HoHum:
Archibald Naismith says that at the Battle of Waterloo, when the fight became its worst, an officer galloped up to the Commander, the Duke of Wellington and said, "My Captain says we are being destroyed, we need reinforcements quickly." The Duke said simply, "Tell him to stand." The officer galloped back to relay the message to his Captain. Shortly the same messenger galloped back with the same message. Again, Wellington said simply, "Tell him to stand."
Very soon another officer came with the same request. Wellington’s response was this, "I have no help to send you, tell him to stand." The officer saluted and replied, "You will find us there sir."
When the battle was fought and won the Duke found each of those men at his post. All dead, but they stood. They had laid down their lives for the victory. As Christians this is what each of us are called to do. “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13, NIV.
WBTU:
To stand firm or stand fast is a military term meaning to "hold your position." There is to be no retreat. The Greek word for this is stēkō and reminds me of driving a stake into the ground.
This term “Stand firm or stand fast” is used several times in the Bible.
Starting short series about Standing firm, start with “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13, NIV.
So many today fail to stand firm, fail to remain at their posts, fail to keep the faith. We need to “be on our guard” against those things which cause us to want to retreat.
Thesis: What are some reasons that many fail to stand firm
For instances:
Pride
What is so bad about pride? Shouldn’t we take pride in some things? Well, the pride I’m talking about is described here: “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” Psalms 10:4, NIV. Thinks so much of himself that he does not want to think of God. This kind of haughty pride is the opposite of the spirit of humility that God seeks: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The “poor in spirit” are those who recognize their utter spiritual bankruptcy and their inability to come to God except for God’s mercy and grace. The proud, on the other hand, are so blinded by their pride that they think they have no need of God or, worse, that God should accept them as they are because they deserve His acceptance.
Admitting sin and acknowledging that in our own strength we can do nothing to merit eternal life is a constant stumbling block for prideful people. We are not to boast about ourselves. “Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”” 1 Corinthians 1:31, NIV. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride. While Paul dealt with these problems separately, perhaps the best argument is in chapter 13. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” 1 Corinthians 13:4, NIV. The very word translated “proud” offers valuable information. It comes from a Greek word meaning to “puff up” or “blow up.” The phrase “having a big head” communicates the same idea. To be puffed up is to have an inflated opinion of oneself. Pride cannot coexist with godly love. Christian love is not proud or focused on self. Jesus Christ is our example and he did this, ““Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14, NIV. “Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13, NIV.
What does this have to do with standing firm? “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18, NIV. “I got this!” If we believe that we will not rely on our faith and we are headed for a fall. “Be on your guard”
Pain
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8, 9, NIV. In these two verses, Paul lists several types of pain — mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
When pain and suffering comes this is when we need to stand firm in the faith. However, for some, instead of relying upon their faith to get them through, they retreat, leave their post, resign.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, NIV.
Yet by calling them “light and momentary troubles” Paul isn’t downplaying our problems as if they were no big deal. Paul’s point isn’t that these problems are easy to handle or that they don’t matter. He’s trying to focus our minds on eternity. Focus on this earth and its problems, we lose heart and fail to stand firm. Focus on eternal glory, and we find hope in the midst of our hardships. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (v. 18). Think of the reward more inclined to stand firm.
Passion
This passion I am talking about is not about having a passion for God or a passion for service. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV. We need a passion for these things.
What I am talking about is basing our faith on feelings. Emotionalism means basing one’s spiritual decisions and priorities upon emotion and feeling; it is to be led or controlled by emotion (how one feels) rather than fact or knowledge (what one thinks or knows to be true). The Corinthians were doing this. We see this echoed when Paul is talking about speaking in tongues. The Corinthians were interested in speaking in tongues because it was exciting and mysterious. Evidently they were getting so worked up that when “some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” 1 Corinthians 14:23. Have a friend who describes herself as hyperhappy. She says that because of Jesus Christ she is now hyperhappy. There are times when I am happy in the Lord. However, there are other times when I am not happy in the Lord. Does this mean that my faith is faltering or somehow defective? How do we know we are saved? Because we are happy. No, “Because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12. My passion for God is gone? What can I do? “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:8, 9. There will be times of unhappiness, but we need to rely on our faith in God and stand firm. Times of happiness will come.
Originally the word “passion” meant to suffer, to undergo evils, to be afflicted as in the Passion of the Christ. “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs...” Acts 1:3, KJV. Now passion means strong emotions and feelings. Anything worthwhile involves some suffering, some affliction and some passion (feelings and emotions).
Phony premises
False teachings will cause us to fail to stand firm in the faith. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul has just talked about some false doctrine. “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NIV. The false teachings involved the resurrection. “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” 1 Corinthians 15:12, NIV. “Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.” 2 Timothy 2:17, 18, NIV.
“continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” Colossians 1:23, NIV.
Pitfalls
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV.
For the Corinthians a big temptation was sexual. “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud!” 1 Corinthians 5:1, 2, NIV.
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, NIV.
Emma Joy talks about her involvement with sexual immorality. She says, “It will kill your desire for pleasing and knowing God. You will lose interest in reading the Bible, spending time in prayer will be seen as a boring task, attending church will become a bother, you will lose your understanding of what it means to find your value and joy through Christ alone.” “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” Giving into temptation might cause us to fail to stand firm until the end.
