Daily Devotional For Thursday, September 5, 2024

Can you believe you are just a couple days from the weekend? We are on what is called “Trying Thursday” because our patience gets tried and tested anticipating the long awaited weekend. If you have been reading these devotionals, you know that we have been looking in-depth at the greatest and most famous sermon ever – Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount. It is found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7 and specifically, we are wrapping up our look at "The Beatitudes," found in Matthew 5:3-12. Currently, we are looking at Matthew 5:10-12:

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. (12)  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (NASB).

The reality that some Christians are popular and praised does not mean the world has raised its standard. It indicates that these Christians have lowered theirs. This means the way to avoid persecution, ridicule and mocking of your Christian faith is to live in a way that it costs you nothing. When we imitate the world’s standards so that we are never criticized, ridiculed or mocked, it means that the world is in us, not the Word. When we can laugh at sordid, crude and even vulgar jokes or enjoy its sinful entertainment or smile when Christ or the Christian faith is the brunt of jokes, then it means we are ashamed to take a stand for Jesus Christ. 

In case you are wondering, this is no joking or laughing matter, at least not with Jesus Christ. Look at Jesus’ words in Luke 9:26, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (NASB). Readers take heed. We have been warned by Jesus in Luke 6:26, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way” (NASB).

The Sermon On The Mount is early in Jesus’ ministry but I remind you, Jesus had already started experiencing ridicule, hatred, and persecution. Look at Mark 3:6, “The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him” (NASB). We learn from Luke’s Gospel how they were conspiring against Jesus in Luke 6:7, “The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him” (NASB).

From the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry Jesus made it clear that persecution is expected if we follow Him and His opponents made it clear that it will cost us if we follow and obey Jesus. Those who choose to follow Jesus will suffer. In the first 400 years of the church, Christians paid the ultimate price – their lives. For sport, Nero had Christians wrapped in animal skins and thrown into the arena with lions to be savagely ripped to shreds and devoured. 

Nero had Christians dipped in tar, tied to posts and set on fire because they claimed they were shining the Light of the world. Rome accused Christians of being cannibals because of The Lord’s Supper. In Rome, emperors personified the empire and were considered deities. Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this:

“Because only the emperor personified the entire empire, the caesars came to be deified, and their worship was demanded as a unifying and cohesive influence. It became compulsory to give a verbal oath of allegiance to Caesar once a year, for which a person would be given a verifying certificate, called a libellus. After publicly proclaiming, “Caesar is Lord,” and pinching some incense, the person was free to worship any other gods he chose. Because faithful Christians refused to declare such an allegiance to anyone but Christ, they were considered traitors—for which they suffered confiscation of property, loss of work, imprisonment, and often death. One Roman poet spoke of them as “the panting, huddling flock whose only crime was Christ” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” pp. 223-224).

This emperor-worship, worshiping the emperor as a god also led to worshiping the goddess of Rome, Roma. The emperor was believed to be occupied or possessed by this goddess thus making him divine and a deity. At first Rome resisted this but as the years wore on, Rome saw this Feast of Roma and the “libellus” (see above) as a way to unite all of Rome as one. New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton writes this:

“Persecution should not surprise Christians. Later, when Peter wrote to persecuted believers, he urged them to be sure that their persecution was truly for righteousness’ sake and not for wrongdoing on their part” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 80).

Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, was martyred by being crucified upside down. He wrote these words in 1 Peter 4:12-19:

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; (13) but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. (14) If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (15) Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; (16) but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. (17) For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (18) And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? (19) Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (NASB).

William Barlay gives us several situations in the first century where Christians might find themselves in certain situations at conflict with their pagan Roman culture.

• • First, their Christianity might well conflict with their work. Suppose a man was a stonemason. That seems a harmless enough occupation. But suppose his firm received a contract to build a temple to one of the pagan gods, what was that man to do? Suppose a man was a tailor, and suppose his firm was asked to produce robes for the pagan priests, what was that man to do? In a situation such as that in which the early Christians found themselves, there was hardly any job in which a man might not find a conflict between his business interests and his loyalty to Jesus Christ.

The Church was in no doubt where an individual’s duty lay. More than 100 years after this, a man came to Tertullian with this very problem. He told of his business difficulties. He ended by saying: ‘What can I do? I must live!’ ‘Must you?’ said Tertullian. If it came to a choice between a loyalty and a living, the real Christian never hesitated to choose loyalty.

• Second, their Christianity might conflict with their social life. In the ancient world, most feasts were held in the temple of some god. In very few sacrifices was the whole animal burned upon the altar. It might be that only a few hairs from the forehead of the beast were burned as a symbolic sacrifice. Part of the meat went to the priests as their ‘perks’; and part of the meat was returned to the worshiper. With his share, he made a feast for his friends and his relatives. One of the gods most commonly worshiped was Serapis. And when the invitations to the feast went out, they would read: `I invite you to dine with me at the table of our Lord Serapis.’ 

Could a Christian share in a feast held in the temple of a pagan god? Even an ordinary meal in an ordinary house began with a libation, a cup of wine, poured out in honor of the gods. It was like grace before a meal. Could a Christian become a sharer in a pagan act of worship like that? Again the Christian answer was clear. Christians must cut themselves off from their fellows rather than give approval to such a thing by their presence. People had to be prepared to be lonely in order to be Christians.

• Third, their Christian faith might conflict with their home life. Worst of all, their Christianity was liable to disrupt their home life. It happened again and again that one member of a family became a Christian while the others did not. A wife might become a Christian while her husband did not. A son or a daughter might become a Christian while the rest of the family did not. Immediately there was a split in the family. Often the door was shut forever in the face of the one who had accepted Christ.

Christianity often came to send not peace but a sword which divided families in two. It was literally true that a man might have to love Christ more than he loved father or mother, wife, or brother or sister. Christianity often involved in those days a choice between a man’s or a woman’s nearest and dearest and Jesus Christ” (William Barclay, The New Daily Study Bible, “Matthew,” Vol. 1, pp. 129-129).

Christians were  accused as being cannibals due to The Lord’s Supper. Other accusations made against these early Christans were: Christians have orgies, due to what Christians called their worship services,  The Love Feast (Agape). Christians were accused of being fire-raisers and world-enders because they preached and taught about the final apocalyptic end of the world. Christians were accused of ruining family relationships. Families were split over a member or some members becoming Christians and other family members did not. 

Questions To Consider

1. In what ways do you experience your Christian and biblical beliefs in conflict with our culture at work, or school or on-line or your neighborhood? What is your reaction and why?
2. When people joke about the Christian faith, what is your typical reaction and why?
3. Read Jesus' words in Luke 6:26 and Luke 9:26 again. If your lost and worldly friends always speak well of you, what does that tell you and why?
4. When do people in our culture ridicule, mock and even persecute you for your Christian faith? If they do not, does this mean you might be ashamed of your relationship to Christ around certain people? Why or why not?
5. Has your Christian faith ever divided your family either against you or others who are Crhistians in your family? What have been the results? 

Scripture To Meditate On: Luke 6:26, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way” (NASB).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I do not want to ever appear to be ashamed of my relationship to You nor do I ever want to appear I am a friend of this world. I am ready and willing to pay whatever the price and cost is in following You. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly