Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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, MAT 5:10-12.

A priceless beauty is revealed to us when we see how the Lord Jesus Christ brought forth the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes are as a staircase leading into the temple, which is the body of Christ.

We have already looked at the seven beatitudes that lay before this verse. Seven is the symbol of perfection. Thus the seventh beatitude, "blessed are the peacemakers," is the ultimate goal of the gospel of Christ.

The purpose of the coming of Christ was to make peace by the blood of His cross. That peace between God and the sinner brings us to the fullness of the gospel. Peace is made between us, who have broken the law and the holy, righteous God who cannot have anything to do with sin. He cannot allow the slightest infraction upon His justice.

The blood of Christ's cross made this peace possible. JAM 3:17 tells us, "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable...." Purity in heart comes before the blessed peacemaking. This brings us to the climax of the beatitudes.

Now we will look at the eighth beatitude. This final beatitude is not a mark of regeneration or the inward working of grace, as were the first four; nor is it as the next three — a mark of conversion or the out-workings of that grace. The eighth beatitude is a mark or a sign of the reaction of the world to those who bear those first seven marks. In this way, it is also a mark and/or a sign of the true Christian.

If we walk peaceably with the world and are welcomed in their company, it is a mark against us. If we are not persecuted for righteousness sake, if we are not persecuted for the purity in Christ which has been brought into our soul, this could be a sign against us! The other seven marks are not shining as a light to the world. In this way, the eighth beatitude is a mark of the true Christian. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

FOR OUR FIRST POINT, let's consider suffering for righteousness.

FOR OUR SECOND POINT, let's consider the persecution of the righteous.

FOR OUR THIRD POINT, we will look at God's purpose in sending these persecutions; I will cover in our next message, the Lord willing.

FIRST, let's consider suffering for righteousness' sake. What does this mean?

The blessedness spoken of in our text is not for those who suffer for self-righteousness. If we suffer for righteousness' sake, we are meek and prefer others ahead of ourselves. Through mercy we show kindness and love to those who would destroy us. This is not self-righteousness; this is suffering for righteousness sake. People put us out of their company because we are a testimony against their evil deeds.

We don't suffer for righteousness' sake by exalting ourselves, but by becoming a witness to them of the perfection and holiness in God. Christ becomes our example, and we become an example to the world. The worldly find us abominable because of this, and they exclude us from their company.

In ISA 65:5 we read, "Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day." If we have self-righteousness within our heart, we tend to say that we are holier than others.

We do not come into the company of others because we exalt ourselves above them. If we understand the first seven marks that the Lord Jesus laid out, we haven't a stone to throw at the chiefest of sinners. If we threw a stone, it would only be at ourselves because we have come to realize that we are the chiefest of sinners. If it weren't for the grace of God, we would have subjected ourselves much more to the service of Satan than others do. We cannot exalt ourselves based upon anything within ourselves saying, "Come not near to me; for I am holier than thou."

We must confess to the worldly that we understand the powers of sin; then we can talk with them as the Lord Jesus speaks with us. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," HEB 4:15. The blessed High Priest was tempted by every sin that you or I will ever encounter.

If we do not stand in self-righteousness, we can tell the chiefest of sinners that we understand the powers of sin. We understand this sinful power because by walking in the footsteps of our Saviour, we have learned to know the corruption of our own heart. We show others the blessedness of being delivered from the power of sin and walking in the service of the Lord. This is the good news of the gospel!

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins," MAT 1:21. By nature, sin has such a power over us that we have no might against it. If we understand this, we will never say in self- righteousness, "I am holier than thou." To do so is not suffering for righteousness, but it is suffering for self- righteousness.

We can become martyrs for self-righteousness by our busyness in other men's matters. If we still have bitterness in our own heart against others and have not cleaned up our own act, we are not a Christ-like example when we tell others what is right and wrong. Exalting ourselves above our fellow man, as though we are holier than they, is spiritual poverty. If we have been quickened by grace, we have learned that we would have stooped much lower than our fellow man, if God had left us to ourselves. We have not one stone to throw at the chiefest of sinners; there is no room for self- righteousness.

