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Friday, January 6, 2023

STANDING FIRM

 

STANDING FIRM

 

1 Corinthians 15:57-58

57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.(NIV)

The great Apostle Paul frequently uses the phrase, “Thanks be to God” in his Epistles.

In Romans 6:17 he said,  “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient…

In Romans 7:25 he said, “ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

In 2 Corinthians 2:14, he said,  “But thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

Thanks be to God is also recited in responsorial liturgy during worship. The word “thanks” in the Greek efcharisto is our word for grace. We are grateful for God’s grace.

Thanks be to God who (present tense - continually) gives us the victory. This is in the present tense participle so another way of saying it is “thanks be to God who keeps on giving us victory” Note the present tense participle (continually giving). This is good news for it emphasizes the certainty of the victory.

Victory “through our Lord (kurios, kyrios) Jesus (Iesous yesous) Christ  (Christos) - Through is the preposition  indicating that this victory "flows" from the throne (the Father) through the Son to His own! Notice Paul uses the full Name, the Lord Jesus Christ. Every spiritual victory we will ever experience in this life comes through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Be steadfast . . . in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain. —1 Corinthians 15:58

To be steadfast means to be faithful to the Lord and to His teachings. To keep going. To be immovable. Paul was concerned about  the tendency of the Corinthians to compromise their behavior and beliefs for the sake of culture in which they live. To be “always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Paul has been clear that God gives each believer ways in which to serve Him, and the believer should work with enthusiasm because the work is guaranteed to continue through all time.

A preacher who was growing weary in the ministry had a dream. He saw himself pounding away at a huge chunk of granite with a pick-axe. It was his job to break it into small pieces. But hard as he tried, he couldn’t chip off even a tiny piece. At last, tired and disappointed, he decided to give up.

Just then a stranger appeared and said, “Weren’t you given orders to do that work? Your duty is to give your best regardless of what happens.” The preacher, with a renewed determination, lifted the pick-axe high in the air and gave the granite a crushing blow. It broke into a thousand pieces. He had almost quit—one blow too soon. The Lord wants us to keep working at our God-given task no matter how difficult it might be. Even when success seems remote or impossible, we are to remain steadfast, assured that there will be an ample reward for those who persevere.

The Lord wants us to keep working at our God-given task no matter how difficult it might be. Even when success seems remote or impossible, we are to remain steadfast, assured that there will be an ample reward for those who persevere.

St. Paul spoke of God's wonderful assurancee: “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). 

So this is the Exhortation. In faith be steadfast; in trial be unmovable;  in work be always abounding.

This is the encouragement. Your work is in the Lord; your labour is not in vain;  your triumph is sure, “He giveth us the victory.”

THE CALL

 

THE CALL OF THE FIRST DISCIPLES

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.(Mark 1:14-20 NIV)

Mark 1:14  Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,

The beginning of the  Lord’s Galilean ministry is preceded  by the arrest of John the Baptist upon  order of Herod. John the Baptist “had been taken in custody” is  expressed  in the passive voice. This means that God's purpose was being fulfilled in John's arrest and that the time for Jesus' ministry in Galilee had now come." (John D. Grassmick - BKC)

Taken into custody conveys the basic meaning of to give over from one's hand to someone or something, especially to give over to the power of another. The time of Christ’s departure from Judea to Galilee (see John 4:1–3, 43+) had something to do with the imprisonment of John the Baptist.

Jesus begins His ministry where John the Baptist left off. John’s arrest terminated  his ministry and marked the beginning of Jesus’  ministry. In God's sovereignty, John’s ministry came to an end. And apparently John was in Herod's prison for almost a year before he was martyred. Bible Commentator Lowell Johnson observes that Jesus did not immediately begin his public ministry until  John passes from the scene.  John 4:1-3 tells us why Jesus left Judea and went to Galilee. Why not fully begin his public ministry earlier? Jesus could not and would not give the appearance of competing with John. If Jesus had begun His ministry in full force before John's ministry had been completed, the loyalty of the people would have been divided. John was sent to prepare the way and the way was not fully prepared until John was removed from the scene. Believers are not rivals. They are joint servants of the Lord who work together in their respective ministries. They are not to compete against each other. And when the time comes, when a servant's ministry is completed, he is to willingly step aside for the new ministry.

Mark 1:15  and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

God's sovereign clock had struck the note that it was the time for the Messiah to present His good news of the kingdom, a present kingdom (followed by a future earthly kingdom and then an eternal kingdom). “The time is fulfilled”. The word time has the idea of “a favorable season of action; a golden opportunity. The time which God had appointed for the Messiah’s  arrival had now fully come. This is similar to the Biblical phrase “ the fullness of time”. Bible Commentator  Hendriksen  phrases it "The appropriate season or golden opportunity for the fulfillment of God’s redemptive promises and along with it for the promulgation of the gospel had arrived.

Jesus was preaching a message calling for immediate life change among His hearers. He was calling them to come to Him right now and not miss this opportunity. As the old saying goes, it may be true of the Gospel, that opportunity will only knock once at the door of your heart! Don't procrastinate or it could lead to your perpetual ruin! (cf 2 Cor 6:2) MacArthur feels that time is fulfilled "indicated that His coming marked the turning point of salvation history." (MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

And the kingdom of God is at hand - "As close as your hand." While the Kingdom of God has several meanings depending on the context, the simplest meaning is the Kingdom is at hand because the King Himself is present in their midst. And He comes with a message of good news describing victory over spiritual enemies and not over national enemies like Rome.

