Difference between revisions of "Sermon for May 17th, 2015"
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
==Beautiful Attitudes: The Persecuted== | ==Beautiful Attitudes: The Persecuted== | ||
| − | + | Two pastors were standing by the side of the road one day, holding up a large sign on which they had written, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!" A car approached, and the driver rolled down his window to yell "Take a hike, you religious nuts!" before speeding on down the road. A few seconds later, the two pastors heard the sound of screeching tires and a giant splash. "Do you think," said one pastor to the other, "we should have just written 'The Bridge Is Out' instead?" | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | The end is indeed near for our sermon series on God's Beautiful Attitudes. Today we come to the very last beatitude: Blessed are those who are persecuted. As far as grand finales go, this one seems a little strange at first. Christian writer John Koessler puts it this way: | |
| − | + | "Imagine you are in the market for a new car. You visit the dealer and the salesman who is showing you the latest model takes you for a test drive. As you turn out of the parking lot, he launches into his sales pitch: "Three hours in this car," he says, "and your back will be so out of joint, you will need physical therapy to walk upright again! The cost of repairs alone will put my children through college. And when you drive it down the street, every head will turn, because everyone who sees you will be laughing at you." | |
| − | + | Would you buy that car? | |
| + | |||
| + | Jesus, at the climax of his sales pitch for the kingdom of God says, "blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." In Luke, he says "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man." I know of one pastor who refers to this beatitude as "the blessing no one ones." | ||
| + | |||
| + | And yet, here it is. Not only is it the last of the beatitudes, it is (in both Matthew and Luke) the longest of the beatitudes. In Matthew, it is the only one of the eight addressed directly to the listeners ("blessed are you"). In both Matthew and Luke, it is the only beatitude that is accompanied by additional words of commentary and explanation, and the only beatitude that comes with a command: "Rejoice and be glad!" (which is probably the last thing you'd want to do if any of these things happened to you). In Matthew, the promise for this last beatitude is the same as the first one: "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . . . Blessed are the persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." | ||
| + | |||
| + | All of these things together indicate that this beatitude carries a special significance--it is placed at the end for a reason. It's important. I'm going to argue today that this beatitude--blessed are the persecuted--is both a climax and a summary. It is Jesus' most essential teaching in a nutshell. So basically, you all chose a great day to come to church! | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | *What persecution is and isn't | ||
| + | *Global Partners | ||
| + | *Shalom (M.S.) | ||
Revision as of 18:26, 16 May 2015
Matthew 5:1-12
1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Luke 6:20-26
20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Beautiful Attitudes: The Persecuted
Two pastors were standing by the side of the road one day, holding up a large sign on which they had written, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!" A car approached, and the driver rolled down his window to yell "Take a hike, you religious nuts!" before speeding on down the road. A few seconds later, the two pastors heard the sound of screeching tires and a giant splash. "Do you think," said one pastor to the other, "we should have just written 'The Bridge Is Out' instead?"
The end is indeed near for our sermon series on God's Beautiful Attitudes. Today we come to the very last beatitude: Blessed are those who are persecuted. As far as grand finales go, this one seems a little strange at first. Christian writer John Koessler puts it this way:
"Imagine you are in the market for a new car. You visit the dealer and the salesman who is showing you the latest model takes you for a test drive. As you turn out of the parking lot, he launches into his sales pitch: "Three hours in this car," he says, "and your back will be so out of joint, you will need physical therapy to walk upright again! The cost of repairs alone will put my children through college. And when you drive it down the street, every head will turn, because everyone who sees you will be laughing at you."
Would you buy that car?
Jesus, at the climax of his sales pitch for the kingdom of God says, "blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." In Luke, he says "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man." I know of one pastor who refers to this beatitude as "the blessing no one ones."
And yet, here it is. Not only is it the last of the beatitudes, it is (in both Matthew and Luke) the longest of the beatitudes. In Matthew, it is the only one of the eight addressed directly to the listeners ("blessed are you"). In both Matthew and Luke, it is the only beatitude that is accompanied by additional words of commentary and explanation, and the only beatitude that comes with a command: "Rejoice and be glad!" (which is probably the last thing you'd want to do if any of these things happened to you). In Matthew, the promise for this last beatitude is the same as the first one: "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . . . Blessed are the persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
All of these things together indicate that this beatitude carries a special significance--it is placed at the end for a reason. It's important. I'm going to argue today that this beatitude--blessed are the persecuted--is both a climax and a summary. It is Jesus' most essential teaching in a nutshell. So basically, you all chose a great day to come to church!
- What persecution is and isn't
- Global Partners
- Shalom (M.S.)
