STAND
By
Shelby G.
Floyd
May, 2008
Many people are very easily discouraged and fail to have the virtues of standing firm and staying the course. An elder of the church for many years stated to me recently, “Many young people today are not faithful to their job, their family, and the church.” This accurately describes many in society and the church today, but it does not characterize all young people. However, the trend with many is not to stick with their commitment if they encounter some problems. We all must learn to be steadfast, to stand firm, to persevere, to be reliable, to be dependable and to be faithful.
A child can not earn his Ph.D. degree when he enters the first grade. It doesn’t happen like that—a child may need to attend school for 16 to 18 years or longer to accomplish that. Things that are worthwhile do not happen overnight.
In building a congregation things will happen that will be discouraging. People will leave because they cannot stay the course. Some will have personal problems and will give up and dessert the work they started out to do. But from experience, I have seen all of this before. Therefore, if you have made a commitment to grow a congregation, don’t be easily discouraged. Anything that is worthwhile takes commitment and some time. To start a marriage, a business, and a congregation takes staying power and devotion. In any worthwhile endeavor, there will be temporary setbacks, but we should never accept them as a permanent defeat.
Notice these details about a man who was not easily defeated. He was a man who stood firm and stayed the course:
He failed in business in 1831. He was defeated for the Legislature in
1832. Again, he failed in business in
1834. He lost his sweetheart in
1835. He had a nervous breakdown in
1836. He was defeated in a local
election in 1838. He was defeated for
Congress in 1843, and again in 1846, and again in 1848. He was defeated for the Senate in 1855. He was defeated for vice president in 1856,
and again he was defeated for the Senate in 1858, but then finally he was
elected president of the
His name was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a man who did not give up easily. He had the virtues of steadfastness and constancy. He had the steadfastness of character that everyone needs today to truly succeed in our service to God. He had the virtue of standing firm and staying the course even through all the discouragement of the Civil War. As a result of his standing firm the union is still intact today.
The
idea of standing firm and staying the course is firmly implanted in the word of
God. The church at
1 Corinthians 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.
NKJV
Another translation renders the statement like this:
1 Corinthians 15:58
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 labor in the Lord is not in vain.
NIV
“Stand firm” should be our watchword. “Stand firm and let nothing move you…” why? Because when this life is over everything you do in the Lord’s work will not be in vain. It will be for your good and eternal glory.
EXAMPLES OF STANDING
Let
us notice these examples of standing firm and staying the course.
Fight One More Round
Someone asked James J. Corbett
at the time he was the heavyweight champion of the world, what was the most
important thing a man must have to be the heavyweight champion. He replied, “Fight one more round.” Likewise, when we “fight the good fight of
faith” for our Lord, we must be willing and able to “fight one more round.”
It would have been wonderful
if our war in
Braver One Hour Longer
The need to stand firm and
stay the course has been true throughout the history of warfare. The Duke of Wellington said that the British
soldiers at the battle of
The Tuskegee Institute
Concerning his work with the Tuskegee Institute during the formative years of the school, Booker T. Washington wrote, “but gradually by patience and hard work we brought order out of chaos, just as will be true of any problem, if we stick to it with patience and wisdom and earnest effort.” He was really saying that to build that school they had to stand firm and stay the course.
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson wrote, “Great
works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance. He that shall walk with vigor three hours a day
will pass in seven years a space equal to the circumference of the globe.”
George Eliot
George Eliot has said, “The
only failure a man ought to fear is failure in cleaving to the purpose he sees
best.”
Take a Stand and Stand Firm
The poet wrote words that illustrate our theme:
The man who cannot settle in his mind
Where he should stand, but merely stays astride
The fence, is certain in the end to prove
Himself of little worth to either side.
But he alone will be of value
who,
Though sometimes pressure may be brought to bear,
Knows in his heart where he should stand and then,
Despite the consequences, stands firmly there.”
--Inez Clark Thorsen
My question to all of you is this: “Are you going to stand firmly for your purpose and for your position?” All of God’s children must learn to stand firm in all of our endeavors for him. Let us notice some of these endeavors where we must stand firm and stay the course.
