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Introduction
Slogans are great things: they send a message about who we are and what
we do—they advertise; they remind us of who we are & what we stand for;
they serve as great reinforcement of identity and purpose. Who isn’t
familiar with such inspiring slogans as “Semper Fi” – “Remember the
Alamo” – “A mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste” (or as our friends who
owned a landfill used to put it: “Waste is a Terrible Thing to Mind”);
“Finger Lickin Good” “Snap Crackle Pop”.
Do you recognize these
slogans? See if you can recall, as victims of the onslaught of modern
media advertising, what company’s slogans these are: Have it your way –
Burger King; No rules, just right – Outback Steakhouse; Do What Tastes
Right – Dairy Queen Try it, You’ll like it – Alka Seltzer; It’s all
within your reach – ATT; Because you’re worth it – Loreal; Life is
short, play hard – Reebok; Enjoy – Coke.
How about “Stand Firm”?
Where does that slogan originate? That one was made famous by the
apostle Paul, who twelve times used this short command. But he’s not the
only one; no less than 25 times others in the scripture encouraged
listeners to stand firm, including David, Solomon, Jesus, and the
apostles James and Peter.
Review of what makes us stand firm
We all know that we need to stand firm. We’ve just finished learning two
important ways to help us stand firm in
chapter three of Philippians. Now in the
first verse of chapter four, Paul says,
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!
Maturity, maturing
By this time in the study of this letter we are well-taught by Paul that
there is one primary goal for the believer. And that is to
press on toward the goal to win the prize for
which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus. (3:14)
Paul claims that as his own personal life mission, and he calls others
to it in
3:15 - …all of us should take such a view…
The first way the Christian stands firm in his faith is by maturing,
growing. As we’ve seen from Paul’s example and exhortation it’s all
about a relentless pursuit of Christ-likeness.
In his progress up
a sheer cliff, the mountain climber uses equipment to advance. There are
ropes and hooks and pitons and clamps. But none of those things is any
good to him if he isn’t able to establish a firm foothold. You can’t
drive a piton or do anything to advance if your legs are dangling in
mid-air. You need a firm stand so your hands are free to do other things
besides save your life. Well, put it this way: would you rather be the
guy on the left or the guy on the right?
So here we are with
another of those reciprocal truths from God’s Word. If we are to grow
into Christlikeness we need to be in a standing firm posture. But it’s
also true that to stand firm we must maintain a strong determination to
grow in Christ. So Paul makes his point—let us
live up to what we have attained (3:16).
That is, when you get so far, stand on what you know at the very point
that you have achieved, and from there press on to new heights of
maturity. That is how you should stand firm in the Lord.
Our Blessed Hope
So the first basis of our standing firm is our resolve to grow, to
mature, to relentlessly pursue our goal of Christ-likeness. There is a
second basis of our standing firm that we encountered in
chapter 3 – and that is our future hope—the promise of what is to
come for those who trust in Christ. We’re going to heaven!
In fact
our citizenship is already provided, the papers have been stamped and
we’re just waiting for our ride. That’s what
3:20-21 is all about. Paul reminds believers that the Lord will
transform our earthly bodies into glorious bodies outfitted for
eternity. We’re citizens now, but fully
then.
Titus 2:13 calls our “heaven-to-come” promise our
blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our God
and Savior, Jesus Christ. We not only await that blessed hope, we
have been given God’s Spirit in our present lives and bodies assuring us
of that eventual salvation that is full and perfect. Paul urges the
believers to live in the knowledge of our true citizenship, and now
says, that is how you should stand firm in the
Lord, dear friends!
So, the importance of standing firm
being true, we should raise the question of against what exactly do we
need to stand firm. Standing firm implies that there will be some sort
of resistance. And that is true. There are things we as believers in
Christ will face that will threaten to make us unstable in our faith. We
have an enemy—in fact, enemies—who would love to bring us down. And that
is precisely why we are so emphatically called to stand firm. So that we
are forewarned and thus forearmed. There are a couple I’d like to
consider, and, in keeping with the metaphor of standing firm, I’d like
to refer to them as “de-stabilizer's.”
De-stabilizer's
1. Enemy Attacks
Satan is a very real enemy. The Bible makes that absolutely clear. He is
determined to destroy us, and all the more so if we are Christians. It
behooves us to be aware of him and his plans. The Battle of Antietam in
1862 lasted for 12 hours and ranks as the bloodiest day of the Civil
War. 10,000 Confederate casualties and even more on the Union side. One
historian described that day’s sunset: "smoke heavy in the air, the
twilight quivering with the anguished cries of thousands of wounded
men."
Though militarily a draw, the mediocre Union General
George McClellan was able to end the brilliant Robert E. Lee's thrust
into Maryland, forcing him to retire across the Potomac. How did he do
it? Two Union soldiers had found a copy of Lee's battle plans and had
delivered them to McClellan before the engagement. We are no match for
our adversary, Satan, but our enemy's plans have fallen into our hands.
We know his strategies—to entice us with lies, lust, greed, and the
like. We understand he comes to steal, kill and destroy. Stand firm
against the enemy—you have the Spirit of the Living God, the wisdom of
the Word of God and the faithful, undeniable promises of God.
Temptation
Your enemy the devil is
not happy that you are a committed Christian. He is going to do
everything he can to disrupt and discourage you. He is coming after you
with lies, distortions tricks designed to destabilize you and distract
you from your calling to grow into the image of Jesus and bring others
with you.
C. S. Lewis says that Satan doesn't mind whether we
totally ignore him or we're totally obsessed by him. Those who are
totally obsessed by Satan, are paralyzed with fear, paranoid. On the
other extreme, those who are totally ignorant of Satan -- those who
simply ignore him or don't even believe he exists -- are easy pickings
for him. We are informed by God of his ways, and we are called and
equipped to Submit [our]selves to God. Resist the devil, and he will
flee from you.
