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Lesson 3 of the Discipleship Making process, where today, you and I continue to learn the answers to the Why? and What is the Purpose? of my life questions.
I left you last time with the question of “How can you express joy?”
Children learn from watching and listening. The disciples have been watching and listening to Jesus. They have been with Him for more than a year now.
Soon after their encounter with the woman at the well, the disciples come to Jesus and He names twelve of them to be His apostles or sent ones. Together, they approach the waiting multitudes, who have begun to follow Jesus, it is here that he begins to speak what today is known as the Sermon on the Mount. The disciples, like children, are in need of the next stage of training, Lessons On Family Values.
The Sermon on the Mount is the Law of Christ. It compares favorably with the Ten Commandments that Moses received and delivered to his people, the Israelites. The events surrounding the Sermon on the Mount and the giving of the Ten Commandments are very similar.
Both events immediately follow the Feast of Weeks. Both Moses and Jesus worked miracles before the events occurred. Both were being followed by a multitude of people. Both ascend a mountain where they spend time with God. Both descend the mountain to give the law of God to the multitudes below. Moses delivers the Ten Commandments that are written on two stone tablets by the finger of God. Jesus speaks His commandments and they are written on the hearts of people by the power of the Holy Spirit. Both the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount contain instructions for right living. Both contain blessings and curses. Moses finishes giving The Law (Torah) to the Israelites by having the people declare the blessings and curses of the covenant (Deuteronomy 28).
Jesus begins the giving of His Law with nine blessings (beatitudes) and four curses (woes), which you can find in Matthew chapters 5-7, outlined in Matthew 5:1-12. It is in this initial outline that we find Jesus’ next command, “Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.”
Read: Matthew 5:1-12
The Sermon on the Mount challenges the way people think. Jesus wants His disciples to learn three things. First, the values within the family of God are not the same as the world’s values. Secondly, the reward for holding these values is in the future. And finally, that the underlying attitude of the family of God is JOY, even in the face of persecution.
Joy means to be exceedingly glad. To Rejoice means to get exceedingly glad all over again. It is easy for people to rejoice when they find themselves in fortunate circumstances. But it takes special qualities to rejoice when a person finds himself in painful or difficult circumstances. It requires a difficult circumstances (Habakkuk 3:17-19). It requires a different perspective, a perspective that Jesus wants His disciples to have.
Some ask, “Why does God allow persecution of the righteous on account of Jesus Christ?” There are three reasons. The first reason is that it is a sign from God (Philippians 1:27-30). It is a sign of salvation to Christians and destruction for all those who oppose them. Christians are receiving assurance from God concerning their salvation when they are persecuted for their testimony of Jesus Christ.
The second reason ties in with the first, a testing of a person’s faith. Is it genuine or not? The reference for this reason is found in 1 Peter 1:3-9. The third reason is also found in 1 Peter 4:12-14, which says that the Spirit of glory and God rest upon those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake. In truth, those who oppose these individuals and persecute them hate God, His Christ and the way of salvation.
Jesus said, "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.” Jesus wants His disciples to look forward to being persecuted for their faith. So much so that He wants them to rejoice in the persecution. Jesus considered persecution to be the norm. He even used the phrase when you are persecuted instead of if you are persecuted.
Since Jesus views persecution as a blessing, it behooves His followers to find the way persecution comes. It’s quite simple; just start proclaiming your faith in Jesus Christ. The pattern is seen throughout the book of the Acts: proclaim faith in Jesus Christ, persecution comes, then start rejoicing.
“How then do we express joy?” The answer is found in the command that Jesus issued His disciples, “Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.” The point is to begin living joyously in the expression of your faith, for it is God’s will for you and you will be rewarded.
With that, allow me to leave you with this question to consider, along with a little homework assignment until my next posting:
Being the light of the world, do Christians hide their light and if so, why?
. . . and the homework assignment . . .
Read: Acts chapters 3-7 . . . and begin joyfully sharing your faith with others.
Until next time . . . Godspeed!
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