STAND
We need to stand firm and stay
the course with God’s word. God’s word
is the blueprint for building our lives. It is God’s communication to man. God’s word is the foundation upon which we
build our moral and spiritual house.
Therefore, we must stand firm, stand fast and stay the course with God’s
word. David was a man who fully relied
upon the statutes of the Lord:
Psalms 119:31
I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD;
do not let me be put to
shame.
NIV
If we do not hold fast to God’s law, we will be put to shame. It happens all the time to those who play fast and loose with the word. Why should we hold fast to the law of the Lord? We must hold fast to the word because it is powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. It can pierce to the innermost being of our soul, and even the joints and marrow of our bones:
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than
any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints
and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
NIV
We should also hold firm to the word because it is God’s
chosen power to save people from their sins.
God’s spoken word was the power that brought the universe into
being. And God’s spoken word in the
Bible is no less powerful to accomplish its purpose of convicting and
converting sinners to the Lord:
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for
the Jew first and also for the Greek.
NKJV
Since it is the case that the gospel is God’s power to save, then hold fast to God’s word and stay the course.
STAND
We must also stand firm and
stay the course with our friends. To
have good friends is a valuable asset.
And you probably will not have many true and tried friends in your
lifetime. You may have many
acquaintances, but not many real friends.
Good friends should be valued and supported with love and constancy.
In proverbs, Salomon wrote of the value and benefits of sticking with your friends:
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for
adversity.
NIV
If you are a friend to someone, you do not just love them when everything is going well in their lives, but you love them also at all times. A real friend loves that friend at all times.
Solomon also wrote about the close relationship of being a friend:
Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother.
NIV
There is a vast difference between having many companions and having a friend. Many companions will bring you to ruin, but a friend will stand firm and stick with you closer than a brother. And spiritually speaking that friend that will stick with us closer than a brother is Jesus Christ. “What a friend we have in Jesus…” He will stick with us through “thick and thin.”
David and Jonathan
We have many examples in the Bible of people who were good friends and who stuck with each other through the good and bad times in their lives. I speak of David and Jonathan who were very good friends. Their friendship continued because each of them stood firm and stayed the course regardless of what was going on in their lives
Saul
was the first king of
1 Samuel 18:1
After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan
became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.
NIV
What a strong friendship. Jonathan loved David as himself. We all should seek good friends like David and Jonathan.
Paul and His Friends
And we will recall that the
apostle Paul had several good friends.
He also had some fair weather friends.
They were his friends as long as things were going well, but if he were
being persecuted, they would desert him like rats off of a sinking ship. Who needs friends like that? A preacher one time said that everybody was
his friend—that he had “friendly friends” and “unfriendly friends.” That is very descriptive of many friendships.
Paul and Luke
Paul and Luke were the best of
friends. Luke wrote the gospel that
bears his name and he also wrote Acts of Apostles. Luke traveled with Paul on his evangelistic
journeys. He was an eyewitness and
companion with Paul in many of the events that took place on these tours.
Near the end of Paul’s life we
have one of the saddest statements in the whole Bible. When we read Second Timothy we draw the
conclusion that Paul had been arrested the second time and his trial before
Caesar would soon take place. Near the
end of this letter to Timothy, Paul said to his son in the gospel:
2 Timothy 4:9-18
Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has
gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to
Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm.
The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard
against him, because he strongly opposed our message.
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but
everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.
But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the
message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was
delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack
and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
NIV
“Only Luke is with me.” Doesn’t that statement say a lot for Luke? He would not give up on his friend and brother in Christ, even though he may be facing death. “Only Luke is with me.” That is the kind of friend I want to be and have—one who will stick with you to the bitter end and give you the support you need.
Paul and Onesiphorus
Paul
and Onesiphorus were good friends. In
the same letter to Timothy, Paul described this friendship:
2 Timothy 1:16-18
May the Lord show
mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was
not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was
in
NIV
Paul was very fortunate to have a
good friend like Onesiphorus, who was not ashamed of him, who refreshed him,
and even sought him out in
Paul and Timothy
And
Timothy was probably the best friend Paul ever had. It is good to see older and younger people
have good friendships. It is good when a
battle scarred old soldier of the cross can count on faithful young people to be
a friend. Paul and Timothy traveled
together, they started and built congregations together, they endured hardships
together, they preached the gospel together, and together they stood firm and
stayed the course in their friendship.
