Wednesday Night Recap - Taking a Stand

In the book of Daniel, chapter three tells us the story of three Jewish guys named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If you are not familiar with the story, take a moment and read it now. There are several things I think we can bring away from this story and how we as Christians can take a stand when faced with pressure to do wrong. First, I think it is critical that we know the difference between right and wrong. Yes, I realize this is obvious, but is it really. Life is full of gray areas. Yeas there are lots of things that are black and white, but we get caught up in the gray and it paralyzes us when we are faced with wrong. A gray area might be using the word sucks in your everyday conversation. There is no commandment in the bible that says, “Thou shalt not say ‘Sucks.’” Some would say, “But what about Ephesians 4:29?” My point exactly. This is gray! But there is a lot in life that is not gray. Cheating is wrong. Sexting is wrong. Lying, underage drinking, idolatry. These are all WRONG! On the flip side, lifting one another up, attending church, being kind to others, working hard are right. We learn right from wrong by spending time with Christ and in His word. Unfortunately, many Christians never think about touching a Bible other than putting in the car on Sundays and Wednesdays. How can we take a stand for anything when we don’t know what is right and what is wrong? Second, we can’t presume just because we stand up for what is right that everything will be ok. Yes, for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, everything worked out ok. But ask John the Baptist. He was beheaded for taking a stand. Peter was crucified upside-down for taking a stand. Yes, ultimately everything was ok when these guys got to heaven. But they suffered real persecution for their beliefs. Are we willing to suffer the consequences to take a stand for what we believe in? Are you willing to put aside your reputation? What if people don’t think you are cool? Taking a stand can be a lonely place. You will NOT be the most popular person by doing it. Make sure your mind is right when you take a stand realizing there may be consequences. From this story we also see that Christ is with us when we stand for what is right. Through the fiery furnace, Christ was there. When we suffer for doing right, he is there. When everyone else in the world abandons us, he is there. Count on it. Finally, we see that taking a stand for our faith will draw other to Christ. When our faith is strong in our lives, others will take notice. How many of your friends are drawn to God because of the way you live? Do your friends tone it down when you come around because they know you don’t want the crude and inappropriate jokes or cussing? Do your friends see your faith and laugh or do they say, “Wow, that Jesus stuff is really making a difference in their life. Maybe I should check it out.” Jesus says we are to be salt and light in the world. How brightly are we shining? The Christian life is not about perfection. It is about striving, pursing the holy life. Living as a Christ follower means dying to our own desires for the desires and life of Christ. (Matthew 16:24-25) Are you willing to lay down your desires this school year and stand for Christ?

Wednesday Night Recap - Who Are You LIstening To?

Last week we began a new series called "Squeezed" where we look at the pressure that teens have to deal with and how to best overcome negative pressure. Last week we considered the dangers of running with the crowd. This week we asked the question, "Who are you listening to?" In life we all have decisions to make. Some are easy like what will I wear today? (OK, that is probably easier for the guys!) Other decisions are more difficult, like where will I go to college? As we face these decisions we need to consider who will we allow to exert the greatest influence over our lives? Who will you choose to listen to? In 1 Kings 12, we find the story of Rehoboam and a decision he faces about the treatment of the people. We has two options. The first option presented by the older, wiser men was to lighten the burden of the people. The option presented by his friends was to show no mercy and make their burden even heavier. Unfortunately for Rehoboam, he listened to his friends and ignored the counsel of the older men. This had catastrophic results for the nation of Israel! (For more information or the full story, read 1 Kings 12) So what lessons can we learn from Rehoboam? I think the first thing we can take from this story is that we must be honest about the quality of our friends. Typically our friends have the greatest influence in our lives. They influence us greater than our parents, our pastors and usually even God. We need to be willing to be honest about the quality of our friends. Do your friends have a positive or negative impact on you and your actions? Secondly, we need to listen to those who will help us think right and then do right. All choices we make have consequences. We must not set ourselves up for failure by only listening to those who tell us what we want to hear. Are we willing to listen to those that tell us the truth? Or have we just surrounded ourselves with people who encourage the lifestyle we are interested in, not what God is interested in? Third, we should also be strong enough in our faith to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong. In our lives, we will be challenged to see if our walk matches our talk. We must make sure that we know what we believe, and why we believe it. This helps make sure when the tough decisions come, we can stand firm in the truth of God's word and recognize when others are pulling us in the wrong direction. Proverbs 13:20 says, "Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces." Who are you hanging out with? Who are you listening to?

The Truth Behind our Actions

In 1 Samuel 8:7, after the Israelites had demanded a king to rule over them, God agrees to give the people what they have requested. In their request though, God reveals the true nature of the request. Verse 8 reads, “’Do everything they say to you,’ the Lord replied, ‘for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer…’” The request of the nation of Israel for a king was no less a rejection of the rule of God in their lives. I assume that somewhere in their logic, they thought it would be easier to be under the rule of a human king than that of the Lord. Even after all that God had done for them, they were no longer interested in what God’s desires were for them. I can’t help but wonder, in light of this passage, how often we too might reject the Lordship of Christ in our lives by our own seemingly innocent requests. I’m sure that if asked, the people of Israel would have said, “We are rejecting the leadership of Samuel,” or “We don’t want a judge anymore, we want our king just like everyone else.” But behind the request, at the very heart of the matter, was a rejection of the leadership and lordship of God. They were more interested in their own agenda and desires than they were in what God had in store for them. Are we the same? Do we make requests and demands in our own life that at the heart of the matter is nothing more than a rejection of the Lord? May we live lives in complete surrender to the One who holds all things in his hands.

Some Things Never Change

Proof that throughout history, men have not changed. Even in the Old Testament, men had no clue how to console their wives. But doesn't he get some brownie points for trying? 1 Samuel 1:8 - “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah [Hannah's husband] would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”

In Your Own Eyes

Judges 21:25 closes the book with the following verse, "In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." (NLT) Today, we do have a reigning king. It is not the government of the United States of America. It is Jesus Christ. He is the King! Unfortunately, even with a reigning King, many Christ followers choose to do whatever seems right in their own eyes. Instead of seeking the Scriptures for how to live, they assume their knowledge is superior and follow that. Some believe their friends, Christian or otherwise, can better guide them into the abundant life. Still others look to modern pop psychology for guidance. Any way you look at it, we place ourselves in a higher position of authority than we place King Jesus. This verse is a great reminder that we need to seek the Lord for guidance in how to live. God is the one who defines right and wrong, truth and lies, holy and unholy. He is the source. What better place to go for instruction on holy living than Him! God, give us your eyes so we may see how to honor you with our lives every day.