Ptr. Vince Burke / Sunday, June 22, 2008
CCF St. Francis Square, Philippines
http://www.ccf.org.ph
One small stone from David slew the giant Goliath who was in full battle gear. We, too, have stones with which to slay the giants harassing and intimidating us in our lives. Stones that still kill giants… each stone a reminder from the Spirit of biblical principles we can apply in our lives.
1. For the Giant GUILT, you need the stone that says...YOU ARE CLEAN. Satan's job is to accuse and hurl charges against us. He makes us carry the heavy yoke of guilt to drag us down. When we get stained by sin, we need to humble ourselves and plead guilty before God. Jesus comes to our defense, with a show of hands as evidence that He bore the punishment we deserved. By Christ's blood, we have been washed clean. Having been justified by Christ, the verdict reads: “NOT GUILTY,” just as it is written: “And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). These words are from, “Jesus the faithful witness....to Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood...” (Revelation 1:6). And this silences our accuser.
2. For the Giant COMPROMISE, you need the stone that says...SEEK HIM FIRST. There are voices other than the Holy Spirit that would seek to direct our lives. And to take up that giant of compromise we need the stone that says put Jesus first. So as not to fall into the same pattern as the unbelievers do, we need to remind ourselves that we are in the world but not of the world. We are soldiers in Christ's service and therefore, our duty is to please our Commanding Officer (2 Timothy 2:4). When we put God above all else and put to death those desires that cause us to compromise, God will satisfy our legitimate needs, including wants that are aligned to His will. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
3. For the Giant CONFUSION, you need the stone that says...GOOD AND HARD. Many end up confused and disillusioned because they thought life would be problem-free once they become Christians. No one said it was going to be easy. Not even Christ promised that. Rather, we are told, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you...” (1 Peter 4:12). We must accept the reality that, yes, there are joys, but there are also sorrows. There are good times, and there are also hard times. There are battles, but there is victory. Having Christ in our lives does not mean the absence of storms, but it means having Christ with us in the midst of the storms. Both good and bad blend together in harmony toward what God wants to accomplish in and through us. What seems like adversity can become a blessing for the glory of God. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
4. For the Giant FAILURE, you need the stone that says...DON'T LOOK BACK. The past has a way of paralyzing us. We must learn from the past but not be controlled by the past. We must leave the past behind, and move on. Past failures, past successes, past grief, past glory – these are things that need to be removed from our memory bank. “...never forget what is worth remembering and never remember what is best forgotten.” turning our eyes on Jesus will get us past yesterday's failures and set our sights ahead toward a glorious future. As Paul said, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
5. For the Giant DISCOURAGEMENT, you need the stone that says... NEVER GIVE UP! The fierce battles and disheartening situations can take their toll on us. They can weaken and bring us to the point of weariness and despair. But God will give us the strength to keep going, as Isaiah 40:30-31 encourages: “Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” We can cling tightly to God's hand and hold firmly to His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Following Jesus' example, we must endure the hardships in life, never giving in to the pressures and never giving up on our purpose. As long as we fix our eyes on Jesus, He will carry us through the race till the finish line. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1a-2). Sharing Christ is what we must keep on doing even in the most trying times.
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This is one of my favorite preachings I have watched. Each one is a reminder from the Spirit of Biblical principles we can apply in our lives. For every new convert, there would be lots of trials that can happen to them. I got friends who struggle a lot when they get saved. Some even backslid. Getting saved is not the end of the journey just because you have found Jesus Christ. Rather, it is the beginning of our Christian lives. I got saved when I was 6 and been through a lot. So yeah. This is an encouragement to all the Christians (even unsaved ones) that life is not easy. But with God, impossible is nothing. Remember the five stones. Christianity is not a playground. It is a battlefield!
If God is for us, who can be against us? Like David, we may be outsized and be carrying nothing more than stones into the battlefield, but these are the very stones that will strike our enemy down. Use them we must!
Till next time,
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