"Where are our wounds? Is there nothing to fight for? How complacent are we about the world's causes, both great and small? Have we accepted with weak resignation that nothing can change, and that to try isn't worth the effort? Perhaps the call to comfort rings louder than the call to bear a cross. ... If the church is the body of Christ, as Paul claims, shouldn't it also have some wounds? Yet too often churches avoid controversy. A pastor at mid-life wrote, 'Wherever the Apostle Paul went, there was riot. Wherever I go, they serve tea.'" - Craig V. Anderson.

The surest way to become unpopular with a lot of people very quickly these days is to stand up for an absolute standard of right and wrong. It just isn't politically correct. You'll probably be ridiculed, blackballed, laughed at, and flat out rejected for saying with any amount of conviction that certain things are right or wrong. It gets even worse if you stand up in the name of Jesus Christ. People will call you names. They'll insult you. You'll be called two of the most hated words in our culture today: intolerant and bigot. At the very least you'll be viewed as a religious fanatic.

Yet some people stand up for what is right anyway. In spite of the ridicule - in spite of the false statements made about them - in spite of the rejection they feel from others, they step forward when the occasion calls for courage of conviction and get counted. They take their place among that relative few that love their Lord more than they love their own lives.

Perhaps you have secretly admired someone who stands up for truth and righteousness. To you this person stands out in the crowd, heads taller than everyone else around him or her even though physical stature may be slight. Perhaps this person has provided an anchor point for your faith over the years and secretly you have wished you were more like him or her.

Let me ask you a question: Why aren't you more like that person? Why don't you stand up for what you believe in more often? Are some people just born with courage of conviction or is it possible to develop such character?

In truth, those who stand up for what they believe in are really no different than any of the rest of us. Rather, they have made some determinations in their lives that brought them to where they are. Anyone in this room can learn to stand up for what he or she believes in, even in the face of resistance and opposition.

"O.K. How?" you ask

That is what we're going to consider in this message.

Our text is Matthew 5:10-12. Please turn there in your Bibles.

These are the words of Jesus. As I read them, notice that they apply to those who stand up for what is right and are persecuted for it.

10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me.12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

How do you stand up for what you believe in? At least four answers are suggested from this passage. First, you must:

I. Know What is Right.

Jesus isn't suggesting that we gain God's blessing for standing up for just any old belief or feeling or conviction we might have. We gain nothing for standing up for falsehood. Those who are blessed stand up for righteousness.

In ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS, Herb Miller writes,

"Two Kentucky farmers who owned racing stables had developed a keen rivalry. One spring each of them entered a horse in a local steeplechase. Thinking that a professional rider might help him outdo his friend, one of the farmers engaged a crack jockey. The two horses were neck and neck with a large lead over the rest of the pack at the last fence, but suddenly both fell, unseating their riders.

"The professional jockey remounted quickly and rode on to win the race. Returning triumphantly to the paddock, the jockey found the farmer who had hired him fuming with rage.

"'What's the matter?" the jockey asked. 'I won, didn't I?'

"'Oh, yeah, roared the farmer. 'You won all right, but you crossed the finish line on the wrong horse.'" (1)

In his hurry to remount after the fall, the jockey had jumped on his competitor's horse. In much the same way, if we're going to stand up for what we believe in, we need to be sure we are on the right horse. The only ones I care to encourage to stand up for what they believe in are those who are willing to stand up for what God says is right. There is no guarantee of heaven's support for anything else. We don't need any more people standing up and promoting falsehood, error, and wrong. Christian people must stand up for what is right, based upon the absolute standards of God's written word.

Jesus said we are blessed when we stand up for righteousness.

Righteousness is definitely under attack today. If you stand up for it you can expect opposition. In fact, the whole idea that there is any such thing as an absolute standard of right and wrong is under attack.

In 1992, a Barna Research Group survey on what Americans believe indicated that belief in the idea of a definite standard of right and wrong is on the decline. We are becoming a nation of relativists. The Barna survey asked whether or not there is such a thing as absolute truth. Amazingly, 66 percent of American adults responded that they believe that "there is no such thing as absolute truth; different people can define truth in conflicting ways and still be correct." The figure rises to 72 percent when it comes to those between the ages of 18 and 25. (2)

You can see which way we are headed.

If there is no such thing as absolute right or wrong, then the whole concept of righteousness has no meaning because it is based on what is right. It is righteousness. The Bible, therefore, which has a very well defined code of moral absolutes, comes to have no meaning to a relativistic society. That is exactly what is happening around us.

So how do you go about standing up to someone who articulates this idea that there are no absolutes and that all truth is relative? There is much more that could be said than I have time for here but let me give you something you can say. You might want to write this down and memorize it so you'll be ready.

