I'M STILL STANDING
One of the things I really love about the Bible is when it gives us in depth looks into the lives and the characters of people in the Bible. One of those individuals whose character and courage capture my attention is the Apostle Paul. We don't have time to do an in depth character study of this man today, but we will take a little peek into his life, and I'm pretty sure you will feel the same way I do.
In this first passage of scripture Paul is on board a ship as a prisoner, being shipped to Rome to be tried by Ceasar, the ship is destroyed, but because of Paul, all that are on board the ship are spared.
They swam into land, or floated in on boards and broken pieces of the ship.
Now we pick up our text...
Acts 28:3-5
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
This epitomizes the life of the apostle Paul, as soon as he hits land he goes to work. While he is working, he is bitten by a poisionous viper, but Paul shakes it off into the fire.
That's Paul's life in a nut shell. Working for God, attacked by hell, shake it off into the fire, and keep on working.
Now look at these verses...
2 Timothy 3:10-11 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; "what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me."
Now let's see what God delivered Paul from...
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
I don't know what you think when you read these words of Paul.
Some may think that he is just whining and complaining, about all the hardships he has endured as a soldier in God's army.
But as for me I have many different thoughts. But that is not one of them.
*I think that Paul was a very strong, bold, and courageous person.
*I think that the devil knew that Paul was a threat to hell, and he was especially targeted by hell.
But then I think, maybe I'm looking at this wrong. Maybe it wasn't Paul who was the target.
*No as a matter of fact, I think it was the Kingdom of darkness that was targeted by Paul, and he is just revealing some of his battle scars from storming the gates of hell.
Paul acknowledges the fact that he has endured many persecutions, and been in many battles, but I love the way he ends it by saying... But out of them all, the Lord delivered me.
Paul may not have used these exact words, but it means the same thing. Basically Paul is announcing to hell, hey lookie here, I'm still here. Look over here, I'm still standing.
I think somebody needs to say it with me right now... Hey lookie here, I'm still here, and I'm still standing.
There is something you have to understand about Paul.
*He was a warrior.
*Paul was a soldier from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.
*Paul was not afraid of warfare.
*Paul did not shrink back from conflict.
*Paul lived his life leaning into the fight.
*Paul was comissioned into service by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and Paul caught the DNA of his commander and chief.
Paul was a soldier.
In fact Paul was bred for the battle. He lived everyday as a soldier on the battlefield. Paul understood the element of spiritual warfare, and he knew the ruthless, murderous, hate of satans kingdom that believers would face. He was continually urging us to never under-estimate the devil, and his kingdom.
In Ephesians Chapter 6...
*He urges us to never get caught without our armor, and the weapons of our warfare.
*He labors to bring to us the mentality neccessary to fight a good warfare.
In 2 Timothy chapter 2:1-4 He said... Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. [2] And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. [3] Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. [4] No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
*First of all Paul is saying, the army of the Lord doesn't just need warm bodies. He is saying... God's army needs faithful men and women.
Faithful...
*Loyal
*Trustworthy
*Dependable
*Reliable
*Honest
*Committed
*Devoted
The Bible makes it clear that faithful men are hard to find. Pro 20:6 Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find.
And then Paul says, when you find the faithful, pour into them what I have taught you. And then comission them to do the same.
Then he says, thou therefore, endure hardness as a good soldier.
Right here Paul is erasing the attitude that being a Christian is a cake walk. He is kicking the easy chair out from under us. He is clarifying that this life, is not for wimps or pansies. He is giving advanced warning that sometimes things get hard, but that is part of a soldiers life. You have to expect it, and prepare for it.
Then Paul adds... No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Let's break that down.
*You were chosen to be a soldier. Not just to be saved, blessed, happy, and free, and go to heaven when you die. But you were chosen to be a soldier, to actually fight in a real war against hell. A sheep, a friend, a son, yes but also a soldier. A warrior.
*You are not going to fight a good fight if you get all wrapped up in the affairs of this natural life. Notice that it does not even mention sin here, it just says... the affairs of this life.
