Stand Firm - Part 4
June 9, 2019
As you read the gospel of John, in chapter 16, Jesus tells the disciples that people will be against them. In fact, Jesus literally says, “whoever kills you will think they are offering a service to God.” That’s brutally pretty blunt - “Hey guys, I really want you to follow me, and also know that people will kill some of you.”
That’s pretty disconcerting. In essence, Jesus is telling them, if you want to follow me, know that people will want to kill you and some are going to succeed, believing they’re doing this for God, yet, it is against God that they are working.
How would you react if someone, well, not just someone, but your mentor, your leader - was talking to you and said, ‘by the way, some of you are going to be killed because of me?’
Wouldn’t you want to get up and run. See you later Jesus.
And as Jesus continued talking to the disciples, He explained that He was leaving them. In fact, Jesus says it’s better that He leaves them. It’s to their advantage. Because if Jesus leaves them, then the Helper, the Holy Spirit can become magnified in their lives.
I can only imagine the fear, the anxiety that would overcome the disciples. People are out to kill us and you’re leaving us!
So, as Jesus was finishing talking to the disciples and before He prayed in chapter 17, Jesus said –
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
I hear Jesus telling us don’t be surprised when you have tribulation. Tribulation, trouble, testing, temptations - - they’re all going to be present in our lives. They’ll come from many different places. They can be self imposed, they can be from outside forces, they can be from circumstances beyond our control. They can be intentional or they can be accidental. For whatever reason they occur, know that they do occur. So, don’t be surprised.
Jesus told the disciples people will kill them. John adds that the world will be very much against us. John wrote –
13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. – 1 John 3:13
We live in a world in which we are still surprised when someone tells us off because we profess Jesus as Lord and Savior. Or someone really doesn’t want to associate with us because we believe Jesus is the Savior and they believe anything and everything is the savior. Or they believe in nothing at all, other than themselves. People will be against us because we believe differently, even if we’ve done nothing to them. Just the fact that you proclaim Jesus is enough.
It can happen at work or with friends, when you’re challenged to do something you believe is wrong, but they don’t. What do you do? Hopefully you stand up for what you believe in, in Jesus, and don’t give in to what they want. Your witness will make a difference. Others will notice who you are in Christ. But it may be difficult.
So, for whatever reason, don’t be surprised when something that’s not good happens in your life. Obviously, we don’t want that to happen, but know it does.
So, when problems come, what do we do? We need to plan what to do . . . But what we need to do, should have started before the troubles began. You see, if we’re not prepared for what’s happening, then it’s an uphill battle.
It’s kind of like when I go to the dentist, I usually take some tylenol before you I go. It always hurts, but I want to get ahead of the pain. I’m not an advocate of taking pills, but I do believe that when I’m in pain, I should do something about it.
I have a bad back, and I try to stretch on a regular basis. If I don’t, I pay the price. Stretching after I do something isn’t the solution, it’s getting my body prepared. You’re going on a long car ride with the family. What do you do before you go? You make sure everyone’s used the bathroom, you make sure everyone has something to do, you make sure there’s gas in the tank, you make sure there’s plenty of coffee and chocolate. Now, you’re ready.
The same thing really happens with life . . . how can we prepare ourselves for what’s going to happen, because we shouldn’t be surprised when something bad happens to us?
Part of the remedy comes in our relationship with Christ and one another.
One of the verses I really appreciate is when Jesus tells us in John 15 –
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. – John 15:5-6
As a Christ follower, we should be abiding or remaining in Christ. Yes, we don’t always do it well. Yes, we struggle with the world pushing in on us, but we should be IN Christ and He in us. When we are in Christ, when we have Jesus alive and active in our spirits, then when the troubles hit, we are prepared. It also gives us this super natural power which comes from God. We can be fruitful in life, because we have His power. We know and trust and believe Jesus is with us.
But when we’re not in Christ, we will struggle, we will not be as productive spiritually. When the difficulties hit us, we will struggle more. Because our base of support isn’t there. We will also struggle when we’re not part of this community of believers.
Jesus tells us to ask God for help in our time of need. All of this assumes we have a relationship with Him already. In Luke 11, Jesus says –
9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. – Luke 11:9-10
Now, that doesn’t mean we get whatever we want. Remember, last week we talked about needs vs. wants. This means we need to make our requests known to God. We need to ask, seek and knock on God’s throne room. And God promises He will respond to our requests and our needs.
Jesus goes on to describe God’s character to us as well, as He continued saying –
11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” – Luke 11:11-13
And that’s God. He wants to give you more than those who really love you. And what’s really cool is what God promises us. He doesn’t say He’ll give us the winning lottery numbers, or a better job, or a better body, or anything like that. He says He will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
I was really struck by that this week. I knew that, but it was a very poignant reminder of who God is and what God wants to give to me. What’s the greatest gift we can receive? It’s the gift of salvation through Jesus. And part of that gift is the Holy Spirit. Remember from last week?
Jesus is everything you will ever need.
