Section 5
and desire to have a change in our spiritual con dition.
HATED
The fourth characteristic is found in verses 22 and 23: "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they separate you from them and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner their fathers did to the prophets." Here we see that it is a blessing to be hated and reproached for the sake of the Son of Man. We, however, like to be praised by others and to be valued, honored, and highly regarded by them. We need to realize that believers will be hated and evil spoken of by the world. The reason for this is that the entire world is follow ing Satan, and we are following the Lord to go in the opposite way. Because our way is opposite to that of the world, the worldly people will hate us and speak evil about us.
A FURTHER WORD TO
THE DISCIPLES
Verses 27 and 28 say, "But to you who hear I say, Love your enemies, do good to those who