In 1PE 4:14 we read, "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified." If we have become a reproach for the name of Christ, it is not because we stand holier than others. What did Christ do? He humbled himself unto death, even the death of the cross. Christ gave Himself into their hands to be crucified, and this is what it takes to walk in the ways of our Saviour.

We must be able to allow them to crucify us for their good that the goodness of God might lead them to repentance, when they see we do not revile as they revile. "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously," 1PE 2:23.

"If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; [You are happy if you walk in the footsteps of our Saviour.] for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified," 1PE 4:14. Others will try to bring a reproach upon the name of Christ in order to bring a reproach upon you, but if you have been conformed to the blessed image of Christ and endure the persecution like He did, He will be glorified.

Verse 15 continues, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters." If we have to suffer for the reproach of Christ, this is the blessedness spoken of in the text, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." V:16 says, "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."

Scripture clearly says that a busybody in other men's matters will separate chief friends. Being a busybody in other men's matters is not suffering for righteousness' sake.

We must not suffer as a talebearer. PRO 26:20-21 says, "Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly."

We may suffer as a talebearer, but that is not suffering for Christ's sake. That is not suffering persecution for righteousness, but for our own self- righteousness and wrong. The text doesn't speak of this.

It is important to know when to speak a word in season. ISA 50:4 says, "The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned." We must have wisdom to discern when to speak and what to speak, so we can speak a word in season. We also need the ear of the learned. We need to discern that which we hear, so we know when to speak a word to those who are weary.

Not long ago, an alcoholic told me that he had an accident which left him in a coma for ten days. He had a very high fever, so the doctors gave him antibiotics. Then his kidneys quit working. While lying in his hospital bed in a semiconscious state, the injured man heard the doctors say that they knew of nothing more they could do except to pray for him. This man said he realized then that he faced eternity.

A sermon he had heard shortly before the accident about the rich man and Lazarus kept going through his mind. The rich man was in hell begging for a drop of water for his tongue. The injured man explained how his thirst was a greater agony than the burning fever that brought him into a coma. Every four hours he got a little piece of ice placed on his tongue, but the horror was to think how the rich man never got one drop of water for his tongue throughout all eternity! He expressed such amazement that he was still alive and in the day of grace: still under the good news of the gospel.

This man told me how his heart went out for his brothers who were still going on in the course of this world. He explained how the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to speak to his brothers thinking they would hear if one raised from the dead. "Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them," LUK 16:29.

What the Lord Jesus is saying is that the brothers have the law and the gospel. If they don't hear that, they will not hear even Lazarus if he was raised from the dead. Then the man asked me, "Now it is as if I was the one raised from the dead, but how can I get to my brothers? They still go on unheeding to the gospel!" It is as Jesus said in the parable of the rich man.

Think about this. You and I are still in the land of the living. We still have food and water. We still have the gospel! We still have Moses and the Prophets, i.e., the law, and the gospel, and Jesus said if we do not hear those, we would not hear even though one were raised from the dead.

Oh beloved, if only the Lord would give us an ear to hear, if only He would show us that we still have a day of grace, if only He would help us to speak a word in season, it would be such a wonder of grace. The man with the five brothers desired that the Lord would help him to speak a word in season to his brothers who are yet on this side of the grave. This man said, when he was in a coma, the word "ETERNITY! ETERNITY! ETERNITY!" kept going through his heart like a dagger.

He saw that he faced eternity without a drop of water for his tongue in the fires of hell. This man understood what a burning, burning, burning thirst that was. Then to think of that for all eternity was more than he could bear.

Wouldn't it be a blessing for the Lord to give us a tongue to speak a word in season and an ear to hear? We need the ear of the learned to sense a bit of tenderness in the hearts of the hearers to speak a word in season. We want to save their souls from hell.

That true peacemaker, who shall be called the child of God, walks in righteousness because he has been delivered from the power of sin.

ROM 8:12-16 says, "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. [Oh beloved, it is so important to understand that.] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."

If we are suffering for righteousness' sake, we suffer for walking in the ways of righteousness and not after the flesh. The world does not want our company because we are not walking after the flesh; they persecute us because we do not walk in their ways. 1JO 3:10 says, "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

In the verses before, we looked at the pure in heart as those who are the children of God. They are peacemakers because they are the children of God.

