Yet Still I Rise
1 Peter 5:5-9
It’s preaching time, and text as read this morning is taken from the first letter of Peter, and in your leisure please read Chapters 3, 4, & 5. Now, as I meditated on the text, the theme that the Lord had given me is… “Yet Still I Rise!” Yet Still I Rise!” Let us Pray.
As we begin our lesson today, my subject tends to fall within the arena of falling down and rising up again. For with so much going on in the world today, a question comes to mind that asks, “What advice would you give Christians about to undergo suffering or persecution? Should you turn or to run or flee? Or should they tone down their outward signs of faith and give up?
For surly you know that there are times in our lives, when we want to just throw in the towel and say forget about it. You know those times, when it seems that we don’t know which way to turn. And as believers, we undergo all kinds of persecution: being ridiculed & mocked, ignored & bypassed, abused & beaten, and some even imprisoned & murdered.
Oh but sometimes, even in the midst of the storm, we must remember, that even when we suffer for doing good, God is still expressing His goodness and might even have a blessing in store for you.
For, as told…suffering is a fact of life, and our attempts to dispute or dismiss it, is utterly foolish. The question is, “How can we bear up and be counted faithful? And, how can we be reassured that we will inherit eternal life?
For this is no new thing for us, only because suffering has been the lot of all people…including some of the greatest men & women of God. With Biblical characters too numerous to name. Oh, but one that sticks out in our minds today is our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, who suffered the penalty for us even though we are not worthy, so that we could have fellowship with the Father. Yet, through it all, He and many others rose from their afflictions in spite of the circumstances to find victory unto death. For the Lord considered them all worthy of being His suffering servants.
But, imagine if you will, that Jesus came to you in a dream saying, “Your generation will be the final one before I return. The days ahead will be difficult, but you must keep a sense of urgency. The suffering you will experience will be great, but don’t give up…rise up and live for My return.”
As you awaken, it quickly becomes a faint memory except for one striking line, “Rise up and live for My return.” The phrase began to ring in your mind again and again as it becomes a timely comfort in a place of suffering…even for believers. For as stated, we suffer the most and from all forms of persecution at the hands of our neighbors, society, civil authorities, and sometimes from those who sit right next to us every Sunday morning.
But, how can we as believers handle and conquer suffering? Well, by rising up and living to arrange your priorities to make every day count for eternity. For, in the midst of whatever we are going through, we must learn to “trust the Lord with all our hearts and lean not to our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths.”
Listen, while we may not understand how He is working, we must still have faith in His love for us. And were we not told in Isaiah 55:8, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways His way, says the Lord.” Meaning that, since He is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, we should have faith enough to trust Him for everything.
And because we can rise up even when the going gets tough, there are those who can’t understand what we’re experiencing. They say we are crazy, and losing our minds when they see us get a good shout on, Ahh but they don’t know what He’s done for me! And because we can still smile in spite of the pain and testify that He’s a Rock in a weary land!
And He sent me to tell this morning to continue to be doers of the Word as well as being hearers, and let the works you do speak for you. Just continue to rise up and stand for what the Bibles teaches, even though it might produced character assassination.
For the end of all things is at hand, and the devil wants you to feel like you will never amount to anything. He wants you to be alone serving a spirit of doubt and confusion, instead of doing the task God has called you to do. Oh’ he wants you to go through a trial, feeling like when you fall…that you will never rise up again. But all things are soon to be consummated, with Jesus Christ returning and returning He will soon. Then our sufferings will end and we will be freed from all the trials of this corruptible and evil world. So we rise knowing the consummation of our faith is soon to take place.
So we need to stop sometime and make a declaration saying, “devil, you’ve mess with me too many times and failed…and even though I fall, Yet still I Rise. For I’m moving to another level and you can’t stop me now. See, we striving to Jesus, face to face and be given the glorious privilege of serving Him forever.
But until then, trials are going to come. We see it in our homes, etched in the faces of an ailing love one. We here from the streets, in the agonizing groans of some victim who has been mugged by thugs. Then we catch it in the news from war-torn areas around the world. And I can remember a few weary times when I was lost and turned out…Yet still I Rise, to live to equip myself with the attitude and Christ.
