Matthew 5:10-12          What to Do When Hard Times Come           February 26, 2006

     I remember as a kid hearing adults talk about the hardships of their childhood.  I was recently talking with my seven year old son, Charlie, about all the hardship I had as a child and how easy he has it today.  We didn't have "The Internet" ....if we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves in the card catalog!  There was no e-mail!  We had to actually write somebody a letter...with a pen!  Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! There were no MP3s to download music.   You had to wait around all day to tape your song off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and mess it all up!  We didn't have any fancy Sony Play station video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics!  We had games like "Space Invaders" and Asteroids" and the graphics were so bad that your guy was just a little square!  Today they have HDTV with hundreds of stations. We had something called UHF and got about 6 channels, tops. That's if the antenna on the roof didn't get blown off by the wind.   There was no onscreen menu!  You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!  And when it came to channel surfing, you had to get up and walk over to the TV to change the channel.  There were microwaves.  If you wanted popcorn, you had to stand over the hot stove and shake those Jiffy Pop things forever.  I mean, life was hard back in the 1970s.  Well, I told Charlie all my hardship and he just said, “It’s okay dad.  You live with us now.”

      Well, I never really had it so hard as a child.  However, this morning I want to talk about hardship and how we can overcome hardships that do come to all of us.  We have been talking now for several weeks about what Jesus has to say about living a life of joy.  We’ve seen that our starting point is to realize that we cannot live life on our own power but rather need God with us.  From there, we have seen how God is calling us to a life of righteousness, of purity, and of making peace for the world.  And Jesus says that such a person will find a blessed, happy, joyous life.  Now, we would surely imagine that such a person would be well loved by everyone and that life would go well for them.  Here is person of genuine humility, mild and gentle, unselfish, devoted to God and a servant to other people.  Surely this person would be beloved by all.  But Jesus knows the human heart far better than that.  What does Jesus say?  Blessed are you when people revile you, persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you.  Here is Jesus next Beatitude or blessing and it is a blessing that is well aware that even in our life of Christian joy, there will come those times of hardship.  Let’s take a look.

      Jesus tells us clearly that there is opposition to the joyous Christian life.   Why is there opposition?  Jesus says it is because of righteousness.   We are not of this world, and therefore the world opposes us.   We are humble in spirit, but the world sees this as having a low self-esteem.  We mourn for our sins and the suffering of the world, but the world sees this as being negative.  We are meek but the world sees this as weak, cowardly.  We seek to live right lives, but world sees this as spoiling all the fun.  We are merciful to the needy, but the world sees this as encouraging too much welfare and laziness.  We are peace-makers and the world hates this the most.  The world says, “If they would just keep their religion to themselves, it would be okay.  But they spread their views everywhere offering the peace of God to everyone.  Why can they not just leave everyone alone?”  And so the world opposes us. 

      The blessed life that Jesus teaches is not one without hardship.  Jesus is very realistic.  He is very practical in his teachings.  He speaks of a joyous life but he knows that there will always be people around us who will oppose us.  In fact, when you decide to really live the full life of Christ, there will be family or friends who will try to hold you back.  “Well, religion is a fine thing, but do not get too fanatical.”  “Reading your Bible is great, but you do not want to become a Puritan.”  “A daily prayer time is fine, but do you have to do it right now?”  “Oh you are just spoiling all our fun.”  You know, when the first disciples followed Jesus, there was a leaving behind of other things.  And if you follow Jesus into His blessed life, if you long to grow personally in your life to be more and do more, you will leave some things behind.  And there will be folks who will resent that, be angered by that.  And they will oppose you.

      How are we to respond to opposition?  Jesus teaches us the way.  First, we are not to purposely bring opposition on ourselves.  Jesus said, “When they persecute you in one city, leave that place.”  We need not seek persecution.  We should avoid opposition where we can.  Seek to get along.  Seek to live at peace with all.  Do not go looking for trouble. 

     Secondly, however, we should not think that we can avoid opposition all together.  Jesus has told us that we will face opposition.  It will come to us if we live the Christian life.  If you and I stand for what we know is right, then some will oppose us.  Furthermore, hardship will just come.  It happens to all people.   But we should not want to avoid all hardship or we will miss the blessing of Christ.  Jesus said, “Blessed are you when you are persecuted for my sake.”  Paul writes in Philippians 3 that he longs to “know Christ…to share in his sufferings, to become like Christ in His death so that he might become like Christ in His resurrection.”   This is deep water.   But Paul knew that it was in passing through the hardships that we come to the glory, the blessing, the joy.

     An old woodsman gives this advice about catching a porcupine: "Watch for the slapping tail as you dash in and drop a large washtub over him. The washtub will give you something to sit on while you ponder your next move.”  When we have done what we can to avoid painful sticky situations, when they have still come to us anyway, we will not need to sit and ponder what to do.  Jesus tells us what to do next.  Rejoice.  Vs. 12 says that when difficulties come, we respond with rejoicing and gladness.  Jesus tells us later in vs. 44 that Christians do not respond to opposition with anger, malice, or violence.  We remain meek, loving, and kind.  We do good to those who persecute us.  We speak kindness to those who curse us.  We pray for our enemies.  And we rejoice.

    Here is the real secret to joy.  Here is the key to a happy, blessed life.  I cannot control other people.  I cannot escape hardships in life.  Bad things will come my way.  But how will I respond?  Will I respond and give back what the world gives me?  Will I grow angry?  Will I turn bitter?  When events oppose my plans, will I become depressed?  No.  Jesus says, “Rejoice.  Be glad.”  How can I possibly be glad in such hard times?   Because Jesus says, “Great is your reward.”   God has a reward, a blessing, a peace, a joy for those who remain faithful in Him.  Events, circumstances, and other people cannot harm us or hinder us in our lives.  How we view these things, our attitudes and reactions is what gives us so much trouble.  The great martyrs of the faith faced persecution, torture, even death with calmness and often even a smile on their face.  How could they do that?  Their joy was hidden away within them, hidden away in Christ in that secret place, where no one in the world could touch or harm them.  In Christ, you too can learn to rise above this world, face the opposition, the hard times, and yet still rejoice.  Rejoice for you have a blessed, happy life.  Amen.