Hey everyone I’m Pastor Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
This year our goal is to release a new video / Podcast every Monday Wednesday and Friday.
To begin 2020 we are starting off on Sundays with “The Way to Happiness”.
Everyone wants to be happy, and the New Testament is the greatest authority on happiness.
Jesus gives is the key that will unlock the door to happiness.
This key is found in the eight Beatitudes.
We have already covered,
Humility, The Way to Happiness.
Sorrow, The Way to Happiness.
Meekness, The Way to Happiness.
Hunger and Thirst, The Way to Happiness.
Mercy, The Way to Happiness.
Purity, The Way to Happiness.
Peacemaking, The Way to Happiness.
Today is part 8 Persecution, The Way to Happiness.
Text
Matthew 5:10-12 (ESV)
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
We are made to love and be loved.
We like to be liked.
Friendship is the atmosphere in which we breath most freely.
To be ridiculed as a child is a heart breaking experience, but the pain is not lessened as we become adults.
Persecution in the form of harassment and unfair accusations could destroy our private castles of security.
Of all the injuries that can be afflicted on a human being, persecution possibly comes the closest to making life hell on earth.
Therefore the Lord’s final beatitude seems almost paradoxical.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
This is probably the most difficult of the beatitudes to believe.
The reason for this difficulty is that persecution seems to be the anti of happiness.
Furthermore, it seems like a strange statement to come from the lips of such a compassionate saviour.
How can we understand our Lord when He congratulated those who were persecuted and encouraged them to rejoice in their persecution?
Obviously there is a paradox to be explained.
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YouTube
Gary Hoban
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Refinery Life Church Australia
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Music
Desire by Markvard https://soundcloud.com/markvard
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