OUR FATHER WHO SENT A SAVIOUR TO TEACH US PART 4

The Lord Jesus, continuing to teach His disciples in Mathew chapter 4 verses 9 - 12 about the categories of people who would be admitted and set into His kingdom now that it had drawn near, mentioned the peacemakers who would gain the title or position of 'sons of God'.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children ( KJV:  sons ) of God.

Peacemakers are those who seek reconciliation between themselves and other parties or endeavour to establish reconciliation between other parties.

Reconciliation is ending of hostilities and the mending of broken communication lines and finally the re-establishment of normal relations. 

In this verse, the Lord Jesus tells His followers that those who preoccupy themselves with reconciling themselves and others to God will be named sons of God. This means that they would be adopted into the family of God and would no longer be slaves or orphans but rather sons who belong to the household of God and if sons, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.

So whereas people could believe in the message of the salvation through Christ and be saved, there is  a process of reconciliation with God that must be pursued and those who do so, will be granted the Spirit of Adoption.

In the next verse, the Lord Jesus, speaks of those who are persecuted because of their stand for righteousness.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Here, to those who suffer persecution, gain the kingdom of heaven that is also conferred upon those mentioned in the first beatitude (those who are poor in spirit). Additionally, there is another group of people who would gain the kingdom of heaven mentioned separately in Mathew chapter 19 verse 14 which says; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

So the poor in spirit and those persecuted for righteousness and little children are automatically qualified to be part of the kingdom of heaven.

Having explained to His disciples about the conduits through which other people would be drawn into and placed in His kingdom, the Lord redirected His focus on them directly and said to them that they would be blessed when they undertook their roles in process setting up the kingdom of God because they would suffer greatly from denigration, slander, social and political accusation and harassment. Mathew chapter 4 verses 11 - 12 put it this way;

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

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

The Lord encourages his followers to be happy when they are deemed worthy to suffer for His sake because they are assured a great reward in heaven because the suffering they  would endured would be same as the suffering of the historic prophets of God who suffered greatly at the hands of the enemies of God.

Amen.

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