To be a true peacemaker, our first concern must be to make peace between our brothers and the Lord. Our first concern is to see that our fellow man has made peace with God.

MAT 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." They should be able to see your good works and glorify the Father which is in heaven because of that. They will call you the children of God.

The world hates a walk of righteousness because it is a light that reveals their sin. "Let your light so shine before men...." That light is Christ formed in you. When Christ is formed in you, the world will see the light so shine.

The world hates that light. In JOH 3:19-21 we read, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

What is that light? The light is the working of righteousness and walking according to the ways of the Lord. The world hates that light to shine because its deeds are reproved. JOH 3:20 says that. "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."

One Sunday morning, a lady called and asked if I could help haul grain on Monday morning. I told her that I do not do business on Sunday. I asked her to call me back on Monday morning or I could call her. I said, "Let's talk about it in the morning."

She became irate. She said, "I want you to know I'm a Christian. What kind of a reproof are you trying to bring on me?"

I told her that I wasn't trying to do anything except keep from desecrating the Lord's day. I told her that I would not talk business on the Lord's Day nor give her any indication of whether or not I would work for her until the next day. Early Monday morning I called to tell her that I would try to help out. Still irate, she scolded me for daring to stand holier than her because she was a Christian. I was a reproof to her.

What does the light do? When I told her that I would not talk business on Sunday, the light shone in her heart. She realized that she was desecrating the Lord's day. Look at how defensive she became. She became bitter and refused to talk to me for months. It was such a reproof. JOH 3:20 says, "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light...."

Many of God's people will find that walking in the ways of the Lord is a visible preaching to the world, and they will be hated for the reproof it is to the world. You will be hated when you, like Moses, begin, "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season," HEB 11:25. This is a reproof to the world. It cannot stand such light "...lest his deeds should be reproved."

The seed of the serpent is at enmity with the Seed of the woman. The Seed of the woman is Christ, and those who have entered His Kingdom. The seed of the serpent is those who serve themselves. God ordained that the seed of the serpent would be at enmity with the Seed of the woman.

In GEN 3:15 we read, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed [i.e. those who follow Satan] and her seed [i.e. Christ and the people who follow Him]; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." The Lord was telling the serpent he would strike at Christ and His people like a snake in the grass; Satan would persecute Christ, but He will bruise Satan's head. In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ will gain the victory. This was prophesied to the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

Cain's hatred for his brother was the first evidence of this enmity. Cain was the seed of the serpent. He was the first son of Adam. What did Cain do? He murdered his brother, Abel, because his own deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous.

1JO 3:10-13 says, "In this the children of God are manifest, [i.e., this is how they are revealed as clearly as the light] and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you."

Do you see the persecution that we will suffer for righteousness' sake? God says this persecution is how we will be made manifest. The world will have nothing to do with us. If we are truly going to walk as Christians, we cannot have one arm around old Satan and the other around Christ. That will never work.

Halloween was established to combine a Christian feast day with a pagan worship day. Many professed Christians celebrate this Halloween season. In so doing, they ignorantly join in satanic worship. They display witches, human skeletons, and other satanic symbols to celebrate the Christian feast day.

Two weeks later, we again see the same windows displaying Satan's substitute for Christ in celebration of Christ's birthday. They display Santa Claus together with the manger scene. Christianizing paganism was used to expand the church, but it only opened the door for Satan to obtain free entrance into the harlot church.

These professed Christians claim to be the bride of Christ but live in spiritual adultery. They have one arm around old Satan while they profess to be serving Christ. Santa is just a slight rearrangement of letters in Satan.

In today's society, we see that Satan worship is abounding. Devil worshipers mark young girls in advance whom they plan to sacrifice to the Devil on Halloween night. The professed Christians still haven't seen the light. They have witches and skeletons in the windows of their house, yet they call themselves Christians. Are they being persecuted for righteousness' sake or are they trying to serve God and the devil?

2TI 3:12 says, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." The people who live Godly are not joining the crowd. The Lord Jesus says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it," MAT 7:13-14.

