The Blessed Life - Session 9

In this final session of our Beatitudes study, Matthew Atchley teaches from Matthew 5:10—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus speaks this in the present tense, promising that the kingdom belongs now to those who endure persecution for His sake. This session draws together the whole Sermon on the Mount, showing how each Beatitude serves as a key to the kingdom of heaven—planted like mustard seeds that come to life through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew reminds us that Jesus wasn’t calling His followers to become better rule-keepers but to examine the state of their hearts. Our identity is not in our own righteousness but in the righteousness of Christ living in us. Persecution comes when the fragrance of Jesus is present in our lives. Without it, the world has no reason to push back. But with it, the believer shines with a different identity—one that cannot be hidden.

Through his own testimony of being struck while witnessing on Cumberland Avenue as a new believer, Matthew illustrates that persecution is not just hardship or trial—it is the cost of bearing Christ’s name. He shares recent experiences of opposition faced in prison ministry, where the spread of the gospel has stirred resistance from authorities. These real-life examples point us back to the words of Jesus: persecution is inevitable for those who follow Him.

The session also connects the nine Beatitudes of Matthew 5 with the nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, showing how the Spirit equips believers to live out the character Jesus describes. From Stephen’s bold witness in Acts to the promises in Revelation 2, we see that persecution has always been part of the church’s story. Yet in every instance, God’s peace and glory shine through the suffering of His people.

As Matthew emphasizes, the Beatitudes are not just lofty sayings but treasures that reveal who we are as children of God. They call us to embrace our identity, surrender to the Spirit’s work, and prepare to stand firm in a world where persecution is certain. This concluding session challenges us to move beyond religious routine and to be ready to display the fragrance of Christ—whether in daily life or in the face of opposition—knowing that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who endure for His name.

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Episode Transcript

Matthew Atchley (00:04):
First off, really thank you for giving me
the opportunity to teach youguys and speak.
It's a pleasure you don't oftenget to teach to the body of
Christ.
I mean, that's a privilege Godgives to elders, to men of God,
and I really appreciate it toelders, to men of God, and I

(00:25):
really appreciate it.
Tonight we're looking at thevery last beatitude in the
Sermon on the Mount, but there'ssome main things I want to
cover before we start on that.
Matthew 5.10 says Blessed arethose who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirsis the kingdom of God.

(00:46):
It's present tense, theirs is.
It doesn't say maybe it says is, and that's important to really
think about.
There's so much in that.
But the main thing on theSermon on the Mount Jesus is
talking about, he does severalthings.

(01:10):
He is introducing a newcovenant and he's introducing
something here to the peoplethat's really hard to grasp.
Number one I got this out ofthe book that Mark Medley wrote
called Trinity Trilogy, andJesus calls God Father 17 times

(01:30):
in the Sermon on the Mount.
Calls him Father, and he'stalking to Jews and he's saying
Abba, father.
And can you imagine how strangethat might be to all those
people to hear him call god abba.

(01:51):
Father, you know, even today weall are focused on following
rules and obeying the law, and Iknow that personally because
I've broke the law in the pastand I've paid the price.
And Jesus is promising thosewho are persecuted will see the

(02:12):
kingdom of God.
He's given them a key to heavenand each blessing that he says
in the Sermon on the Mount is akey to heaven that he's
releasing as a seed, a mustardseed that's planted for when the
holy spirit is released, thatseed is going to birth and and
be a key into the kingdom ofheaven.

(02:34):
And that's that's what I'vebeen learning about the love of
god through this sermon on themount.
It's amazing stuff.
You've heard that.
You've heard all your life,that you should become a better
rule follower.
But I ask you, what is thestate of your heart?
And that's what Jesus wasasking.

(02:57):
What is the state of your heart?
And that is a major thing.
He was asking then and he'sstill asking today.
And still a lot of us don'treally get that point.
We still are stuck in thereligious thought of being a
Christian.

