Blessed are The Persecuted

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces Matthew 5:10, the final Beatitude, noting its connection to the first Beatitude through the phrase 'theirs is the kingdom of heaven,' emphasizing that the…

Martin shares his personal approach to preaching, stating he's in no hurry to finish the Beatitudes unless he has a revelation his days are numbered, illustrating his commitment to thorough exposition.

Little did I know when we started in on the Sermon on the Mount sometime late last fall that it would be springtime before we got out of the Beatitudes. But I'm in no hurry. As far as I know, the Lord's going to give me a good bit of time to minister here. If I had some kind of revelation that my days were numbered, then we might step things up.

0:29 - 0:52 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He reviews the interconnectedness of all the Beatitudes, showing how one leads to another, and highlights that the Beatitude on persecution is the most 'searching' in a practical…

He uses Christ's elaboration on the petition for forgiveness in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:14-15) as an analogy to explain why Christ elaborates on the Beatitude of persecution, signifying its immense importance.

Blessed are the pure in heart, the promised. But when he comes to this beatitude, he elaborates and expands upon it and gives an added commentary indicating that it's tremendously important that we understand what he's seeking to tell us. The same thing is true, you remember, in what we commonly call the Lord's Prayer. We have given to us several petitions.

6:06 - 6:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He traces the history of persecution from Cain and Abel through Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and church history, culminating in the ultimate example of Christ Himself, who…

Martin describes his dictionary and concordance as his 'left hand and my right hand' for understanding the Bible, illustrating his method of biblical study.

My dictionary and my concordance. They're like my left hand and my right hand. So I looked up the word persecution, and what did it tell me? And I think it's an accurate definition, a definition of the biblical concept.

10:52 - 11:04 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He traces the history of persecution from Cain and Abel through Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and church history, culminating in the ultimate example of Christ Himself, who…

He cites the story of Cain and Abel as the first instance of persecution, where Cain slew Abel because Abel's works were righteous and Cain's were evil, demonstrating persecution for righteousness' sake from the very beginning of human history.

With the, the first clearly saved man and the first one that the scripture makes clear was an unsaved man. Cain and Abel. Now, whether Adam was saved or not, we don't know. There's speculation both sides.

12:04 - 12:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He traces the history of persecution from Cain and Abel through Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and church history, culminating in the ultimate example of Christ Himself, who…

Martin uses Moses' experience of facing the wrath of Pharaoh and the persecution of his own nation, Israel, as an example of a man of God enduring suffering.

And then you begin to read through the Old Testament history and you see this principle continue. May I just pick out a few at random? There's Moses. This mighty man of God trained in all the wisdom of Egypt.

13:04 - 13:16 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He traces the history of persecution from Cain and Abel through Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and church history, culminating in the ultimate example of Christ Himself, who…

He mentions Elijah being tormented by Jezebel and Jeremiah being imprisoned by his own people, illustrating the consistent pattern of prophets facing persecution.

Then he had to endure the persecution of his own backslidden nation, the nation of Israel. We move on and we begin to view the life of other, of the patriarchs, of the prophets. Elijah, tormented by that wicked woman Jezebel who saw his life. We move on to Jeremiah placed in the dungeon by the very people whose lives he was trying to spare by his prophetic ministry.

13:35 - 14:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He traces the history of persecution from Cain and Abel through Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and church history, culminating in the ultimate example of Christ Himself, who…

Martin describes the apostles' lives in the book of Acts as a cycle of 'riot or revival, jails and synagogues,' highlighting their constant persecution.

We come on into the New Testament and we see in the life of the apostles, this persecution constantly through the book of Acts. If someone said it was riot or revival, it was jails and synagogues. That is where they spent all the time. In the synagogues preaching or in the jails by the authorities.

14:01 - 14:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He traces the history of persecution from Cain and Abel through Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and church history, culminating in the ultimate example of Christ Himself, who…

He lists historical examples like the catechumens, Hussites, Waldenses, and those in the Wesleyan revival, demonstrating that persecution has been the portion of God's true people throughout history.