Suppose someone makes a statement that suggests that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Take out a piece of paper and write the statement down.

Write, "There is no such thing as absolute truth."

Next, ask the person if he really believes this statement. When he says, "Yes, I do," ask him this: "Is this statement always true?"

You see, at that point you have him in a dilemma of his own making. If he says, "Yes, it is always true," then you point out that he is admitting that he considers his own statement an absolute truth - and, if there is one absolute, there could well be more. If he says, "No, the statement isn't always true," then you point out that since it isn't always true, there must be some cases where it is false. If there are such cases where it is false, then there must be absolute truth out there somewhere.

You see, even the statement that there is no absolute truth is an absolute! You simply cannot get away from the concept of absolutes. Truth is not relative and random. There are things that are always true and things that are always false.

God's word is our standard of absolute truth. It defines what is right and what is wrong - something we need to know in order to be righteous. God blesses those who buck the pressure and stand up for this righteousness.

You will never stand up for what you believe in if you are convinced that it is not always true. No one stands up for doubts. We must know and have confidence in what is right.

Secondly, if you want to stand up for what you believe in (presumably the absolutes of the Bible) you need to:

II. Condition Yourself to Opposition.

Note the nature of the opposition Jesus mentions in our text: insults, persecution, and false statements made about us. These are not easy things to handle. Most of us, the first time we experience them, are taken aback. After all, people should appreciate it when we risk embarrassment and ridicule to tell them what to do in order to save their souls. To the inexperienced, when they don't appreciate our efforts, lashing out at us instead, it can come as a great surprise. Some of us, from that point onward, decide we'll do whatever it takes to avoid such treatment in the future - a decision that effectively muzzles us.

Yet opposition and persecution are things Jesus clearly teaches us to expect. John records Jesus words in John 15:18-20:

18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

I am challenged by the words of Craig V. Anderson, writing in THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY. He was referring to the relative comfort and ease we have come to expect in the church. He said:

"Where are our wounds? Is there nothing to fight for? How complacent are we about the world's causes, both great and small? Have we accepted with weak resignation that nothing can change, and that to try isn't worth the effort? Perhaps the call to comfort rings louder than the call to bear a cross. ... If the church is the body of Christ, as Paul claims, shouldn't it also have some wounds? Yet too often churches avoid controversy. A pastor at mid-life wrote, 'Wherever the Apostle Paul went, there was riot. Wherever I go, they serve tea.'" (3) Ouch!

If we are ever going to stand up for what is right we are going to have to come to the conclusion that there is a personal price to pay for speaking truth to any generation. Ours is no exception. We have moved nearly out of that era when Christian morality carried the day even among unbelievers. Except for a few pockets of resistance here and there, we are now in a secular society that doesn't know its nose from its toes spiritually. Even many churches have abandoned Christian morality.

So what are we to do?

The Hebrew writer says in Hebrews 12:12-13 (and this was originally said in the context of God's discipline but I think it also applies to the need to strengthen ourselves against opposition):

12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

Whenever I think of our generation's tendency to be weak, I think of Jeremiah's words in Jeremiah 12:5:

5 "If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses?"

The only way I know to prepare for increased opposition is to learn to stand in the present opposition.

In the physical realm, if you wish to gain strength, you must exercise your muscles, pushing them little by little beyond their comfort level. The same is true of spiritual conviction. Paul's words in 1 Timothy 4:7 are appropriate here:

"Discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness."

The word he used for "discipline" is the Greek word GUMNADZO. It is the word from which we get our English word "gymnasium." What do you do in a gymnasium? You exercise.

How do you get to the point where you can lift 250 pounds? You start lifting lesser weights and build strength. So also in learning to stand up for what you believe in, you don't run right out and take on the devil's strongholds. You start exercising in the areas of opposition already present in your life.

Thirdly, if you wish to stand up for what you believe in, you need to:

III. Anticipate Your Reward.

Why would anyone knowingly and willingly subject himself or herself to the opposition that is sure to come when we stand up for what is right? It is because God is pleased and is going to reward us.

Our text says two things about the rewards of those who stand up for righteousness. In verse 10 it says, "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In verse 12, Jesus says, "rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great."

Charles Spurgeon once said, "There is no reward from God to those who seek it from men."

I can't say it any better than that.

At some point we have to face the issue of what we are living for - whether we want the temporary rewards of this life or whether we're willing to defer some degree of personal gratification here for what God has promised in eternity. There is no way to have both.

I cannot offer you what God has not offered. This is not a message about "four easy ways to get the gain the reward of heaven without the pain of opposition." If you stand up for what is right you are going to be ridiculed and laughed at, opposed and threatened, misunderstood and falsely accused.

