It was the young nurses’ first day on a surgical team at a large, well-know hospital.  It was her responsibility to see that all instruments and materials were accounted for before completing the operation. 

       She said to the surgeon, “You’ve only removed eleven sponges.  We used twelve sponges and we need to find the last one.”

       “I removed them all,” the doctor declared emphatically.  “We’ll close the incision now.”

       “No,” the rookie objected, “we used twelve sponges.”

       “I’ll take the responsibility,” the doctor said grimly. “Suture.”

       “You can’t do that, doctor,” blazed the nurse.  “Think of the patient!”

       The doctor smiled and lifted his foot, showing the nurse the twelfth sponge.  He said, “I want you to work with me all the time.  You’ll do just fine in this or any other hospital.”

        When you know you’re right, you can’t back down.”

       Our text for this morning is also about facing a test.  In the last beatitude, Jesus talks about how we should handle persecution. 

       We may not think we need this-- that it’s not relevant to our lives.  In a way, I hope it never does become terribly and urgently relevant.  But I know that if it does, we may not have time to look it up.

       I sometimes hear a parent say: “I want my child brought up in a Christian atmosphere so that he will stay out of trouble.”  There’s truth to that.  Christian character and lifestyle does help avoid many troubles in life. 

       A few years ago I ran into a young man who had occasionally come to activities at church – never really involved – always on the fringe.  After awhile he didn’t come anymore.

       When I ran into him, I asked, “How’s it going?”

       “Not too well.  The police want to talk to me about a robbery.  I didn’t do it.  But they think I did because of the people I hang around with.”

       I couldn’t help but point out to him that I have yet to hear police wanting to talk to someone just because they hang around with people from the Church.

       But can you imagine a parent bringing a child to Jesus with the words: “I want my daughter to go with you, because you will keep her out of trouble?”  Jesus might say in accordance with Matthew 16:24, “Trouble is the one thing I can guarantee.”   He said, “In the world you will have tribulation.”

       We must remember that comfort is not the goal of our Christian life.  If you think it is, then you had better re-read 2 Timothy 3:12 where Paul writes: “Indeed, all who desire to live Godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  And Jesus says in this beatitude, “When this happens rejoice and be exceedingly glad.  For if you are suffering for Me, it is a demonstration that you are walking the right way on the right road.”

       Now there is no value in suffering itself.  Persecution is only a sign of being on the right road if it is a by-product of our obedience to Jesus Christ. 

        Now maybe this warning is not necessary.  But we all know what it means to have a martyr complex – making ourselves miserable in order to prove something to ourselves or the world.  Paul knew that someone might even give his body to be burned – and still have no love. 

       Persecution is only a sign that we are on the right road when that persecution is a by-product of the fact that we are faithfully following Jesus.  Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake suffer because they uphold God’s standards of truth, justice and purity and refuse to bow the knee to all of the idols people erect as substitutes for God.

       Is this relevant to you?

       Are you in business?  Have you ever made a decision not to cut one of those corners everyone else cuts because of your commitment to Jesus?  Have you ever refused to go along with a crooked deal and had the wrath of fellow employees or supervisors come down on your head?  Have you ever had a personnel issue become more difficult because you realize that you are dealing with a human being beloved by God?  I have had more than one person high up in business tell me:  “My life certainly got harder when I became a Christian.”  When that happens, Jesus says, “Rejoice.  You’re on the right road.”

       And what is perhaps even more significant is when we suffer persecution for Jesus Himself – not for morals or religion but for Jesus.  You can stand for religion or moral ideas and be readily accepted in a pluralistic society like ours.  However, when you affirm that in Christ alone are we truly related to God, the very exclusiveness of Jesus’ claim opens the door to rejection.  This is a politically correct age where the only God of many people is tolerance.  There are many who are quite willing for people to be religious as long as they don’t become “narrow” or “rigid.”  And yet this is our message.  If you don’t like it, talk to God.  In the words of Acts 4:12: “There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved than the name of Jesus.”

       Jesus told His disciples that they would be persecuted because of their relationship to Him.  Isn’t it strange that in most universities today we can speak freely of Freud or Marx or even take classes like Porn Film 101 at Wesleyan University, but cannot find open discussion of Jesus Christ and his teachings?  In the first centuries of the Christian Church, the disciples met emperor worship with words: “Caesar is not Lord.  Jesus is Lord.”  And in this day the issues of secularism and nationalism and materialism and rampant sexual anarchy confront us with the same issue.  These principalities and powers are not Lord.  Jesus is Lord.

       Are we being persecuted as Christians in the United States of America today?  Certainly persecution is occurring many other places around the world and our brothers and sisters are even today suffering and dying for their faith.  But why not us?  Why not here?

       Well it could be that the Gospel has permeated our nation to the extent that we are now a “Christian Nation.”  It may be that our society has chosen to follow Christ instead of persecuting Him.  Or it may be that we aren’t persecuted because we aren’t seen as much of a threat to business as usual, to morals as usual, to saber rattling as usual and to human lostness as usual. 

       I suspect that the relative absence of persecution is due to both causes – that our society has become somewhat “Christianized” at the same time as the Church has become less radically obedient so that there is little perceived difference between the goals of secular society and the goals of the Church of Jesus Christ.

       But the possibility of persecution is very present even in our “Christianized” nation.  All it would take would be for the Church to stand against the achievement of some politically correct goal dear to the hearts of our politicians, for the Church to come under fire.

       It’s happening already.  Read the newspaper.  The groundwork is already laid out by Supreme Court decisions subordinating freedom of religion to “public policy” – whatever public policy happens to be at any given moment.  The courts have decided that religious belief may not be the final determinant of right and wrong and that if the government wants you to something you believe to be wrong, you must either obey the government or face imprisonment.  If, when, we are ever called to make such choices, we respond with the words spoken by the Apostle Peter that “We must obey God rather than people” then persecution, even here in this country, will not be all that far away.

       If this comes to us, how should we respond?  Jesus said that we should “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad.”  The reason for this is not masochism. It is because persecution for the sake of our Lord is a sign-post to show us that we are traveling in the right direction – that we are in true line of descent from the prophets who were persecuted of old.  It is not the only sign post, but it is a signpost.

       Persecution can be like a pot-hole in the road that you hit as you travel to your home in the fog.  When you hit the pot-hole it hurts a bit.  But it is also welcome because you know that particular pot-hole and you know that it comes right before you have to turn into your driveway.  It hurts, but it is also welcome because if you didn’t hit it you would know that you were lost in the fog and driving on the wrong street and walking into the wrong house.

       Jesus said that the house that awaits us as we travel the road He has set for us is “the kingdom of heaven” – the joyous reign of God Himself in our lives.  And Jesus said: “If you are persecuted for me, rejoice!!  It’s a sign that you’re on the right path.”