"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
I Corinthians 15:58
Our lives are constantly changing. The waves and tides on the sea come and go. The branches of a tree blow back and forth in the wind. Some things in life, like large rocks and mountains, are constant and show no signs of movement. Jesus' faithful followers must be immovable in their faith. They must stand on His teachings, live in purity, and trust in Him just like the large rocks of the sea. They show no sign of movement despite the fierce winds that blow, for they are steadfast. Jesus' faithful disciples must be steadfast, just like these rocks.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
In 1 Corinthians 15:58, we are urged to be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the Lord's work, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. Let us consider each of these admonitions.
I. STEADFAST AND IMMOVABLE:
We must be steadfast since Jesus our Lord has promised that He will return to resurrect the dead and judge both the living and the dead. The word "steadfast" literally means “firm” and implies an unwavering commitment to Christ and His rule (His will and commandments). And though we must be firm or steadfast, that does not imply that we won't have our ups and downs, a few storms now and then, tossing great waves into our lives. But we must resolve in our hearts to hold fast to the rope that is tied to our anchor (hope), refusing to let go until Christ calms the furious waves of our lives.
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil” (Hebrews 6:19).
- Firm (Steadfast and Immovable) In Our Faith:
“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”
You see, Jesus has the words of eternal life. Without faith in Jesus, we have nothing. Abraham is an excellent example of faith.
“He (Abraham) did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Romans 4:20-22).
Thus, we must be like Abraham, who did not waver through unbelief but was strengthened in faith. We must be steadfast and immovable.
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
All Christians must stand firm on the teachings of salvation and righteousness without wavering.
“That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14).
We must constantly be learning and growing in the Truth that we might recognize false teaching, reject it, and take a stand for the Truth. When we accept false teaching, we run the risk of being blown away by it. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, the apostle Paul urged us saying,
"Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle."
Since we have been given the hope and assurance of a glorious, righteous resurrection and an eternity in heaven (within the veil), we must be unwavering in our commitment to the Lord, keeping a steadfast hold on our anchor!
- Firm (Steadfast and Immovable) in Righteous Living:
“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
You see, Esau, the brother of Jacob, sold his inheritance for some bread and stew. In Hebrews 12:16-17, we are given another exhortation about being steadfast and immovable.
“Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”
We must not, under any circumstances, sell our salvation for the pleasures of sin. We must remain firm and immovable in our faith.
The word “immovable” is used in the New Testament only once, and its meaning is similar to “steadfast.” It means to be firmly planted and unwilling to budge from our position or run away from it. While we are standing firmly in the Lord and fighting for righteousness against the fierce attacks of the devil, we must be “always abounding in the Lord’s work!” We must be fighting tooth and nail for God's kingdom of righteousness, abounding in His work.
Many believe today that all we have to do is believe in Jesus to be eternally safe and secure. Is that right? No, and No! Being faithful Christians demands hard work! It demands great effort to serve the Lord faithfully in righteousness and resist Satan's allurements. We can rest assured that if we are steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the Lord's work, He will always be with us to help us remain faithful.
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12).
As long as we remain faithful to God, fighting the good fight of our faith, He will never leave us alone in our struggles! We have so much to fight for in light of Christ’s glorious return!
The apostle Peter also spoke about the coming of Christ to motivate us to serve Him faithfully and live our lives in righteous devotion to Him.
“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11).
Amen to that!
Nothing this world has to offer us is worth losing heaven over!
Thus, stay steadfast and unmovable!
II. ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE LORD:
As we walk our path of faith, we must become aware that we must work hard for the Lord. The work that the Lord has entrusted to us must be done by all the brethren.
Although this command was given to "the church of God, which is at Corinth" (1 Corinthians 1:2), it applies to us today as well. The work that Jesus wants us to do must be done by His children. God's children are those who have been baptized into Christ.
The work of the Lord cannot be done by some government organization or by the denominations of the world. One must be "in Christ" to do the work of the Lord. Otherwise, our labor is in vain. The message is clear.
The work that the Lord has commanded Christians to do involves evangelism, edification, and benevolence. What a privilege it is for God's children to spend time and bear good fruit in the work of His kingdom, saving souls! Jesus said,
The work that our Lord wants us, Christians, to do for His kingdom is to edify and build others up. Paul wrote,
The work of the Lord is to be involved in benevolence.