I read a story about a rich baker who sent for 20 of the poorest children in town and said to them, "In this basket is a loaf of bread for each of you. Take one and come back every day and I'll give you more." Immediately the youngsters began quarreling about who would get the largest loaf. Snatching what they could from the basket, they left without even thanking the baker.

Gretchen, a poorly dressed little girl, patiently waited until the others had left. She then took the smallest loaf, which remained in the basket, kissed the old man's hand, and went home. The next day the scene was repeated. Later, when Gretchen's mother sliced her loaf of bread, she found some shiny silver coins. Of course she took the money back to the baker, where she was met by these words: "No, child, it was not a mistake, I put them into the smallest loaf to reward you."

Who would be so stupid as to willingly accept the smallest loaf of this life? That would be those of us who seek God's rewards.

If you want to be able to stand up for what you believe in, you must be willing to accept the smaller loaf here and realize that God has promised you great rewards later.

One of these days you and I will reside in one of the only two places that exist in eternity. We will have forever to look back on what we did or didn't do here. Will we look back with joy or with sorrow?

Finally, if you want to be able to stand up for what you believe in, it really helps to:

IV. Keep Company with God's Greats.

Our text says, "for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Ill treatment for promoting righteousness is nothing new. Others have stood in the same place where you and I want to stand - and they have stood well.

Most of you parents are very careful about who you allow your children to hang out with. Why? Because you know that human beings tend to take on the characteristics of their constant companions. If you don't make specific effort to provide them opportunities to find good companions, they may find evil ones.

You need to realize that all of us are no different than the kids. We will take on the characteristics of those we hang out with. The Bible calls us sheep and what do sheep do? They follow. So why not hang out with those who have overcome? If we're going to follow someone, why not follow those who learned to stand up for what they believed in? I can suggest no better company than those men and women whose stories God has provided for us in the Scriptures. Jeremiah, Daniel, David, Deborah, Luke, Paul, John, James - get into their lives. Learn what motivated them - what made them tick. See how they stood up to the opposition of their generations. Become so familiar with their lives that they are your companions. Jesus says in our text that their stand was no different than ours. In verse 12, where it says, "for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you," those words "for so" mean "in the very same way."

"How can I do that? I don't know how to study the Bible."

I have placed in your mailboxes this morning a lesson on how to do a Biblical character study. This method can be used to dig into any life in the Scriptures so that it comes alive to you. Take this lesson along with your Bible, a good amount of prayer, and stir in some old fashioned determination. You'll soon see what I mean.

Note: A similar lesson (though not our own) for web readers  may be found at:
http://www.metronet.com/~black/bibleclass.html

If you'll indulge me a personal illustration of this matter of keeping company with God's greats - sometimes even though I am frequently called on to encourage others, I get discouraged myself. A few of you have seen me in this condition, though I hope not too many. So who encourages a discouraged encourager? There is nothing that encourages me as consistently as getting into the lives of Biblical characters. I have studied in detail the lives of Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Nehemiah, Elijah, Elisha, Habakkuk, Hosea, Paul, Peter, and of course, Jesus, and some other minor characters. Nothing makes me want to stand up any more effectively than considering the lives of these people because they faced successfully what you and I face. They have become my companions. I commend their companionship to you. Take that sheet home, pick a character that interests you, and get to it. You'll soon see what I mean.

Conclusion

In A PRETTY GOOD PERSON, Lewis Smedes writes:

"A federal judge had ordered New Orleans to open its public schools to African-American children, and the white parents decided that if they had to let black children in, they would keep their children out. They let it be known that any black children who came to school would be in for trouble. So the black children stayed home too.

"Except Ruby Bridges. Her parents sent her to school all by herself. She was six years old.

"Every morning she walked alone through a heckling crowd to an empty school. White people lined up on both sides of the way and shook their fists at her. They threatened to do terrible things to her if she kept coming to their school. But every morning at ten minutes to eight Ruby walked, head up, eyes ahead, straight through the mob; two U.S. marshals walked ahead of her and two walked behind her. Then she spent the day alone with her teachers inside that big silent school building.

"Harvard professor Robert Coles was curious about what went into the making of a courageous child like Ruby Bridges. He talked to Ruby's mother and, in his book, THE MORAL LIFE OF CHILDREN, tells what she said."There's a lot of people who talk about doing good, and a lot of people who argue about what's good and what's not good," but there are other folks who "just put their lives on the line for what's right." (4)

That's the kind of person I want to be. I sincerely hope you do, too. Let's stand up for what we believe in.

Footnotes:
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1. Judy C. Knupke, Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 4.
2. Christianity Today, October 26, 1992, p. 30
3. Craig V. Anderson in The Christian Century (Jan. 29, 1992). Christianity Today, Vol. 36, no. 14.
4. Bob Campbell in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.
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Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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