Persecution. You pick up the books of church history and you find it early in the history of the church, the catechome. You find the arena where the Christians were thrown. You come on down and find the Hussites And you find the Waldenses, and then those under the Wesleyan revival, and under the movings of God in what is called the evangelical awakening, down to our present day. And persecution has been the portion of the true people of God.

14:21 - 14:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Let's not be moved by sentiment when we see someone losing his life for a certain cause saying, well, surely God must accept him. No, Christ said the only ones who gain eternal life are those who lose their life for his …

Martin uses the example of a soldier dying for his country versus dying for Christ's sake and the gospel's to illustrate that the *cause* of suffering determines its spiritual value and blessing.

Now, many times in our human sympathy, it's really sentimentality, we see a man or woman who in the cause of something that is not really true, gives his life, sacrifices his life for the country, and we say, oh surely a man, a young man will leave his wife and family and home and go out and die on a battlefield for his country. Surely God will be merciful and take him to heaven. No, if he's lost his life merely to save his country, but has not lost his life for Christ's sake in the gospels, if he dies, unrepentant and unbelieving, he'll go to hell as much as the man who was a pacifist and sta...

19:11 - 19:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin clarifies that not all suffering is blessed; only persecution 'for righteousness' sake' is. He explicitly distinguishes this from suffering due to race, foolishness…

He quotes W. Tozer's humorous description of Little Abner, who would rather fall on his head than his feet, to illustrate Christians who lack wisdom and tact, bringing reproach upon themselves for foolishness rather than righteousness.

but I feel I must speak on this issue. Nor does Jesus pronounce blessing on those that are persecuted because of their foolishness or their fanaticism. There's some people that instead of being wise as serpents are about as wise as little Abner. I read something the other day from a W Tozer in which he mentioned some illusion, a little Abner, and he said, he'd rather fall on his head than on his feet because he's got more feeling in his feet than in his head.

23:02 - 23:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin clarifies that not all suffering is blessed; only persecution 'for righteousness' sake' is. He explicitly distinguishes this from suffering due to race, foolishness…

Martin contrasts the foolishness of some Christians with Jesus' gracious and tactful approach to evangelism, citing His interactions with publicans, the Samaritan woman, and Zacchaeus, to show how Christ avoided unnecessary offense while still exposing sin.

Well, you know, there are some Christians who in their zeal fall into that trap and because they just don't use good horse sense, if I may use the phrase, they bring all kinds of reproach upon themselves. They use no wisdom or tact in their witness. I find no indication in the scriptures where Jesus barged in on people and made himself. Oh, fencing.

23:32 - 23:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't get involved in anti-communist crusades or other political causes as a church, as there are no New Testament grounds for the church to make official political pronouncements.

He uses Paul's teaching on submitting to governing authorities (Romans 13) under the despotic Roman emperor Nero to argue against Christians getting involved in political crusades like anti-communism, emphasizing the church's primary call to preach the gospel.

I hate that diabolical system as much as anyone hates it. But God hasn't called me to be an anti-communist. He's called me to love all men and preach the gospel to all men. When Paul wrote his letters, do you know what government was in power?

26:29 - 26:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates the world's hatred of Christ from His infancy (Herod) through His ministry (attempts to kill Him) to His crucifixion. He argues that if believers are truly like…

Martin recounts Herod's decree to kill all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem, illustrating the world's hatred of Christ from His infancy.

We already touched on it in John 15. It says they hated him. The proof of the world's hate started way back even before our Lord Jesus came to years to minister. Do you remember the report came to Herod that the wise men were going to seek out he who was born King of the Jews?

31:35 - 31:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates the world's hatred of Christ from His infancy (Herod) through His ministry (attempts to kill Him) to His crucifixion. He argues that if believers are truly like…

He describes Jesus' first ministry in His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4), where His exposition of Isaiah 61 led to the people's hatred and an attempt to cast Him off a cliff, demonstrating the immediate persecution Christ faced.

After his baptism, the Lord Jesus had ministered in other areas, came back to his hometown. Luke chapter 4 gives the record, and it says he stood up to read. This was their custom, that the reader would stand and read from the scroll. And he read from Isaiah 61.

32:15 - 32:32 Read in full sermon

The point: You must either throw out 2 Timothy 3:12 or accept that persecution will be your portion if you live godly in Christ Jesus.