All Christians must study, pray, worship, and work to the glory of God. We must be faithful about everything we do or say because it is "the work of the Lord." All the work that we do for the Lord helps us to stay faithful! So, let us be like "Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord." Let us be like, "the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord" (Romans 16:12).
The work of the Lord must be done by Christians who are strong spiritually (1 Corinthians 15:58). God demands that we Christians be steadfast and involved in the Lord's work. Each member of each local church must be faithful and busy in the Lord's work. God's children must be "immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." Each Christian must be steadfast and have a strong desire to do the work of the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength without complaining.
When Jesus gave Himself for our sins, He died to purchase a people "zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). As faithful disciples of our Lord and Savior, we must always abound in the work of the Lord. We must not be "on and off" in the Lord's work. We must be working with all of our might for the Lord daily! The early church was described as being steadfast, faithful, and abounding in the work of the Lord, even amid persecution and hard times.
Those who are steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, will receive their reward, for God has promised saying,
CONCLUSION:
The one who conquers and endures until the end will not be hurt by the second death (Matthew 16:24-26; Revelation 2:10-11). As faithful Christians, we must endure, keep going, keep working, stay with it, and move forward despite life's hardships and difficulties. We are commanded to be courageous and not resign. It does not matter if everything collapses, we must keep working hard, be steadfast, and abound in the Lord's work. We must be careful not to be carried away by this world's lawlessness, darkness and lose our own stability or steadfastness.
Nothing this world has to offer us is worth losing heaven over!
Thus, stay steadfast and unmovable!
II. ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE LORD:
Besides being steadfast and immovable, we are also commanded to abound in the work of the Lord always.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Since we were saved by grace through faith and were also created in Jesus for good works, we are urged to abound in the work of the Lord always. Since the Lord has promised that He will return and destroy the works of Satan, and sin and death will be swallowed up in righteousness and victory, we must make our calling and election sure, being on the right side with the sheep when the parting occurs (Matthew 25:31-33).
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left."
Since we are awaiting a resurrection, let us not drink and be merry (I Cor. 15:32; Luke 12:19). But rather, let us be steadfast and immovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord. In doing this, we can rest assured that we will receive all that God has promised us. Our labor in the Lord will never be in vain!
“For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:10-12).
As we walk our path of faith, we must become aware that we must work hard for the Lord. The work that the Lord has entrusted to us must be done by all the brethren.
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Although this command was given to "the church of God, which is at Corinth" (1 Corinthians 1:2), it applies to us today as well. The work that Jesus wants us to do must be done by His children. God's children are those who have been baptized into Christ.
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27).
"Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain" (Psalm 127:1).
The work that the Lord has commanded Christians to do involves evangelism, edification, and benevolence. What a privilege it is for God's children to spend time and bear good fruit in the work of His kingdom, saving souls! Jesus said,
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16).
The work that our Lord wants us, Christians, to do for His kingdom is to edify and build others up. Paul wrote,
"From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:16).
The work of the Lord is to be involved in benevolence.
"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10).
All Christians must study, pray, worship, and work to the glory of God. We must be faithful about everything we do or say because it is "the work of the Lord." All the work that we do for the Lord helps us to stay faithful! So, let us be like "Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord." Let us be like, "the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord" (Romans 16:12).
The work of the Lord must be done by Christians who are strong spiritually (1 Corinthians 15:58). God demands that we Christians be steadfast and involved in the Lord's work. Each member of each local church must be faithful and busy in the Lord's work. God's children must be "immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." Each Christian must be steadfast and have a strong desire to do the work of the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength without complaining.
When Jesus gave Himself for our sins, He died to purchase a people "zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). As faithful disciples of our Lord and Savior, we must always abound in the work of the Lord. We must not be "on and off" in the Lord's work. We must be working with all of our might for the Lord daily! The early church was described as being steadfast, faithful, and abounding in the work of the Lord, even amid persecution and hard times.
"And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ" (Acts 5:42).
Those who are steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, will receive their reward, for God has promised saying,
"Your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
CONCLUSION:
The one who conquers and endures until the end will not be hurt by the second death (Matthew 16:24-26; Revelation 2:10-11). As faithful Christians, we must endure, keep going, keep working, stay with it, and move forward despite life's hardships and difficulties. We are commanded to be courageous and not resign. It does not matter if everything collapses, we must keep working hard, be steadfast, and abound in the Lord's work. We must be careful not to be carried away by this world's lawlessness, darkness and lose our own stability or steadfastness.
