“Stand Fast in the Lord” Philippians 4:1
“Therefore my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” The words “stand fast” are frequently seen in Paul’s writings. It was important that Christians not let the world around them keep them from living a life that would be pleasing to the Lord. The people to whom Paul wrote lived in a predominantly pagan society, which meant that there were many temptations to sin. Today’s society is not unlike the society in which the Philippians, etc. lived; therefore, it is important for us to “stand fast.” Today we might say “stand firm,” or “stand pat.” However we say it, it means to not be swayed by the sins of the world around and to remember who it is that we serve. So, how are we to “stand fast”? We are to “stand fast in the Lord.” This means that we are not to stand fast in our own opinions or prejudices. In our human flesh we do not have the power to stand on our own, we need to stand fast in the Lord, and to obey His will for us. We need to remember that we do not just represent ourselves, but we represent the Lord. The world needs to see the Lord’s people living like His people. Standing fast in the Lord means that we stand fast in His power. When Peter and John encountered the beggar at the Beautiful Gate of the temple in Jerusalem, the beggar wanted them to give him some money. Peter told the man that he did not have silver or gold, but that what he had he would give him. In the name of Jesus Christ, the man got up from his beggar's spot and began to run and leap and praise God. When the people marveled, Peter wanted to make sure that the people realized that it was not his own power that healed the man, but that it was the power of Jesus. Here is what Peter told the people: “And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness, we had made this man to walk.” He went on to tell them that the man was healed by the power of Jesus, whom they had denied. Peter stood fast in the Lord and not in his own power. We have the power of God on which we can stand, and we need to make sure that people know that it is the Lord’s power and not our own. Standing fast in the Lord means that we stand fast in His love. As we confront a pagan society, we need to remember that the kingdom of God is built on love and not on hatred. It is one thing to be angry about the direction of the society in which we live, it is quite another to confront it. When Jesus looked at the waywardness of the people of His day, He was moved with compassion toward them. He saw them as “sheep without a shepherd.” Compassion is love in action. Jesus stood firm in His commitment to die for the people, and He did that out of love. It is important for us to remember that Jesus told us: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love for one another.” (John 13:35) People see Jesus through the love that we have for them. This does not mean that we have to compromise Christian principles when we confront society, but it means that we oppose our sinful society in the love and compassion of Jesus. It is at this point that we need to remember to “hate the sin and love the sinner.” At lot people scoff at this, but it is possible and is how we should confront the world. Standing fast in the Lord means that we stand fast in His presence. We need to remember that Jesus promised that He would never forsake us. To seal this promise, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. When we stand fast, we are not standing alone. We have the constant presence of the Holy Spirit to comfort, strengthen and assure us. It does seem sometimes that we are standing alone when we stand in the righteousness of God, but we are not alone. So, “stand fast in the Lord.” Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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