- Have your commitments cost you?
- Has your decision to stand for truth and righteousness
caused you difficulty?
- Don’t worry, you are in good company. If Jesus and his
followers faced persecution, then so will you.
- Look at what verse 11 - 12 says, “Not only that—count
yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw
you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it
means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are
uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a
cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all
heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company.
My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind
of trouble.”
- Do you see that? "for though they don’t like it, I do! And all
heaven applauds."
- There is a spiritual battle going on.
- It is the worlds way vs. God’s way.
- It is Light vs. Darkness.
- Romans 12: 2 says this, Don’t become so well-adjusted to
your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead,
fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside
out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly
respond to it.
- Simply, recognize what he wants and respond.
- Your goal is not to be accepted by the world.
- Look at what James 4:4 says, "You adulterers! Don't you
realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy
of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world,
you make yourself an enemy of God.”
- If your whole goal and aim is to be accepted by others, and
what they are involved in is not acceptable to God, then you
have just chosen them as LORD.
- Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe to those who call evil good and good
evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness"
- So let me encourage you to stand for Righteousness.
- Hate the sin, but love the person who is sinning. Don’t ever
turn that around.
- You hate sin because it destroys peoples lives and leads
them away from Christ.
- If you just approve of what someone is doing and condone it,
then they are deceived. They think they are doing the right
thing when all along they are not…because no one told
them.
- If you don’t know what God’s word says, then read it…begin
today…cover to cover.
- Acts 17:10 - 11, says that the Berea’s “received the word
with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to find
out whether these thing were so.”
- Your job is to: #1 search the Word of God, #2 accept it as
Truth, #3 Reflect it.
- Don’t get caught up in arguing and ruining your testimony.
In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says that, “You are the Light of the
world”.
- Be the Light.
- Have a great Tuesday!