"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability." (2 Peter 3:17)
We must remain on our heavenly call and be abounding, making progress always. And though hard times and various trials might come (James 1:2-4; 12), we must choose to remain steadfast and immovable, acknowledging the purpose behind it all. Our faithfulness, stability, steadfastness or firmness praises, honors, and glorifies our Lord.
"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love." (2 Peter 1:3-7)
So we must prepare our minds for action and remember that we were ransomed with the precious blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:13-19). Let us choose to put our faith and hope in God and nothing else.
"He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:20-21)
Although there are times in life when we find ourselves in a season of frustration, challenges, discouragement, and confusion where everything seems to be falling apart, we must be steadfast and immovable. God demands that we be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in His work. We must do God's will!
Can we tell God that He is wrong for demanding that we be steadfast and immovable? Can we dare to question the depth of His wisdom? It is God's purpose that we stay steadfast and immovable to grow us and mold us to His glory. You see, when we are not steadfast, we run the risk of not growing in God and cutting His work short.
The apostle Paul declared,
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
Remember, God has begun a good work in us and expects us to bring it to fruition! He will make sure through His Grace that we finish the work He has purposed for us despite our circumstances. He will lead us toward confidence. He will reassure us. He wants us to not lose our confidence despite our circumstances. Momentary unhappiness is not a reason to lose our confidence. God tells us not to. He demands that we be steadfast and immovable to do His will.
Notice that the word steadfastness means to be firmly fixed in place, not subject to change, firm in belief, determination, or adherence. The Hebrew word for steadfastness is "chessed" (steadfast kindness, love, reliability). It is in our steadfastness that we can show the right attitude toward God and glorify Him. It is then, in our steadfastness, that we can definitely show our love and faithfulness to God. The same way He shows His love and faithfulness to us.
The Lord has promised us that He will bring the work He began in us to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. So my question is, "should we not stay steadfast and immovable until God has completed His work through us? Let's be wise and not become blind. Let us not build walls of blindness that would prevent us from seeing the possibilities of what God can do through us. We must trust God as our long term eyes. He can see the long term goals for us and others. God wants us to stay steadfast and immovable, shining our light.
Maybe, He wants to refine us; grow us in wisdom; grow us in our relationships with others that are difficult to deal with in a godly way. It is in all this that He is growing us into His image and less like the world. His only desire for us is that we be steadfast, reflecting His righteousness to others, even amid our difficult times and trying circumstances. Yet when we behave in a way that is just like the world, we are not allowing God to grow us in our steadfastness. We are not allowing Him to shine through us. What if we are the only ones who can show Him and His kingdom of righteousness to others right where we are, in our steadfastness?!
So, let us trust God with all of our soul, heart, and mind in our trials, frustrations, difficulties, fears, and whatever it is that we want to move away from. Let us remain unmovable and steadfast in our faith and godly living. Let's not cut God's work short but rather let us abound in His work and finish the work He has planned for us to bring to completion. Thus let us be steadfast and immovable! It is the only way we can move on confidently, knowing that we have finished what He has purposed for us to do. Even amid our difficulties and trying circumstances, God is growing us and molding us in His likeness. He is revealing Himself to us and others and leading us all the way! However, we must remain steadfast and unmovable. We can be confident when the work He purposed for us is finished, that is, abounding in the work of the Lord, that our work is never in vain (I Corinthians 15:58).
Consider that nothing is ever wasted when it is done with steadfastness for the Lord. God's eyes see the quiet things, our thoughts, and the unseen. But He demands that we be steadfast. He is steadfast for us and has always been. Remember, Christ was steadfast when He went to die on the cross for us. He was not afraid, nor did He cut His work short. He finished it! And what did we get as a gift from God? Salvation and the hope of eternal life! Our steadfastness will help us to grow in Christ, be fruitful in His work (abounding), find peace, and have eternal life with Him.
May we learn to be steadfast and immovable to grow in our daily walk with our Lord and receive our reward. May our Father in heaven give us the strength to complete what He has purposed for us to finish. May He give us steadfastness in our faith and our daily walk with Him, trusting His plans for us with confidence and joy. To Him be the glory. Amen.
Luci
No comments:
Post a Comment