiah’s day were very outwardly religious.  They kept all of the religious holy days and festivals.  They fasted when they should, and brought all of the required sacrifices to the Temple.  They prayed at the appointed times.  If someone were to observe them they would conclude that they were very religious.  However, most of them were just outwardly religious, but inwardly they were rebellious.  Despite their rituals, their hearts were far from God.

God gave Isaiah a message, and that was to proclaim to the people of Judah their sins (vs. 1).  The prophet does so without softening his message.  All of their religious activity was hypocrisy, masking a deep rebellion.  God told Isaiah to confront His people with the truth without any coddling or flattery.  He takes hypocrisy seriously, both back then and today.  From all outward appearance they seemed devoted to God, following His ways (vs. 2).  However, it was all external.  Their obedience to Him was only superficial.

The people couldn’t understand - they fasted and prayed, yet it seemed that God took no notice and didn’t see (vs. 3).  Their prayers seemed to go unanswered.  How often do we feel the same way?  We pray, we fast, we go through any number of religious rituals, and then get angry at God.  The problem was not with God, but with them.  Isaiah proceeded to tell them that they weren’t fasting in order to get closer to God and hear from Him.  They fasted while exploiting their workers, and while they were fighting among themselves (vs. 3-4).  Their fasting was self-centered, not God centered.  How about with us?  When we fast and pray, do we continue in our sinful ways, hoping that God will be proud of our fasting and answer our prayers?  Religious rituals cannot co-exist with unrighteous living.

The people were in the habit of making a big, outward show of their religiosity, such as wearing sackcloth and ashes so everyone knew they were fasting (vs. 5).  Though we don’t usually do that, we have our own ways of trying to appear pious.  However, God rejects ritual without righteousness.  All God saw was a hypocritical show of religiosity instead of true repentance.  True worship requires a heart aligned with God’s Word, not empty ceremony.  What God wants is that we show love, compassion, and caring for others in their needs, a practical righteousness flowing from a transformed heart (vs. 6-7).  True devotion to God always expresses itself in love, justice, and mercy.

When the people start truly practicing righteousness and following His ways, God’s blessings will follow.  His light and health will follow, and He will be our Rear Guard against our enemies (vs. 8).  He will be there with us and take care of us.  These blessings would come to the people when they started obeying His Word and caring for others (vs. 9-12).  God delights to answer prayer when His people walk in integrity.  Obedience brings a flourishing in our relationship with the Lord, and an outpouring of His blessings.

God promises to guide us continually (vs. 11).  Not a human, or even an angel, but the Lord.  We can notice the word “will”.  This makes it certain.  God will not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  He also promised to guide us continually.  We are not led sometimes.  We have a perpetual Guide.

As we look back over this passage of Scripture, we learn that God rejects worship that is merely external.  True faith produces obedience, compassion, and holiness.  God is not impressed by ritual, but by righteousness that reflects His character.  We need to show Him genuine devotion, with compassion for others and integrity in our actions.  When we do, God promises to continually guide our ways.

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16

How would you like to spend a period of time in a dimly lit room, eating nothing but some type of tasteless cooked cereal?  Most of us wouldn’t like that, as we prefer our food to be flavored, and we enjoy sunlight.  That is why one of the first things I do every day is open up the shades in my home to let the sunlight in.  I also flavor my food to a moderate amount.  Jesus likes light and flavoring, too.  However, rather than referring to the spice rack in the kitchen and sunlight through a window, He is referring to desiring His followers to be that in the world around them.  Let’s look into our short Scripture passage today from the Gospel of St. Matthew.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus was seated on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and was preaching a message, today known as the Sermon on the Mount.  He told His followers that they are the salt of the earth (vs. 13).   Salt enhances taste.  It flavors food which might otherwise be bland, which is why it is added to many recipes.  Salt was also used in the ancient world as a preservative.  Before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat and other foods, as it would prevent decay.

This is what Jesus wants us to be in the world.  Today the world is morally and spiritually decaying.  Jesus wants us to go out into the world and be salt.  As His disciples, our godly lives and Gospel witness can help to restrain corruption.  As we act as salt with our Christian living, we can show an alternative to the corrupting ways of the world, and point them to Jesus for salvation.  Our presence should bring moral clarity and a spiritual attractiveness that brings a desired flavor to the world’s decay.  The Apostle Paul tells us that our speech, the way we talk and act, should always be as seasoning to others (Colossians 4:6).  As we all know from experience, salt causes thirst.  When those who don’t know Jesus see how we handle problems, illnesses, or suffering, they will thirst to know how we do it, and then we can tell them about what Jesus can do in their lives

Salt in Jesus’ day was often mixed with impurities.  If the true salt leached out, what remained was useless.  If a professing believer loses their distinctiveness, their witness becomes ineffective.  Compromising one's beliefs and the truth of God’s Word will destroy one's testimony.  If we lose our flavor, if our beliefs become watered down, if our words and actions do not display true faith in Jesus Christ, then we lose our influence and we are of little value to the Kingdom of God.