Sometimes we don’t believe that! But if we have Jesus, we can really face whatever comes our way. We can stand firm in the face of persecution and our struggles.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is so much better than any material thing we could receive. God wants to give you Himself. That will help me to Stand Firm in the midst of my struggles. When I know and trust that God is with me it helps me to stay connected to God.
So, when those doubts creep in, I know that’s the enemy putting them there. That’s my mind wandering away from God. I know I am already abiding in God and that God has given me the Holy Spirit who dwells within me, helping me to be strong in the midst of any situation.
So, on the one hand we have God helping to sustain us. To keep us strong. We have that because Jesus has overcome all that the world threw at Him. We can overcome and stand firm because God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A second and final aspect of a way in which we can stand firm happens through the body of believers. We often take this aspect for granted and don’t take advantage of the opportunities available to us as we should. And very honestly, there’s too many people who don’t get this second part of what helps us to stand firm. That’s for another day, which is kind of the basis for a Fall sermon series I’m planning.
We can gain strength through one another. In Galatians 6:2, Paul wrote –
2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2
When Paul talks about bearing one another’s burdens - - this can refer to all kinds of physical, emotional, mental, moral or spiritual burdens. It can be financial, it can be personal. It can be the result of sin. The list of possible burdens is endless.
Sometimes we just bear with people. You know what I mean. It’s kind of like tolerating someone who irritates us. That’s not what Paul means. He means we actually carry another’s burdens. We take them upon ourselves. It doesn’t mean we live them out. It doesn’t mean we take ownership of someone’s problems, it means we truly feel for that person and attempt to help them as best as we could.
What he’s getting at is the fact that we are there for one another. Whatever the reason, we’re there!! And when we do that, we are fulfilling the law of Christ. Paul spent a large part of the book of Galatians telling the new Christians that they don’t need to follow the Jewish laws to be full fledged Christians. He’s contrasting this with following the law of Christ which means they are to love one another as Christ loved them.
Later in John 15 - Jesus said –
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:12-13
That’s the law of Christ. In James 2:8, this is called the Royal Law, when James wrote –
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. – James 2:8
And that’s how we’re supposed to live our lives. We love one another. We love our neighbors. We love one another as Christ has loved us. Imagine if we really did this. Imagine what the church would look like. Imagine if we even just loved one another like that within the church. It would be radical and life changing.
One aspect of coming here on Sunday mornings is that you start to get to know one another. I know most of you have your assigned seats. Often times those are the seats you took the first time you attended. You felt comfortable and you came back to that same section. Now, those who sit around you tend to be the same folks and you get to know one another.
Maybe you start to attend Sunday School and you meet new people - or you volunteer in some ministry. Maybe you join the church and get onto some committees. In so many different ways we can get to know one another and when we do - - we now have the opportunity to help one another.
We don’t like to share our needs. We’re all pretty private people. We don’t want to admit weakness or loss of independence. But that’s what we’re here for. To help one another when there’s an issue. When you need a meal, when you need a light bulb or smoke detector battery changed, when you need a shoulder to cry on, when you have a prayer, when you have good news you want to share.
Whatever it is, that’s part of being part of the church. It’s not just about great music and great sermons! It’s about the care and concern of being part of the family of God.
So, when we talk about loving one another, it’s about helping one another to stand firm in the midst of our struggles. It’s holding one another up. It’s encouraging one another. It’s making sure you’re doing OK. It’s praying together, hugging one another. It’s simply letting each other know - - I’M HERE FOR YOU!
It’s one of the most important things you can ever have. Now, I’m going to end with a comment to you graduates - and in fact this is for all you younger folks. Know that your parents didn’t ask me to say this to you. But as a dad with 2 kids in college - this means the world to me.
Wherever you land in life, make sure you don’t leave the church. Now, that may sound really dramatic. I’m not saying you’re going to leave the faith, I’m talking about what people call organized religion. Lots of people say they can worship God and never attend a church. I suppose they can. But they are missing out on something so vitally important that if you miss out on this, you are missing out on something bigger than the messages and prayers and music.
But it’s so vital to who you are. It may take awhile to find the right place, the right church to worship in, but make sure you search and hunt and find a church which feels right. Don’t give up on the process! Then when you find the right place, get involved! Get to know the people! There are no perfect churches! Not even this one! None are perfect because they’re filled with imperfect people. We’re all sinners who have fallen short, but thanks be to God for sending His Son, to be our Lord, Savior and Redeemer.
First Baptist Church is a great place. Learn from the good and learn from what you don’t like. It’s OK. But never give up on the church, even if you get hurt in a church . . . remember, we’re all imperfect sinners.
Hopefully, in the church you will find acceptance, grace, love, community, family, power, passion and hope . . . just to name a few.
When we talk about standing firm, these are some of the most important aspects. When something goes wrong, we’re here for one another. That’s the blessing of this church, and my hope is that wherever you go, whatever you do, you will find THE church which is just right for you.
Let’s pray!
