11/01/1998, 04/22/2001
Standing Fast
"Four Aspects of Standing Fast"
1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
· God has given us the ability to be steadfast.
· It is one of our characteristics as a born again believer.
· The Bible teaches us how to be steadfast even in adversity.
· Heb 12 tells us that everything will be shaken and the things that fall apart will be removed.
· It will be shaken by His voice.
· God is a consuming fire.
· He is our purifier.
· It is of the utmost importance that we are a people who stand fast.
· The Bible gives us several specific aspects of ‘standing fast.’
FREEDOM
Gal 5:1-4
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
· Why do we need to stand fast in our freedom?
· First, we are free from the law.
· If we do not exercise this freedom, the grace of God is of no account.
· Christ then profits us nothing.
· We fall from grace.
Gal 2:4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),
· Second, we are free from sin and death.
· We must exercise our freedom - The Elephant Story.
· Jesus read the scroll from Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
2 Cor 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
· God wants us to stand in Liberty!
FAITH (devotion)
1 Cor 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
· We must be steadfast in our faith.
· Stand against the flow of the world.
· We are constantly in danger of one thing - OUR BRAINS.
· The gospel vs. the wisdom of the world.
· Without a steadfast faith, your spirit man cannot rule.
· The devil has no power over us unless we give it to him.
· He is always defeated if we believe God’s word.
· Faith is believing God’s word.
· Steadfast faith is developed.
1 Cor 15:1-2
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-- unless you believed in vain.
II Th 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Ps 106:24 Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word,
· Do we want Canaan or will we settle for Kadesh-Barnea?
COMMITMENT
Phil 4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
· We must be steadfast in our commitment.
· This is why churches fail to accomplish anything.
· Where is the commitment?
John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Matt 10:22 "And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Heb 10:35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
Acts 14:19-22
19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
Ps 27:14 Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!
Ps 125:1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
UNITY
Phil 1:27-2:5
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
CHAPTER 2
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
· This is one of the most difficult and where many miss it.
· We must be stand in unity!
Jer 32:38-41
38 ’They shall be My people, and I will be their God;
39 ’then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.
40 ’And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.
41 ’Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’
Acts 2:44-47
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 4:32-33
32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
Eph 4:1-7
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Eccl 4:12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
· There is great power in unity
· "One can put a thousand to flight…"
· God is calling us to remain steadfast in unity.
God has called us to stand.
· Standing in Liberty
· Standing in Faith
· Standing in Commitment
· Standing in Unity
1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
· If you do not become steadfast and immovable, you will not make it as a Christian.
· God has called us to stand
· He is able to make us stand.
Rom 14:4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
