Great is your reward in Heaven

Great is your reward in Heaven

Scripture:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:9-12

Observation:

Moving on to the last three beatitudes, there are the peacemakers, those persecuted because of righteousness and in a special class, those insulted, persecuted and called all kinds of evil because of Jesus.

Peace, the third fruit of the Spirit, is a primary hallmark of a Spirit-led believer. Still, the role of peacemaker can be anything but peaceful, having to sometimes put himself in the firing line in between irate, angry persons. In a sense, all who do not know the Lord do not have true peace, and so every Believer who brings the good news of the gospel of peace can be a bringer of peace to unbelievers. Jesus told His disciples, my peace I give unto you. It is in having the peace of Jesus, that we too are able to bring peace and reconciliation to others around us, and that is the hallmark of those called the children of God.

Then there are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. Their reward is the kingdom of Heaven. When we seek to uphold God’s standards of righteousness in the world, there will be persecution, but we are to take comfort in the fact that all this is temporary, and our reward is so great no words can describe it, the kingdom of Heaven.  

After that Jesus focuses on a more specific group of those persecuted, those enduring insults, persecutions and false accusations because of the Lord Himself. Later on, these words would be deep encouragement to the hundreds of thousands of Christians martyred and enduring severe persecution over the ages because of the name of Jesus. Great is their reward in Heaven. It is not just that they get to Heaven, they also have great reward there!

Application:

Let us seek to be peacemakers, seeking to reconcile men and men, and even more so men and God. When we are persecuted because of righteousness, let us be glad, for ours is the kingdom of Heaven. When we are persecuted specifically because of our Lord Jesus, let us rejoice even more, for great is our reward in Heaven!

Prayer:

Praise thee, Father in Heaven, for You are the God of peace. Praise thee, Lord Jesus, for You give us Your peace. Fill us more and more with Your peace, and let this peace overflow to bring forth reconciliation and peace between brother and brother, sister and sister, and even between You and men. Strengthen me O Lord, and give me perseverance even when persecuted for righteousness. Let me always have that fresh vision of Heaven, and look forward to Your glorious return. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.