Back Creek Church | Charlotte, NC

For Jesus to have been persecuted unto death must have looked and felt to everyone involved - both his followers and his enemies - that he had lost and his enemies had won. But persecution means the opposite of how it looks and feels! The darkest hour in human history - this trial of weakness, mocking, humiliation, crucifixion, condemnation, and death - meant the decisive victory of God over sin, Satan, and death and full atonement for God's people!

Jesus may have been too weak to carry his cross, but he was strong enough to carry all our sin. 

Jesus may have been mocked as the "king of the Jews," but the response of nature to his death shows he is the King of creation.

Jesus may have mocked as one who claimed he could rebuild the temple in three days, but he was referring to his body (which is the fulfillment of the temple - Immanuel, God with us!), and that's just what he did.

Jesus may have been mocked as the "son of God" who couldn't deliver himself, but by receiving this punishment for sinners, he delivered his people. 

Jesus may have been crucified like a common criminal, but the instrument of his execution would become the worldwide symbol of his victory. 

Jesus may have cried out in forsakenness, but he is quoting Psalm 22, revealing his identity as the Davidic Messiah who would endure persecution yet would enjoy the presence and pleasure of God in his sacrifice.

Jesus may have died, but in doing so he gave eternal life to his people. 

And Sunday's coming...

Those who persecuted Christ and those who persecute His Church do so because they are deceived by the evil one - we see this in the crowds who shouted "crucify him!"

Because they were deceived, the crowds rejected Jesus.

Because they were deceived, the crowds released Barabbas.

Because they were deceived the crowds received judgment.

Recognizing the reality of deception should help us in the way we see ourselves (as vulnerable to deception), the way we see our enemies (deceived by the devil, needing our compassion), and the way we see persecution itself, which often looks and feels like the devil is winning, when in reality it is an instrument Christ is using to build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail  against it!

Jesus not only prepares us to endure persecution for His sake, He endured persecution for our sake. In Matthew 26:47-27:31, we see Jesus face persecution from cowards who had the opportunity to honor Him, but chose instead to participate through:

Betrayal (Judas)

Abandonment (Disciples)

Denial (Peter)

Abstaining (Pilate)

Mocking (Soldiers)

Yet, ultimately we must realize that we are as responsible as these cowards for the persecution and death of Jesus - through which God has brought salvation to all who receive and rest in the risen Christ! 

Jesus taught that those who were persecuted for his sake would be blessed. And Jesus himself endured persecution from the most revered and respected men in his community - the council of the Sanhedrin, with all their civil, social, and religious power, would seek to kill him from false motives, by false witness, with false judgment. A disciple is not above his master, so we can expect to face this kind of persecution as well, and seek to endure it in emulation of our Savior. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake - Jesus expects us to face persecution as we seek to live as citizens of His kingdom in the hostile kingdom of this world. And how does he teach us to respond to persecution arising from irreconcilable value systems? Not with retaliation for, retreat from, or reveling in our persecution - but rejoicing! Why? Because the reward is the reaffirmation of our faith (we suffer on Christ's account) and our future (your reward is great in heaven). 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Our God is a peace-making God and He makes us agents and ambassadors of peace in the world. We pursue peacemaking through faith, fellowship, forgiveness, focus, and following Jesus's example and command. 

Blessed are the pure in heart - those who seek God are blessed to see God, to ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place, not because we have clean hands and a pure heart, but because Christ does and he came to seek and to save the lost, that we might see God. No one has ever seen God, but Jesus has made Him known.

Blessed are the merciful, who have received mercy from Christ and now look with the eyes of Christ at those in need of mercy, responding with compassion (heart) and action (hands) to the poor, the hurting, and the lost. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness - those who look to Jesus for the righteousness we do not have and find that He has provided for us by satisfying the requirements of God's law in His life, satisfying the justice of God against sin in His death and resurrection, and satisfying out hunger and thirst for a practical righteousness to match our positional righteousness by sending God the Holy Spirit to indwell us and help us die more and more to sin and live more and more to Christ. 

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Toward God, meekness bows the knee, bends the will, and believes the Word.

Toward others, meekness bears mistreatment, bridles the tongue, and binds anger.

Meekness imitates Jesus, overcoming evil with good.

The meek inherit the earth as they never presume on or demand from God, but recognizing that all is grace, they gladly receive what he provides - fertile soil or barren.

Ultimately, the meek (co-heirs w/ Christ!) will inherit the earth (and infinitely more) at the resurrection.

Meekness frees us from an enslaved life, attempting to earn for ourselves an inheritance we could never achieve or deserve, holding on with white knuckles and straining faces to its faint shadows in the accumulation of what we can scrape up for ourselves on the earth.

Meekness also allows us to “inherit the earth” in the sense of our mission. We take our rightful place as beggars who have received bread seeking to show other beggars where to find bread. Our confidence in sharing the good news is not in ourselves but in the God we can trust. He has made promises concerning the nations and his purposes will not fail. The knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Meekness frees us from fear (I’m far worse than whatever you might say or think of me, yet the Gospel says I'm infinitely loved) and meekness frees us from the pressure of having to convince and persuade or perfectly align our behavior with our message (though we strive for holiness by grace) - the word of Christ is the power of God for salvation, not my words or my ways.

"Lord give us grace that we, like them - the meek and lowly - on high may dwell with thee!"

Note: there are audio issues with the first two minutes of this recording.

As we navigate difficult circumstances in life, Psalm 117 expresses God's invitation to be refreshed as we praise Him.

Those who Jesus says are truly blessed are those who see things as they really are - and as a result, they mourn. And to those who mourn things as they really are, Jesus alone gives comfort: He is making all things new. 

Those who mourn see the HOLINESS of God. 

Those who mourn see the HORROR of sin. 

Those who mourn see the HOPELESSNESS of the world. 

But those who mourn see JESUS as he really is: the only true and lasting source of comfort in the universe! 

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Being "poor in spirit" means being emptied (in some specific ways) of self, that we might be filled with Christ.

The poor in spirit renounce self-reliance and embrace Christ-reliance.

The poor in spirit renounce self-righteousness and receive Christ's righteousness.

The poor in spirit renounce self-rule and surrender to Christ's rule (receive the kingdom of heaven). 

The world's idea of #blessed usually comes down to power, possessions, popularity, pleasant experiences, and/or prosperity. But what does God say it means to be blessed? 

Being blessed is about the disposition of God toward us. 

Being blessed is about the orientation of our lives around God and not the world.

Being blessed is about the anticipation of eternity. 

The problem is that none of us qualify to be "blessed." We do not faithfully orient our lives around God and His Word, so we cannot earn his pleased disposition or anticipate eternal life with him... unless we run to Jesus! It is in Christ that we are truly blessed. 

The best way for God's family to honor Christmas in our hearts and try to keep it all the year is to keep the Lord's Day, every week, all week long. Like the shepherds, we gather. Like the angels, we celebrate. Like the wise men, we give. As God's children, we receive His greatest present, Jesus. And like the shepherds, we go.  

Like the shepherds, when we go, our worship and our message go with us. 

Jesus is God's greatest present. Have you received Him? 

The best way for God's family to honor Christmas in our hearts and try to keep it all the year is to keep the Lord's Day, every week, all year long. Like the shepherds, we gather. Like the angels, we celebrate. And like the wise men, we give. 

Like the wise men, we give our worship, our joy, and our gifts. 

Every week, Christ's Church gathers to celebrate His incarnation. How do we celebrate? Like the angels, we celebrate by announcing the good news, ascribing glory to God, and advancing peace on earth.