Stand firm in the face of temptation because
the God of the universe has sided with you and thoroughly equipped you
for the battle. As Jesus stood firm against the devil in the desert, so
we His followers are divinely enabled to conquer the enemy. The Word
says there is no temptation that has seized you
except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you
be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will
also provide you a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Stand firm.
Trials
There will
be trials that come our way. They’ll be the normal problems that
everyone faces in life; they’ll be results of poor choices we have made;
they’ll be attacks from others who hateus as Christians; and some will
be special delivery direct from Satan. Here is what you are to do:
withstand them. Trust God and His power to keep
you in the midst of any storm, and rely on His promise that in His
strength you can make it through anything. Trust God’s promise that in
ALL things, He is able to work it out for good because you are committed
to His will. Trust His Word: NOTHING can separate you from the love of
God in Christ Jesus.
The trials you face really don’t matter.
Look to Paul who wrote: “I have worked hard, been flogged severely, been
exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews
the thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was
stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the
open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from
rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in
danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country,
in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and
toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst
and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides
everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the
churches.” Yet he stood firm and rejoiced in the Lord.
I want to
urge you to remember these things whenever you are in the middle of the
trials. Too often we panic and go berserk if something seems to go wrong
as if God doesn’t care anymore, and we go into temporary amnesia about
God’s promises. He can keep you in the midst of any
trial. Make an effort now, in advance of your next trial, that you will
lay hold on His Word, His promises and His Spirit DURING the trial, not
waiting till it’s over to say, “Wow, God got me through another one!”
Tell the devil “You can’t harm me to destroy me.
The One who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world.”
And stand firm!
2. Discouragement
It is not only the attacks of the enemy that come against us as
followers of Christ. We are also vulnerable to waves of discouragement.
Times when we will feel really terrible. Many Christians wonder at such
times, “Am I even saved? How come I am down and not victorious like I
ought to be?” If fights with depression and discouragement mean you’re
not saved, then I’m as lost as a goat in a hailstorm. Jesus said, In
this world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer, for I have
overcome the world.
Feelings of Failure
or Fruitlessness
Nobody could be sadder than I that this
church family has not grown more than it has. There’s no one in this
room who has wept more and felt worse than I when some promising family
leaves MECF to move to another church where the crowd is bigger, or the
band is louder or the program is busier. Most of the time I just hate
the fact that people reject the gospel, and that small is the gate and
narrow the path that leads to life, and only a few find it. In fact,
this is a topic I am hoping to address this Wednesday evening.
Here’s what I’ve learned, though. There just isn’t anything as important
as knuckling down and doing what God tells you to do, and there is
nothing that heals discouragement like obedience. I’ve learned that
there comes a point of self-wallowing when you have to quit whining,
suck it up and move on. If kingdom living were always easy, anyone could
do it! Stand firm, press on!
If feelings of failure or
fruitlessness have never come against you, I dare say you’ve never given
your heart to the real work of God. If your heart is beating and you’ve
tried your best to reach people with the gospel, to help disciples grow
in their faith, and you’ve never been discouraged, then, brother, I’d
love to trade places with you. But, do you know what you do when
discouragement and disappointment come to you? You stand firm! You stand
back up, recommit yourself to His work in you and through you, you lay
hold of your blessed hope, and you press on, that’s what!
Feelings of Alienation or Loneliness
When you make your commitment to follow Christ, you agree to a lot of
separation. Some witness their families divide because of issues of
Christian faith. Your dedication to Jesus will send many if not most of
your friends packing. You’ll often be a stranger at work, left out of
the fun, last to be invited, first to be ridiculed. You will not be
popular in 99% of this world’s groups. Jesus even said that He brings to
our relationships not peace but a sword.
And He told us that if
you put your hand to His plow, don’t plan to look back. You seasoned
believers know that following Jesus can be a mighty lonely road. It’s no
wonder that the longer we serve Him the more we are driven to cling to
Him alone. It’s no wonder those who are serious about serving the
kingdom don’t have to be told to go to church meetings—you can’t keep
them away. It’s their lifeblood being connected to a fellowship of
people with kindred spirit and commitment. They have no problem obeying
Hebrews 10:25 about not forsaking the assemblies. They know they
need—not just like, they need—the comfort and assurance of believers
like them who understand and share their hope.
And it is in
fellowship where we lonely sojourners find the company we need to help
us fend off the de-stabilizer's of our faith and to stand firm. I
recently read a true account written by a man who was a police officer
in a native settlement in northern Canada. One day a rabid wolf wandered
into the aborigines’ settlement. This officer was the one who eventually
shot it, but not before it attacked a young boy and his grandmother in
their home, making kindling out of a wicker chair with which the boy
tried to protect himself.
There were about 150 sled dogs in the
village—more than a match for one sick wolf—but the intruder was left
alone to do her work. Why? The officer explained that in order to
prevent the dogs from fighting and wounding each other, they had each
been tied to wooden stakes spaced far enough apart to prevent them from
reaching any neighboring animal.
Because of this, the wolf was
able to walk freely among the dogs, killing some and badly wounding
others. In isolation these strong sled dogs were no match for their
maniacal foe, and they suffered terribly for it. What a picture of the
need for Christians to belong, truly belong, to a body of believers.
Alone and isolated, believers present themselves as much easier prey for
the schemes of the Enemy of our souls. We do need help in order to stand
firm.
Conclusion
Let me just close these thought out with the words of
1 Peter 5:6 and following, which is all about standing firm when
it’s tough, and all about the grace of God for His children.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty
hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your
brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of
sufferings.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will
himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be
the power for ever and ever. Amen.
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