Stand And Strive Series

William Lloyd Garrison was born in 1805 and when he became a

man he had the audacity to think he could remove a mountain and

altar the flow the river of history. Slavery was that mountain, and

what a mountain it was. Slavery had existed from the dawn of

civilization, and it was one of the most firmly rooted institutions in

human history. The great empires of Egypt, Greece, and Rome were

built on slave labor. The then English speaking world accepted it as

normal and essential. The blessing of the church was upon it. In

1713 the Peace of Trecht was signed which gave England a

monopoly on the West African slave trade. The treaty was

celebrated in St. Paul's Cathedral where they sang a special hymn

written for the occasion by the Christian composer Handel.

Slavery was likewise entrenched in America. In 1835 the

governor of South Carolina declared, "Slavery is the cornerstone of

our Republican ediface. Destroy slavery and you put a stop to all

progress." A professor at Yale University said, "If Jesus Christ

were now on earth, he would, under certain conditions, be a slave

holder." Most all men of prominence had slaves, including the

president and the members of the Supreme Court. The law honored

it, the church blessed it, and practically everyone defended it. It was

a mountain of gigantic proportions, and who could dare be so

presumptuous as to think they could dent it let alone remove it?

Only a man who took Jesus very literally when He said that faith

is a grain of mustard seed could remove mountains would even

attempt. Garrison was that man. It was as if David took on, not

just Goliath, but a whole army of Philistine giants. Garrison was

laughed to scorn as if he was a fool of the first class. He became the

most hated man of his time. He was ostracized and burned in effigy.

He was denounced from every corner of society. Nevertheless he

believed God would help him win, and the Bible was the hammer he

used to pound away at the mountain of slavery.

Norman Vincent Peale, who writes of this great battle in his book

You Can Win says of Garrison, "He brought down his battle

hammer and a faint tingle was heard. The people laughed and

booed and sneered. But Garrison brought it down again and again.

Blow after blow fell until his little hammer became a great sledge,

the reverberations of which could be heard throughout the land.

As he beat with his faith upon the mountain, a crack began to show.

It widened until the people shouted with a mighty voice, "Look, the

mountain is breaking!"

Almost beyond belief is the historical fact that 58 years after the

birth of Garrison slavery was outlawed forever in the United States.

Jesus said that those who followed Him would do greater things

even than He did, and history is filled with examples of the

fulfillment of that prophecy. Faith can remove mountains, but only

by persevering, persistent, never ending steady pounding. That is

why Peter wants Christians to add to their self-control, patience, or

as it is better translated steadfastness or endurance. It refers to that

quality of character that keeps on keeping on regardless of the cost,

obstacles, and opposition. Garrison could have been bold, wise, and

under control, and still have been a total flop had he given up. All

the other virtues are of no avail if one lacks endurance and

persistence. It is the holding on when letting go is so tempting that

wins the battle. It is he who endures to the end that shall be saved,

and that is what Peter has in mind here.

He wants us to make our calling and election sure, and he wants

us to be fruitful Christians. The whole New Testament stresses that

these goals are only reached through perseverance. Now you might

get confused by all the different words used to describe this basic

and powerful virtue, but the Arndt and Gingrich Greek Lexicon

says that all five of these English words are in the Greek word

hupomone-patience, endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, and

perseverance.

These words indicate that the weapon we are now considering is

valuable in both defensive and offensive warfare. The words like

endurance and fortitude give us a picture of making a stand and

holding your ground against every attack of the enemy. The word

perseverance conveys the picture of marching into enemy territory

and forcing the foe to retreat before your persistent and progressive

power. Both are essential for victory, and both were clearly evident

in Garrison as he stood fast and marched forward. Let's look

further at-

I. THE STANDING FAST ASPECT.

Paul said to put on the whole armor of God that you may be able