A Tag-Team Sermon with Gary Fine.
Blessed Are The Persecuted
Gary’s Notes:
2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. (12) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for
So they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The reason for persecution – Righteousness .
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake……
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all
kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me.
The response to persecution – Rejoice
“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad….”
The results of persecution – Growth .
“….. For they persecuted the prophets before you.”
The rewards of persecution Heaven .
“…. For great is your reward in heaven.”
You can see from the video how Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, turning cross of Christ from a symbol our liberation into a symbol of oppression.
Jeff’s Notes:
Jesus said:
They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. (John 16:2-3)
Contemporary Examples of Persecution in the USA: teachers, bakers, military members.
- A Manhattan math teacher has been “relieved of his teaching duties” after speaking out against what he’s rightly characterized as the critical race theory “indoctrination” students at the private school are being subjected to.
- A high school football coach who led a Massachusetts school district’s team for nearly a decade was fired in early 2021 after he raised concerns about the use of critical race theory in his 7th grade class…
- A math teacher at a private school in Manhattan has been put on leave for the rest of the term for speaking out against Critical Race Theory.
- 114 Nurses being fired from Houston Hospital for refusing the experimental “vaccine” which is showing signs of major health complications at a far higher rate than is allowed by approved vaccines.
- Commander of Space Force fired for questioning Critical Race Theory.
- Baker in Colorado having death threats for refusing to place homosexual messages on wedding cakes.
- Note: the Baker won his case in the US Supreme Court as part of his religious liberty, but that isn’t stopping the death threats he faces for his loyalty to Jesus. A teacher was reinstated by the courts for violation of his religious liberty, but the school board wants to impose gender confusion on the teaching programs.
- Teacher Tanner Cross was suspended from his job as a gym teacher at Leesburg Elementary School in Virginia after he spoke out against two proposed school policies related to transgender students at a Loudoun County School Board meeting “ I’m a teacher, but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it’s against my religion. It’s lying to a child, it’s abuse to a child, and it’s sinning against our God.”
You are not allowed to QUESTION or Disagree with this indoctrination into a satanic push to destroy God’s image in humankind.
What we are experiencing is nothing compared to what is happening to our brothers and sisters in China and other places around the world —- YET.
We would like Peace, but the problem with evil is that it will not let you rest until you agree with it and consent to its demands. The problem is in the nature of the Satan. Because he cannot find peace, he cannot rest.
That is why those who are caught in the satanic distortion of human nature and sexual identity cannot just live and let live. They want to force you to agree with them, as if that will satisfy the discomfort of their conscience and emptiness of soul.
In fact, they want to force their ideology on you, whether you like it or not or agree with it or not. They don’t want you to be free to disagree. Look at what happened to Lot:
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. Genesis 19:1-9
Good News
Teacher Tanner Cross was suspended from his job a But last week, a judge ordered him reinstated , as it was a violation of his 1st Amendment Rights.
Supreme Court Ruled UNANIMOUSLY on fostering and adoption allowing Christian organizations to refuse to allow homosexual couples or unmarried to adopt/foster.
Parent’s in many locations are standing up and fighting back
States fighting back against the imposition of an ideology.
So What is God’s purpose in persecution: refinement of character:
Example – Joseph
God never wills their evil but will sacrifice us if it will bring the lost to Him.
Seeds blown by the wind: persecution in Jerusalem led to the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.
To be conformed to the character of God, we must learn to love others who hate us:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48, ESV)