The second thing Jesus told His followers is that they are light (vs. 14-16).  One thing that light does is that it reveals.  In a dark room you will stumble around, bumping into whatever is there that you can’t see.  When a light is turned on, then you can see and avoid the obstacles.  As light, believers reveal the truth about God, about sin, and about salvation.  We are to shine as lights in the middle of a crooked and perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  We are a light in the darkness.  We are watched.  The world may hate the light, but there will be some attracted to it.  We must let our light shine.

Light also reflects off of objects.  Jesus is the true Light (John 8:12).  We shine only because we reflect Him.  This is borrowed light, just like the moon reflecting the sun.  Jesus said that we are not to let our light be hidden, but rather be the light on a lampstand or a beacon from a city on a hill.  A genuine Christian is visible against the corrupt and perverse world.  Our lives are meant to be public testimonies.  No one lights a lamp to hide it.  Likewise, God saved us to shine, not to retreat.  Our testimony is meant to illuminate our sphere of influence.

Light shines most effectively when it is not hidden.  Light is brightest when the lamp is kept clean.  We need to eliminate sinful attitudes and practices which dims our testimony for Jesus.  Light reveals what is hidden in the darkness.  It serves to warn of danger and guides to safety.  This is what the Lord wants us to be for a lost world.

As believers, we represent the family of God.  The world will judge our Father based on our words, behavior, and our attitudes.  Jesus challenges His followers to let their light shine into the world’s spiritual darkness, and be the salt to flavor and preserve against an increasingly corrupt and perverse world.  Our deeds, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, will reflect an image of God that others will see.  Remember, this world is dark and decaying.  As Christians, we are not called to blend in but to stand out.

Preaching Christ Crucified

I Corinthians 2:1-11

Imagine, if you will, that you had been inviting a close friend or relative to come to church or Bible study with you.  They are not Christian, not a believer, and you are praying that they will come, hear the Word of God, and may soon accept Jesus.  Finally they accept and come with you.  However, that day there was a guest preacher, and his message was so intellectual, so highbrow.  He used so many ten-dollar words it would make a graduate student from Harvard or Oxford’s head spin!  There was very little mention of Jesus, and none of His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, or salvation.  Your friend could barely follow along, and went home hearing nothing of the salvation they needed, and had no interest in returning.  This was something that the Apostle Paul did not want to see happen, and he speaks along this line in our Scripture for today.

Today’s Scripture continues on from Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth.  Greek culture in that time highly prized intellectual speech and polished rhetoric.  They really loaded up on those ten-dollar words!  Paul was no intellectual light-weight.  He was extremely well-educated, and could easily hold his own in any intellectual conversation or discussion.  However, when it was time to bring a message or preach a sermon, Paul stuck strictly to the message of the Gospel, and spoke in a manner that anyone in the audience could understand (vs. 1).  His goal was to bring the Gospel of salvation to everyone in a manner and way that everyone could understand.  Paul’s goal was not to impress people, but to declare God’s truth plainly.  Like Paul, preachers today need to realize that the power of their message is not in their preaching skills, but is in the message of Christ.

Paul wanted to make sure that his messages were centered on Jesus and His death on the cross for everyone’s sins (vs 2).  It wasn’t that he felt that other doctrines were not of any importance, as his letters speak of other things, such as spiritual warfare and godly Christian living.  However, salvation is the governing center of all doctrines.  The cross is the dividing line between human wisdom and divine wisdom.  Every doctrine flows from Jesus and His sacrifice.  A Christ-centered ministry should be non-negotiable.  The cross is not one theme among many.  It is the foundation of all preaching.  Preaching that doesn’t exalt the Lord Jesus is empty preaching.