Why, because Jesus suffered and loved me so much that He wouldn’t come down from the cross to save Himself, but decided to die just to save me! Yes, He suffered because of our sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones.
And the words of the great prophet, Isaiah has already proven that in Chapter 53 stating: “For surely He has borne our grief’s and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him smitten and afflicted by God. But He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes…we are healed. Why? Because all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turn, every one, to our own way.
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He, who was despised and rejected by men, yet He open not His mouth. And it was the Lord’s will to bruised Him and cause Him to suffer that by His knowledge His righteous servant would justify many.
He who lived a pure and righteous life suffered in order to please God and to save all of us from ourselves. And He who in the flesh didn’t want to suffer but denied Himself and rose up to do the will of His FATHER.
So we too must now rise, and take up the cross to follow CHRIST. That is by living seriously & soberly, watching & praying with fervent love, showing hospitality ungrudgingly with the gifts that God has given you.
Meaning, we must be serious with a sound mind, and in control of ourselves, knowing that we do have a purpose for being here on earth. Thus, we must consider our future as well as our present, knowing that our lives can be snatched away in a winkling of eye. So, we are to be calm and sensible about all things, not overly shaken by trouble, problems, or circumstances that sometimes arise within our families, congregations, society, and the world.
Therefore, we are told to stay sober & alert, watching & praying always for all things keeping to heart that this mind of ours is always busy on something. Every moment that our thoughts become engaged on thinking that it’s all about us, we need to stop and focus our minds on Jesus through prayer.
Just imagine, how much more better, the world would be if believers prayed all the time. Oh how much better the world would be if God were really sought after this much! For someone is always depending on our prayers, and no matter what the circumstances are, you can rest in God’s promise..that He’ll never leave you nor forsake you.
Therefore, my beloved brothers & sisters, we must rise and stand up under any trial of persecution. For how severe has our persecutions been when compared to those who have been tortured and martyred. Yet, still they rose in spite of their circumstances and proclaimed a risen Savior lives today. They knew when they were suffering, that they were sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
So, we as suffering servants have the God-given responsibility to share the Gospel with every one we meet. And although all of us might not be evangelists or preachers, Christ has given you a story to tell. One being that we have been identified with, who is the only Son of God. And did He not say, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.”
So, whatever is said or done by those on the outside or inside of the church, just never forget that He promised that, “No weapon form against you shall prosper, and every tongue nwhich rises against you in judgment…you shall condemn.”
Why? Because God is in control of all things and we must know that in the midst of all our trials and tribulation, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” And like Paul, “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So, rise up and be all that you can be for the Lord. But, you can’t do it unless you are saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. Why? Because He is our only hope of salvation, and has promised to save all who received Him into their hearts.
And, you must be ready to give a defense to anyone who ask you for a reason for the hope that is in you. For, it is better and the will of God, to suffer for doing good rather than for doing evil. Why? Because God works everything out for the good of those who loved Him, and I truly believe that, “if God is for me, than who can be against me.” Oh’ for I’ve been though some things…talked about, laughed at & left out of some things, but no matter what I’m doing or what I’m going through, or what anybody says, Yet, still I Rise.
Shattered, Yet, still I Rise
Wounded, Yet, still I Rise
Heavy the Load of the cross I bear, Yet, still I Rise
Lonely, Yet, still I Rise…Persecuted, Yet, still I Rise
Oh’ I rise knowng that trials only come to make you stronger
I rise knowing His Yoke is easy and His BURDEN ARE Light
I rise knowing that if I am heavy laden, and He will give me rest
I rise knowing that the battle is not mine, it’s the Lords
I rise knowing that weeping may endure for a night, but Joy cometh in the morning…
I rise knowing that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I don’t have to fear any evil…for He is the Center of my Joy, and no matter what…Yet, still I rise.
I rise knowing that my Hope is Built on Nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteous, I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…all other ground is sinking sand. Yet Still I Rise
Stand on your feet all over the sanctuary!