Repent and believe in the Gospel - The question is how do we gain entrance to the Kingdom of God? Jesus gives us the answer in this passage! ​Repent of your sin. Believe in the Savior! (This is only time in NT we find the phrase "believe in the Gospel!) Both verbs are commands in the present imperative calling for these two attributes to be our lifestyle. Yes we need repentance the first time we believe and are saved (that's the once for all justification, perfect positional righteousness of Christ imputed or placed on our spiritual ledger so to speak). But the present tense signifies that we need to keep on repenting, that repenting needs to be our habitual practice! Luther said it this way "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent’ he called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. "Why? Because we keep on sinning because we fall prey to the wiles and seductions and lures of our fallen flesh,

Mark 1:16  As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.

J C Ryle - We read that our Lord called Simon and Andrew, when they were "casting a net into the sea," and James and John while they were "mending their nets." It is clear, from these words, that the first followers of our Lord were not the great of this world. They were men who had neither riches, nor rank, nor power. But the kingdom of Christ is not dependent on such things as these. His cause advances in the world, "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." (Zech. 4:6.) The words of Paul will always be found true--"Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." (1 Cor. 1:26, 27.) The church which began with a few fishermen, and yet overspread half the world, must have been founded by God.

Mark 1:17  And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

Mark records the call of these two brothers as a necessary link in the chain of his historical deduction. Come after me, or more exactly, follow me, not only in the literal and local sense, but in the moral or figurative sense of adherence and dependence."  Notice when Jesus called the men responded. There was no coaxing or coercion, just His holy call!

This is a personal invitation by Jesus Christ to these men to follow Him and travel with Him. This is not the same as “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” This is not a Gospel message. In fact, this is a strange message. This is not our message. We may make application, but this is not our message. There were times when people believed in Him and wanted to travel with Him and He said, “No” (Mark 5:18-19). This is an unusual invitation.

"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." The meaning of this expression is clear and unmistakable. The disciples were to become fishers for souls. They were to labor to draw men out of darkness into light, and from the power of Satan to God. They were to strive to bring men into the net of Christ's church, so that they might be saved alive, and not perish everlastingly. We ought to mark this expression well. It is full of instruction. It is the oldest name by which the ministerial office is described in the New Testament. It lies deeper down than the name of bishop, elder, or deacon. It is the first idea which should be before a minister's mind. He is not to be a mere reader of forms, or administrator of ordinances. He is to be a "fisher" of souls. The minister who does not strive to live up to this name has mistaken his calling. Does the fisherman strive to catch fish? Does he use all means, and grieve if unsuccessful? The minister ought to do the same. Does the fisherman have patience? Does he toil on day after day, and wait, and work on in hope? Let the minister do the same. Happy is that man, in whom the fisherman's skill, and diligence, and patience, are all combined! Let us resolve to pray much for ministers. Their office is no light one if they do their duty. They need the help of many intercessions from all praying people. They have not only their own souls to care for, but the souls of others. No wonder that Paul cries, "Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16.) If we never prayed for ministers before, let us begin to do it this day.  (Commentary)

Mark 1:18  Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Immediately they left their nets and followed Him - At once! No hesitation. No procrastination. Immediately! At once! The verb for "left"  suggests a vivid picture of these men "dropping" their nets and immediately falling in step behind Jesus! Bible Commentator Joseph Alexander agrees commenting that Mark's "words seem to suggest, as their immediate and strict sense, that the fishermen thus summoned left their nets lying where they were, without waiting to deposit or secure them. This unhesitating response to the divine call, without regard to minor consequences, is presented elsewhere as a severe but equitable test of true devotion to the Master’s service (Luke 9:57–62+)." The effect of this abrupt call is described as instantaneous, not only because they were expecting and prepared for such a summons, but because they were divinely moved to answer and obey it. It was the sovereign move of the Spirit Who gave these fisherman the impulse/desire/will to leave everything and follow Jesus. No man in his natural state seeks after God (Ro 3:11b+). This supernatural "persuasion" is  inherent in the term "effectual call" (What is the effectual calling/call?) which all believers have heard and heeded enabled by the same Spirit.

Mark 1:19  Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.

Mark 1:20  Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

“Follow me” was the call of Jesus to those who would be His disciples. It still is. Jesus is still calling men and women, boys and girls to be disciples. And the call is the same, “Follow me.”

How quickly did they respond? Matthew 4:22 says "Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him." Clearly Zebedee and his two sons evidently had a very successful fishing business in co-operation with Andrew and Simon (Lk 5:7, 10+). Mark alone has this detail of the hired servants who remained with their father Zebedee. This added fact indicates Zebedee’s fishing business was prosperous and that he was a man of importance (cf. description of John in Jn 18:15). The point is that James and John "counted the cost" to follow Jesus! To follow (3694)(opiso from opis = a looking back) meant they went behind Jesus, in close proximity and relationship

Bible Commentator David Thompson observes that not all who believe in the Lord today and purpose to obey the Word will become a great soul winner or fisher of men. There are different gifts that God gives to different people. Some people are evangelists. Some people are Pastor/Teachers. Some have a gift of mercy or helps or giving. What we do know is that if any will purpose to obey the Word, God will use that person to accomplish His purposes, just like he did with these four fishermen.

According to CH Spurgeon – the disciples never had cause to regret that they did so. Whatever they left, they were abundantly rewarded. They had a rich reward here on earth; and they have a far richer reward in heaven. Whatever a man gives up for Christ is a blessed investment, which will, sooner or later, bring him good interest.