Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Heaven will be the home of all Christians, but for those who endure suffering for the cause of Christ, it will have a special meaning. Today I want to begin to look at some of the rewards Christians will receive. The first one is the reward for suffering. Yes, I said suffering. When we speak of suffering for the cause of Christ those of us in America really don’t know anything about it. We think of the child who is made fun of at school because he is a Christian or the person who is fired for sharing his faith on the job. While those are hurtful they are not really suffering. I’m reminded of a book I read about Nobel Alexander, *I Will Die Free. He was a youth pastor in Cuba. In 1962 he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. His story is beyond torture and many others didn’t survive the horrible atmosphere of his 17-year imprisonment. He did survive, and many in prison cells became Christians while he was there. You must read the book, but I warn you, there will be many times during these 189 pages when you will have to put it down because the tears will flow too great to be able to focus.
Alexander Noble is one of many who I believe will receive the crown for suffering. Those mentioned in Matthew 5:11-12 will suffer persecution simply because they claim the name of Christ. Most of us will not receive this reward because we know nothing about this kind of suffering. Our blessings are many here on this earth, but in Heaven, we will only be able to watch those who get this reward.
I believe that I Peter 2:20 is also talking about this kind of reward. It is written to slaves, but we can still make the application. These were suffering for doing good, but they took it patiently. There is an attitude of suffering that makes the suffering worthy of reward. Suffering because we are arrogant or saying things to cause a riff is not what we are talking about.
I Peter 2:20 “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.”
There are many who suffer unjustly, but their attitude is not that of waiting patiently for the Lord to work. They grumble and complain, wallow in self-pity, and are difficult to get along with because they want everyone to know how much they are suffering. I believe the verses in Matthew 6:3-4 have application here. Those who suffer, and seek attention, because of their suffering, will get their pity here, but not a reward in Heaven. The bottom line, they have made their suffering about themselves and not about the cause of Christ. I believe our attitude in the trial, not the size of the trial, has a lot to do with the reward we will receive.
Matthew 6:3-4 “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
Hebrews 10:35-36 also refers to the patience we need to endure to the end. If we endure with the right attitude, there will be a reward. A recompense, or great compensation, for our suffering. This is a willingness to remain steadfast, unmovable, and determined to endure to the end, with a humble spirit, and a loving heart. One of the things that struck me so strongly about Alexander Noble was his attitude toward those who captured him. He prayed for them! Stephen in Acts 7:60 prayed and ask God, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” They killed Stephen because he was preaching the truth!
Hebrews 10:35-36 “Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
The reward for enduring suffering and trials will be the “crown of life.” In my mind, these will be the most honored of all the saints when they stand before God and answer for their works.
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
There may come a time in our country when we are persecuted to the point it requires our life to stand for Christ. I do believe the time is coming, I just don’t know when, but I want to be ready to stand. I want to know that my love for God will propel me to stay strong, knowing that my life will be required for my testimony. More than that, I want to know that I can take a stand if the threat is the life of my family for my testimony. As hard as that would be it is the right thing to do. When that kind of stand is taken for Jesus you are not hurting your family you are helping them. For the first time, they may understand the true meaning of “Christ comes first.”
Am I strong enough? I don’t know, but I do know that I want to be. Therefore I must prepare myself by getting to know Jesus more and more each day. To love him so much that my own life, and the lives of others, is nothing compared to the sacrifice he gave for me. He more than anyone knows what it is like to give His life unjustly.
*I Will Die Free by Noble Alexander with Kay D. Rizzo
