STANDING FIRM WITH COURAGE

Text: Matthew 5:11-16

INTRODUCTION

 Jesus was not one to shy away from asking hard questions that penetrated the lives of the people who claimed to follow God. He came at a time when the nation of Israel had become very ingrown and self-preserving. The Jews remembered a glorious past and longed for a new and glorious future, but in the present they had morphed into a very closed, self-defined, self-praising community. In reality Israel was a small community way out on the edge of the Roman Empire, insignificant in the larger scope of world history. The Jews longed for a sense of the transcendent place in history that they had once had, and they were waiting for their messiah-king to come and throw off the Roman Empire and reestablish them as a great and mighty nation. Some were willing to go to extreme political measures, even insurrection, in order to achieve these goals. Others were content to find security in the Law, piling up more and more regulations in order to define themselves as the righteous people of God. Jesus stepped into that culture and told them, "You have it all wrong." He reinterpreted what it meant to be a follower of God and reminded them of their original calling.

What was relevant for the disciples to hear in Jesus’ days has important lessons for us today too. We need to take heed to the life altering teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5:11-16 as the Master unfolds to us areas where we need to stand firm for our faith in a midst of opposition with joy and gladness, to stand wisely by guarding our influence as salt of the earth, and to stand as courageous witness, a city set on a mountain and a light on a lampstand.

STAND FIRMLY

Disciples should rejoice and be glad, standing firm in their witness in the face of opposition because they will be blessed, their reward is great, and they will be identified with the persecuted prophets.

We, too, like the disciples, will receive blessings from the Lord when we stand firm in our witness in the face of persecution – when men reviles us, speaks against us and calls us names. Yes, we understand the blessing part but what does Jesus said about those who would receive his blessings?

The blessing is for those who stand firm in innocence; “when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you,” do not retaliate or pay back in kind. Because Jesus anticipated difficult times, He encourages the disciples that “even the persecuted can be happy. They may appear to lose all; it is not so. They gain the kingdom of heaven.”

The other point to note has to do with the words “because of me” in verse 11. It speaks about giving allegiance to Jesus and living in conformity with his standards even in a harsh condition.

Some 30 years ago I lead my best friend to the Lord. He was from a very staunch Taoist-Buddhist background and his late father was the president of a religious festival in their area. He had a very genuine experience of God but had to endure the wrath of the family. When his family found out that he became a Christian they threaten him, scolded him and some even tried to physically beat him up. He’s just one of the 14 members of the family! For one whole year he was severely persecuted; his brand new bible was thrown into the fire, he was often prevented from going to church and many more ugly things that they had done to him. I bear witness to his testimony; in that one year of persecution he experienced the presence of God protecting him, he secretly (late at night and in dim darkness) read through the entire bible. God’s word was his spiritual nourishment. His spiritual growth was amazing. Today, he is a pastor and has been serving God for 19 years. In the course of it all he led his father to the Lord and three of his sisters.

I see God’s blessing upon this life over and over again until today! His testimony proves the words of Jesus’ encouragement to the disciples to stand firm in the face of opposition because out of it will flow the blessings of God.

Jesus went on to say in verse 12 that those who learn to stand firm in their faith will receive great reward. Isn’t that encouraging? We need not fear what man can do to us. We need not buckled under the weight of persecution because we have a great reward waiting for us. Yes, suffering will be a part of our association with Jesus but this world is not our home and we are promised of a great reward.

Moreover Jesus also brought up the fact that this obedience of standing firm in our faith is identification with the suffering Prophets. Jesus offers a poignant reminder that the great men and women of Old Testament times often suffered a similar fate. Perhaps Jesus is also teaching the disciples to avoid the trap of thinking that they are the only ones who would ever experience such problem. The prophet Jeremiah provides the classic example. Prophets are people who are persecuted for God’s sake and who do not do evil things to others. This will be further underscored in 7:15-23 which emphasizes that the disciples’ identification with the prophets is not just someone who proclaims the right things of God but one who also bear good fruits.

Are you going through any difficulties, are you being bombarded with any unpleasant words from people, and is there any injustice done to you because you are a Christian? You can rest assured – Jesus commanded us to rejoice and be glad. We need to possess a new perspective; this world is not our home and we will have great reward waiting for us and secondly, suffering for Jesus’ name sake is part of discipleship and growth. What a privilege? 

STAND WISELY

Disciples should guard their influence and avoid doing foolish things that is detrimental to their witness because it is impossible to restore a reputation that is soiled and to regain back respect that is broken.

In the first part of verse 13, “You are the salt of the earth,” the pronoun “you” is emphatic. The idea given is that you are the only salt of the earth. “Are” stresses the being rather than the doing. We have an extremely important function in the world. Whatever else it may have represented, salt always stood for that which was of high value and importance.

