Standing Firm: Embracing Our Identity in Christ

Devotional

Sermon Summary

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

"Show us what it is to hold fast and to stand rather than to fall and how it's rooted in these glorious realities and thus produced this in us I pray we don't want to be fragile people we want to be people who are like anchors who are strong stable um immovable not blown over by every wind of Doctrine or Affliction so work this in as I pray in Jesus name amen." [00:53:42]

"In view of the fact that you are loved, in view of the fact that you are chosen, in view of the fact that it's all destined for your salvation from God's Wrath and from hell and from guilt and from sickness and from everything that this Fallen World Is Gonna ruin in you you're going to be saved from it it's all going to happen through sanctification and holiness." [00:94:55]

"Brothers, know who you are know where you've come from know your destiny know your joy this is what Christians need to hear over and over again the Glorious reality of Sovereign Love The Glorious reality of election the Glorious reality of final salvation and present salvation the Glorious reality of being called to Holiness and faith The Sovereign call of God on our lives the destiny of Glory we just don't have these in our minds enough." [00:147:80]

"You stand by holding on to the ropes of tradition, which we'll study next time truth I have passed along truth to you if you let go of the Rope of truth you're going to fall and not stand so hold and then in verse um 17 you've got this word let's read it now may our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father who loved us and gave us Eternal comfort and Good Hope through Grace." [00:208:86]

"Comfort your hearts and establish them you hear the link establish them in every good work and work this is not just standing inert right standing with your arms folded in the wind saying oh I'm strong the wind hasn't blown me over no you're doing good work and you're opening your mouth with the gospel and you're stood by the Lord for that but notice what it is this is not a command what is it." [00:246:78]

"Here comes a command followed by a prayer that God would do it and then jump what three verses later three three the Lord is faithful he will establish you same word establish you and guard you you will stand so now we don't have a prayer we have a promise you will stand and we have confidence in the Lord about you that you are doing and will do the things that we command." [00:298:44]

"Steadfastness establish stand this is the model so I'm drawing out four things about Stan one here it's a command two here it's a prayer three here it's a promise and four here it's a model or an example from Jesus or maybe you could say a foundation oh how important that is oh how important this is ethically and theologically because so many people think that if we're given a command that somehow oh I guess I got to do this now and God's going to watch and see whether I do it." [00:340:28]

"Command what you will and give what you command that's exactly the way Paul thinks he's commanding them to stand he's praying that they will stand and he's promising they will stand which means that the way we go about obeying this is by faith in the truth of this prayer and this promise you don't do it on your own you don't do it with your fingers crossed as if oh it's all up to me now I sure hope I can stand." [00:390:54]

"Nobody's gonna stand if God doesn't cause us to stand so we look to the steadfastness of Christ we hear the promise of his enabling in his help we pray with him that God will do it and then we do it so what is it what is Stan what's the opposite of stand sometimes we clarify positive things by asking about their negative counterpart well the opposite of stand is what full right stumble and fall flat." [00:421:81]

"That's what a soldier must not do can't fall if you're in a Phalanx pressing into the enemy if you fall you ruin everybody you can't fight on your back and I'm talking metaphorically now because I know that a paraplegic Christian flat on his or her back in the hospital can be the strongest standard in the world right we all know that I'm talking metaphorically here that is your heart can be standing like an iron Rod against evil and against Affliction and against deception while you yourself are a weak sick person lying in bed with a disease or a paralysis." [00:460:62]

"So we're called to stand that is not fall in in what way well two ways at least in this letter the first is fall to deception and we've been through that right in chapter two now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and being gathered to him we ask you Brothers not to be shaken in mind that's you're about to fall if that happens you're starting to toder and waver an alarm to the effect that the day of the Lord has come let no one deceive you that's the fall right there you fall by being deceived." [00:509:81]

"The other way that you fall is not by deception but by Affliction or persecution so the what here is don't fall into unbelief through deception don't fall into unbelief through Affliction but rather stand by holding fast to This Promise he will establish you and then praying with Paul oh May our Lord Jesus Christ establish us and then looking to this beautiful model of the steadfastness of Christ all the way through crucifixion unimaginable and then hearing the imperative with all this reality under us and standing oh God may you raise up millions of Christians like that." [00:596:89]

Ask a question about this sermon