If we are following the crowd, we had better examine ourselves because we have a problem. We are not suffering for righteousness' sake. There is no Abel who does not have his Cain. Abel was slain by his brother Cain. An Abel is a true child of God. Every true child of God has his Cain. Cain is the enemy who wants to destroy him and who will go out of his way to do so. A natural man whose heart is inclined to self, to sin, to the world, and whose deeds are evil cannot bear the light. God will be glorified in the good works of the righteous, but He will also be glorified in the destruction of those who are disobedient to the gospel.

The evil person shuns uprightness. When you see a policeman, what is your immediate reaction? Do you feel secure in knowing that he is there to uphold the law, or does your conscience bother you with worry that he is after you? ROM 13:3 says, "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same." When I see a policeman, I relax with a sense of security. A ruler is a terror to the evil.

For five years I worked with a Postal Inspector. This inspector told me about a man he had arrested. The arrested man told him that he was glad to be arrested because he couldn't stand the feeling he got when he walked into the post office and saw his own picture on a wanted sign. He ran from the law for five years, and he was tired of it. Now he could be brought to account. He could serve his sentence and be out from under the curse of the law. Can you picture spending eternity under the curse of the law?

We are blessed when our company is unwanted for righteousness' sake. Wouldn't one of the world think you strange if you told them you felt the Lord was really blessing you because this certain man told me, "get out of here, I don't want your company."? Being rejected for righteousness' sake is a blessing. LUK 6:22 says, "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake." Those are the words of our Saviour.

Daniel was hated for righteousness' sake. In DAN 6:4-5 we read, "Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God." The men bribed the king to make a law against praying to the Lord, which enabled them to set a trap for Daniel.

When the men caught Daniel praying, they put him in the lions' den, but the Lord shut the lions' mouths. When those same men were put in the lions' den, the lions tore them to shreds. Every bone in their body was broken before they touched the ground. Daniel was persecuted for righteousness' sake. He was such a reproof to them.

When they wanted to steal or to take bribes, Daniel stood in their way. He was faithful to God. He was faithful to his government. The wicked men could find no occasion or fault in him. The only way they could see to silence Daniel was to persecute him. They put him into the lions' den because he obeyed the law of his God. Daniel's God closed the lions' mouths, and the Lord was glorified. The Lord is glorified when we are persecuted for righteousness' sake.

Daniel's heart was different from those who persecuted him. Daniel could not be bribed. He did not cheat the king; he did not mock the king. When the wicked men mocked the king, Daniel was a reproof to them. Daniel became such a reproof that the wicked men could tolerate him no more.

ISA 33:14-17 says, "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? [When we come into eternity outside of Christ, we will be faced with everlasting burnings.] He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, [That is what Daniel did. He refused to take or hold bribes, and he could dwell in the presence of God.] that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."

Isn't that blessed? If we are walking in the ways of the Lord, we will never be concerned with where our food and drink will come from. The Lord will supply us. He will give us His blessing. We will have the blessed security of knowing God will furnish all we need. The Lord can supply because He owns the gold, the silver, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. It all belongs to the Lord.

What is the other side of this principle? JAM 4:4 says, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." Cursed are those whom the world embraces. They have the curse of the Lord. There is still a warrant for their arrest.

They can see their picture on the wanted list every place they go. They are wanted! They are wanted by the world for their friendship, but also wanted by the law of God to be brought to justice. If the world is putting its arms around you, you are on the wanted list of God's justice. Justice is calling for payment in full.

Those who are friends of the world do not enjoy the assurance that God's blessing rests upon them. Their food is not sure. The book of Haggai speaks to those who are walking contrary to the ways of the Lord saying, "Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways," HAG 1:5-7.

Now what about food for your soul? ISA 33:17 shows the blessedness of the food for the soul. "Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off." Your eyes will come to see the King in His beauty, i.e., the "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS," REV 19:16. He has become the King of your heart. The power of Satan is broken, and you are brought to serve the Lord. The Lord becomes the King of your soul, and now you will see the King in His beauty by the eyes of faith. By the eyes of faith, you will see the blessedness of walking under the Kingship of Christ.

The Lord is so pleased with those who obey His will. ISA 33:16-17 says, "He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."

Our text says, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake." They, like Daniel, will go through the lions den. Those who walk in the ways of the flesh will reject them, but they, as Daniel, will suffer persecution for God's honor.

