Introduction: The thoughts for this proposed new series of articles came from an old sermon outline I found yesterday while cleaning out some boxes. It was the message I preached on September 29, 1991. It was the last service at Shawnee Church of Christ in Louisville, KY. In the next paragraph is a summary of the lesson I gave that day. I want to take the “points” I had that day and use them to show how Christians can “Stand Firm In The Lord Jesus.”
“We need to be strong in the Lord. We need to be looking to serve God wherever we go. The importance of gathering together (Heb. 10:25). We gather together to encourage one another (Rom. 1:11-12). Where do we go from here? In our new place of worship we are to “keep on, keeping on” – staying on the right road for the Lord. Continue to put into practice what we believe and preach. Living out your faith. If we are steadfast, we will seek the “old paths.”
In I Corinthians 15:58, the Apostle Paul penned these words: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (ESV) He was stressing to the Corinthian church and to us the necessity of Christians having a foundation for of faith that is based on the Word of God.
Song # 243 in “Great Songs of the Church,” sums up what should be the Christian’s everyday attitude and conviction. The song, written by James DeForrest Murch, is called “I’ll Put Jesus First in My Life.” The Chorus reads as follows: “In ALL that I say, In ALL that I do, throughout the world of toil and strife; by day and by night, through trust in His might, I’ll put Jesus first in my life.”
If we do that, we will stand on the firm foundation of God’s Word and we will seek the “old paths” as we strive to serve in the here and now as we live in expectation of His coming for His Church (I Thess. 4:13-18).
-Larry Miles, September 2, 2013
