Dare To Stand Firm Series

Our preaching theme for this year is Dare to be Different and it is a theme that will cause each of us to examine ourselves. This evening I want to I want to encourage you to Dare to stand firm in your attitudes and actions.

If you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you know that God has called you to be different in your attitudes and your actions.

The words of Romans 12:2 are very clear, “Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Some Christians live as if this verse is an optional extra to their lives. Their behaviour, their actions or in-actions are no different to what the world says is permissible but God says is unacceptable.

Spirit-filled, born-again believers and disciples of Jesus are meant to be different - different in the way we live, the way we act, the way we think.

Our focus is not meant to be on our wants, needs or desires - our focus is meant to be on God - His good and perfect plans and purposes for us.

We are not meant to be indistinguishable from an unbeliever. We are not meant to be bound by sinful desires. We are not meant to disobey God’s call and purpose for our lives.

Are you allowing God to change and transform you? Are you allowing God to change and transform the way you think? Will you allow God to bring difference to your life?

Friends, God has called us to live differently. The Holy Spirit is able to work in us and through us to bring change and transformation. God has called us to live lives that are holy and acceptable to Him. Galatians 5:1 says, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (NIV)

When we come to Christ, we are freed from the consequences and burden of our sin. We are free from the punishment our sin deserves because Jesus has paid the price for our freedom, but that does not mean we are free to live as we want. Our daily lives should bring honour and glory to the one who has died to set us free.

Many in the modern world think what we believe about God, sin, salvation and the Bible is pointless, but we know the truth, Christ has died to set us free. The foundation of our faith is Jesus, and Jesus alone. The world may attack our faith, the world may dismiss our opinions, the world may think we are crazy for following the ways of God.

But, we must dare to be different, we must dare to stand firm in our faith, we must dare to proclaim the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord, we must dare to proclaim the word of God, we must dare to share the truth of the Gospel with those who are heading to a lost eternity in Hell. We must dare to be different, we must be different.

If I’m honest there are parts of the Bible I struggle with, there are passages that I wish were worded differently, but the Bible is the inspired Word of God and it is the truth. My preferences are not as important as the proclamations of God.

Over the years, I have met people who think I’m crazy or stupid for following words written down thousands of years ago. Man’s ideas and ideals may have changed, God’s Word has not. God’s plan and purpose have not changed. We are to stand firm, rooted in the truth of the Word of God. The world may ignore or distort the truth of God but we must not turn away from the truth God has revealed to us in the Bible.

We must stand firm in our belief, even if everyone we come into contact with thinks we are a sandwich-short of-a-picnic. Belief in Jesus, belief in the word of God are the foundations of our faith, we must stand firm in our faith.

Years ago, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian church to encourage them to stand firm in their faith, to stand firm in the truth.

Listen to Galatians 1:6-10, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."