Standing Strong
1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen”. With these words, a monk of the Augustinian order by the name of Martin Luther began the Reformation. He had written many books and pamphlets regarding the Bible and what God’s Word says, more than a few of these writings disagreed with the teachings and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. Ordered by the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor to recant, or deny, his writings, Luther found he could not do so. With his declaration, Luther knew he would be excommunicated from the Church (and during that time excommunication was akin to a sentence to hell) and his freedom, perhaps even his very life, would be in jeopardy, and indeed the Holy Roman Emperor declared that anyone could kill Luther without fear of legal recourse.
Martin Luther was just one of many people who have been told to go against the writings and teaching of God or suffer the consequences. We have been told in the book of Esther that Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, was supposed to bow down to the Persian Haman and almost lost his life when he did not. Daniel’s three friends were told to worship an idol of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, clearly in violation to God’s commands, or be thrown into a fiery furnace, and these three men refused, accepting their fate. We know that during the time of Roman persecution that many Christians suffered humiliating and painful deaths rather than deny God and His Word. Being a Christian in some countries today carries a sentence of death, and even in our own country Christians are looked down upon and made to endure unjust persecution. It seems as though following God and His rules angers people and the stronger we stand with God and follow His law, the stronger the ridicule becomes.
When Jesus spoke to the Pharisee Nicodemus, recorded for us in the book of John the 3rd chapter, Jesus told him “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deed were evil”. Ever since the Fall our hearts and minds have leaned toward evil, toward darkness. All people, Christian and non-Christian both, try and hide from the Light, as our deeds are evil and we don’t want others, and God, to see what we do. This darkness inside us leads us down paths that go against God’s will. We have heard and may even know Christians that have a hard time forgiving people. And if those of us who stand in the light can have the darkness influence us, then those who stand apart from the light are even more influenced.
One thing all people want to do is to blend in with everyone else. No one wants to stand out in a way that goes against the behavior of the world. One of the ways of the world is wealth. It is perfectly acceptable to stand out with a great accumulation of money, but those who view money as only a means to live and not as symbol of status are viewed as strange and are criticized for their beliefs. It is this desire to fit in that can cause many people to walk to the darkness of the world. The desire to be accepted is strong and in the world to be accepted means we have to become like the world.
And we can also find that the devil is behind many of our attacks. The fallen angel had darkness within him and rebelled against God’s rule and has brought that darkness into the world, with that he brought sin to God’s people. The devil will call to us, tempting us with the darkness. We will be tempted with all sorts of items that will look good and are very appealing to us, much like how he tempted Eve with the fruit. The devil will stand before us like some sort of Darth Vader telling us “You don’t know the power of the dark side”. Ok, so you gotta image I sound like James Earl Jones.
Yet, the power the devil tempts us with is not a real power. He will try and give us the power to be in control of our lives; that we can do what we want to do. He will offer us the power to have fun in our lives without the boundaries and restrictions God places on us. He will present us with the abilities to become respected and powerful, only to find these abilities never truly materialize. The only thing the devil can offer us is darkness, and for those of us who live in the light, the only thing darkness can bring is death.
Jesus told people in His Sermon on the Mount, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Well, we cannot serve both light and darkness either. We cannot serve God in the Light and serve ourselves in the darkness. The ways of the world are in opposition to the ways of God. The way of darkness leads only to the devil, and that is the way to hell. The way of Light is the way of God, and that is the path to Heaven. If we stand strong and stay on the path of light, we find we will have to go against the ways of the world, we find we will have to endure criticism and ridicule, or maybe worse. There may be times when we may have no choice but to stand alone, abandoned by family, friends, and perhaps even other church members.
An American woman soccer player by the name of Jaelene Hinkle withdrew from friendly competitions against Norway and Sweden. During the month of June 2017, it was announced the U.S. soccer team would require all players to wear the rainbow pride colored jerseys of the LGBT community for both the home and away games. Hinkle, a devout Christian, withdrew for “personal reasons” but everyone knew it was because she would not wear the jerseys as homosexuality is against Christian doctrine. Gay pride activists have chastised her for her beliefs. In 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages, Hinkle wrote on her Instagram: “Jesus didn’t come to save those who already believed in Him. He came so that the lost, rejected, and abandoned men and women would find Him and believe. I believe with every fiber of my being that what was written 2,000 years ago in the Bible is undoubtedly true. It’s not a fictional book. It’s not a pick and choose what you want to believe. You either believe it, or you don’t. This world may change, but Christ and His Word NEVER will. My heart is that as Christians we don’t begin to throw a tantrum over what has been brought into law today, but we become that much more loving. That through our love, the lost, rejected, and abandoned find Christ. The rainbow was a covenant made between God and all creation that never again would the world be flooded as it was when He destroyed the world during Noah’s time. It’s a constant reminder that no matter how corrupt this world becomes, He will never leave or forsake us. Thank you Lord for Your amazing grace, even during times of trial and confusion. Love won over 2,000 years ago when the greatest sacrifice of all time was made for ALL mankind.” If anyone thinks they can find a better way to say this they are free to try, I know I can’t.
Jesus did come to be the greatest sacrifice of all time. It was His desire that all people be saved and Jesus stood strong in the face of His betrayal, the trials, the crucifixion, and finally the punishment from the Father that allows all men and women to have the ability to go to heaven. It was His sacrifice that paid the price for all people’s sins; we now have been forgiven and our sins no longer held against us. All God wants from us is to not throw His gift of faith and forgiveness away; it is far too precious and paid for by too high a price.
Yet far too many people will throw this gift away. There are many examples of this in the Bible; Cain, King Saul, King Solomon, and Judas Iscariot, are just a few examples. All of these people knew God and with the exception of King Saul, all these people had spoken with God and yet they still turned their backs on Him and salvation in exchange for what the world had to offer. There are many more, both in the past and present that have done the same thing. These people have experienced the joy of being in faith and in God’s presence but have been lured away by the darkness of the world.
But there are also many people who have stood strong in the face of opposition and we thankfully have not forgotten them or the message they gave, two of whom, Martin Luther and Jaelene Hinkle, were read today. These two, along with all the others, relied on the Light for strength and stood against those who would try and stop the message of God. The ways of God are not easy, and there might to be times when we will have to go through so much that we will end up questioning God’s love for us. But He does promise to be with us always, so we will never have to go through anything alone. During His time on earth Jesus told a few parables about those who can be trusted with much will be given much. If God didn’t think we could be trusted to handle the load He gives us, He wouldn’t give it to us.
God does love His creation and He certainly doesn’t want us to be sad or miserable, but there are times that we will have to endure hardships. During those times we must remember that God has not and never will abandon us, He knows that whatever He has given to us we can handle, and most importantly, what we have to undergo will be for the glory of God. If we can remember all of this, and call upon God for the courage to see the trials to the end, the world will see us standing strong. Amen.