Notice how much Paul valued this friendship with Timothy:
Philippians 2:19-24
I hope in the Lord
Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive
news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in
your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests,
not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself,
because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the
gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.
And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
NIV
STAND
Next,
we need to stand firm and stay the course in our family relationships. Husbands and wives make a promise before God,
before witnesses and each other, to be faithful until death separates
them. They promised that they would
stand firm and stick together throughout the course of life. To many, their word doesn’t mean very
much. Husbands and wives should be
steadfast in their love, commitment and faithfulness to each other throughout
their life. Notice what Jesus said about
this relationship:
Matthew 19:4-6
"Haven't you
read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator `made them male
and female,' and said, `For this reason a
man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two
will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God
has joined together, let man not separate."
NIV
Jesus said that no one should separate what God has joined together. The word “joined” in the original means glue. Love, respect and commitment should be the bonding agent that holds the marriage together. When these virtues are absent the marriage will fall apart.
Parents and children should be steadfast in their love and respect for each other. “Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.” Someone has said, “It is always right to do right and it is always wrong to do wrong.” If we do the right thing, it is always right and we need not worry about it. Paul said it is always right for children to obey their parents:
Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your
parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and
mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise- "that it may
go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
Fathers, do not
exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and
instruction of the Lord.
NIV
We will have a good congregation if husbands and wives, mothers and fathers are steadfast, stand firm and stay the course in the raising of their children and bringing them up in the way they should go.
STAND
Another
area where we must stand firm and stay the course is with the home church. When this congregation was started we had a
group of people who made a commitment to build a new congregation. We are thankful that you have stood firm and
stayed the course. Some have not, but we
are not surprised. It takes time, effort
and perseverance to build a life, a business, a nation and yes, a
congregation. There will be temporary
setbacks, but if we will stand firm and stay the course, we will not be
defeated. This is what our president has
exhorted us to remember about our war with the terrorists: “we will stand firm,
we will not falter, and we will not fail.”
It
is sad that many members of the Lord’s church will float from one congregation
to another. They are not steadfast to
the home church. A few years ago a man
visited a congregation and put on his visitors card that he was a member of the
STAND
Finally,
we must stand firm and stay the course with the Lord Jesus Christ. He has promised great rewards to those who
will be faithful to the very end. Jesus
said:
Revelation 2:10
Do not be afraid of
what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in
prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful,
even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
NIV
Do you want to receive that crown of life? If yes, then be firm and stay the course with Jesus Christ. He will give that crown of life to all who love him and look forward to his return. (2 Timothy 4: 6-8.)
Notice the scriptures that exhort all of us to never give up on the Lord:
Stand Firm in the Lord
Philippians 4:1
Therefore, my
brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
NIV
Stand Firm in the Faith
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Be on your guard;
stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.
NIV
In serving the Lord so many
people start out like “a ball of fire,” but in a short time they are exhausted
and “burned out,” they are weary, they faint, their hands fall down to their
sides and they give up.
Let Us Not Be Weary In Well Doing
Galatians 6:8-9
Let us not become weary
in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up.
NIV
As in gardening, we will reap a bountiful harvest if we do not give up. Are you a person who easily gives up when the going gets tough? “When the going gets tough let the tough get going.” We must be just as tough as the tough that comes our way.
The following verse will emphasize our theme and the necessity of standing firm and staying the course:
KEEP ON GOING
One step won't take you very far;
You’ve got to keep on walking.
One word won't tell folks who you are;
You’ve got to keep on talking.
One inch won't make you very tall;
You’ve got to keep on growing.
One little deed won't do it all;
You’ve got to keep on going.
Remember
a quitter never wins and a winner never quits.
The devil is made happy when one quits fighting the good fight of
faith. In the Christian race the quitter
is the big loser. Don't be a big loser!
Please respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ by repenting of your sins,
confessing your faith in Christ and being immersed in water for the remission
of your sins. If you will do this, the
Lord will save you, add you to his church, and then you can proceed to stand
firm and stay the course, and ultimately to receive the crown of life. Copyright
© 2008
*Shelby G. Floyd delivered this sermon