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Matthew 5:1-2, 10
Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:10 (NKJV), “Blessed are those who are persecuted For righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus expands on this in John 15:18-25 as He tells of being persecuted and as so, those who believe in Him will also be persecuted.
This is a promise of persecution for those who believe and receive the righteousness of Christ Jesus through the gift of salvation (Matthew 5:10a).
This is a promise for those who do receive persecution for righteousness’ sake of inheriting the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10b).
This blessing speaks for itself, but we have a tendency to interpret it as if anyone who is persecuted will inherit the kingdom of heaven. We have a tendency to overlook key phrases that may leave us out if we notice them. The key phrase in Matthew 5:10 is, “…For righteousness’ sake…” This means that the blessing of, “the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10b) is a blessing given to those who are persecuted, “For righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10a).
We all have been persecuted in some way, shape, or form. This includes everyone, those who are seeking the righteousness of Christ Jesus and those who are not seeking the righteousness of Christ Jesus. But the blessing is only given to those who are seeking the righteousness of Christ Jesus. For some, this is a hard truth to take in, but the truth is that we are all able to make the choice in our lives to put God first in our lives by opening our hearts to our Savior and asking of His forgiveness. He died on the cross to pay for our sins so that we do not have to, but we must acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans 10:9-10 (HCSB), “If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.”
Dear LORD,
Please help us to understand that Your blessings are only to come true for those who believe in You and accept the gift of righteousness that You offer to us in Your one and only Son Jesus. That it is He (You in human form) that came to rescue us from sin and take our place on the cross in paying the rightful punishment for our sins – which is death. But You overcame death as Your sinlessness and righteousness is the one thing that death cannot hold because death is the punishment for sin, which Jesus was without. He died for us so that He could in righteousness give us righteousness that protects us through our faith in Him. Please help us to believe LORD for righteousness’ sake so that we too may inherit the kingdom of heaven – in Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.