Sermon On The Mount: The Beatitudes, The Upside Of Down

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:10-12 (NKJV)

God likes to write unexpected outcomes, throwing human logic out with the trash, to display impossible conclusions.

It’s called IRONY: 'an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected' (Random House Dictionary).

Some Old Testament examples include:

  • A 90-year-old having a baby,

  • A slave rising as Egypt’s governor,

  • A teen shepherd defeating Goliath,

  • And a donkey lecturing a prophet.

The greatest irony ever witnessed came with the birth, life, and death of Jesus. After centuries of expectation, *

  • God’s Messiah showed up in a stable,

  • Lived a common life in a small village,

  • Began to preach among Israel’s poor,

  • Recruited unqualified disciples,

  • Ignored the religious authorities,

  • Called them out as ungodly hypocrites,

  • Performed death-defying signs and wonders,

  • Then suffered Earth’s most horrifying death.

At the time, God's plan seemed absurd to kings, religious leaders, and esteemed scholars. It still does.

'Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men' (1 Corinthians 1:25); 'For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their own craftiness' ' (1 Corinthians 3:19).

Catching the wise in their own craftiness is God’s favorite form of irony.

  • Because only God can turn night to day, ashes to beauty, mourning to dancing, sinners into saints, lambs into lions, persecution into celebration, and death into life.

Following their leader, Christ’s disciples 'Turned the world upside down' (Acts 17:6). To what purpose? To bring the Right side up!

Actors, models and talent for Christ: As you suffer in your walk with Jesus, KNOW it’s a blessing waiting to happen. Be comforted. That's the UP SIDE of down.

Sermon On The Mount: The Beatitudes, The Upside Of Down (Part 6)

* 42 generations

NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a 2013 Carey Lewis Devotion. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban