Introduction:   We often sing: “Stand up, stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross…We sing the words but I wonder how many of God’s people are truly standing up for the Lord today? In Ephesians 6:10-18, the apostle Paul emphasized the need to stand up for the Lord and stand against the workings of the devil. We must resolve by God’s grace, not to yield to Satan. If we give way, he will get ground. If we distrust either our cause, or our Leader, or our armor, we give him advantage. Choosing to Stand means that I’m not going back; I’m not caving in; and I’m not going to regress or retreat. Jesus said in Matthew 10: 33—“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” What does it mean to deny the Lord? When I am under pressure, if I back down or falter—that’s denying the Lord. When I let doubt overwhelm me instead standing on God’s truth—that’s denying the Lord. When I refuse to take a stand for Christ—that’s denying the Lord. Christianity is not a secret society. The people who know you best should be absolutely certain that you love Jesus Christ as your highest priority. Something is desperately wrong if they don’t know Whom you serve. Do you regularly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord? I don’t mean just at church, but everywhere you go. Is your loyalty to Him growing daily? Can you say with conviction, whatever else I get done in this world, God help me, I will not deny Him. I will not lower the flag. I will not back up or shut up or hide the reality of my allegiance to Jesus Christ. I cannot do that.” Friends, this is a powerful commitment. God can truly do some amazing things with us when we totally yield our lives to HIM! The most powerful choice we can make is: I will not, I cannot, I must not deny my Lord; I choose to stand! Please note with me four things…Choose to stand

I.          BY SALTING THE EARTH (Matt. 5:13)

A.                Make A Decision

There is so much power in the decision of Choosing To Stand. One of the things that those who stand for Jesus do is that they salt the earth. As followers of Jesus Christ we have something that this world does not possess—we have the Spirit of God living inside us. We must choose to salt the earth with God’s influence. No one else can do what God has called us to do. We must recommit ourselves to the task of salting the earth. What is the purpose of salt?

·         To Preserve.

·         To Purify.

·         To Flavor

Are you Choosing To Stand by salting the earth? If not, then we are not standing for the Lord. And if we are not standing for the Lord listen to what Jesus says in the last part of this verse: “but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men.”   

B.                 Make A Difference

By calling us salt, Jesus was referring to the impact we can make when we stand up for HIM.  There is nothing quite like salt. Salt is salty. We should impact every single person we meet. We were made to impact people. We may not think we have much influence but God made us to impact people’s lives.  

II.        BY SHINING THE LIGHT (Matt. 5:14-16)

A.                The Purpose Of Shining The Light

Light’s purpose is to illuminate. Our world is a dark place, but we can bring it light. I want you to note something, both times, Jesus said, “Ye are...”—“Ye are the salt of the earth,” “Ye are the light of the world…” That is the very nature of who we are as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord saved us He gave us the light of life. Jesus said in John 8:12 “…I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” When the Lord says—“Ye are light of the world…” He means we reflect Him. We are to be a reflection of His love, His grace, and His mercy. We should reflect the light of His presence to those we meet. When we stand up for HIM we let our light shine brightly! 

B.                 The Problems To Shining The Light

God did not save us for us live in fear and faithlessness (2 Tim. 1:7) “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” God’s desire is that we let our light shine brightly for HIM. We need to stop hiding our light where we work, we need to stop hiding our light when around unbelievers, and we need to stop hiding our light when we feel threatened or uneasy (v.16). Let’s not cover it, hide it, or bury it! Just LET IT SHINE!  But we need to be aware that there are some things that hide our light.  What are these? :

·         Unconfessed Sin. 

When we have unconfessed sin in our lives, Satan uses guilt and shame to convince us that we have no right to share our faith with others. The solution is to take care of our unconfessed sin (1 Jn. 1:9).

·         Undue Suffering. 