*We all have to deal with the affairs of this life, there is no escaping that, but when you get all tangled up in them, you lose your fighting edge. You become worldly, and you are no longer effective as a soldier. Basically spoken, you self disqualify yourself as a soldier.
Let's learn a little bit more about this very unique man...
1 Co 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. [25] And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. [26] I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: [27] But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
What is Paul saying in these verses? He is saying I am not satisfied just to be a part of the crowd, I have observed how the best in the world have reached their level of excellence. They do it on a natural level, but Paul said, I do it on a spiritual level, because I have determined to be the best I can be. I have determined, I will win because I will do everything I have to do to win...
I will fight, I will fast, I will discipline my body and the appetites of my flesh. I will sacrifice, I will train, I will forget what is behind me, and I will live stretched out for the goal before me. This was the spiritual DNA of the apostle Paul.
He was attacked by his own country men, he was stoned and left for dead. He was lost at sea. He was hunted like a dog. He was stripped and publically beaten and humiliated. He was kicked around. He was misused and abused. He was imprisoned on many occasions, but no matter what he went through, it never ended with Paul hiding in a corner and crying and feeling sorry for himself.
No Paul puts this tag on the end of all his struggles, he says... But the Lord delivered me out of them all.
In other words Paul was saying I'm still here, and I'm still standing.
I'm going to stop for a minute right here. I think somebody needs to praise the Lord. You may not have been through what Paul went through. You may have never been beaten with rods till you were near death, and you may never have been stoned and left for dead, and you may never have been shipwrecked and feared that you were going to die in the deep. And you may have never been held up or robbed.
But you've got something to praise God for. You're still here, and you're still standing.
*Millions of people caught covid and many of them died, but you're still here.
*You went through betrayal, but you're still here.
*You lost positions, you lost money, but you're still here.
*You fought health battles and felt like you were going to die, but you're still here, and you're still standing.
*You've fought finacial battles that felt like they would never end, but you're still here, and you're still standing
*You were bit by the serpent of someones jealousy, but you shook it off, and you're still standing.
I don't know why you're not shouting yet. Maybe you forgot where God brought you from. Maybe you need to flashback to that car wreck that you shouldn't have lived through. Or that drug over dose, that should have ended your life. Or that freak accident that has no explanation, but you survived. Or that shooting, or that stabbing, or that fall, that could have been fatal, but here you are still breathing. And you're still standing.
I need you to go to 3 or 4 people and shake their hand real good, and tell them... I'm still standing.
Come on it's testimony time. Testify to somebody, I've been bit but I'm not beat. I took a good hit, and I went down for awhile, but I'm back up again, and I'm on my feet and I'm still standing. It hurt and I cried for awhile, but I'm back in my position, I've dried my tears and I'm still standing.
Praise God, I feel like somebody is getting a break through right now. Halleiujah,
*I feel a shift happening.
*I feel a change in the atmosphere.
*I feel some chains breaking.
*I feel some disappointment breaking off of somebody.
*I feel in the spirit that somebody is getting their fight back.
*There's a fresh fire coming to somebody right now.
*There's a new comittment, and a new determination coming to somebody.
Yes I have been attacked, I have been to hell and back, but I'm still here, and I'm still standing.
Like Paul, you've felt the strike of the vipers of hell, and you felt the fangs sink into your flesh, and you felt that devil pumping that poision into your life. But you shook it off.
Just like Paul, we have the same sense of urgency that drives us. We've got a job to do. Lives are in the balance, we can't afford to quit. We can't lie down and die. We can't resign ourselves to a luke warm glass of milk, and a rocking chair.
Yes we have felt disappointment.Yes we we have been hurt, and frustrated, and angry and confused. And yes we have at times felt like we're not making any progress at all. And yes we have heard the the devil say... I'm going to kill you.
But lookie here devil, I'm still here, and I'm still standing.
I think somebody needs to tell the devil one more time... I'm still standing.
