Here I Stand! I
Can Do No Other
“But Peter and John answered and said
unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more
than unto God, judge ye.
For we cannot but speak the things
which we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:19-20
When the Jewish leaders relayed their decision to Peter and
John it was a blessing of God. When told not to preach or teach in the name of
Jesus they made a bold decision that they would rather obey God than man.
Because of opposition, the convictions of the Apostles and the church were
strengthened in a way that they would not have had there not been any
problem. Acts 4:29-33 reveals what
happened as a result of their decision.
Lloyd Ogilvie said, “Problems are only a prelude to a fresh
discovery of the Spirit’s potential.” The Psalmist David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but
now have I kept thy word.” (Psalm 119:67). “I will...transform her Valley of
Troubles into a Door of Hope.” (Hosea
2:15 TLB)
Eugene Peterson, in The Message sites 2 Corinthians 4 and translates it, “Since God has so generously let us in on
what he is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job
just because we run into occasional hard times...We’re not keeping this quiet,
not on your life. Just like the psalmist
who wrote, ‘I believed it, so I said it,’ we say what we believe...Do you
suppose that a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop
us?...People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly...in
hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed:
working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear
head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling
the truth, and when God’s showing His power; when we’re doing our best setting
things right; when we’re praised; and when we’re blamed, slandered, and
honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but
recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within
an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled
with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching man; having nothing, having it
all.”
“When all kinds of
trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as
intruders, but welcome them as friends!
Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the
quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully
developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character, men of
integrity with no weak spots.” (James
1:2-4, Phillips)
“We are
handicapped on all sides, but we are never frustrated; we are puzzled, but
never in despair. We are persecuted, but never have to stand it alone. We may
be knocked down but not knocked out!”
(2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
God actually uses Satan’s weapons of persecution
as a means of moving the church into action.
At times we enter into problems, trials and temptations and
are tempted to give up and quit. At
times like these, we need to remember the words in this lesson, “Whether
it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question- we can’t keep
quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.” (The Message) This response sounds
throughout all of time for those who are encountering opposition and
persecution.
Like Luther, “Here I
stand, I can do no other!” “If you faint in the day of adversity, your
strength is small.” (Proverbs 24:10)
What the Apostles were able to SEE and HEAR about Jesus
forced them to make such a statement.
They knew that their God was REAL.
·
Micah
2:13 God is before
His people.
·
Psalm
139:5 God is behind His people.
·
Deuteronomy
33:12 God
is above His people.
·
Isaiah
40:11 God is beneath His people.
·
Psalm
125:2 God is around His people.
·
Matthew
1:23 God is with His people.
·
Isaiah
12:6 God is in the midst of His people.
·
Corinthians
3:16 God is
in His people.
He’s
the God in my past protecting me. He’s the God in my present leading me. He’s
the God in my future, waiting on me, yet He’s never moved. He created all things
and He owns everything yet He purchased you and me.
·
Deuteronomy
32:39
None like
Him
·
Isaiah
46:9 No God like Him
·
2
Samuel 7:22 No God beside Him
·
Joshua
2:11 No God above Him nor is there any
beneath.
·
Isaiah
43:10 None before Him and none after
Him.
·
Mark
12:32 None other than Him.
·
1
Kings 8:60 The Lord He is God and there
is none else.
We serve a Mighty God that is able to take us through every
problem and situation we encounter in life.
We have courage because we know who we serve.
The three Hebrew boys were charged with not bowing down to
an idol. They were also challenged with a question, “Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” (Daniel 3:15)
And threatened that they would be thrown in the fiery furnace. They thought about it and then
answered, “If it be so, our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver
us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that
we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set
up.” (Daniel 3:17, 18) Put simply, “Big man, you will receive NO COMPROMISE
from us!!”
What happens to good people when bad
things happen to them? Answer: They become better people!
Research For You
What was the
outcome of the bad things that happened in the lives of the following people?
Peter and
John________________________
_____________________________________
Joseph_______________________________
_____________________________________
Job__________________________________
_____________________________________
Esther _______________________________
_____________________________________
Daniel_____________________________________________________________________
Hebrew
Children_______________________
_____________________________________
HERE I STAND, I CAN DO NO OTHER!
1. Exodus 14:13
2. Ezekiel 2:1-2; 3:24
3. Ephesians 6:10-14
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