Beautiful Attitudes, Part 8

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”

Matthew 5:10

Holy Bible Holman Christian Standard Bible, Black/Burgundy, Leathertouch, Personal Size Bible. Holman Bible Pub, 2014.

AND

“Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you, insult you, and slander your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.”

Luke 6:22

Holy Bible Holman Christian Standard Bible, Black/Burgundy, Leathertouch, Personal Size Bible. Holman Bible Pub, 2014.

It will go good for those that the world now rails against. Those whose identity is found in the words of Jesus and find themselves cast out and cast down by the world, they will know the rule and kingship of God Almighty. Jesus was including those who were hated for His sake in the authority and territory of His kingdom. If the Jesus-follower finds themselves oppressed for the sake of Jesus’ name, they can be assured that they are completely protected as citizens of the kingdom. We can endure all hardship in this knowledge.

There is no assurance of pardon from trials. In this life trials should be expected and we should face them with joy (Jm. 1:2). The only way this holds is if there is some assurance in which we can rejoice. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus-followers are given a beautiful attitude which acts as a catalyst of such joy. We can rejoice in trial because of Jesus and His endurance through sacrifice. Therefore, trials are for the proving of the believer’s identity. Every trial the Jesus-follower encounters is an instance to prove their identity in Jesus.

“What is the kingdom of heaven? It is the place where the King rules! And only those who submit to the King will enter His kingdom… He is not hiding the kingdom from us, nor is He anxious to withhold anything. In fact, He is most greatly glorified when we receive and experience all that the kingdom affords. But He waits for us to see our world so greatly that we humbly bow!“

(Elliff, p. 249)

Spann, Kent, and David Wheeler, editors. Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook. Vol. 1, Thomas Nelson, 2011.

Bill Elliff, Senior Teaching Pastor of The Summit Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, illuminates our view of the kingdom of God. He speaks of the kingdom as something which believers can experience. It is living and present reality. It is not a big pie in the sky someday by and by fantasy. It is real. The kingdom can be experienced today. Through Jesus and the new identity He speaks over believers, His followers step into the borders of His kingdom.

The clearer we see this world for what it is, the clearer the kingdom is defined. This world is such a shadowy reflection of the kingdom. It is a broken reflection. The more we understand the cracks, faults and fissures of this sin stained world, the more we understand what the complete and glorified creation of the kingdom should look like. The more we are acquainted with our own sinfulness, the more we acknowledge our desperate need of God. Kingdom living comes through holding our frail lives up against the Word of God as it is revealed in the Scripture, the Bible.

“Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration, because they had understood the words that were explained to them.”

Nehemiah 8:12 (HCSB)

Holy Bible Holman Christian Standard Bible, Black/Burgundy, Leathertouch, Personal Size Bible. Holman Bible Pub, 2014.

Nehemiah gives such a clear picture of kingdom living. Chapter eight is a beautiful text describing the return jubilation of the people of Israel coming home to a rebuilt Jerusalem. What will it be like when Jesus returns and makes all things new (Rev. 21:5). I cannot believe that it will be anything less than the celebration held in Nehemiah’s day. Kingdom living is celebratory and festive. The kingdom of God is about the joy of a new identity and the worship of the Creator God who is the only giver of new life.

In the kingdom there is greater understanding of the Word of God. In the knowledge of Jesus Christ we can all rest assured in our certain salvation. The Word becomes illuminated through the Good News of Jesus. The pages of the Bible spring to life when we see the footsteps of Jesus walking from Genesis to Revelation. When we follow Jesus, our hand in His, we will walk from faith to faith (Rm. 1:17). God desires to make us whole reflections of His glory. As we follow, we are made more like Him.

We reflect our conception of God to the world by the way we live. When the world presses down on us, what will spill out? Will our old nature raise its rough head? Will Jesus living in us speak the Words of Scripture? We must practice living the regenerate life that God has placed within our hearts. In the face of persecution we must hold tightly to our new identity in Jesus. When we cling to His words about our new identity we will live out the kingdom of God today.

“Remember, God is as Great as He is Good!”

Noah R. Hunt