WILL JESUS STAND FOR YOU

 

In any sport, there are many skilled individuals that work hard to be a part of a team. For those who are fortunate to make the team, there is a sense of relief. You made it! There is the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. You get to put on the same uniform as your new teammates. You feel good. But… as you well know, it doesn’t stop there.

                For many of us, this is how we treat salvation. Once we accept the gift of salvation we go about our lives as if there’s nothing else to do, or we may do some things here or there to punch our spiritual time card. Granted, once salvation is received, through Jesus Christ, our eternal life in heaven is secured. But there should be a strong desire to wanting to know more about Jesus. Yeah we made it, but we should continue to work hard to justify that we belong to Christ. This is what James meant when he talked about faith and works being linked together. In James 2:14 it reads “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” This verse is often misinterpreted into thinking that faith alone can’t save you. That is not the case. Why? Because Paul said so in Ephesians 2:8 when he told the people in Ephesus that “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” What James is referring to is the spiritual bondage that we allow ourselves to fall under once we are saved. He goes on to say in verse 17 that “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” You see, at the point of salvation we are justified by faith, and in the process of sanctification we are justified by works. Again, James illustrates this by using Abraham as an example. James 2:21-22 reads, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith is made perfect?”

                Now let’s put this illustration into modern terms. The San Antonio Spurs are the 2013-2014 NBA Champions. They are the winning team. Everyone on their roster is a champion. Everyone on that roster will receive a championship ring… even Austin Daye. Well, who is Austin Daye? He’s an NBA Champion. He is on the team of the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs played 23 games in the playoffs this year. At 48 minutes a game, that is a total of 1,104 minutes. Austin Daye played in just one of those games for a total of 5.9 minutes. Yes he’s a champion and yes he’s on the winning team. But do you think he has as much satisfaction and appreciation than say, Tim Duncan – who played in all 23 games and averaged 32.7 minutes per game, which equals 752.1 total minutes played. No, I’m pretty sure he didn’t. Why? Because his contribution was very minimal and didn’t have an impact on the outcome.

                My fellow brother and sisters, we are on the winning team. We are on team Jesus Christ! Our victory is guaranteed through Him. And unlike the Spurs, our victory doesn’t change year after year. And just like Austin Daye, what we do will not change the end result which is victory. So what’s the point you ask? Well, the bottom line is because Jesus said so. Remember the Great Commission? Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” What this means is even though what we do (or don’t do) won’t change God’s victory (which is great by the way!), what we do can change the impact on others who may become eternal casualties with Satan. We are to spread God’s word and truth in every aspect of our lives and in every realm of influence in our lives. Why do you think God sometimes allows us to go through certain situation and trials? It may be that He wants to use you to spread His word to someone else. He could also be trying to get your attention because you are not putting Him first in your life.

                We must continue to mature in Christ every single day. We can no longer remain stagnant in our spiritual lives and only seek God’s help when it benefits us. We can no longer be ignorant to the Word of God, not having the desire to learn God’s Word to avoid responsibility and accountability. Hebrews 5:13-14 tells us “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Milk is for babies, and we can no longer act like babies, but rather be mature adults and feed off the meat of the Word.

                The time is now. No more waiting. No more looking for someone else to do it. This world is falling by the wayside. The people who are lost have allowed and are continuing to allow Satan to influence them to remove God’s authority from truth. And when that happens, the truth can be manipulated and twisted to satisfy ones selfishness. That is why we must grow closer and stronger in Christ in order to reach those who are lost in the world. Are we ready to stand on the front line of this war and allow God to work in us and through us? Are we willing to stand in the gap and intercede for those who need Christ? Are we able to lay aside our own desires in order to aide in the desires of others? Are we ready to stand up for truth and righteousness and fend off the fiery darts of the enemy? Even if we are standing alone? Will we surrender our lives to Christ every single day in order for these things to happen? Well, the good news is we have a blueprint to follow… the Word of God. Just think of the advantage and privilege we have to be able to look back and read about how God worked in others’ lives. I think about someone like Stephen who stood for God’s truth and righteousness, even unto death. When others created lies about him and what he was teaching, causing an uproar with the people and bringing him before the council, he stood his ground.

                What’s interesting is what Stephen witnessed prior to being stoned to death. Let’s look at Acts 7:55-56. It says, “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Did you see that? Let me ask you this, where is Jesus right now? Colossians 3:1b tells us “Where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” But when Stephen looked up he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Whenever you go to your child’s sporting event or musical recital, and they do a good job, what do you do when it’s over? You stand and give an ovation. This is what Stephen witnessed, Jesus standing in adoration in what he stood and died for. Let God look down upon His children and witness our work for His glory. Will Jesus stand for you?