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Tuesday Bible Study Notes Westside Care Center Tuesday, October 2, 2007Prayer, Principle 5A. Forgiveness-Beatitude Those Being Persecuted
Review The Meaning of Peacemakers:
It is prayer to be in harmony with and to encourage others, to have security, safety, prosperity, felicity among fellow men in mutual respect which results in a godly testimony to them.
From the Prayer Notebook: Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. 5A. CONFESSION – As I have kept short sin-debts by immediate confession of sins You have revealed, I now pause to examine my heart further for wrong attitudes. As You convict, I will once again make confession of my sin and remember it's results. Matthew 5.3-10 "Blessed are..."
3)the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4)they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5)the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled,
7)the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8)the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9)the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Introduction: 10)those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. persecuted= 1377 dioko dioko {dee-o'-ko} a prolonged (and causative) form of a primary verb dio (to flee); AV - persecute (28) - follow after (6) - follow (4) - suffer persecution (3) - misc (3) [44] 1) to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away 2) to pursue (in a hostile manner) 3) in any way whatever to harass, trouble, molest one; to persecute; to be maltreated, suffer persecution on account of something.Barnes Notes Verse 10. Persecuted. To persecute, means literally to pursue, follow after, as one does a flying enemy. Here it means to vex, or oppress one, on account of his religion. They persecute others who injure their names, reputation, property, or endanger or take their life, on account of their religious opinions. For righteousness' sake. Because they are righteous, or are the friends of God. We are not to seek persecution. We are not to provoke it by strange sentiments or conduct, or by violating the laws of civil society, or by modes of speech that are unnecessarily offensive to others. But if, in the honest effort to be Christians, and to live the life of Christians, others persecute and revile us, we are to consider this as a blessing. It is all evidence that we are the children of God, and that He will defend us. All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, 2 Timothy 3:12. Their's is the kingdom of heaven. They have evidence that they are Christians, and shall be brought to heaven. {f} "for righteousness's sake" 1 Peter 3:13,14 Verse 11. Revile you. Reproach you; call you by evil and contemptuous names; ridicule you because you are Christians. Thus they said of Jesus, that he was a Samaritan and had a devil; that he was mad; and thus they reviled and mocked him on the cross. But being reviled, he reviled not again, (1 Peter 2:23) and thus being reviled, we should bless, (1 Corinthians 4:12) and thus, though the contempt of the world is not in itself desirable, yet it is blessed to tread in the footsteps of Jesus, to imitate his example, and even to suffer for his sake, Philippians 1:29. All manner of evil--falsely. An emphasis should be laid on the word falsely in this passage. It is not blessed to have evil spoken of us if we deserve it; but if we deserve it not, then we should not consider it as a calamity. We should take it patiently, and show how much the Christian, under the consciousness of innocence, can bear, 1 Peter 3:13-18. For my sake. Because you are attached to me; because you are Christians. We are not to seek such things. We are not to do things to offend others; to treat them harshly or unkindly, and court revilings. We are not to say or do things, though they may be on the subject of religion, designed to disgust or offend. But if, in the faithful endeavour to be Christians, we are reviled, as our Master was, then we are to take it with patience, and to remember that thousands before us have been treated in like manner. When thus reviled, or persecuted, we are to be meek, patient, humble; not angry; not reviling again; but endeavouring to do good to our persecutors and slanderers, 2 Timothy 2:24,25. In this way, many have been convinced of the power and excellence of that religion which they were persecuting and reviling. They have seen that nothing else but Christianity could impart such patience and meekness to the persecuted; and have, by this means, been constrained to submit themselves to the gospel of Jesus. Long since, it became a proverb, "that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." {1} "falsely" or, "lying" Verse 12. Rejoice, etc. The reward of such suffering is great. To those who suffer most, God imparts the highest rewards. Hence the crown of martyrdom has been thought to be the brightest that any of the redeemed shall wear; and hence many of the early Christians sought to become martyrs, and threw themselves in the way of their persecutors, that they might be put to death. They literally rejoiced, and leaped for joy, at the prospect of death for the sake of Jesus. Though God does not require us to seek persecution, yet all this shows that there is something in religion to sustain the soul, which the world does not possess. Nothing but the consciousness of innocence, and the presence of God, could have borne them up in the midst of these trials; and the flame, therefore, kindled to consume the martyr, has also been a bright light, showing the truth and power of the gospel of Jesus. The prophets, etc. The holy men who came to predict future events, and who were the religious teachers of the Jews. For an account of their persecutions, see the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. {g} "great is your reward" 2 Corinthians 4:17 What does this beatitude teach us in the context of prayers of confession? 1. Persecution is one of the greatest offenses to the lost world around us. They cannot understand it since they are taught to value human rights so highly, and it is reprehensible and vile to them that they should ever think of reacting to persecution with rejoicing. Their only concept is retribution! 2. Thus, it is a high step above confession and a right attitude about the vileness of sin. The beatitudes have taken us up in our understanding of sin, and its full impact and effect on others around us. 3. It shows in action what confession has done to our sin for us on a personal level. This is called faith in Hebrews 11 and it amounts to simply doing what is commanded in scripture and receiving the promise given for that obedience. Notes:
Application: Write below how you can show this beatitude to someone today. Then look to see how you personally benefited by practicing this beatitude: I will show the persecuted attitude (humility) to _________________________ by
I became like Jesus to__________________________, in that __________________________... |
