Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Matthew 5:10

• Persecuted because of the Life we Live

• Persecuted because darkness Hates the Light

Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. John 3:18,19

• Persecuted because of the Lord we Love

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

3 Ways we are Persecuted:

1. Verbal Insults
2. Physical Attack
3. False Accusations

• Persecution is a Gift

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:12

• Persecution Confirms our Identity

If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear his name. 1 Peter 4:16

• Persecution moves us to Lean Harder into God

I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9,10

• Persecution Refines our Faith

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:7

• Persecution puts us in Great Company

.In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you…Matthew 5:12

• Persecution is a Powerful Witness for Christ

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Philippians 1:12-14

• Persecution brings us a Great Reward

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.                        Matthew 5:11,12