Stand fast in the Lord

[0:00] God is looking for men. Now, in Christianity today, there's a move that's been around for! The seeker-sensitive worship. Church is now geared so that you can walk off the street! And you can kind of fit in. In terms of the style, the music, everything's just geared for the seeker. So everything's secular in style and geared for the ear of someone who's totally worldly and Christless. And they call it seeker-sensitive worship. Now, of course, we want to be a church that welcomes anyone who is seeking Christ, to embrace them, to point them to Christ, to love them. We're not against that. But really, who's the seeker when it comes down to it? It's really Christ. Christ is the seeker. And through us, he's seeking. As we go out, we should be the ones who are part of his seeking mission. He is the seeker. He is seeking worshippers. He's the one who's out there looking. He's the one who's the shepherd seeking the lamb that's astray. God is looking for men who will stand. Stand fast in the faith. We don't need to compromise the faith. We need to stand fast in it. Stand fast in the Lord. Philippians 4 verse 1. While others may give up, we need to stand up. We need to stand against the tide. We don't want to go with the flow. We want to stand against the tide. We don't need to change the church to make it just a worldly circus or to resemble the pub down the road. The grace of God that bringeth salvation have appeared to all men.

[1:55] Titus 2 verse 12. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. How are you standing today in this world that you live? In your world?

[2:10] In your street? In your community? In your community? How are you standing? Are you going with the flow? Or are you standing with Christ? We should have a commitment about how we live. It says there are three things. Soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. Soberly is to ourselves. It's an inward thing. It's that we choose that which is going to keep us sober and straight and true. We make choices about what we are about. So that we are living a sober life. So we have a sober mind. So we can think straight. We're soberly, inwardly. We're righteously, outwardly. So we're living righteously in our connections with others. In our relationships with others, we're living righteously. So that there's a wonderful witness in our lives. And we're living godly, upwardly as to God. So soberly, inward. So soberly, inward. Righteously, outward. Godly, upward. Soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. There's a wonderful sense where we can stand in all of those aspects, those dimensions. Stand firm with conviction, with faith. God wants us to stand fast in the liberty. There's a freedom in Christ. Colossians 4, it talks about stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Stand in His will. Stand fast for the faith. How are you?

[4:09] Not that I waste my time on it so much. Not that I waste my time on it so much. But it's been helpful to me in that I've tracked down some previous young people that came to the church who've got a Facebook page. And I've been able to find them and look them up and connect with them. And some have moved away. Some are interstate and various places. And it's just been interesting for me watching the language that they use.

[4:39] And the communication. And the communication. It reveals where people are at, doesn't it? The communication. I mean, it says, don't have filthy communication out of your mouth. And I mean, these ones who communicate, it's not coming out of their mouth, but they're using the F key a lot on the keyboard.

[4:58] And I just wonder, brothers and sisters, it's the communication. It's the communication. It shows where you stand. And it's been an eye-opener to me to see where these young people are coming from.

[5:13] And you can tell, really, whether they're converted or not by the communication. And it makes you question, brothers and sisters, and this applies to all of us, really. The language we speak, the company we keep.

[5:29] It shows, doesn't it? The communication. The language we speak and the company we keep. And Facebook is just one way. You see who they mix with, who they communicate with, who they're communicating to and from.

[5:43] And the language that they're speaking or typing, it shows where they're at, where they're standing. And brothers and sisters, the question for you and for me is, where are you standing? What's your communication?

[5:55] When I became a Christian, I went and told my school friends. When I was 15, year 9 or 8, I went and told my school friends, and they weren't my school friends any longer.

[6:09] If I was doing Facebook, then my language changed. My social networks changed. Your communication changes when you become a Christian, doesn't it?

[6:20] And there's a conversion that happens when you stand. And those who don't want to communicate about Christ and want to communicate all sorts of other trivia or worldly things, they'll drop you.

[6:33] Brothers and sisters, if you're a Christian, your communication will change. What you're absorbed with, what you yarn on about, what you spend your time talking about, what you love doing, your communication changes.

[6:46] We need to stand. And it's going to be evident in our lives in all those practical ways. And brothers and sisters, think about the battlefield that you're in.

[7:00] Are you going to stand? Or are you going to turn tail? While others are giving their ground, we should be standing our ground.

[7:13] In Ephesians 6, we read of the armour of God, that the wiles of the devil, all of his trickery, he says that you may be able to stand against that. Ephesians 6, 11, that you may be able to take unto you the whole armour of God, but you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand.

[7:32] It's time to stand. Don't go with the flow. Stand against the tide. Having done all, stand. Wear the armour. Stand against the wiles of the devil.

[7:43] Stand up for the right. Be counted. Stand up and be counted. If you're a Christian and you've got social networking sites and Facebook, stand for Christ.

[7:54] Give the gospel while you can and let them cut you off because you're too strong with it. Stop being a gutless Christian and stand. Stand in the gap. Fill the gap.

[8:05] There's a gap for you. If you're not where you should be, there's a gap there. You're missing. Don't desert your post. There's a big gap. There's men missing from their space. There's men missing from their place in the battle zone.

[8:20] And there's women missing who should be interceding. There's women missing who should be standing when they're giving up. They should be standing up. How is your heart?

[8:31] Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. How we need to see God. Time is running out, people. Christians are in the minority. I mean, real Christians are in a tiny minority, as we know.

[8:45] And it's just a matter of time before everything we know is going to be swept away. Are you going to stand? Are you going to stand such that you're willing to be executed for your faith? Are you going to stand for Christ in your social networking, in your everyday life?

[9:01] Are you going to be an out-and-out Christian? Have you been converted? It should show. It should be evident in your life. Don't give ground. Stand your ground.

[9:12] Stand by conviction for the Word of God. Stand. Don't abandon your post of duty. Take courage. In these days, men are often wimpy and weak-kneed.

[9:26] And they're not men anymore. Where are the men? Are you a man standing in the gap? Or is there still a gap there? An empty post that you should be at?

[9:38] Will you stand? Will you stand in the gap? Keep the faith. Stand fast in the faith. Don't give ground. Be steadfast. Unmovable. Always abounding.

[9:49] In the work of the Lord. And having done all, stand. In Jesus' name. Amen.