Sermon preached on Sunday, May 16, 2010 at Garden Valley Chapel during our morning worship service based on Matthew 5:11-12.

Take your Bible if you will and open it to the book of Matthew chapter five - where we conclude our exposition of the Beatitudes.

Jesus was extremely frank with His disciples. He told them exactly the kind of treatment they could expect from a hostile world.

In John 15:18ff Jesus said -

18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
20 "Remember the word that I said to you, `A slave is not greater than his master.´ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you...

In John 16:33 He said -

33 ... In the world you have tribulation...

The history of the early church verifies these words.

Stephen was stoned. James was beheaded. Paul´s testimony was "I die daily" (cf. 1 Cor 15:31).

He expected the disciples to live dangerously and taught that they must, "through many tribulations...enter the kingdom of God" (cf. Acts 14:22).

To Timothy he wrote "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (cf. 2 Tim 3:12).

Peter warned the Christians, "do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you" (cf. 1 Pet 4:12).

And yet our Lord, while teaching on the Beatitudes, taught we are blessed when this occurs. This is the only kind of man who is truly "blessed," who is truly "happy." It is the man who stands up for Christ and suffers for it. Allow me to read this 8th and final Beatitude.

Read Matthew 5:10-12.

Let us then turn our gaze upon verses 10-12 to find 3 distinct aspects of persecution - all so that you may deepen your love for Christ.