When we suffer from no fault of our own, when things get hard, and we fail to take them to God, then it can cause us to hide our light. God is our great burden bearer.  We don’t have to carry our burdens alone. He invites us—“Come” (Matt. 11:28).  We are to be “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

·         Uneasy Silence. 

How many opportunities did you have to speak up for the Lord this past week but you kept silent because you felt uneasy?  The more often we remain silent the easier it becomes for us to remain silent. The Bible tells us—“…sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15). 

When we face difficulties, God gives us the grace to focus our energies and effort, our discouragements and grief into to something that shines forth His glory. This is part of what it means to STAND!

III.       BY A SINGLE FOCUS (Jn. 21:1-25)

A.                Keep Your Eyes On Your Ministry

There are two things that cause us cause us to stumble in our stand for the Lord quicker than anything else. They are: discouragement and distraction. We all remember the bold confession Peter made concerning standing for the Lord—“…Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.” (Matt. 26:33, 35).  Peter denied the Lord three times.  But did the Lord give up on Peter?  NO!  In discouragement, Peter and the disciples had gone back to fishing. They got their eyes off their ministry.  Here the disciples in despair had gone back to fishing but their fishing had ended in defeat. They caught nothing!  The Lord called out to them and then invited them to come eat breakfast (John 21:9-13). After breakfast, Jesus spoke with Peter so that he might refocus his attention on the ministry God had given him (John 21:15-17).  Lovingly, Jesus said, Peter, I’m not done with you yet. I see what’s in your heart. You don’t’ want to deny me. You want to be faithful to me. In fact, Jesus said to him, Peter, you’re going to be faithful to Me. You’re going to give your life for me. Friend, if you are going to stand up for the Lord you must keep your eyes on your ministry (expound). But also you must…    

B.                 Keep Your Eyes Off Other Men

“Lord, and what shall this man do?” (John 21:21).  Nothing will cause us to stumble quicker in our stand for the Lord than having our eyes on other people. I think it is important we see the Lord’s reply in v22. Jesus basically said, get your eyes off of other people, Peter, and back on Me.” We waste much valuable time looking at what others are doing.  But listen to Rom. 14:4 “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” 

Friend, have you lost your saltiness and hidden your light because you have been focusing on others? If so, you need to get your eyes back on the Lord. The moment we get our eyes off HIM we become distracted and divided. We Must Stand By having A Single Focus!

IV.       BY A SURRENDERED WILL (1 Cor. 16:13)

A.                We Have Choices

The only way we can continue to stand for the Lord is if we have surrendered our will to His.  Each choice we are presented with comes down to a decision between God’s will and our own way. The surrender of our will comes when we say, “Not my will, Lord, but thine be done.” 

B.                 We Have Challenges

1 Cor. 16:13 gives us four challenges that will help us in our choices:

·         SEE.  “Watch ye…” Pay attention.  Don’t compromise.  Engage. Take a stand.  Paul told the Corinthians to “to be…constantly on the alert, that their spiritual enemies might not gain advantage over them before they were aware of their danger.

·         STAND.  “Stand fast in the faith…” WE are to be determined. We are to be resolved in our commitment. WE need to root ourselves in Jesus Christ. (Col. 2:6-7) “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

·         STICK.  “Quit you like men…” Don’t waver and wallow in excessive emotion. Choose the path you are called to follow and stick to it! Don’t let your feeling determine your actions.

·         STRENGTHEN.  “Be strong.” Don’t be passive, but be active. Step up. Stand up. Don’t show indifference. There is much at stake here. Life is short! WE MUST live it for Jesus! 

Conclusion:  Friend, will you take a stand for Jesus Today? As we think about our lives, let each of us, choose this: I WILL NOT DENY MY LORD. Whatever comes my way, I choose to stand for JESUS! Let our prayer today be: “I choose to stand for Jesus Christ. God helping me, I cannot, I will not, I must not deny the Lord.  Help me, Lord. Help us all to choose to stand. Amen.”