When he came to Corinth, Paul did not rely on making an impression with his eloquence and his human wisdom (vs. 3-5).  His preaching was not with persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power.  He didn’t want their faith to be built on personality, eloquence, or emotional manipulation, as that is false and unstable.  However, faith built on God’s power is unshakeable.  When people follow image-conscious leaders in the church, the leader is exalted.  He is placed on a pedestal, and ultimately takes the place of the head of the church.  However, when the people follow leaders who have a servant’s heart, the Lord Jesus is exalted.

Paul did speak with wisdom, but it was not worldly or philosophical (vs. 6-7).  It is God’s wisdom, which is revealed to believers.  Paul spoke of the “wisdom of God in a mystery”.  A “mystery” in Scripture is truth that was once hidden, but now revealed.  Paul was speaking of how God planned redemption from before creation (Ephesians 1:4; I Peter 1:20).  The Gospel message that Paul sought to always preach was God’s divine plan from the start.  The leaders of the world did not understand God’s wisdom, as they took and crucified the Savior, God’s Son (vs. 8).  It is no different today, as the leaders of this world follow their own wisdom, not God’s, and oppose Jesus at every opportunity.

Paul proceeded in verse 9 to quote Isaiah 64:4.  Many people often apply this verse to heaven, but in this context it is referring to spiritual truths which are now revealed to believers.  It is true that we have no comprehension of how wonderful heaven will be, but at the same time, the spiritual truths which were once hidden mysteries are just as glorious when we see them revealed to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  God makes His truths known to us through the Holy Spirit (vs. 10), as He enables us to understand the Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God, and what He wishes and allows, the Spirit reveals to us (vs. 11).  It is impossible to know God through human reasoning alone.

As we close this portion of Scripture, we see that the truth about God is not the product of human philosophy, but is revealed by the Holy Spirit.  The cross should always be the heart of Christian preaching, as it divides between true and false wisdom.  Human intellect cannot reach anyone for God.  Thus whether teaching, witnessing, or preaching, the message must be Jesus Christ and His cross, and not the self-help, feel good, or entertainment messages so many prefer to preach.  Remember, the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus is a central doctrine of our faith, and understanding it correctly is essential for eternal life.

Faith in God in the Face of Fear

Psalm 27

Our psalm for this week is one of my three all-time favorite psalms.  This psalm, along with Psalms 34 and 103, top my list of favorites.  Psalm 27 was one of the first chapters of the Bible that I memorized.  It is one of King David’s richest confessions of faith in the Lord, showing his confidence in Yahweh in the face of fear, enemies and uncertainty.  We all face times in our life when we also face fear, sometimes great fear where our whole world seems to come crashing down around us, or even when our very life is in danger.  Psalm 27 is a good one to latch onto in such times.

Though the Scriptures do not specify exactly when David wrote this psalm, it was likely either during the years when he was fleeing from King Saul, or later, after he was king, during the time when he had to flee Jerusalem when his son Absalom conducted a coup to dethrone him.  David spent several years as a young adult on the run from King Saul.  Saul wasn’t trying to just catch David and throw him in prison, or even to banish him from the country.  Saul wanted to kill David.  If someone is trying to hunt you down to kill you, that would certainly be a fearful time.  Absalom was also serious, and he knew that as long as his father was alive he couldn’t be king, so David’s life was in danger then, too.

As our psalm begins, David spoke of how all of his confidence, all of his trust during this desperate time, was in Yahweh.  God was his light, his source of truth, guidance, and hope (vs. 1).  There is no darkness in God.  Jesus said that He is the light of the world (John 8:12).  Even when darkness fills the world, our heart does not need to feel hopeless.  God shines a light on our inner being that no darkness can overcome.

David also called God his salvation (vs. 1).  God alone would deliver him from danger and the enemies who were attacking him.  He proclaimed that the Lord was the strength of his life.  He is our stability and protection.  Our courage is not just positive thinking. That will not defeat an enemy. Instead, it comes from God.  Courage is rooted in God’s character, not in human strength.   David speaks of real adversaries who were violent, malicious, and determined (vs. 2-3).  Faith is not a denial of danger.  It is trust in God despite danger.  In these times our trust should be in God’s character, not in changing circumstances.

If you could have any desire of yours granted, what would it be?  David had one wish, and that was to dwell in the house of the Lord his whole life, to behold God’s beauty, and inquire in His temple (vs. 4).  He wanted fellowship, worship, and communion with God.  Even though his life was in danger, David’s greatest desire was not deliverance, nor for money or fame, but deeper fellowship with God.  He didn’t close his eyes to the trouble and danger that he was in.  David trusted that God would hide him, set him upon a rock for protection, and give him victory over his enemies (vs. 5-6).  In gratitude, David responded with worship.

