This message we're on the final beatitude from our sermon series, where Jesus makes a surprising statement. He says blessed are those who face persecution and opposition for their faith!

We wouldn’t normally think persecution as a blessing, but when Jesus said those words to his followers, that was their reality. Even today, there are places in the world where persecution for following Jesus is the norm.

Although we live in a time and place where opposition for faith in Christ rarely if ever, comes to the level of physical persecution, there are more subtle ways we can suffer for our faith in America today.

As we unpack this beatitude, we’ll learn about why Jesus said persecution truly can be seen as a blessing, and we’ll also get to see how our church can be a blessing to people in areas of the world who risk immensely and suffer personally for their decision to follow Jesus.

You can read all eight beatitudes here in Matthew 5:1-12