Stand Firm in the Lord (3)
Stand firm in the Lord in living the kingdom life. The last two Sundays we have seen that we stand firm in the Lord by following the example of Christ, the example of other believers, and being examples of Christ to others. We stand firm by watching out for the enemies of the cross of Christ. We stand firm because we are citizens of heaven. And today we will learn that we stand firm because our Savior is coming and He will transform us to be like Him. Therefore, we stand firm in the Lord, taking a hold of and holding on to Christ.
1. Stand Firm Because Our Savior Is Coming
We stand firm in the Lord because we eagerly await from heaven the return of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. This title is the highest of all names, the Name that is above every name and at His Name, every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11). When He comes back the ultimate confession of the universe will be that Jesus, the Christ, is Yahweh, the awesome God who created the heavens and the earth, the one who sets up kings and takes them down (Is. 45:5-6,18,22-23). He is the Savior, and He, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back. “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor 1:7-9).
And when He returns, our Savior will transform our bodies. This is one of the first blessings of the everlasting life. We will be resurrected from the dead and our bodies will be transformed into heavenly bodies. About this transformation, 1 Corinthians 15 (vv. 42-44; 50-54) says — “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. … I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
He does not only resurrect us from the dead but He also gives us new bodies — “in place of an earthly body that is always characterized by physical decay, indignity, and weakness, the resurrected believer will have a heavenly body that is incapable of deterioration, beautiful in form and appearance, and with limitless energy and perfect health.” Amazing! Decomposed bodies, cremated ashes, all transformed into this heavenly, glorious body just like the glorious resurrected body of Christ. This will complete our salvation. We will gain Christ fully. We will be perfect in Christ. And we will enter the eternal kingdom and live for eternity in perfect fellowship and peace with our Lord in his new creation. Colossians 3:3-4 — “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
2. We Stand Firm Because of His Awesome Power
We stand firm in the Lord because we know with certainty that He is coming back and will transform us. Our confidence is based in his awesome, infinite power. We know and have already experienced the power of his resurrection. Now Paul explains this power more. Our Savior Lord will transform our bodies through the same power that enabled him to subject all things to Himself.
Jesus the Lord is the awesome Creator God who created all things, the whole universe. He is the Word who was in the beginning with God and is God. In Him and “through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-5).
Jesus Christ is the Savior who died for and saved his creation. He was raised from the dead. He ascended to heaven. There He was glorified and appointed with authority and power as Head over everything. He is the Sovereign Lord who rules over all. And from heaven, He will return as Savior to bring his salvation to its fulfillment in the new creation, and to rule as Lord forever.
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col 1:15-20).“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Eph 1:22-23).
So Jesus Christ the Lord is the Creator, the Savior, and the Ruler of the whole universe. All power and authority have been given to Him, and He is with us always.
3. Therefore, Stand Firm in the Lord
Therefore, we stand firm in the Lord. Because of his awesome power, because He has taken a hold of us, we stand firm in the Lord in this way. In this way is the way we live as citizens of heaven, a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. We stand firm by taking a hold of Christ. We pursue Christ so that we may gain Him completely, know Him fully, and become perfect like Him. We stand firm by holding on to Christ. We press on and run this race with our eyes fixed on Jesus and the prize awaiting us. We stand firm by living up to our calling in Christ.
“But this is so hard. It’s difficult to live the kingdom life,” we say. Yes, it is difficult. Actually, it is impossible. It is impossible when we try to do it in our own power. It is hard when we try to do this on our own. It is difficult to do so when we are unwilling to die to self, when we are unwilling to give up our self-centered ambitions and selfish interests.
However, when we take up our crosses and follow Jesus, when we take upon us Jesus’ yoke and learn from Him, we will find rest for our souls because his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Mt 11:28-30). When we hold on to Christ and allow Him to be Lord of our lives, then it becomes possible and easy to live the kingdom life because we can do all things through Him who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). Kingdom living becomes easy because His awesome power enables us. He saved and changed us by the power of his resurrection. By the power of his Holy Spirit, we were born again and given new life. And now by the same power through which He created everything, subjects, and rules over all things, by the same power through which he will transform our bodies, by that power He rules in and over our lives. This power enables, equips, and empowers us to live the kingdom life. When we keep on grumbling about how difficult the kingdom life is, then we deny and negate his awesome power. We are focused on and holding on to self. As long as we do so it will be difficult if not impossible to live the kingdom life.
The awesome power of our Lord and Savior, Sanctifier and Healer, Jesus Christ, is available to us, living in us, and working in us. All we have to do is to plug into this power and to stand firm in the Lord. We do not try to live the kingdom life but train ourselves to do so. There is a difference between trying and training. Paul instructed Timothy—“train yourself for godliness (1 Tim 4:7) and “All Scripture is profitable for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). We train ourselves daily by abiding in Christ, walking in step with the Spirit, and putting on the armor of God. We train ourselves in these by practicing daily the spiritual disciplines—study, memorize, meditate on God’s Word, prayer, fasting, solitude, giving, participating in, and serving the fellowship of the body of Christ. The church becomes our gym where we train to live as citizens of heaven in the world out there. We train ourselves daily to die to self, to submit our thoughts, attitudes, and actions to the will of God and the mind of Christ revealed in His Word, to submit to the rule of our Sovereign Lord in our lives through the Holy Spirit. When we practice these daily and train ourselves, then our Lord abides in us, we will not lack any spiritual gift, and He keeps us firm. And His power makes kingdom living easy.
When we stand firm in the Lord the words from the song, Battle Belongs, will become true in our lives: “When all I see is the battle, You see my victory. When all I see is a mountain, You see a mountain moved. And as I walk through the shadow your love surrounds me. There’s nothing to fear for I am safe with You. So when I fight I’ll fight on my knees with my hands lifted high. And every fear I lay at Your feet. I’ll sing through the night, O God the battle belongs to You. And if You are for me, who can be against me. For Jesus, there’s nothing impossible for You. When all I see are the ashes you see the beauty. When all I see is a cross, God You see the empty tomb. Almighty Fortress, You go before us. You shine in the shadows. You win every battle. Nothing can stand against the power of our God.”
Therefore, let us stand firm in the Lord! Because … “ thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:57-58).
Stand firm, let nothing move you — stay the course with your eyes fixed on Jesus. Persevere in doing God’s kingdom work, in proclaiming Christ, in living the kingdom life, and so in sharing the gospel in word and in deed. Your work is not in vain. It has meaning and significance. It has value and eternal impact. You are making a difference. You are heroes in God’s story. So, stand firm in the Lord in living the kingdom life.