The message from today at NRN - When to take a stand!

When to take a stand

INTRODUCTION:  Have you ever had to stand up for something you believe in? When we stand, it’s normally because there is some sort of opposition facing us. So we have to muster up the courage and take action to stand against that opposition. 

When I’m trying to lose weight, I have to take a stand against Friendly’s ice cream.    I can’t walk down a certain aisle at Food Lion because Friendly‘s Chocolate Almond Ice Cream calls my name. All of my life I have had an affinity with Krispy Kreme donuts. When I was a child my uncle was a baker at Krispy Kreme and brought home a dozen donuts every day. Today, I try to enjoy one Krispy Kreme donuts on my birthday if the “red” light is on. I can’t just go to the donut shop because I’ll have to rebuke the enemy. Get behind me, Satan! Don’t buy that glazed donut, Rick. When I’m spending time alone with Jesus reading His Word and praying, I have to take a stand against my cell phone because it’s constantly buzzing and dinging with updates! 

Our world is polluted with so many images that aren’t Christ like, and I have to daily take a stand for purity and holiness. I can’t let garbage into my mind and heart. I have to take a stand against anything that would hinder my relationship with God. See, we all have weaknesses and temptations, and we will also face moments in our faith where we have to take a stand against things that try to hinder where God desires us to be. The only way we can live a God-honoring life is by taking a stand.

Tonight’s episode of AD The Bible Continues takes us to Acts chapter 4, where we see Peter and John taking a stand for Christ. Through God’s power, they healed a man, and the Sadducees (religious people) didn’t like this or the message they were preaching, so they arrested Peter and John and put them on trial. But during the trial, the court realized they had no legal right to keep them. Before they let Peter and John go, they threatened them. Let’s look at the threat and Peter and John’s response.

“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard’”  Acts 4:18-20

The religious men told Peter and John to stop teaching in the name of Jesus. They told them to bow down and denounce their faith in Christ. They told them to stop living out the very purpose of their being, and in this moment after just being arrested, Peter and John stood up for Christ. Even though they were facing threats, they took a stand and told the leaders they would keep preaching and teaching Christ!

In life, we may face people or things that try to get us to stop living for Christ. This could be caused by a temptation from the evil one, a relationship, a family member, a job, a friend, or even a tragic and unexpected event.

This is why Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong” (nlt).

Paul wouldn’t use this verbiage if we weren’t going to face opposition—people, places, and things that will try to get us to back down instead of to stand up.

Peter and John faced major opposition. They were arrested, put in prison, and threatened, but they continued to stand for Christ. So let’s look at what happened with them in Acts 4 and learn how we can stand for Christ no matter what life brings our way.

Today, I want to give you three truths to help you stand firm in your faith when life comes at you at full force.

1. Jesus is our foundation.

In Acts 4, we see Peter and John take a strong stand for Christ in the face of people who wanted to throw them in prison and even destroy their lives. One key reason Peter and John were able to stand firm in their faith is because Jesus was their foundation. Their lives were built on the solid rock of Christ. 

Look at Acts 4:8-12: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.” Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Peter believed that Jesus is the cornerstone. Jesus was his everything. Jesus was his foundation. They were walking and talking in the name of Jesus Christ. They knew that salvation was found in no one else. Their lives were all about Jesus. He was their foundation. 

When Jesus is our cornerstone, no matter what we face in life, we have a firm foundation to stand on. We can stand on Him, for Him, and we can walk in His strength, talk in His strength, and live in His strength. Everything we are and do is all about Him!

We all face trouble and opposition, but we can take a stand when we make Jesus our foundation. Jesus is a cornerstone and foundation that will never crack or grow weary. He’s a cornerstone that makes a solid foundation for us to stand on seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day! When the storms of life come, Jesus is our firm foundation.  Just like Peter and John, we must make Jesus our foundation, the cornerstone we build our life on.

2. We have to obey God in the midst of opposition.

Facing opposition isn’t a matter of “if” but “when,” which means we will have many opportunities to obey or disobey. God hasn’t called us to just believe—our faith must be a vibrant, active faith that we live out. Peter and John had a vibrant, active faith.

Look at Acts 4:18-20 again: “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’”

This came down to whether Peter and John would stand and obey God or bow down and give in to their fears, logic, and doubt.  See, it’s easy to fall into the trap where we know a lot but do little with what we know, especially in the face of opposition.

Peter and John not only listened to God, but they also obeyed and did what God told  them at the risk of their own lives! To stand firm in our faith, we have to do what James tells us. He says we can’t just be hearers of the word; we also must be doers of the word regardless of the opposition we face (James 1:22).

We must put feet to our faith and keep walking even through the valley of the shadow of death. We must keep walking through the rough terrain of the mountains of life, and we must keep walking when the storms of life come against us. 

I’ve found that one of the main challenges to obeying God in the midst of opposition is that we can begin to wonder about the outcome: Will God help us? Will God come through in the way we hope He will? Will we have to suffer for standing firm?

We know that if God doesn’t show up the way we want Him to, this could get real ugly really quick. Oftentimes, we have to battle our flesh and common sense to stand firm. For Peter and John, common sense would’ve been to keep a little quieter about Jesus so that they weren’t thrown in prison, beaten, or, even worse, killed. Our flesh tells us to back up and back down. Our flesh says, “Just go with the crowd. Be popular. Don’t ruffle anyone’s feathers.”