Many suggestions have been made as to the particular characteristics of salt that Jesus intended to associate with this figure. Some pointed out that salt is white and therefore represents purity and linked it to verse 8, “the pure in heart” – meaning the disciples are to help purify the rest of the world. All that is certainly true but it does not seem to the point to the fact that Jesus said that if the salt become foolish or “lost its saltiness.” 

Others emphasize the characteristic of flavor. Again we can say that in certain sense the principle is true. Still others said that because salt stings when placed in a wound, Jesus meant to illustrate just the opposite characteristic to that of flavor. The analogy has merit too. Whatever picture we use to illustrate the analogy of the disciples as salt of the earth may principally have merit but we need to be careful not to read too much into it.

At the bottom-line, Jesus meant to illustrate to the disciples and to us that we are to guard our influence and witness. Therefore Jesus warns us against doing anything foolish. The primary reason for Jesus’ warning is that when we do foolish things it is impossible to restore back our influence. When we lose our influence we would lose respect as Christ’s witnesses. Jesus was not talking about losing our salvation but our value and effectiveness in the kingdom when sin and worldliness contaminate their lives, just as salt can become tasteless.

One of the most difficult things in witnessing to our unbelieving friends is when they have bad experiences in their lives dealing with people who identified themselves as Christian but does not show in their conduct and their dealings. Almost instantly they would question us, “I know of this Christian who is…dah…dah…dah” It can become very demoralizing.

But before we point our fingers at these “bad apple” Christians we need to know that Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth … we need to guard our influence, our reputation and our walk with the Lord. James says in his letter, “Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works.” He was being consistent with the teaching of Jesus here – guard our influence and avoid doing foolish things that is detrimental to our witness because it is impossible to restore a reputation that is soiled and to regain back respect that is broken.

STAND COURAGEOUSLY

Disciples should be courageous and forthright in their witness because it is impossible to hide the light as a city set upon a mountain and it would be foolishness or contrary to the purpose to hide a lamp under a basket.

We are the light of the world (14a) Light is obvious; it not only reveals what is wrong and false but helps produce what is righteous and true. By its nature and by definition light must be visible in order to illuminate. There is a reasoned argument and there is the result of obedience to shine as light.

Jesus gave two analogies. First, “a city set on a mountain cannot be hidden,” he argued that it is impossible to hide the light when we are like a city set on a mountain. He is bringing to the attention of the disciples to be courageous, to be upfront or forthright in their witness like a city, a beacon set on a high place – a place where the light of God will illuminate in the dark places.

Second, Jesus said the men don’t “light the lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand,” so that it will give light to the house. This second picture gives the disciples the idea that to hide a lamp that one has lighted would be foolishness. It would really be contrary to the purpose of the lighted lamp. It should be on the lampstand and should give light to the whole house. The powerful analogy is to encourage the disciples to be forthright in their witness, to be courageous and not hide their witness.

I was reflecting on what Jesus said here about being the light of the world and tries to link it with our everyday Christian life in the marketplace. We know that Jesus’ analogies speak of courageous witness. My first impression seems to have something to do with being bold to share the gospel. That is true but I thought further and I believe it is more than that. There are several things that we can consider as being a courageous witness: (a) In our workplace we walk in integrity and we will not compromise our witness as a Christian. (b) We show kindness and compassion by not being calculative, going out of the way to help and that would marked us out as different – shining as light in places of darkness. (c) We do our work with excellence. (d) Of course, we extent help when there is a need or problems that our non-Christians friends are facing. We must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ – we must be courageous and forthright in our witness. 

Why do we need to be courageous and forthright in our witness? “Let your light shine” certainly is a stated command that demands a response. Jesus continued by giving the result if our response is positive and out of obedience. The first of the result of their response to obedience is that the people will see our good works and deeds and the second is that the people will glorify the Father in heaven. The word for “good” that Jesus uses here does not so much emphasize quality – though that obviously is important – as it does attractiveness, beautiful appearance. “Good works” – the beauty the Lord has worked in the disciples and in us.

CONCLUSION

Just like Jesus encourages and exhorts the disciples, we should also rejoice and be glad, standing firm in their witness in the face of opposition because we will be blessed, our reward will be great, and we will be identified with the persecuted prophets. Jesus encourages and exhorts us to guard our influence and avoid doing foolish things that is detrimental to our witness because it is impossible to restore a reputation that is soiled and to regain back respect that is broken. Jesus encourages and exhorts us to be courageous and forthright in our witness because it is impossible to hide the light as a city set upon a mountain and it would be foolishness or contrary to the purpose to hide a lamp under a basket.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

Romans 13:8-14 - Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

After the first 8 chapters of doctrinal teaching he switches to the practice of our Christian faith. In these verses he emphasized once again some things that are vital for us to constantly be reminded of.