Our psalm continues with a prayer that David made to the Lord (vs. 7-12).  He wanted to seek God’s face, pursuing His presence, His will, and His approval in life, not that of his own.  David also prayed to God not to abandon him (vs. 9-10).  He knew that the Lord would always receive him, whether his earthly parents did or not.  No matter what happens in our relationship with our parents or any other human relationship, our God and Father will receive us with His arms wide open.  David continued to pray that the Lord would teach him, lead him, and protect him (vs. 11-12).  He trusted in God, not in himself.

David closed with a final declaration of faith (vs. 13-14).  He instructed all who would read this that we need to trust God, be of good courage, and wait for Him to respond.  Waiting is not passive.  It is active trust.  Courage grows as we wait on God, not on circumstances to change.  As we wait on the Lord, we should pray, giving thanks in our circumstances, thanking God that He has it all under control, and then release our situation into His hands to do what He will with it.  Then we wait on the Lord.  Waiting on God requires faith in Him, trusting Him even without knowing when or how He will resolve the situation.  Such expressions of trust enable God to pour out upon us the very blessing that He intends.

Although circumstances change, God’s promises do not change.  Stand on the rock of His promises and take shelter under His wings until the storms pass.  We should not spend all of our time looking down at our circumstances, otherwise we will forget to look up to God.  As the saying goes, don’t tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big our God is!

From Fear to Faith

Habakkuk 3:2-6, 17-19

What might trigger the greatest fear you would ever face?  Perhaps a complete economic collapse.  A war or enemy invasion would do that.  Also a great famine.  All of these were events that the Prophet Habakkuk and the people of Judah faced.  When faced with these, would you fall down in fear and panic, or perhaps be filled with anger at God?  Or would you move from fear to faith in God, as Habakkuk did?  Our Scripture today shows us a glimpse of some very dark and fearful times, and how the prophet went from fear into faith.

We have very little personal information about the prophet Habakkuk, other than that his ministry was shortly before the Babylonian Empire’s invasion of Judah.  His book was not written as messages to the people, but rather as a dialogue between himself and God.  One of the issues that he wrestled with, which many people today also wonder about, is why does God allow evil to prosper, and when will He act on this?  Our Scripture passage from the final chapter of this short book, contains a prayer to God, a song, and a declaration of faith.

As the prophet observed the conditions of his world and nation at the time, he knew that the invasion and destruction of his nation was imminent.  Thousands will be killed, and those who remained would be taken captive or starve.  As a believer, Habakkuk knew that this was God’s judgment on the people’s sins.  However, he prayed that God, in His judgment, would also have mercy (vs. 2).  He knew that God must judge sin, but prayed that He would also choose to show mercy on His people.

Habakkuk recalled, perhaps in a vision, God’s glory and His deliverance of His people in the past.  He recalled the Exodus, when God led the people from the south (vs. 3).  He also spoke of God’s radiant glory, the same glory that was seen at Sinai (vs. 4), along with His judgments, both against Egypt with the plagues and also His people when they sinned (vs. 5).  As Habakkuk continued, he also described how all of creation trembles before its Creator (vs. 6).  Mountains melt before Him.  When God rises to judge, nothing can stand.

Next we move to the last three verses of our Scripture passage, which are among the most beautiful declarations of trust in all of the Bible.  The prophet listed the loss of several major crops of that area, along with the loss of cattle (vs. 17).  In an agrarian society, which that was, this was a total economic collapse.  It would be the equivalent of losing your job, all of your savings, your home, basically all security all at once.  This was definitely what was going to happen when the Babylonians invaded, and perhaps it was already beginning.  There would be no escaping this devastation.

Most of us would probably be filled with fear, panic, and anxiety at such a time.  During the Great Depression many people felt they couldn’t handle such a time, even considering suicide, which increased during those years.  Fear and panic was not the response of Habakkuk, nor should it be of any true Christian.  The prophet rejoiced in the Lord (vs. 18).  It was a conscious choice that he made, as he stated I will twice in that verse.  Fear may seem to be a natural reaction to an economic collapse, but we can choose to live in the joy of the Lord.  Habakkuk realized he had no control over certain things, so he chose to control his response.  He rejoiced in the Lord regardless of what happened.  He drew from God the strength to go on.

This is not a denial of extremely difficult times, nor naive optimism.  What Habakkuk had, and we also should have, is a faith rooted in God’s character, not in our circumstances.  The prophet found his joy, not in what God gives, but in who God is.