But a major part of obeying God is standing firm and trusting God even when it doesn’t make sense.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Peter and John trusted God with all their hearts, and they didn’t lean on their own understanding. They were “all in” for Jesus, no matter the cost.

Living for Christ isn’t always easy. We will face opposition. But we must obey God in the midst of opposition and stand firm because He is worthy! Because He died for us, the least we can do is live for Him. We must take a stand by being obedient.

3. When we stand for Jesus, He shines through us.

It’s powerful to watch what happens when Peter and John stand firm in their faith.

Acts 4:4 says, “But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.”

Because they stood firm, many people heard the message of Christ and believed. Many people were snatched out of the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of light because two men stood firm in their faith in the face of opposition.

When we stand, people see Jesus in us and God will use our boldness to bring people into a relationship with Him. These men stood firm in their faith, and the number of men grew to five thousand. Wow! Powerful things happen when we stand firm. When we stand firm in our faith, God will use our resolve to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine!

I want to show you another way God shines through us when we stand for Him.

Acts 4:13 says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

We also see that people who hadn’t yet crossed the line of faith were amazed and astonished by the courage and boldness of Peter and John. People who didn’t even know Jesus were impacted by His Gospel through the lives of two men who stood firm. The seed of the Gospel was planted into the hearts of unbelievers because two men took a stand. I think it’s safe to say that some of these people ended up accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior. And it all began because of the boldness of two men who came under attack. We must stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ because every time we do, the seed of the Gospel is planted into hearts.

When we stand firm, we’re standing on the cornerstone and Jesus is shining brightly through our lives. Our courage will encourage and astonish people as we point them to Jesus by standing firm on the foundation of Christ Jesus.

When we stand for Jesus, He will also shine through our conversations and words.

Acts 4:31 says, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

When we stand firm and then we pray, the power of God is released upon our lives in a powerful way. God’s power then gives us the courage to speak the Word of God boldly.

I encourage you to stand firm in your faith and watch Jesus shine through your words and your life!

Lastly, notice what happens in Acts 4:32-37:

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

When we stand firm for God and pray to Him, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to stand together and let our light shine. God builds His Church through people who stand firm on the solid foundation of Christ, who pray, who are filled with the Spirit, and who stand together in faith. This is how God built the early church, and this is how God is still building His Church today. He’s looking for men and women who will stand for Him. No matter the opposition, we must stand for God so that He can shine through us.

APPLICATION:  It’s vitally important to me that you understand you will face opposition in life as you surrender your life to Christ. The enemy of your soul, Satan, wants to do everything possible to oppose you and hinder you from coming to Christ.

If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to press past any opposition and to give your life to Christ. Peter and John left everything to follow Jesus, and once Jesus became their foundation, God used them to do mighty things that have literally impacted millions and millions of people. When you surrender your life to Christ, not only will He forgive you but He will also give you a new purpose for living and begin to use your life to advance His kingdom. 

After you make the decision to give your life to Christ, stand with both feet firmly planted on Jesus. And as you stand on the solid rock of Christ, be committed to praying and reading God’s Word, the Bible. As you pray to God and follow His Word, He will give you the strength, direction, and peace to make it through any challenge you face. He helped Peter and John, and He will help you. And not only will He help you, but He will shine brightly through your life and use you to impact your family, friends, and coworkers. He will use you to be salt and light to the world around you.

Every day for the rest of our lives, we will face circumstances and situations where we have to choose whether we will stand for Christ. Peter and John had every reason in the world to not stand for Christ. They were imprisoned, threatened, and their lives endangered, but they chose to stand—and God did powerful things in and through their lives. They were bright lights for Jesus. God wants you to be a bright light for Jesus.  

At work, stand firm in your faith. At school, stand firm in your faith. Around your family, stand firm in your faith. When no one is watching, stand firm in your faith. In public, stand firm in your faith. In the face of opposition, adversity, when all hell is breaking loose, stand firm in your faith. God is faithful and wants us to be a light everywhere we go. Remember that when we stand firm in our faith, God’s light shines brightly through us.

CLOSING

First, some of you here may be wavering in your faith. If that’s you, God says, “Fear not, trust in Me.” Jesus has overcome the world, and He will help you overcome whatever you’re facing. Stand firm in Christ today. God is with you. You aren’t alone. We all face challenges, and together God wants us to stand firm, to obey Him, to grow in Him, and to let Him shine through our lives.

Second, there may be some of you who haven’t ever surrendered your life to Christ. I want you to know today that Jesus wants to be the cornerstone of your life. He died on the cross and rose again so that you could trust Him with your life. He did all this because He loves you. He wants to forgive you and be the cornerstone of your life.

I want to give you an opportunity to start a relationship with Him today. You don’t need to have everything figured out. Today, just decide to surrender your life to Christ and make Him your cornerstone, and He will help you clean up your life. Jesus died and three days later rose from the dead so that we can be forgiven, born again, and made into a new creation. He loves you, and there is nothing more that He wants right now than to have a relationship with you. So if that’s you and you’re ready to start a relationship with Jesus Christ, I’m going to count to three, and I just want you to raise your hand. When you raise your hand, you’re saying to God, “I want a relationship with You.”

So if that’s you, just raise your hand and I’m going to lead you in a prayer.