(03:17):
We're stuck in obeying therules, we're stuck in doing
what's right, but our heart isfar from God and I learned that
the hard way, through mytestimony but through
persecution.
I remember when I first gotsaved.
I got saved on Tony Evans'sfront porch when I was 17 years

(03:42):
old and Trinity was on Dedrick.
Back then Mark was the praiseand worship leader and I started
going to house church with mybrother Tim.
He had a house church and Iremember the college group
started going out and we wouldgo to Cumberland Avenue on the

(04:05):
weekends Friday and Saturdaynight and we would witness to
people on Cumberland Avenue thatwere hopping all the bars
drinking drunks, and I wasalways a person that was a
brawler.
I liked to fight, I like to getyou know, do things like that.

(04:25):
But once I got saved and becomea Christian, I was going with
the college group out onCumberland Avenue to witness and
I witnessed to a guy that was.
He was drunk and all of asudden this guy just hit me in

(04:51):
the chest hard as he could andnormally my reaction would have
been to start fighting, but itwasn't.
I was speechless and I juststood there and everybody else
just was like in awe and I waslike, wow, he hit me for sharing
jesus and and the revelationhit me.

(05:13):
That's, that's why he hit me,just for being kind to him, and
that's persecution.
That's what persecution?
And there's different forms ofpersecution.
You know now.
The Bible says that we willexperience trials and
tribulations.
Every Christian will experiencethat in your life of

(05:36):
sanctification.
But that's not persecution.
Persecution is when you arebeing treated ill for being
righteous, because people seethe presence of Jesus in your
life.
You won't be persecuted if youdon't have the fragrance of

(06:01):
Jesus on your life, and that'swhat the Beatitudes is saying.
You have to have the fragranceof Jesus, showing the
righteousness of Jesus, not yourown righteousness, it's not our
own, but it's the righteousnessof Jesus Christ himself.
And, like we've been hearing inall the other messages from

(06:25):
Eben and Josh and all the otherguys, and even Tyler on Sundays,
it's about your identity.
It's about who you are inChrist, and that's what Jesus
was teaching.
He was teaching you know.
This is an identity.
You can be an adopted child ofGod.

(06:47):
You don't have to be a rulefollower.
You don't have to obey the law.
You do have to obey the laws,but you do it with the desire of
your heart, because Jesus hasbecome in you.
He's in you, he's living in you, he's living in you.
You become a child of God.
The presence of Jesus Christ isin you and that's why you would

(07:09):
be persecuted.
And now here recently, we'veexperienced some in the prison
ministry.
It's not violent persecution,it's not.
It's not, you know, hatefulpersecution.
But there are some people inthe administration that don't

(07:33):
like the fact that Jesus isbeing shared in the prison.
And what we've been sharing inthe prison is the same thing
we've been sharing here atTrinity your identity.
It's up to you to show thefragrance of Christ in your life
to all the other prisoners.
We can't do it.
We can come up here and sharegospel with you and love on you,

(07:54):
but you have to change theprison and that's what they've
been doing.
And there's been an outburst ofthe Holy Spirit at Morgan
County Prison.
And there's been an outburst ofthe Holy Spirit at Morgan
County Prison.
They witnessed it this pastSunday evening.
And the administration some inthe administration are working
against us because of that.

(08:14):
I showed up on a Wednesdaymorning, like I always do, being
a volunteer chaplain, and I'mtold I ain't allowed in.
All of a sudden, just boom, I'mnot allowed in and I'm still on

(08:36):
hold waiting for them to let meback in.
Pastor Tyler's been trying togo through orientation for what?
Three months more, and nowthey're telling him he has to go
through orientation again.
These are the things that weare battling while sharing the
gospel in the prison.
The prison administration ischanging in the state of
Tennessee and it's trying tostop sharing the gospel of Jesus

(08:58):
Christ.
It's trying to get it to wherethey have to do it themselves
and there's no volunteers comingin.
That's what they're trying todo to where they have to do it
themselves and there's novolunteers coming in.
That's what they're trying todo and that's persecution.
That's what that is and we'reall going to experience that.
Yeah, now there's otherscriptures.
If you look at Matthew 5, 10,it cross-references with Luke,

(09:23):
chapter 6.
Can somebody open up to Lukechapter 6?
And we're going to look atverse 22.
I think it's verse 22.
Yeah, 22 and 23.
It's a beatitude as well, but itwords it quite different.
Blessed are you when peoplehate you and they excrete you

(09:51):
and revile you and they spurnyour name as evil on account
that the Son of man rejoiced inthat day.
Yes, it words it a littledifferently there and if you
notice in Luke.
It doesn't have all nine of theBeatitudes in Luke.