First, love is the fulfillment of the law. If there is any debt we should have it is certainly the debt of love to God and each others. If there is anything that is of supreme importance it would be love. If there is anything pertaining to the laws of God that we should keep it would be to love God with all that is in us and to love one another as Jesus has loved us!

Second, knowing the time we are living in. If there is an urgency attached to the time that we are living in we should cast off the works of darkness; orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarrelling and jealousy. If there is a call to awake from sleep it certainly demands that we put on the armor of light; put on Christ – make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. If we truly realize that the night is far gone and the day is at hand we would watch our steps and walk properly as in the daytime.

SOME THINGS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT IN LIFE WHEN WE HAVE SUCH A MINDSET. WE DO NOT LIVE OUR LIVES HAPHASARDLY AGAIN!

There are few things that J.B. Phillips paraphrased in his translation –

1.      It is time to wake up to the reality.

2.      Every day brings God’s salvation nearer than the day in which we took the first step of faith.

3.      Fling away the things that men do in the dark.

4.      Let us arm ourselves for the fight of the day – Christ’s men from head to foot.

THE DEPTH OF REBELLION

In Romans 1 Paul unveils God’s anger over the depth of man’s rebellion. THREE TIMES we hear the dreadful refrain: “God gave them over”;

1.      In 1:24 (NIV) God gave them over to their sinful desires.

2.      In 1:26 (NIV) he gave them over to their shameful lusts.

3.      Verse 28 of chapter 1 of Romans (NIV) God gave them over to their depraved mind.

Note the progression here: desires, lusts, and mindset. Carl F H Henry in his book The Twilight of a Great Civilization observed that “as a channel of sin runs ever deeper, God’s compensatory judgment moves ever closer to final abandonment and inescapable doom.”

When the “channel of sin runs … deeper” – when sin is freely flowing, is forcefully gushing forward, when sin began to reign supreme and permeate into every fibre of society, when immorality – sinful desires, shameful lusts and a depraved minds – became the order of the day, THEN, God would throw up his hands and gave them up to their own desires – he might just abandon his patience tolerance – left to our own inescapable doom!

We see the increased in marriage and family breakdowns, the rise of new families due to divorces, single parenting, and alternative lifestyles, and the devastating teenage problems – suicide, additions, immorality.

FACTSHEET: More teenagers go for ‘backyard’ abortions      Last updated on 07/10/2013 - 15:07 Suganthi Suparmaniam KUALA LUMPUR: Teenagers as young as 13 years old go to “backyard clinics” for abortions, with some going under the knife more than once in a year. And the increasing number of such scary teenage abortions in the country has reached an alarming stage. Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam said that a research done by Universiti Malaya several years ago found that at least 300 teenage abortions took place a day. “The sexual acts and abortions have become common among teenagers aged 16 and below. And the boys would pay for the abortions,” he told the ant daily. James, who is also the chairman of Suriana Welfare Society for Children, said from the years of working with children and on children-related issues, he found the statistics scary. “These teenagers go for backyard abortions, do the deed and then clean themselves. They then go to their friends’ homes and spend time there before going back home. If they can go for abortions three times in a year, they don’t mind,” he said. He said the teenagers would not go for medical follow-ups and this would leave them with psychological scars that could affect their relationship in future. The problem is more severe in urban than rural areas where family bonding is stronger. He blamed society for only rising to the occasion once something happens.

What is underway is a redefinition of the good life, a redefinition that not only perverts the word “good” but perverts the terms “life” as well. What is good is corrupted into whatever gratifies one’s personal desires, whatever promotes self-interest even at the expense of the dignity and worth of others.  In the fantasy-world of sinful desires, shameful lusts, and a depraved mind, sexual libertinism is good, coveting and stealing are good, violence and terrorism are good. Perversion of the good is connected with what is called “the life.” All that the Bible means by life – spiritual life, moral life, eternal life, and a life fit for eternity – is emptied into an existence fit only for beasts and brutes (Carl F.H. Henry).

God gave them up to be the playthings of their own foul desires in dishonoring their own bodies. They deliberately forfeited the truth of God and accepted a lie, paying homage and giving service to the creature instead of the Creator. God gave them over to disgraceful passions (Romans 1:24-27, JB Philips).

If we were to compare 30 years ago and today we see more and more the wicked subculture comes to open cultural manifestation. We see more and more the unmentionables become the parlance (jargon, lingo and language) of our day. We see more and more profanity and vulgarity finding expression through the mass media. The sludge of a sick society is rising to the top even in Malaysia, sad to say, the stench does not offend even some Christians!!