As his song of praise to God continued, Habakkuk did not say that his circumstances, his nation, nor his resources were his strength.  He said that God himself was his strength (vs. 19).  He knew that God would give him stability in an unstable time.  He would give him sure footing like a deer in dangerous times, and would lift him above the chaos.  As we see, faith is not always getting what we want, nor in always understanding everything that God does.  Faith is trusting in God’s character, rejoicing in Him, and standing firm even when everything else falls apart.

When we face sudden tragedy and loss, we may wonder where God is, and be tempted to give up.  But in such times we must remember that God is with us.  He will show us kindness in the midst of tragedy and loss.  God is all-powerful and sovereign.  There is no way He will fail.  His promises are as good as kept.  Failure and success are not about us or circumstances.  We stand on a mountain with feet like a deer.  With God we are secure and victorious.

Habakkuk began with a complaint and ended with a song.  He started in confusion and ended in confidence.  He moved from “Why, Lord?” to “I will rejoice in the Lord.”  That journey is the journey of every believer who learns to trust God’s character more than in their circumstances.

Blessed are the Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12

The Beatitudes are some of the most beloved parts of Scripture for many people.  We enjoy reading that if we are merciful, meek, pure in heart, seeking righteousness, and are peacemakers, that the Lord will bless us.  Those are all attributes that a Christian should seek to incorporate into their lives.  However, there is one Beatitude, that when reading in Matthew 5, we might wish that Jesus would have just left off, and that is what we will focus on today.

Early in His ministry, Jesus sat on a high hillside and taught the crowds a very important sermon, which today we call the Sermon on the Mount.  Right at the start of this teaching was the Beatitudes.  The first seven of these Beatitudes focus on our inward character.  When we get to our Scripture verses, the Beatitudes turn to outward opposition that believers will face if they are closely following the Lord and His Word.  Let’s take a look at how if we choose to live a godly life, it will inevitably collide with a hostile world.

As mentioned, the Beatitudes describe the character of believers and followers of the Lord Jesus.  As He continued His teaching, Jesus described what the world’s reaction to His followers would be.  He doesn’t try to hide or even soften this reality from us, but tells us plainly that there will be persecution.  We will be reviled, spoken evil about, and lied about.  This persecution is not hypothetical.  It is guaranteed for those who live godly lives.  But like the other Beatitudes, we are blessed when this happens, and our reward will be great.

There are many Christians around the world who suffer some type of persecution today.  Persecution can include pressure, harassment, mistreatment, exclusion, or violence, and covers both verbal and physical hostility.  One important thing to notice is that Jesus is speaking about persecution for righteousness’ sake (vs. 10).  This is strictly being persecuted because you are a Christian, for following Jesus and obeying His Word.  The blessing is not for any hardship or persecution one might receive for being a difficult or obnoxious person, or for anything political, but is for living in obedience to God.

We shouldn’t be surprised when persecution of any sort occurs because of our faith.  Jesus told us here that it would, and the Apostle Paul, when writing to Timothy, told that all who live godly lives will suffer persecution (II Timothy 3:12).  Persecution is evidence of belonging to Christ, not a sign of God’s displeasure.  The world opposes righteousness because it exposes its darkness (John 3:19-20).

In our Scripture passage Jesus lists three forms of attacks (vs. 11).  There is reviling, which is insults, mockery, and verbal abuse.  Then there is persecution, which would include stronger hostility, including social or physical harm.  He also mentions false accusations, which are slander, misrepresentation, and lies.  Jesus acknowledges that we will be lied about.  The world often attacks character when it cannot refute the truth.  Again, this is persecution that is done because of our association to the Lord Jesus, as the verse says “for My sake”.

This is not something that should discourage us, or make us want to hide our light.  Jesus tells us that we can rejoice (vs. 12).  To do so when faced with attacks is not natural, but shows supernatural grace.  Such persecution will bring great rewards in heaven, as God keeps perfect accounts.  Many of His faithful servants in the past also suffered persecution.  We are following a trail of blood that has been laid out in every century, from the time of Abel until today.

As we meditate upon these verses we realize that faithfully following the Lord Jesus and His Word will not generally be accepted in any culture.  A godly life exposes sin, and the world resents that exposure.  We should not lose heart, though.  There is a great reward stored up in heaven for those who are insulted and persecuted for Jesus’ sake.  God sees every insult, every loss, and every sacrifice.  Nothing done for Jesus is ever wasted.