The Beatitudes – Part 8

Part 8 of 8 – A Bible Study on the Beatitudes in Matthew, Chapter 5

Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted For Righteousness’ Sake, For Theirs Is The Kingdom of Heaven

Welcome back and greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! This is our final study on the Beatitudes and I truly pray you have been blessed. If you haven’t read the first 7 parts of the study, please do so, as each Beatitude builds upon the other.

If you recall in Part 1, I asked you to think of two things as you studied the divine order of the Beatitudes: 1) how you would build a house – the order of which it is built; and 2) a recipe – the ingredients needed to make the recipe so that you have a savory and satisfying product once completed. Consider this conclusion of the study as the ‘Icing on the Cake’, so to speak.

Notice how the Beatitudes began with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, and, ends with, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’. This is not a typo and certainly not a coincidence.

Jesus, in Matthew 5:11-12 goes on to explain what is to come:

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In Hebrew, the word Revile means (criticize or insult in an angrily manner)

Persecute means (chase, pursue, haunt, torment)

None of these sound very pleasing in the flesh; however, God is faithful to His promise of eternal life in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven to those who are called by His name and will not deny His name nor waiver from the faith.

While this does not mean we will all be tortured and killed, it does prepare us for a world that will hate us and ridicule us for our Faith in Jesus Christ. Many of us have already experienced this to some degree. And yes, many have been martyrs for the Gospel of Peace. The blessed assurance is that when we are one in the Spirit with God, the house we build on the Rock (Jesus) can not be shaken regardless of what or who may come our way.

Below are some scriptures to meditate on.

1 Peter 2:4-8

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

1 Peter 3:18-20

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient…

1 Peter 4:12-19

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Now, “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Matthew 19:28-30

Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Revelation 20:4

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The above are a lot of scriptures that have been shared; and, the truth is, there are so many more that back up, confirm, affirm all of the above. I encourage you to open your Bible and do your own study on these Beatitudes. The Holy Spirit of Truth may take you even deeper so that you can share with others.

In Conclusion

I began this writing with the following scripture:

Matthew 23:37-39

“Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See, Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

To wrap up, let’s take a few moments now to reflect on God’s divine order and what it means to come in the name (identity) of the Lord. Jesus was making a proclamation to those in Jerusalem who had rejected him. He was letting them know that until they understand who He is (and His divine nature) and who they are in Him, He would not return. It had a much broader message than just to those in Jerusalem. He was also speaking of a new Jerusalem that is to come. Until the bride has made herself ready, He will not return.

In the book of Hebrews, Jesus is described as the High Priest, not of which He gave himself the title, but by God (Yahweh) who said,

Hebrews 5:6-11.

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek; who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing ”

Certainly, we have read this scripture over and over but have we ever asked, What is this order of Melchizedek? Clearly there is an order or it wouldn’t be emphasized.

Melchizedek was the King of Salem, which in Hebrew means (peaceful, complete).

Salem, now called Jerusalem, means City of Peace.

Melchizedek was a priest of the Most High God (First introduced in Genesis when he meets with Abraham after the slaughter of wicked kings). He brought out the bread and wine (symbolic for the body and blood of Christ) for he and Abraham. This Melchizedek had no genealogy to speak of, with no beginning of days or end of life, but resembled the Son of God, and remains a priest forever, according to scripture. So if he resembles the Son of God, has no genealogy, it must be the Spirit of God that lived within the King of Salem, in the form of holiness, righteousness, and full of peace that God wants us to see. It is important that we not get caught up in looking at the man, but rather the spirit of the man within. Could it be that this same Spirit was there in the beginning, before the foundation of the earth, along with Jesus and God Almighty?

(Note: Remember from Part 4 – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Righteousness, for they shall be filled, that we learned Bread means – Gift, Living source and Wine means – Happiness.)

Hebrews 5:6-11

“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek; who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing ” (bold emphasis mine)

Drum roll please………

The righteous order of Melchizedek here parallels with the order of the Beatitudes! Jesus said that no one can come to the Father except through Him. The Beatitudes is the order in which to come to the Father through Christ Jesus. When we apply the order of the Beatitudes to our life, we can come in the Name of Jesus to the throne of grace before the Father because we represent the identity of who Christ is in us. We abide in Jesus and He abides in us. This is a lifestyle practice and as with all practice, it becomes perfected. This also applies to our prayer life. After studying these Beatitudes, we can now look at what Jesus meant when He taught on how to pray. He laid out an order and also gave a warning. Let’s see what He says to His disciples and the way to pray:

Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name;

Your kingdom come, Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread;

and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us;

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen

Jesus then goes on to reiterate the importance of forgiveness in verses 14-15:

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

With the foundation of the Beatitudes, we can now examine scriptures on prayer and how to come before the Father in the Name of Jesus. There is so much more depth on this topic including how it parallels to the furnishings of the tabernacle (watch for a blog post soon to come). I invite you to take the journey so you can walk in the blessings that are promised you.

Revelation 21:1-8

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

May the Lord, Jesus Christ, fill you with the richness of His glory in all you do. May He continue to reveal Himself to you in every area of your life and draw you so near unto Him that you can feel the warmth of His embrace, the beat of His heart, and the sweet presence of His breath. I pray you have received new revelation knowledge and that you have been blessed in this 8 part study.

Thank you for taking the time to embark on the journey the Holy Spirit took me on regarding the importance of the Beatitudes. It is now your turn to share with others.

In Christ, Norma