(10:13):
It only has four or five, andone of the main ones that its
focus is on in Luke is the ninthone.
Blessed are they who arepersecuted for righteousness
sake, for they shall see thekingdom of God.
They shall see the kingdom ofGod and I don't.

(10:44):
You know, a lot of us Christianstoday are lacking knowledge of
what's going on in the worldaround us.
I don't know, maybe a bunch ofyou are, probably are, familiar
with Voice of the Martyrs, but Irecommend that everybody please
read that newsletter.
I mean, there are people in ourworld that are being persecuted
, imprisoned and violently beingtortured for the gospel of

(11:08):
Jesus Christ.
We here in America aren'texperiencing that, but we will.
We're going to experience thatand I wonder how many of us are
truly ready for that to happento us, like that day when I went
out and got punched in thechest.
But you know, the thing that Irealized and got with that is a

(11:36):
revelation the peace of god isupon those who are persecuted.
If we look in the book of actsat the account of stephen, a
deacon, and we read that account, stephen was an awesome man of

(11:57):
God.
He was more than a deacon.
He was one of the first sevendeacons chosen and he was stoned
to death for preaching thegospel to the Pharisees and the
Sadducees.
He preached a harsh word.
I mean it perished their heartsand and they?

(12:19):
They gnashed their teeth andthey growled at him and they
stoned him.
And the thing that amazes me,during this, this account,
stephen looks up and sees heavenand sees Jesus.
The peace of God comes upon him.
He's being stoned to death andhe doesn't even I don't think he

(12:43):
even realized what was going on.
Maybe he did, you know, butwhat I see the most of is the
glory of God in the moment.
The most of is the glory of Godin the moment.
How much God was glorified inhis life.
Enough to where they have awhole chapter in the book of
Acts that is accounted toStephen's life and that can be

(13:06):
any believer that is sold out toJesus and that's what the
Beatitudes is trying to teachhere.
That's what Jesus is doing.
He's passing out keys to thekingdom of heaven and all nine
of the Beatitudes, that's whathe's doing.
He's planting them, mustardseeds and their keys to the

(13:26):
kingdom of heaven, and he'srelying on the Holy Spirit to
give that revelation and,believe me, throughout
sanctification in your life ofJesus Christ.
Searching through the Word ofGod is full of jewels.
It's like searching through atreasure and just going through

(13:49):
the Beatitudes is like goingthrough that treasure hunt and
it's so full of so many jewelsand you have to search for them.
You have to be hungry, you haveto be thirsty and you have to
really dig for it.
But once you get one of themjewels, and once you get one of
them revelations, it's soamazing and it so encourages you

(14:10):
and and gives you the strengthto go forward and walk even
further into your relationshipwith God.
But the main thing is is thatyou learn your identity in Jesus
Christ, who you are and whoyour father is.
That is the main thing.
There's another scripture that Iwant to look at.

(14:30):
It's in Revelations.
I believe it's.
Let me find it.
It's Revelations 6.
Let me find it here.
I'm all scrambling in my notes.

(15:01):
Well, let's look at 2ndCorinthians, 5, 21 first, and
then we'll look at therevelations.
For our sake, he made him to besin who knew no sin, so that in
him we might become therighteousness of God.
So when we trust in Jesus, weare declared righteous by faith.