DAN 2:37 says, "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory." DAN 4:27 shows us the counsel that Daniel gave King Nebuchadnezzar. The Lord had put the nations under King Nebuchadnezzar; Daniel reproved this man saying, "Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity."

The Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar all the riches of the earth. Daniel admonished him that the Lord could be pleased only if he broke with his sin, shewing mercy by giving to the poor.

Daniel put himself in the background. This is suffering for righteousness. DAN 2:26-28 says, "The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? [Take notice, the king asked, `Are you able?' setting Daniel in the foreground.] Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, "The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these."

Daniel didn't put himself forward as being the one to reveal the secret. The king put Daniel forward as if he was able to reveal the secret, but Daniel put himself in the background after the Lord had shown him the secret. Then Daniel told the king what his dream meant and what the visions of God were in his dream.

Daniel gave him the interpretation the Lord had revealed. Daniel said that he, of himself, was not able to interpret it, but only the God in heaven was able to do so. Daniel put himself back and put the Lord forward. That is doing God's will for righteousness and walking in the way of the cross.

Our text says, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." The word "falsely" is the key word of this verse. These men are not saying evil things against us truthfully. With Daniel, the wicked man had to come against him falsely because he walked according to the Word of God.

FOR OUR SECOND POINT, let's look at the persecution of the righteous.

The seed of the serpent loves character assassination. The serpent loves to destroy your name. He loves to cast you out as vile. MAT 5:11 says, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." They cast you out as vile through character assassination.

JOB 2:3 says that Job "...holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause." The Lord points out that Job has yet maintained his integrity even after the Lord had allowed Satan to come against him by taking his children, land, and animals away from him. "And [Job] said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD," JOB 1:21. Job justified the Lord in all these calamities. Now the Lord told Satan, "you moved Me against Job without a cause," yet Job still maintained his integrity.

The Hebrew word from which this word integrity was taken is Tummah It means innocence as well as integrity. Integrity means uprightness, honesty, and purity. So Job still maintained his innocence even though the Lord had taken everything away from him; Job still didn't write bitter things against himself. Job did not stand before Satan conceding that he was a type of a person he wasn't.

It is one thing to confess our sins if we have committed something wrong, but this doesn't mean that we confess something we have not done. The Lord pointed to the fact that Job maintained his integrity when He challenged Satan. Satan, who is the accuser of the brethren, did not have one accusation to bring against Job before the Lord.

When we come before the Lord, Satan is always coming with accusations. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Satan can come against us with accusations of pride, lack of love, and all kinds of sins of omission and commission. When he makes these accusations in our conscience, isn't it true that most of the time all we can say is, "Guilty, guilty, guilty"? Satan didn't bring one true accusation against Job; the Lord said that Job was "a perfect and an upright man."

JOB 1:9-10 says, "Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land."

Satan accused the Lord of not recognizing that Job served Him out of a selfish motive! This is why it is so significant to understand what God meant when He said, "...and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause." This is how Satan comes against Christ's church with character assassination.

Satan's whole aim was to destroy Job's integrity through character assassination, in order to win his battle against the Lord. In JOB 2:4-5 we read, "And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face." Satan thought that he could get Job to curse God.

The Lord had placed a hedge around Job. Now He moved the hedge much closer to Job and allowed Satan to come against Job's integrity, but God still forbade Satan to touch Job's life. When people come against our integrity, it is by the Lord's permission. Our light shines when we are suffering for righteousness. The Lord allows people to come against our name and integrity. He removes the hedge. Satan knows no mercy. Satan used every devilish assault he could muster up against Job's integrity.

What did Satan do? The Lord allowed Satan to use Job's brothers and sisters, his closest kinsfolk, and closest friends, yea, his own wife, to attack Job's integrity. The accusations burn deeper when they come from our own family. The Lord removes the hedge, and Satan knows no mercy. Satan used Job's kinsfolk and friends to bring the railing accusations against him.

This was the trial Job had to face. Would their accusations bring him to do as his wife said, "Curse God, and die"? JOB 19:3-4 says, "These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me. And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself. If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach." Job's closest kinsmen passed judgment upon him with a spirit of "I am holier than thou."

