In researching a small book by Lenski on the Christian Ministry called Kings and Priests, I discovered a little known book from Lenksi called New Gospel Sermons. It’s really a tome, 1400 pages long. This is from the first sermon I read, for Septuagesima. Matt. 5:1-12, and is excellent. See if you agree:
Alec Satin
"Yet let no false expectation mislead God’s children while in this wicked world. Though they be merciful, sincere, lovers and makers of peace, and preach and live the Gospel of peace, for this very reason they will be hateful to the world and meet its persecution in countless ways. As the wicked world crucified Christ, because he wanted to turn it from its wickedness, so it has no use for the Gospel of Christ and its followers when they try to do the same thing. This hostility slumbers at times, but it is always there, and who knows how much of it we are to bear? The more we stand for the Gospel of the kingdom in its fulness and truth, the more will we have to suffer for it. Let no man think the days of the martyrs are past, they always return. But is this not sad and deplorable? Jesus answers with a double blessedness, and adds: “Rejoice and be exceeding glad!” How can he? Because this very suffering places us correspondingly higher in the kingdom, along with the martyr prophets of God in the olden times. “Great is your reward in heaven,” in fact, greater than we can now conceive. All God’s children shall enter heaven and shine there as the very stars now, shine in the sky, but some shall shine with a greater glory, even as one star now surpasses another in glory. So shall they who suffer innocently, for righteousness’ sake, for Christ and the Gospel’s sake, shine above with greater glory. Again it is a most wonderful returning. We who ought to be glad to suffer everything for him who suffered so much for us, shall have this undeserved and abounding reward for the little we may be counted worthy to endure for him."