(15:25):
That's our identity.
That's who we are.
So the Beatitudes teach useverything we need to know about
being a child of god.
Just in those nine things welearned the truth of what it
means to be a christian.
Jesus released in one sermoneverything we needed to have,

(15:49):
but we got the whole Bible.
And the thing that amazed mewhile doing this study is
there's nine Beatitudes andthere's also nine fruits of the
Spirit in Galatians, chapter 5,and those nine fruits of the

(16:09):
Spirit is what allows us to walkout our sanctification and
follow through with the ninebeatitudes.
That's what gives us the power.
So if you look at galatians,chapter 5 and tie that with
matthew, chapter 5, you'll seethat everything you need is

(16:32):
given to you by the Holy Spiritto obey the Beatitudes.
You don't have to work at it,you don't have to give yourself
a hard time and stress out.
You just have to surrender toJesus and surrender to the Holy
Spirit.
That's all you got to do.
You got to know that you are achild of God, you are adopted

(16:57):
into the kingdom of God andthat's your identity, and let
the Holy Spirit do the workinside you that he needs to do.
So you can follow out theBeatitudes and live it out in
your life.
It's that simple and we like tocomplicate it a lot of times.
Now what guarantees that we'regoing to be persecuted?

(17:20):
It shows in Revelations,chapter 2.
Yeah, chapter 2, verse 9.
It talks about the church inSamaria and God promises there
will be persecution on thechurch in tribulation, and I
think we're starting to see thathere in America a little bit.

(17:43):
I think we're starting to seepersecution come to the church
in America.
We're seeing things happen thatwe don't normally would see,
and that is proof where we're atand we're going to experience

(18:03):
harshness.
And I wonder there's questionson the sheet tonight that will
ask you where you're at in yourrelationship with God and what
you think about persecution.
And it's a serious thought,because that's where the rubber
meets the road.

(18:24):
It's really where the truth ofyour Christianity comes out.
It no longer is a religiousgame.
No more.
It's not something you just goto church on Sunday.
No more.
It becomes a reality.
Man, what are you going to dowhen somebody wants to put you

(18:46):
in prison for sharing the gospelof Jesus Christ?
What are you going to do whensomebody wants to kill you for
sharing the gospel of JesusChrist, or take your home away
or punish your family, are yougoing to be able to show the
fragrance of Jesus Christ inthat moment?

(19:10):
That's a serious thought and wehave to really think about that.
That's where the Beatitudestake us.
It ends at the very thought.
Are we willing to eat the fleshand drink the blood of Jesus
Christ?
Is that the truth of oursalvation?

(19:31):
Is that the truth of ourrelationship with god?
If we take in the account thedisciples, they were all
martyred harshly.
Peter neil told me tonight, hungupside down.
Stephen stoned to death.

(19:51):
One of them was boiled in oil.
Can you imagine that?
Yep, that's right.
Can you imagine that?
Can you imagine in our day andtime, or maybe in our children's
day and time or ourgrandchildren's day and time,

(20:13):
what's life going to be for themin the kingdom of God?
So we got to be prayer warriorsnow and we got to know our
identity and we got tounderstand the word of God now
and live it and be it, just beit, just let it happen, and we

(20:40):
will persevere.
We will win the war.
That's what it promises andthat's what it says.
But if you're not ready, itain't going to happen and it's
going to catch you off guard.
It's going to catch you.
It could catch any one of usoff guard and we have to be

(21:02):
ready and I always really dothink about that when I'm
praying for other nations andstuff.
I've been, I've not traveled asmuch as Mark and all them, but
Neil, but I have traveled somein missions and I've seen some
of the things that they gothrough not a lot, but, man,

(21:25):
it's going to come here, it'scoming.
We have to be ready and we haveto listen to our elders because
what they're teaching us is thepearls of the kingdom of heaven
, man.
They're preparing us for whatis to come.
They're trying to get us readyand mature so we can be obedient

(21:50):
to god through the Holy Spirit.
So please go over the questions,ponder them, think about them
and really take them serious andreally take the Beatitudes
series.
Don't let this see in yourstudy in the Beatitudes.
You could study the Beatitudesfor a whole year and still not

(22:10):
finish with it.
I mean, there's so much thereto grasp.
The gospel is never ending.
It is never ending and the wordof god is never ending.
There's so much there to graspa hold of and and I just I
appreciate y'all listening to meand I hope you got something
from this.
But good, good joy with thequestions there.

(22:35):
I hope they do something foryou.
Praise god.