by Pastor Tim White
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10
This week we conclude our series on The Beatitudes with the Eighth Blessed. We began the series looking at: Blessed are those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This was the first step to a changed life. Blessed are the humble or teachable for they are the ones who will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Many of the translators have used this idea to try to understand what it means to be poor or desperate to learn. In other words, there is no one so blind as him that refuses to see, no one so deaf as the person who will not hear.
As we learn about these revolutionary words of Jesus, we discover that heaven is used in the present tense. In other words, according to Jesus heaven is the already now, not yet reality. When Jesus is Lord of your life, the peace, joy, community and power of God starts right now. That is why you meet Christians who don’t just wish that they are going to heaven when they die. In their words ‘they know that they know that they know’ because they have lived in the Kingdom of Heaven for a long time. So, when the last blessed says: blessed are the persecuted for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, the blessed statements form a profound, complete circle. We are back to heaven again.
I hope you can join me in person this Sunday at 10:30am as we power through in our lives with this last Beatitude. You can also join us on-line (Facebook Live, You Tube, Church App or Church Website) as God changes our lives by studying these dynamic verses.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White