It was through these reproaches that they were made strange unto Job, standing aloft. They brought horrible, untrue accusations against Job. If these accusations had been true, Satan would have used them to challenge the Lord. If Satan knew of secret sins in Job's heart, he would have immediately challenged the Lord. Instead, Satan used this character assassination to get Job to reveal some weakness in his temper, or any other sin against the second table of the law of love.

JOB 19:13-14 says, "He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me." Satan brought the character assassination against Job through his own brothers, sisters, and wife.

Through reproach, his wife was made a stranger unto him. JOB 19:17-19 says, "My breath is strange to my wife, though I entreated for the children's sake of mine own body. Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me. All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me." His wife was made a stranger unto him, bringing reproach upon him, yet Job maintained his integrity. He did not curse God or speak foolishness. He took it all as from the hand of the Lord. Job suffered for righteousness' sake. He would not go along with their foolishness.

The accusations against Job's integrity were severe. In JOB 22:5-10 and 15-17 we read, "Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for naught, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honorable man dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. [Oh beloved, what horrible accusation they dared to bring against the man whom the Lord said was righteous! They went on to say,] Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee...Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: [They accused Job of all the sins of those who lived before the flood!] Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?"

Herein we can see the enmity there is between the Seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent. This enmity was revealed for righteousness sake!

They brought this character assassination against Job because the Lord had removed the hedge. The Lord allowed them to come against him. What did Job do? He maintained his integrity throughout all of these horrible accusations. Job did not join their crowd and make confessions of guilt that were not true.

One time a man accused me of stealing $8,000 from the church. Then he immediately stuck out his hand and said, "But I'll forgive you." Do you see the craft of Satan in that trick? By accepting his forgiveness I would have been confessing guilt, would I not?. When I refused to shake his hand, the pastor and the church board came against me for being too proud to accept forgiveness.

I could not accept forgiveness for crimes of which I was not guilty! That would be admitting I was guilty of having stolen the $8,000! I didn't want forgiveness. I wanted to be acquitted. I wanted to maintain my integrity! I was innocent! I had never stolen $8000 from the church.

This was not only character assassination, it was a diabolical attempt to force me to make an $8,000 contribution to the church. Of course, you may well understand the forgiveness was contingent upon restitution. As with Job, they wanted me to confess to sins I had never committed. That is suffering for righteousness' sake.

The Children of God are often hated and persecuted out of envy. MAT 27:17-18 says, "Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him." Envy was the root of all their hatred against the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? For righteousness' sake! His light was such a reproof to their sins, His righteousness enraged His enemies into putting him on the cross. They could not tolerate the light.

We are not greater than our master. JOH 15:20 tells us, "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." Isn't that something when you see how people trample the Word of God under their feet? Is it any wonder that they won't receive admonitions from you or me? Is it any wonder that the Lord said unto them in the parable of the rich man, "...If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead," LUK 16:31? This is what the Lord Jesus is saying in JOH 15:20. If they won't hear the Lord's words, why should they hear ours? We are not greater than He is. The servant is not greater than his master.

Joseph was sold out of envy. His brothers envied him. Joseph told of the wonders that God had showed him. Joseph told of how the Lord was going to use him to bring deliverance for Israel. GEN 37:10-11 says, "And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying."

Out of envy, Joseph's brothers sold him to be a slave. They did not realize that in so doing they were bringing about the fulfilling of the very will of God for which they envied Joseph. They persecuted him for righteousness' sake. We must understand what this means. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

ACT 7:9 says, "And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him." The Scriptures tell us that it was out of envy that they sold him. It is so blessed if we can identify with Job, Daniel, or Joseph. Can we identify with the Lord Jesus Christ? He was sold out of envy. He was placed on the cross for righteousness' sake. This was because the light of His ministry shown in the hearts of those who loved darkness rather than light.

David was persecuted out of envy. 1SA 18:7-9 says, "And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward."

We must examine ourselves. Does the world embrace us? JAM 4:4 says, "...the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." Does the world expel us for righteousness' sake? Do they cast us out of their company for righteousness' sake? If they do, our text says, "Blessed are they [Isn't that beautiful?] which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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," MAT 5:10-12

Amen.

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