Stand

 “Jesus never called us to struggle against the enemy. He called us to stand firm in the victory he already gained for us.” (Alyssa J. Howard)

1 John 5:1-9, New International Reader's Version

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children as well. ² Here is how we know that we love God’s children. We know it when we love God and obey his commands. ³ In fact, here is what it means to love God. We love him by obeying his commands. And his commands are not hard to obey. ⁴ That’s because everyone who is a child of God has won the battle over the world. Our faith has won the battle for us. ⁵ Who is it that has won the battle over the world only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

⁶ Jesus Christ was born as we are, and he died on the cross. He wasn’t just born as we are. He also died on the cross. The Holy Spirit is a truthful witness about him. That’s because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ There are three that are witnesses about Jesus. ⁸ They are the Holy Spirit, the birth of Jesus, and the death of Jesus. And the three of them agree. ⁹ We accept what people say when they are witnesses. But it’s more important when God is a witness. That’s because it is what God says about his Son.

Believe in Jesus. (See 1 John 5:5, 6-9 above)

¹⁴ Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see. (Colossians 2:14-15, Easy-to-Read Version)

“God’s grace is free, but it’s not cheap. It cost Jesus His life.” (Rick Warren)

Become God’s Child. (See 1 John 5:1, 4 above)

²⁶ A similar thing happens when we pray. We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in and articulates prayers for us with groaning too profound for words. ²⁷ Don’t you know that He who pursues and explores the human heart intimately knows the Spirit’s mind because He pleads to God for His saints to align their lives with the will of God? (Romans 8:26-27, the Voice)

“You are a child of God. You are wonderfully made, dearly loved, and precious in His sight. Before God made you, He knew there is no one like you.”  (Anonymous)

Love God and His children.  (See 1 John 5:1-3 above)

²⁰ But you should do this: “If you have enemies who are hungry, give them something to eat.  If you have enemies who are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this you will make them feel ashamed.” ²¹ Don’t let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good. (Romans 12:20-21, Easy-to-Read Version)

“The most loving thing we can do for others is love God more than we love them. “ (Jon Bloom)

Control yourselves and be careful. The devil is your enemy, and he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack and eat. (1 Peter 5:8, Easy-to-Read Version)

Like a victorious Olympic athlete (who has won a gold metal), you are a victorious overcomer when you allow God to work through all the “junk” in your life so you can be used by Him  in the midst of all your weaknesses for the glory of His kingdom.

How can you take a stand against the wrongs of this world unless you show love and empathy (the way Jesus would) for those involved in it?

You see, God takes all our crimes (our seemingly inexhaustible sins) and removes them. As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us. (Psalm 103:12, the Voice)

The devil wants us to allow our differences to divide us apart from each other, which in turn keeps us from reaching out to help others.

“I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.”  (Nadia Comaneci, gold-medal gymnast)

When love is given unconditionally, it need not be complicated (but simple).

Make your world a more positive place by doing your best to show God’s love to someone who is hard to love (even if that is yourself).

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”  (Pierre de Coubertin, father of the modern Olympic Games)[i]

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[i] Inspired by the sermon “Victory Revealed: Revealed” (installment nine) Sunday August 15, 2021, Pastor Dave Jansen (CPG).  In-person services are available at all four U.S. CenterPoint campuses. CenterPoint also has an online Sunday morning service (10am) that can be viewed at centerpointchurches.online.church or centerpointchurches.com/live.

  

Pierre de Coubertin