STANDING UP

                                                        STANDING UP    

    Life experiences are the best if they aren't too painful. Sometimes they become very painful and that possibility may change a decision. 
Fortunately for Christians, Christ knew what He had to do, and never
wavered in carrying through on His mission. Because of His resolve and sacrifice, you and I can observe Easter knowing we have eternal life. Others, with the Apostle Paul as an example, also carried out sacrifices to bring the gospel message to the world. When the chips were down, they were standing up to the worst Satan could bring against them. How about you?

    One of my life experiences on standing up always comes to mind when I hear someone expound on a controversial subject. Usually these are the people who fail to stand up when the rubber meets the road. I have found that standing up for a principle--even a personal matter--often causes the person's knees to collapse. Easter is an excellent time to assess our resolve. The experience I am talking about happened when I was quite young. My father had been a  school administrator at a small school, and later became a director at a large school. He was a champion of the common people, and always explored solution possibilities for parents.

    A family came to ask him to help them with one of their children who was having difficulty in elementary school. They outlined the problem for him, and he discussed possibilities. He told the parents he would put their request before the board at their next meeting, but they would have to come to explain the situation to board members and staff. The parents were placed on the meeting agenda, but they failed to attend the meeting. An attempt to resolve the problem was made, but their failure to stand up for what they  believed in prevented satisfaction. The school board really cared about the child, but couldn't take full action because the parents
didn't show up to discuss the matter. Over time, I saw this happen many times.  It was amazing how many times quite minor subjects were not addressed because nobody stood up to support a request.

    What I did see, however, was how often people with ridiculous or 
terrible self-serving requests did show up. It seemed that proponents of bad or evil issues were willing to stand up, but reasonable people failed. Christ suffered crucifixion, humiliation, physical and mental pain and death to give us the opportunity for eternal life. Our military people take an oath to give their life, if necessary, to keep us free. That is the ultimate sacrifice a human can make, and do we repay them with the respect and care we should? Of course not, because  the people (politicians) who provide the money don't appreciate their sacrifice. We've gone from parents to Christ to the Apostle Paul to politicians. Now we look at the history of Christians. We also  examine ourselves.

    Have you ever thought about your breaking point? At what level of
challenge would you go to support your Christianity. Most of us will never know unless and until such a point is reached. In reviewing the record of Christians in holy scripture, we see standing up for Christ is much more difficult than talk. We have Christians today losing their lives just because they are Christians. They've had to walk the talk,  and death took them away. Scripture gives us a good account of how people respond to FEAR. It is fear that determines your reaction to Christian challenges, and fear plays a major role in politics as well as religion.

    First, we'll look at the role of women in Christianity. We must  
remember that the role of women and responsibility is not the same as the role of men. Women in the days of the Old Testament rarely overcame the patriarchal dominance of men, and were usually not only not considered a threat, but ignored. Some women, going all the way back to Genesis, had leadership positions, but not often. Looking at it in this context, the pressure of outward commitment was not  close to the consideration men faced. After Christianity began, women became the scapegoats men punished, even to the tune of burning at the stake. I never heard of "Christians" burning a man at the stake.  Have you? With this type of exception, women have suffered mostly through support of the male leaders. Their loyalty and commitment is not to be questioned, however, as they "stood by their men."

    The first woman who showed strength of character was not even a
practicing Israelite. The people of the Northern Kingdom were known as Samaritans, and were  a mixture of Israeli and several other  nationalities. They were schooled in or familiar with the Old Testament, but did not actively practice the Jewish religion. John 4:1-42 gives you the entire episode of the woman at the well, and how she realized  Christ was the expected Messiah. She told men when she returned into the city about Christ (v 29). They went to check on her story, and in John 4:39 we see, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all that I ever did.'"

    At Bethany, a woman brought an alabaster flask of costly oil and 
anointed His head (Mark 14:1-9). The disciples criticized her for using the expensive oil. Christ said she was anointing Him for burial. In Acts, chapter 16, the Apostle Paul meets Lydia and a group of women praying by the river in (Thyatira) Macedonia. She was a seller of purple who worshiped God. When Paul entered a city, he would first go to a 
synagogue to preach. Ten male household heads were required to  form a synagogue, and if 10 weren't there, the people would pray outside, preferably by a river. Purple was the color of a dye produced in Thyatira by painstakingly taking it drop by drop from a certain shellfish. It was so special it was used for royalty. Lydia and her household were baptized by Paul, and he and Silas stayed at Lydia's home.

    This next is a diversion. You should be used to my diversions by now, because I always want to insert "insider" type information. One of the most thrilling happenings in scripture took place while Paul and Silas were staying there. They would go from street to street preaching the Word. A slave girl well known as a fortune teller followed them proclaiming, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaims to us the way of salvation." After several days of this, Paul was annoyed, and he addressed the spirit, 'I  command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her (Acts 16:18). When her masters saw her fortune telling days were over, they took Paul and Silas to the magistrate and had them beaten with rods and thrown into prison. They were put in an inner (secure) prison and their feet fastened with stocks. At midnight, the prison shook from an earthquake, and the stocks and doors were opened. Be sure to read Acts 16 in its entirety to understand the pain Paul
and Silas suffered turned to good for the jailer's family and those who had accepted Christ. Satan creates bad, and Christ counters with good. 

    When Christ went to the Cross, it was women who followed Him, not disciples. Matt. 27:55-56 tell us that among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother  of Zebedee's sons ( v 56). Matt. 26 continues the story, telling how the women encountered an angel of the Lord, who rolled away the stone from the cave. The angel was the first to say "He is risen." The angel told them they would see Him in Galilee. As they went to tell the disciples, Christ met them on the road. They were the first to see the risen Christ, and they worshiped Him. I pray the men reading this take note the women were loyal to the end. Where were these fearless men? So...women aren't supposed to be leaders? Tell me why.

    I'm definitely a lone wolf, and I don't encourage testimonial stories
because I have seen so many fictional stories, frequently for the purpose of raising money. The bigger the tear jerker, the more money. I'm breaking that rule myself, in this sermon, because two women did actually save my life. My wife and daughter, at great personal sacrifice, did just that. There were others who played an important part, but none would have mattered if it weren't for my wife and daughter. I give thanks, not only in the Easter season, but every day, for the blessings I received, and for God's great blessing to give me my wife of over 50 years, and my daughter. You men out there, cut some slack. If it wasn't for women, you wouldn't be here
and neither would Jesus Christ. A little groveling would do you good.

Rev. Walbear