Chuck Swindoll was right when he described the good life that can only be found in Christ:

The good life – the one that truly satisfy – exists only when we stop wanting a better one. It is the condition of savoring what IS rather than longing for what MIGHT BE. The itch for things, the lust for more – so brilliantly interjected by those who peddle them – is a virus draining our souls of happy contentment.

Hebrews 12:26-27 (ESV) - At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”  This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Yes, the day will come when God will shake the earth and the heaven once again. The bible tells us that the things that can be shaken will be shaken and the things that cannot be shaken will remain.When the depth of rebellion and sinful deeds of men had overflowed, the wrath of God will be poured out.  What will happen to all the things that we built? Are we building for eternity or are we building for this earth? We need to get our priority right!!

2 Peter 3:4, 10 we read Peter’s warning - They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 

Peter warned the believers that one day the heaven will pass away, heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and all the works that are done on it will be exposed. All our works will be exposed and each one of us will be held accountable. Paul said that the night is far gone and the day is at hand. Let us heed Paul’s warning and cast off the works of darkness.

THE FIGHT OF THE DAY

 We have a duty in the cultural upheaval around us. God has not told us to build an ark or to escape the floodwaters by taking to the hills. We are told to vigorously proclaim and apply the Christian message. The early Christians knew the fierceness of the battle. Don’t forget that we ourselves were dug from the sludge of a sick society.

Paul said it so honestly and so transparently in order to remind the Ephesians believers that they were once sons of disobedience and were by nature children of wrath – yes, the sludge of a sick society. Read the account in Eph. 2:1-3:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 

It is one thing to run away from sin; it is yet another to run up a flag of faith. God wants our mind, our will, our heart – the whole self. Where your feet go, does Christ walk with you? Where your mind reaches, is the mind of Christ yours also? In whatever your will embraces, is Christ’s will astride (on both sides of) your own? Christian duty requires of us more than personal piety and devotion, important as that is. It is not enough to say “NO” when culture holds that fornication is a morally acceptable option and that we may abort the unborn child if it is unwanted or we can make choices based on our feelings and notion because we believed there is no longer any objective truth to begin with.

Are we aware of the challenges we face today? Are we being debilitated by the shoddy values of our times?

Let us consider these issues. Dr. Carl Henry calls it “the fight of the day” and then went on to ask a series of questions that should stir our hearts.  In the battle between good and evil, are we armed and engaged in the fight of the day?  In the battle for the minds of men, are we armed and engaged in the fight of the day?  In the battle of the will of humanity, are we armed and engaged in the fight of the day?   In the exhibition of a Christian mindset, are we armed and engaged in the fight of the day? In the development of Christian counter-moves, are we armed and engaged in the fight of the day?

CHALLENGES

 We need to rise up, soldiers of the Cross! Just as there are depths of depravity in human life, so too there are levels of dedication. And just as God progressively abandons renegades to their rebellion, He too will reward the righteous in their spiritual renewal. Christianity is qualitatively different or it had nothing to offer to the world. The real arena is the working, the witnessing and the winning over of others in the world, or we have ceased to be light, salt, and leaven. Christians are required to be courageous in participating at the frontiers of public concern – education, mass media, politics, law, literature and the arts, labor and economics, and the whole realm of cultural pursuits. We need to do more than sponsor a Christian subculture. We need Christian counter-moves that command a new climate, counter-moves that penetrate the public realm.

Quote from Carl Henry again -

To live Christianly involves taking a stand for God that calls this world’s Caesars to account before the sovereign Lord of the universe, that calls this world’s sages to account before the wisdom that begins with the fear of the Lord, that calls this world’s journalists to account before The Greatest Story ever told. We must strive to reclaim this cosmos for its rightful owner, God, who has title to the cattle on a thousand hills, and for Christ who says to the lost multitudes, “I made you; I died for you; I ransomed you.

I started off by sharing that love is the fulfillment of the law. We own a debt of love to God and we are told to cast off the unfruitful works of darkness. We need to deal with desires, lusts, and the tendency to have our mind corrupted. We need to be aware of the preciousness of time.  But the bottom-line is this – we need to rise up, we need to fight and do battle for the lost humanity, for the culture that moves contrary to God’s purpose lest our nation comes to a place where God gave them up!  Let us rise up and be countered. It is not just being righteous and holy BUT also requires us to participate actively in areas of public concerns – to be counter-cultural – turning the nations back to the heart of God.

Work Cited:

Carl F H Henry, The Twilight of a Great Civilization