Martin shares his experience reading the extensive section on persecution in Knave's Topical Concordance, which led him to question his own Christianity due to the stark contrast with the 'bloodless, anemic, wishy-washy brand' of modern Christianity.

For unto you it is given unto the half of Christ, not only to believe in his name, but to suffer for him. Then I read in Romans 16 and 17, The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, it so be that we suffer with him that we may reign with him. The other night I took down my knave's topical concordance. Some of you may have it.

36:06 - 36:39 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I'm just pouring out something of the conviction that has gripped my own heart as I've prepared for the ministry today.

He recounts reading 1 Corinthians 4, where Paul describes his intense suffering and persecution as an apostle, causing Martin to question if he could truly claim to be a minister of the Gospel by comparison.

Not that I really doubted my salvation, but as I compared the Christianity depicted in the Word of God with our bloodless, anemic, wishy-washy brand of Christianity, I had to hang my head with shame and get on my knees and say, Oh God, what's wrong with me? What's wrong with me? I read 1 Corinthians chapter 4, and I said to my dear wife, I said, Honey, I wonder if I'm a preacher. Can I claim to be a minister of the Gospel after what I've read concerning Paul?

37:26 - 38:03 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But may I state to you that the word of God and the history of the church proves that the greatest persecution from the world toward the people of God has not been the unprofessing world. It's been the religious world th…

Martin mentions knowing someone in their fellowship who experiences 'non-religious' persecution at work through boycotting and being kept from promotions, illustrating how persecution can manifest in subtle ways.

It was the world without any profession. And sometimes in the history of the church you find this. May I say you'll find this, some of you. I know there's someone here in our fellowship who experiences a little bit of this at work.

42:58 - 43:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He identifies 'the world' as the source of persecution, defining it as those not born of the Holy Spirit. Martin then argues, drawing from scripture and church history, that the…

Martin shares his personal experience of being boycotted, maligned, and experiencing division in his home, noting that the 'greatest persecution' he has faced came from 'organized Orthodox religion devoid of the Holy Ghost,' mirroring Christ's experience.

And if you experience any degree of persecution in our day, and most of it's just verbal and boycotting and pressures, you know where it'll come from? It'll come from men and women who are religious but devoid of the Holy Ghost. I thank God that at least I can speak a little bit on this subject this morning without feeling that I don't know anything of what it's about. I've never been beaten physically that I can remember.

46:15 - 46:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains that persecution arises because the world is willfully evil and does not want its evil exposed. True Christians, by their lives and words, expose the sin and…

He explains that people have hated and boycotted his ministry because he refuses to preach in general terms and instead exposes the specific evils (coldness, indifference, carnality, pride, sloth) within his own people, illustrating how truth-telling provokes hatred.

Because I refuse to preach in general terms. I refuse to talk about the evils of communism and the evils of alcoholism. And leave untouched the evils of our coldness and our indifference and our carnality and our pride and our sloth and our spiritual indolence. And it's when a man of God, by the help of the Spirit, begins to expose the evil that is present in his people that the hatred of the human heart begins to manifest.

49:18 - 49:53 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains that persecution arises because the world is willfully evil and does not want its evil exposed. True Christians, by their lives and words, expose the sin and…

Martin describes a prophet as someone who 'peeled off the veneer' of religiosity to expose the rottenness beneath, illustrating how true Christian witness exposes sin and provokes hatred.

A prophet was a man who stood in his own generation and saw things as God did and had courage enough and insight to come and take hold of the veneer, the religious veneer, and peel it off. And tell people, look, underneath all this veneer things are pretty rotten. That's what a prophet was. That's what Isaiah did.

50:10 - 50:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't be surprised if there's persecution. In fact, you better search your heart if there isn't any.

He describes false prophets as those who 'chuck them under the chin and tickle their cheek and make them smile and give them little lollipops of watered down, sugar-coated truth,' illustrating how they gain universal approval by avoiding challenging truths.

You know who the false prophets were? They were the people that came and said, Thus saith Jehovah, everything's all right. Let's live with the status quo. Everything's fine.

52:30 - 52:39 Read in full sermon